Students clean up after riots, violence, arrests near pumpkin festival


Students at Keene State College in New Hampshire took part in a huge cleanup effort Sunday after riots broke out Saturday.

A car was flipped, a fire was lit in the middle of the street and hundreds were injured during the Pumpkin Festival – but on the school's campus. The college was in cleanup mode Sunday, trying to get back to normal.

Police arrested 42 people on Friday alone, for what the city manager says were largely alcohol violations. More arrests were made Saturday.

Junior Adam Beaton said bottles were smashed everywhere, and kids had been lighting things on fire.

Eyad Achraf said he and his friends threw a party that spiraled out of control. They tried to shut it down, but soon riots broke out and police used pepper spray to control the crowd.

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"It's all the residue from the pepper spray. See, usually it's a red color, now, a little dusty," he said, referring to his car. "Might need a little car wash."

He went on to say that he didn't think that the officers were excessive with their tactics to control the situation.

"And then it just kept getting worse. There were cars being flipped over. There was a car on fire. They were shooting rubber bullets," resident Mikaela Wilson said.

Wilson said she was tear-gassed traveling through the crowd.

City officials said about 30 people were treated and released from area hospitals, but none were injured as a result of police actions.

Keene State President Anne Huot said guilty rioters will be held accountable.

"We are reviewing images, videos, media coverage, social-media postings and information we have about off-campus residences. The most serious offenders will face interim suspension, followed by conduct action up to, and including, expulsion," she said.