University Police received two phone calls complaining about noise at the Sigma Nu house late Friday night to early Saturday morning.
BUPD responded to the calls and asked members of Sigma Nu and their guests to move their gathering from the house’s outdoor back patio to the inside or front porch of the house.
The group complied, and the noise volume was lowered.
The situation didn’t end there, however. Second District City Councilwoman Barbara Van Auken and others then approached the group around 2:30 a.m. complaining about noise and wouldn’t leave after being asked multiple times.
Members of Sigma Nu called BUPD to respond to the situation, and according to University Police reports, Van Auken appeared to be slurring her words and seemed lethargic, indicating possible intoxication.
We’re not saying noise is never a problem – this is a college campus, and students have parties.
But in an attempt to draw attention to out-of-control noise levels in neighborhoods surrounding Bradley, Van Auken has instead drawn attention to herself – and not in the best light.
Showing up possibly drunk to a fraternity house at 2:30 a.m. is a mistake some college girls make – but a city councilwoman and prestigious member of the Peoria community should be over making mistakes such as this.
To make matters worse, police reports state Van Auken demanded that the “real police” respond to the situation, prompting Peoria police to arrive. PPD cited Sigma Nu for a noise violation, but Van Auken and the two men accompanying her were not cited for trespassing. And she wasn’t cited for disorderly conduct for her aggressive behavior.
Because of this situation, six to eight Peoria police officers responded to a minor noise complaint the BUPD handled itself. Instead of patrolling other areas of the city, PPD was forced to respond to a university-related issue the BUPD had under control.
According to a Wednesday Journal-Star article, Van Auken said she wants to come up with an effective plan to “take the burden off city services when it comes to enforcing these issues.”
But we don’t need a new effective plan – the plan in place already is appropriate.
BUPD’s jurisdiction includes the Sigma Nu house, making issues at the house BUPD’s responsibility.
City services were never needed to deal with the problem. BUPD responded to noise complaint calls, and Sigma Nu complied with BUPD requests. Shouldn’t that be enough?
Besides, Van Auken treated Bradley officers with no respect. She asked to speak with “real police,” which was ignorant and offensive to the BUPD.
A city councilwoman should be able to exhibit respect and grace in any situation, even if she had “two glasses of wine and a couple sips of an after-dinner drink” before the situation, as she told the Journal Star.
Van Auken called Bradley out in Wednesday’s Journal Star article, asking, “I want to know, Bradley, when are you going to step up to the plate?”
We want to know, Van Auken, when you are going to play fair.
