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Marx calls for rooftop party ban

March 9, 2015

roof 2San Luis Obispo Mayor Jan Marx is calling for a city ban on rooftop parties, following a weekend incident in which a garage roof collapsed at an early St. Patrick’s Day party. [Tribune]

At 6:21 a.m. Saturday, between 30 and 40 party goers were standing on top of a garage at a house party near Cal Poly. The roof collapsed, causing at least eight injuries, and online footage of the incident spread across the country.

Marx described the incident as mob behavior and an affront to the city. She told the Tribune it is sad that students act unintelligently and irresponsibly just months after they display the intelligence needed to get into Cal Poly.

An ordinance would theoretically put an end to “brewfing” — drinking on rooftops, Marx said. The ordinance would be a step toward regaining control in neighborhoods characterized by high student populations, she added.marx4

The roof collapse occurred during a block party on Hathway Avenue, a prime location for Cal Poly partygoers. Thousands of people attended the early St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

Cal Poly head baseball coach Larry Lee, and his brothers Mike and Terry Lee, own the property where the roof collapsed. Mike Lee said none of the tenants living at the house planned the party, and none of the affected families has threatened a lawsuit.


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How soon before the people of SLO put a ban on Jan Marx? I’m about tired of hearing blah blah blah out of her mouth. Please vote her out next time she’s up for election.


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You can’t legislate against every stupid thing that people do.


How about enforcing the 20 or so existing laws that were broken prior to the roof caving in? Shouldn’t that be enough?


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Excuse me, madam mayor, while I lounge on my roof today and throw back a beverage in contemplation of this ordinance idea.


It is even legally enforceable for the city to tell me where I can stand or not stand on my own property? I mean, in your parks and on your sidewalks I get you have a say. But I seriously doubt the city can legally write a ticket if a person wants to lay on the roof, sleep under his car, climb a tree or do jumping jacks at 4 a.m.


And, what I one decides to do some “roof maintenance” with a brewski in hand, music playing, and—oh, yeah—a broom nearby…cause when you’re doing “maintenance” you need a broom or something. Maybe a hose also. A sprayer is useful for roof maintenance fun times.


Really, this sounds like a reactionary silly idea that doesn’t get to the problem.


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The city of SLO has the responsibility to keep the peace and provide for the public welfare, i.e. safety. It is obviously not safe to have drinking students standing on roof tops, so an ordinance against this practice is logical and necessary, regardless of the bozo logic shown here on this blog. (Most Cal Poly students are not wealthy and Cal Poly is a state supported school known for being affordable).

I questioned the police practices in dispersing large parties in this case. The police were called to the area almost two hours before the garage collapsed. They were writing citations. I didn’t understand why they weren’t on their bull horns asking people to peacefully disperse and warning the students on the garage to get down.

However, after looking at the law on unlawful assembly (which has changed), I understand the actions of the police a little better. “An unlawful assembly occurs when two or more people assemble together (to commit a crime/ [or] to do a lawful act in a violent manner).

[When two or more people assemble to do a lawful act in a violent manner, the assembly is not unlawful unless violence actually occurs or there is a clear and present danger that violence will occur immediately.]] Justia website.

We need to hear from the SLO Chief of Police about their present practices and problems in getting party crowds to disperse. Is this guy on another business trip or something?

Every time Cal Poly increases its student population, it creates problems for the city of SLO. Yet, SLO welcomes the income derived from more students. Landlords in SLO make more money from renting to students than they do from renting to families. Private property rights can’t be enforced when the property owners don’t live in the neighborhood or even in the city. Cal Poly does not allow alcohol on campus for students so they have to party with alcohol in the city of SLO, and SLO promotes wine and alcohol just like most of the other cities in the county. There are no general parties for Cal Poly students on campus—controlled and excluding outsiders. In fact, for generations, universities have “used” off campus fraternities and clubs for providing social interaction; maybe they need to provide more social activities for their own students on campus.


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“ordinance is … logical and necessary”? I don’t think it’s even a legally enforceable idea.


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I’m thinking safety, pure and simple, public safety.


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Ok Citizen, since you think its ok to tell everyone in SLO, “You are NOT allowed on your very own rooftop”, you can go through some ridiculous training on how to approach your neighbor to give him his citation for climbing up on his very own roof to retrieve the frisbee the neighbor kids accidentally tossed up there.

The only Bozo logic I see is when some think we need the government to micro manage every little thing everyone does. That’s not freedom, even if it’s in the name of “safety”. The majority of humans are quite capable of being responsible for their own peace, safety and welfare. We don’t need the government telling us how to and what to do every moment. And if someone makes a mistake, then they pay the price. Period! It;s not your job to prevent anyone from being stupid!

And by the way, how or who was intentionally acting in a violent manner? Not to defend drunk youngsters here, but there is no claim that anyone there acted in a violent manner.


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Lets see, hundreds of kids partying in a residential neighborhood,I would think there would

be cars parked all over,loud music and a general ruckus going on,so where were the citys

finest,the Fire Marshal and a few of the boys and or the Chief of police,opps they most likely

couldn’t handle a mob like that for fear it could turn into another Poly Royal,so the mayor in

all her brilliance wants to make legislation to ban roof sitting,ummm there were several laws

on the books to have helped enforcement deal with this problem,another law isn’t needed,

but being a fool I guess thats the only way for her to think.


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I heard Chief Gesell was attending a training seminar in Hawaii with his wife and children, don’t worry he will closely scrutinize his expense report before he submits its for reimbursement.


The state of California only enacted 900+ news laws for 2015, not sure how many the city of SLO had, but there is always room for one more, one more new department, new administrator, support staff, budget, more benefits….. on and on and on and on, thank goodness the new tax was approved.


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This crap will keep happening until Asian students arrive in greater numbers. This scale of alcohol abuse does not occur on campuses that are less than 50% white. The mayor or cops cannot reverse the downward behavior spiral. The admissions office can. I am the same color as Beavis and Jerry Springer. But I am smart enough to know what a community improve-ment a bunch of civic minded, hard studying,not embarrass your family type of kids would be..


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Marx “told the Tribune it is sad that students act unintelligently and irresponsibly just months after they display the intelligence needed to get into Cal Poly.”


Marx is a fool. She is attempting to profile any 18-22 year old present at that party as a Cal Poly student, but in reality she has no evidence that they are Cal Poly Students at all. They could be Cuesta students, students from out of town universities, or not even students at all! How does she expect to get the respect of the student population if she makes these bigoted statements based on false stereotypes?


If it’s not ok to profile and stereotype people based on race or looks, it is also not ok to profile people based on age and behavior. Not every 18-22 year old drunken idiot is a Cal Poly student, in fact most of them probably aren’t or already failed out!


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The Cal Poly students should be registered voters and as such voter her happy ass right out of office.


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We have 318 MILLION morons in this country. Impacted heads up rumpusses. They all think they’re smarter than everyone else, or at least someone else.

These college kids see their parents, authorities, and our supposed ‘leaders’ behaving stupidly …and yet with the aura of ‘success’; and they behave likewise.


I say let natural selection work as intended. Even set up more situations… shooting ranges with live ammo and drinking games; beer pong Russian roulette style with every sixth shot randomly mixed with Drano; those that vote against ‘socialism’ being permanently denied Social Security, Medicare, or any other government services or subsidies.


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……………………Marx described the incident as mob behavior and an affront to the city”.


Marx, you let unlimited mobs of miscreant motorcyclists shake and ruin the city, but a few kids slamming a few beers on a roof is a MOB ?


Publicly repudiate your previous chief of police’s memo to council giving full access to the loudest of motorcycles, “citations and enforcement too complex for her and her officers”, and maybe you won’t be such a JOKE in letting developers and biker thugs ruin the city.


Awkward brainless non-leader.


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