“Ratchitt,” a party on Chittenden Avenue Aug. 24, attracted thousands of partygoers and about 70 police officers. Credit: Ritika Shah / Asst. photo editor
Thousands of partygoers took to Chittenden Avenue Saturday night for a street party called “Ratchitt” before police shut it down.
About 80 Columbus Division of Police officers were in the area, Columbus Police Sgt. Patrick Shaffer said, partly to keep the street clear of pedestrians because the street was not closed off to traffic.
Shaffer said there were about five arrests, but he wasn’t sure of the exact numbers. He believed there was one non-OSU student who was maced when the man resisted arrest, but neither mace nor pepper spray was used “on a massive scale.”
People gathered on sidewalks and porches before mounted police moved into the streets shortly before 1 a.m. to close off the street and demand that the partygoers leave.
An officer on scene who declined to be named said the party was shut down in an attempt to keep partygoers calm and safe.
Some officers, who refused to be named due to police policy, said they were unaware of any major incidents or medical issues.
The name of the event was a play on the slang term “rachet.” Ratchet is defined by Urban Dictionary as “A word that people use to call something ‘ghetto’ or the equivalent of ‘ghetto.’” The term is used in the song “Ratchet Girl Anthem” by Emmanuel and Phillip Hudson.
Michael Centofanti, a third-year OSU student in geographic information sciences who attended Ratchitt, felt the police presence was a “waste of police funds.”
Centofanti did not believe the number of officers was necessary for the safety of the students.
“Controlling a party and eliminating it are two different things. Shutting down a party with no major problems is not my idea of control,” he said.
