When thousands of booze-fuelled revellers descend upon a now notorious London street this weekend to mark another FoCo celebration, first responders and city officials will be waiting and watching from both the ground and the sky.
FoCo - Fake Homecoming - began in 2016 when Western University tried to curb unsanctioned student parties by moving its official Homecoming event from late September to mid-October when students are busy with mid-terms and the weather is cooler. Students rebelled against the move, holding their own event on Broughdale Avenue on the original homecoming weekend.
The number of party-goers attending the one-day street party ballooned to 20,000 last year, with 57 being sent to hospital. The cost of policing the gathering rose to than $150,000 in 2018.
This year with safety top of mind, London police, the London Fire Department, the Middlesex-London Paramedic Service, the City of London, and Western University teamed up to develop a new strategy for handling the gathering.
The city strengthened its nuisance bylaw to give it more claws with maximum fines for excessive noise, unsanctioned parties, and public drunkenness sitting at $25,000. Western fenced off a route that connects the dead-end street to campus and amended its student code of conduct to include academic punishment for off-campus bad behaviour. London police have agreed to share information with the university about serious illegal activities by students.
Colour panels break Broughdale Ave. down into zones ahead of FoCo. Photo courtesy of Blair Henatyzen.
To aid first responders in reaching individuals, should an emergency situation arise, colour panels have been installed on hydro poles along Broughdale to break it into zones. Police will also be relying on technology to ensure the event doesn't spiral into a dangerous one.
"There are several cameras installed throughout the area and we will be using our unmanned aerial vehicle to monitor the gathering," said Constable Sandasha Bough. "The cameras will be continuously monitored to enable us to respond as quickly as possible to situations that may occur. For example, medical emergencies, fires, or roof collapse."
While police have been monitoring social media posts about FoCo celebrations, Bough noted there is no way to anticipate how many people plan on attending.
"We will have a highly visible presence in the area. We will be firm, but fair in our efforts to enforce the municipal, provincial, and criminal code laws," said Bough. "Our top priority is safety, for those in attendance and the larger community. We are very concerned about both those who attend the gathering and for others in the City of London because the gathering has grown each year and indications are that it will continue to do so."
She reminds students that if officers begin to clear the street over public safety concerns it is critical they follow direction and leave immediately.
The city's bylaw enforcement officers are also being deployed to the event.
"We will be responding to complaints on public nuisances and noise. That will be the focus of our day. Also proactively addressing public safety issues," said the city's bylaw enforcement chief Orest Katolyk. "We're very concerned based on past events about persons that are on roof tops, jumping off roofs in an inebriated state, and causing distress to themselves and possibly others."
For the day, the London Transit Commission will be rerouting buses off campus and Richmond Street between Cheapside and Windermere Road.
In an effort to draw people away from the unsanctioned parties, Western and its University Students’ Council have organized alternate programming for students at TD Stadium. Purple Fest opens at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday and features several musical acts - A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Tyga, and bülow. Roughly14,000 tickets were sold for the all-day event. Rapper A$AP Rocky was scheduled to headline however, he announced late Friday night that he would no longer be attending the event due to Visa issues.
Those attending the sold-out festival will not have "in-and-out privileges." That means anyone who leaves the grounds will not be allowed back in. The first headliner will take the stage around 10:30 a.m.
“We have been working alongside our student leaders to help create a safer alternative where our students can show their school spirit,” Lynn Logan, Western’s Vice-President, Operations and Finance, said in a statement. “The safety of students, neighbours and community partners is Western’s top priority.”