Westwood was awash with pride on Saturday, and for good reason:
Our Bruins have humbled the USC Trojans and ruined their
championship hopes.
But this indescribable high was equaled by the stunning low of
misguided celebration.
When teams win big games, it’s natural to celebrate
““ with chants and 8-claps.
On Saturday, unfortunately, a few bad apples turned the
celebration sour. As revelers gathered around burning couches on
Landfair Avenue, a car began to melt and fraternity brothers became
concerned that their property would catch fire and make the
situation exponentially worse.
The LAPD arrived to relieve a noticeably restrained UCPD and
turned back the crowd with batons and rubber bullets, herding
people into nearby buildings.
Some also decided it would be wise to further agitate police by
tossing bottles.
The question, of course, is why? Why celebrate your team’s
biggest win in decades like this? Why turn well-earned national
attention into another joke with UCLA as the punchline? Why give
USC fans ammunition on a day when we humiliated them?
The Editorial Board questions when team pride started to equal
destruction of our own property.
After all, if you must burn something, wouldn’t it make
more sense to head down to the Coliseum?