Root beer kegger!
Posted on March 24th, 2008 – 2:19 PMBy Michael Rand
Many thanks to Jim P. for passing along this story about an outrageous kegger busted by the cops near Wausau, Wis. (where else?). Turns out underage kids weren’t actually drinking; they were just protesting the suspension from high school sports teams of kids caught drinking. These little darlings had root beer kegs. Please do read on (and note the awesome Wisconsin names, among other things bolded for your pleasure):
The Zebro home in Kronenwetter showed all the signs of an underage drinking party March 1: cars blocking the road, dozens of rowdy kids and a keg. And yet, every partyer’s breath test revealed an alcohol-free gathering.
Dustin Zebro, 18, and his friends said they threw the party after D.C. Everest High School administrators suspended their friends from sports. “We didn’t know it would work well enough to make the cops show up,” Zebro said of the plan to poke fun at the administrators by throwing a root beer kegger.
However amusing, the event — which partyers posted on the video Web site YouTube — highlights serious differences in attitudes about underage drinking.
Zebro and his friends said they think underage drinking is between students and police, not schools. Principal Tom Johansen disagrees.
“I think we have an obligation as an educational institution,” he said, explaining that schools investigate cases of underage drinking carefully. Violations at school can lead to suspension or expulsion, while those at other venues can lead to expulsions from sports.
Debra Burgess, drug free communities coordinator for the Wausau School District, said the root beer party, and its motivations, downplay the consequences of underage drinking, which include harmful decisions and stalled brain development.
Zebro’s mother, Ruthie, said she didn’t know the motivation behind the gathering. She also said a group on the social networking Web site Facebook that suggests she supports underage drinking is easily misunderstood. Although they had no proof, Everest Metro police have spoken to Ruthie Zebro about anonymous complaints they received about her hosting an underage drinking party. “I don’t promote it,” she said. But a drinking age of 21, she said, isn’t fair with kids going to war at 18.
Ah, to be young and ridiculous again.
10 Responses to "Root beer kegger!"
Principal Tim Johansen is a colossal tool.
A rough night is when I drink so much that Oconomowoc…
Eden Prairie High School officials would like to remind you that underage drinking is not a matter for police, but for the schools, since attending a public school requires that you cede control of your life to that educational institution.
If dolphins are so smart, why are they always getting caught in fishing nets???
I love this idea. I’m pretty sure I would have done something like this back in high school if given the chance. Although it wouldn’t have been as much of a protest as it would have been just to get people riled up. Instead, my school only did cool things like have a walkout when a junior high dance was canceled. When our Kris Kross is taken away, we riot.
What proof did EPHS have, either? Just because a kid is holding a red, opaque cup doesn’t prove that there’s alcohol in it. When I was in high school health class, that was one of the ideas they told us: if you’re at a party and don’t want to drink, get a cup and put pop in it (or something of the sort) because people won’t give you a hard time about it.
That video was awesome. I hate to say this, but +1 for Wisconsin.
Yeah, DaveMN, I hate when I reach the point where I Oconomowoc and I wake up in friggin’ Ixonia.
Eden Prairie High School officials would like to remind you that underage drinking is not a matter for police, but for the schools, since attending a public school requires that you cede control of your life to that educational institution.
Ha! Suburban Police? Yeah, they’re an effective bunch. To catch underage drinking, there has to be a snitch. In the EPHS case, the snitch went to the school rather than the police. Doesn’t that just say it all?
I will disclose that I am not a big fan of the Eden Prairie Police. They screwed up the paperwork and handling of a traffic accident that I had there in high school, and I ended up with a huge ticket. While the underage girls with beer in the back of their Jeep drove off scot-free.
Yep, they’re sharp ones, those suburban police officers…
RIGHT ON RUTHIE!
Stop snitchin’
