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Like many cities, Boulder has its share of social problems. In a typical year, most of Boulder's crime is concentrated in the University Hill district.
Over the weekend of May 2-4, 1997, about 1,500 people, mostly University of Colorado (CU) students, rioted in the University Hill section of Boulder following a year-long crackdown on underage drinking by local police (Elliot Zaret, "Students Riot On the Hill," Boulder Daily Camera, May 4, 1997, p. 1A). In all, 35 people (mostly CU students) were arrested and many others suffered injuries. Damage estimates from the riots exceeded $300,000. CU journalism student James Keivom captured the action on film. You can click on his pictures below for a larger view and captions.
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Interestingly, another riot occurred in the same area more than 25 years earlier (May 21-23, 1971). This riot also featured numerous arrests, employment of violence by all parties, looting, hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage or loss, and large crowds. In the intervening years, the University Hill district has been plagued by street crime, vandalism, drug trafficking, and confrontations between various members of the Hill community. Why do these problems persist in this urban space? Geographers at CU have some ideas.