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CNN Live Today

Buckeye Uprising

Aired November 25, 2002 - 10:15   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: School officials at Ohio State University say any students convicted for this weekend's post-game rowdiness could face expulsion.
CNN's Jeff Flock is in Columbus with more on the weekend uprising and the fallout.

Now, Jeff, I remember when I was in college, I mean, the worst it got is people stripped naked and ran through town. I mean, this was amazing.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Those were the good old days.

LIN: Yes, you know, the old-fashioned way to celebrate.

FLOCK: Exactly. Yes, it really got out of hand here, and in fact, perhaps you can hear the cleanup still going on. You know, you talk about 20 cars. This is one of the lucky cars. I don't know if you can see it, but this is only melted -- the front of this melted from one of the bonfires. Everything from all sorts of debris to school books burned out here -- a real mess.

And as you point out, officials today are working to try and find everyone responsible, even the ones that haven't been arrested yet. They want to make sure everyone who is responsible for this is prosecuted.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FLOCK (voice-over): It is these pictures that authorities are now reviewing, dramatic, and what Columbus, Ohio's mayor called shameful pictures -- students setting cars on fire, smashing windows, throwing debris, a post-game football celebration turned riot.

Today, authorities are looking at TV coverage, still pictures and home video to find and charge the people who did it.

MAYOR MICHAEL COLEMAN, COLUMBIS, OHIO: We will be actively pursuing felonies against the arsonists, actively pursuing them. We will ask that our media, our various television stations and still photographers to provide with us information, so that we can review the video. And if we can identify -- if we can identify the arsonists and others, we want to prosecute them to the fullest extent allowed by law.

FLOCK: Though fans stormed the field after the Ohio State Buckeye's win over archrival, Michigan, it was about midnight, long after the game, that the trouble really began.

Overnight, there were more than 100 fires, cars and furniture set ablaze, a giant bonfire in the middle of one street. Cars not burned were turned over or had their windows smashed.

Students we talked to say, sadly, many people expected trouble.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If they lost, I thought there would be an immediate riot. But they won. But I still knew that there was like a really big chance of something happening.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They had to have expected it. We all knew it was coming. So, people are just weird, especially when you get them into groups.

FLOCK: By nightfall Sunday, much of the damage had been repaired, most of the debris cleaned up, but it may be far from over for those responsible. Dozens have already been arrested and authorities will use the images of the riot to look for more.

KAREN HOLBROOK, PRES., OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY: We also ask that anyone -- students or otherwise -- who can help identify the participants in criminal and destructive behavior to come forward.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FLOCK: And indeed, Carol, perhaps to the credit of the students, take a look at today's student newspaper. This is "The Lantern," the Ohio State school newspaper. The headline, as you see: "Thugs and Alcohol." And this is full of articles decrying what took place here over the weekend.

Fellow students really not at all happy with what some of them, perhaps a small percentage, were responsible for overnight Sunday morning.

That's the latest from Columbus.

LIN: Wow! Jeff, it's just amazing, I mean, how far it went, you know -- I mean, and coast-to-coast. You've got to wonder what's going through these kids' minds.

FLOCK: Well, that's true. And as I said, you know, they in some ways were expecting it. They knew it was a big game. It was against the archrival, but no one thought it would get to this level.

LIN: Yes, I even saw one of the event coordinators in some of the video actually participating. I mean, he was one of the people supposed to be officiating and keeping people in line. Just getting caught up in that mob mentality.

FLOCK: I guess you get carried up in it. Exactly, yes.

LIN: All right, thanks so much, Jeff.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.






Aired November 25, 2002 - 10:15   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: School officials at Ohio State University say any students convicted for this weekend's post-game rowdiness could face expulsion.
CNN's Jeff Flock is in Columbus with more on the weekend uprising and the fallout.

Now, Jeff, I remember when I was in college, I mean, the worst it got is people stripped naked and ran through town. I mean, this was amazing.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Those were the good old days.

LIN: Yes, you know, the old-fashioned way to celebrate.

FLOCK: Exactly. Yes, it really got out of hand here, and in fact, perhaps you can hear the cleanup still going on. You know, you talk about 20 cars. This is one of the lucky cars. I don't know if you can see it, but this is only melted -- the front of this melted from one of the bonfires. Everything from all sorts of debris to school books burned out here -- a real mess.

And as you point out, officials today are working to try and find everyone responsible, even the ones that haven't been arrested yet. They want to make sure everyone who is responsible for this is prosecuted.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FLOCK (voice-over): It is these pictures that authorities are now reviewing, dramatic, and what Columbus, Ohio's mayor called shameful pictures -- students setting cars on fire, smashing windows, throwing debris, a post-game football celebration turned riot.

Today, authorities are looking at TV coverage, still pictures and home video to find and charge the people who did it.

MAYOR MICHAEL COLEMAN, COLUMBIS, OHIO: We will be actively pursuing felonies against the arsonists, actively pursuing them. We will ask that our media, our various television stations and still photographers to provide with us information, so that we can review the video. And if we can identify -- if we can identify the arsonists and others, we want to prosecute them to the fullest extent allowed by law.

FLOCK: Though fans stormed the field after the Ohio State Buckeye's win over archrival, Michigan, it was about midnight, long after the game, that the trouble really began.

Overnight, there were more than 100 fires, cars and furniture set ablaze, a giant bonfire in the middle of one street. Cars not burned were turned over or had their windows smashed.

Students we talked to say, sadly, many people expected trouble.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If they lost, I thought there would be an immediate riot. But they won. But I still knew that there was like a really big chance of something happening.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They had to have expected it. We all knew it was coming. So, people are just weird, especially when you get them into groups.

FLOCK: By nightfall Sunday, much of the damage had been repaired, most of the debris cleaned up, but it may be far from over for those responsible. Dozens have already been arrested and authorities will use the images of the riot to look for more.

KAREN HOLBROOK, PRES., OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY: We also ask that anyone -- students or otherwise -- who can help identify the participants in criminal and destructive behavior to come forward.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FLOCK: And indeed, Carol, perhaps to the credit of the students, take a look at today's student newspaper. This is "The Lantern," the Ohio State school newspaper. The headline, as you see: "Thugs and Alcohol." And this is full of articles decrying what took place here over the weekend.

Fellow students really not at all happy with what some of them, perhaps a small percentage, were responsible for overnight Sunday morning.

That's the latest from Columbus.

LIN: Wow! Jeff, it's just amazing, I mean, how far it went, you know -- I mean, and coast-to-coast. You've got to wonder what's going through these kids' minds.

FLOCK: Well, that's true. And as I said, you know, they in some ways were expecting it. They knew it was a big game. It was against the archrival, but no one thought it would get to this level.

LIN: Yes, I even saw one of the event coordinators in some of the video actually participating. I mean, he was one of the people supposed to be officiating and keeping people in line. Just getting caught up in that mob mentality.

FLOCK: I guess you get carried up in it. Exactly, yes.

LIN: All right, thanks so much, Jeff.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.