Mifflin Street Block Party results in flipped car, over 80 arrests and an injured cop at annual event that began as a Vietnam War protest in 1969

The Mifflin Street Block Party, an annual event held just off campus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Saturday, descended into anarchy as a car was flipped over, 80 arrests were made and a police officer was injured.

The event typically draws large crowds but police said that the celebration this past weekend brought the biggest crowd since the Covid-19 pandemic.   

In one especially outrageous act, attendees flipped over a red Dodge Avenger, leaving its owner shocked and infuriated.  

Owner Reigna Jackson said that the lack of support by the university was 'infuriating' and has left her to ask for donations to replace her vehicle, which has been written off.

'I am overwhelmed by a mix of emotions, and the lack of support here at Madison is infuriating,' she wrote on her fundraising page after parking her car in lot near Mifflin Street.

Her mother, Tamaran Cook, told WISN 12 News that her daughter saw her car getting destroyed by while attending a party two houses down. She said: 'It's boggling to me to know that people do this type of stuff. A whole bunch of wild animals it looks like.'

Some of the attendees flipped over a red Dodge Avenger, which belongs to Reigna Jackson, who said the lack of support by the university was 'infuriating' as she asked for donations to replace her vehicle, which has been written off

Thousands of people attended the annual Mifflin Street Block Party on Saturday

Footage shared on social media shows a group of people flipping over Reigna's car before jumping around on it.

Her mother said she was outraged and heartbroken for her daughter, who attends college on a scholarship and needed her car to get to her new full time job.

'I was recently offered a job position which I had to reject now that I don't have my own reliable transportation,' Reigna wrote in her fundraiser.

Her red Dodge was flipped over around 2.40pm on Saturday and officers subsequently cleared the backyards for homes on the 500 block of Mifflin Street. No injuries were reported in connection with this incident.

By 5.45pm, police had arrested more than 80 people, mainly for minor alcohol-related offenses like underage drinking. Six of the arrested attendees were booked into the Dane County Jail.

One Madison Police Department officer was injured after being hit by a vehicle while working a traffic post, but she was walking around and alert when she was taken to hospital for treatment of her reportedly minor injuries.

The driver involved remained at the scene and was not cited over the collision. 

One of the attending students, Erik Van Dyke, spoke to local media before the event kicked off and said he was excited to have a house on the street this year. 

His roommate, John Polesnik, said the Mifflin Street Block Party was one of the last opportunities to celebrate college life with his friends.

'It is a last hurrah. We all just want to celebrate, have a good time and then that will be it and then we graduate,' he told Spectrum News. 

More than 150 officers worked on crowd control as people on the 400 and 500 blocks of Mifflin Street mounted porches and balconies, with one porch even breaking under the weight of the students around 2.30pm.

There were also reports of several people climbing in trees in the area and they were helped down by police. 

Another car was also damaged and the fire department was alerted to a down power line, which turned out to be a low-voltage communications wire.

More than 150 officers worked on crowd control as people on the 400 and 500 blocks of Mifflin Street mounted porches and balconies

There were also reports of several people climbing in trees in the area and they were helped down by police

By 5.45pm, police had arrested more than 80 people, mainly for minor alcohol-related offenses like underage drinking. Six of the arrested attendees were booked into the Dane County Jail

The party ended around 5.40pm as attendees left when it started to rain. 

Overall, emergency services were called out 14 for medical emergencies, with 11 of them resulting in transports to the hospital. Most of these incidents were alcohol related.

The arrests nearly doubled to last year, when 44 people were arrested by police during the party, according to local media.

There have been reports of smashed cars and balcony collapses in previous years. In 2022, a rotted beam reportedly caused a balcony to collapse, injuring three people.

Building inspectors have looked at houses on Mifflin Street since February and identified 24 porches, balconies and other areas that needed repairs - most of these had been taken care of before the party, police said. 

Mike Hanson, Madison Police Central District Captain, said safety was the most important for him and his colleagues on Saturday.

'We are looking for behaviors, safety issues, anything that draws our attention so our advice to people is, if you are coming to this event, have fun, be safe and don't draw attention to yourself,' he told Spectrum News. 

Hanson warned students in the run up to the event to be respectful on the day. He said: 'Doing foolish activities, getting in fights, disturbances, property damage, open containers. Just don't draw attention to yourself because there are over 10,000 people and about 200 officers.'

The event began as a Vietnam War protest in 1969 and is held on the last Saturday of April. What began as a political protest is now an opportunity for students, predominantly from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to socialise and drink. 

The original event in 1969 did not receive police permission for the street dance and resulted in a three-day confrontation between officers and students. 

Students threw stones at the police and erected barriers to defend themselves as police launched tear gas and batons.

Today, the event is a 'rite of passage' and 'something to do right before finals', Hanson told Channel 3000. 

He added: '95 per cent of the people going to this event are here for a great time, to enjoy themselves and let off steam.'