Students celebrate while couches burn

By NIKKI COLLINS

In the aftermath of the Santa Clara men's basketball team's 11 point win over Gonzaga, nearly 200 students gathered to watch two couches burn on the corner of Market and Alviso Streets last Friday. Ruff Riders President Kevin McDonough, 21, was arrested at the scene for interfering with the duties and responsibilities of the firemen.

"I'm not sure who is responsible for the couch burning, nor do I condone it, but as the president of Ruff Riders, I get excited to see students celebrate their school spirit and wanted to take a picture," McDonough said.

After a Santa Clara Fire Department crew unravelled a hose to extinguish the flames, McDonough and two friends ran into the street, picked up the hose and posed for a picture.

"If taking pictures in the heat of school spirit is a crime, then I'm guilty," McDonough said. McDonough began to cross the street when a police officer asked him for identification. McDonough was then placed in the squad car and taken to the Santa Clara Police Department and booked on a misdemeanor charge, according to Santa Clara Police Department Publc Information Officer Sergeant Anton Morec.

"It's hijinks, but it's criminal in nature," Morec said. "He was caught up in the moment and wanted to get his picture taken. There was no indication of alcohol use."

The arresting officer told McDonough that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. "I don't think I was anymore guilty than any of the other bystanders," McDonough said. "I just happened to be standing closest to the police officer at the time."

There have been many couch burnings this year, particularly on the corner of Alviso and Market Streets. While couch burning may be a Santa Clara tradition, it raises an issue that has been overlooked by students, according to Morec.

"What if there were a real emergency?" Morec said. "They're [the firefighters] unable to respond, and in this particular situation, it wasn't the fire of the century, but nonetheless, firefighters should be able to get to the fire."