Preparing for ‘Project P’
Law enforcement agencies ready to contain Mecosta rave imitators
After the infamous party in Mecosta County that caused several hospitalizations, a car accident and an alleged sexual assault, local law enforcement said they’re ready for imitators.
Dubbed “Project P”, the Aug. 2 party grew to more than 2,000 people as a final sendoff for James Taylor, 21, of Howard City, before moving to California.
The celebration quickly got out of hand, prompting multiple 911 calls about party-goers who had overdosed on drugs or alcohol and dispatchers labeling the party as a “mass casualty incident,” which called in every available emergency responder and law enforcement agent from neighboring counties.
“If folks are thinking of doing that in our community, all of the local law enforcement agencies are very aware of what took place there and very much understanding that we have a community where something like that could occur,” said Bill Yeagley, Central Michigan University Police Department chief.
Three people are facing charges for their involvement with the weekend party in Mecosta County.
Daniel Misner, 21, of Howard City, 20-year-old Brittany Johnson of Cedar Springs and Taylor are each accused of maintaining, operating or furnishing a location and collecting fees for parking at the party where alcohol was being served without a liquor license.
These offenses are one-year felonies offenses and carry a maximum fine of $1,000.
Amid rumors of a second party, Isabella County is prepared to deal with the issue. Jeff Browne, Mount Pleasant Police Department public information officer, said it is difficult to stay on top of the situation because the location of these parties are not released until several hours beforehand.
Regardless, Yeagley and Browne said police actively monitor social media.
“We are strategizing and doing a variety of things so if this type of event occurs, to prevent it or intervene early,” Yeagley said.
Browne said the MPPD would receive a request for backup before officials decided on a new plan to handle the situation. He said handling a party of that size is especially difficult because law enforcement is heavily outnumbered and the presence of police can often cause more chaos than it would prevent.
“Depending on the circumstances it’s better to contain it, to make sure there is no further destruction,” Browne said.
Browne said those serving alcohol at parties will be held responsible, regardless of popular loopholes like selling cups or vouchers instead of charging for drinks outright. He added that such a defense has been “tried and tested in this county,” and lost every time he has seen it used.
Both officers found it difficult to sympathize with the grandiose feelings of party organizers, who they said seem to wear debauchery as a badge of honor, something to be idolized.
“They had overdoses and a sexual assault, what’s worth that?” Yeagley said. “As soon as you start talking about people being harmed, I have to start to question what people are doing there.”
For police, trying to combat parties of this size is a “Catch-22,” Yeagley said. If they decided to bust the event, partygoers who attempt to flee while under the influence of alcohol could take dangerous risks to escape, but if left alone destructive acts could still occur in the house.
At the Mecosta party, police chose to allow the activity to continue for several more hours but monitored the situation, Browne said. The next morning Taylor spoke with several media agencies, where he boasted about the success of the party and deflected responsibility for those harmed.
Browne said aside from the obvious charges, such as contributing to delinquency of minors, hosting a nuisance gathering and liquor violations, civil suits from victims or their families can be even more costly.
“People don’t think about the bigger picture, yeah they want to have a good time, but the responsibility that comes with it is the part they overlook,” Browne said. “The unfortunate part is that you may have 50 of the best people who won’t cause any problems, but the problem is when you get the five or ten that do.”
