Havre de Grace councilman concerned about fight after July 3 carnival

A Havre de Grace City Councilman says he is concerned about a fight that took place on the last night of the city's Independence Day week carnival, one which he said jeopardized the safety of police officers, as well as the public attending the annual celebration and fireworks.Dave Glenn said he wanted residents to help the council come up with ways to keep the carnival and July 4 celebrations safe, because the city does not &quot;need a black eye.&quot;&quot;There was a major fight that broke out at the carnival around the funnel cake area,&quot; Glenn said during the council meeting Monday night.Glenn said not only police officers, but the general public at Tydings Park, were in danger because of the fight.&quot;That really disturbed me, and it put the officers at risk and it's something that we really cannot afford to do,&quot; Glenn said.No one was injured in the fight, but two juveniles were taken into custody, Havre de Grace Police Capt. Wayne Young said after the meeting.The incident took place on the last night carnival Sunday, July 3, which also featured the Independence Day parade that afternoon and was capped off with fireworks.The fight broke out at 9:10 p.m., and the fireworks had not started yet, Young said. The carnival was slated to close at 9:45 p.m.&quot;There was no call for a cardiac arrest at the park. EMS had a cardiac arrest earlier in the evening that was not associated with the carnival. There were 10 officers that responded to the fight call. They were all already assigned to the carnival grounds,&quot; Young said in an email sent Tuesday.He estimated 30 to 40 people were in the fight, not actively fighting but inciting those who were. Neither of the juveniles who were taken into custody was from Havre de Grace.&quot;No officers were injured, but one person tried to take an officer's baton and subsequently threw a handful of gravel at him,&quot; Young said. &quot;The officer was attempting to shield the officers that were engaged in arresting the juveniles from being swarmed by the crowd. Once those officers were back on their feet, he attempted to find that suspect, but he had retreated into the crowd.&quot;Charlie Mike, an organizer for the Independence Day Celebration Committee who is stepping down after this year, said he tried to help break the fight up himself.&quot;I was right there when it happened,&quot; he said Tuesday. &quot;I actually got in the middle and helped try to break it up.&quot;&quot;The committee is aware of the incident, and the committee is still waiting to hear from the mayor and council and chief of police if they want to discuss the incident with us,&quot; Mike said.As chairman of the council's public safety committee, Glenn called the problem &quot;a community issue, and this is something that the community really has to step up [to solve].&quot;The incident reflects the events in the country and the world today, Glenn said. &quot;It's kind of out of control,&quot; he said.The annual carnival was a source of concern earlier this year, when the mayor, council and police leaders met with the city's volunteer Independence Day Committee to discuss better security or different hours in an effort to keep out young people they said came from other towns, or Cecil County, and stirred up trouble in Havre de Grace.This year the carnival ran in the park from Wednesday, June 29 through July 3. Proceeds from the carnival are used to help underwrite the cost of the parade and fireworks, committee members have said.&quot;We cannot put police and residents at risk for events like that,&quot; Glenn said, explaining he is asking residents who may have solutions to call him, Independence Day Committee liaison Councilwoman Monica Worrell or Martin.Worrell agreed with Glenn, saying that although the celebration on July 3 was great and officials did an excellent job moving thousands of people in and out of town, &quot;we have some opportunities for improvement, and we need to look at today's society&quot; and how that impacts Havre de Grace.Worrell said the &quot;turmoil&quot; after the carnival resonated with her. In a separate issue, she said ambulances had problems getting into town because of the numbers of people who were leaving at the end of the night.&quot;I look forward to an outstanding Fourth of July next year,&quot; she said.Monday's council meeting was supposed to be held in a tent at Hutchins Park, part of a series of sessions held in the community, but it was moved back to City Hall because of concerns about heat and possible thunderstorms, Mayor Bill Martin said.

Havre de Grace councilman concerned about fight after July 3 carnival

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