Police in Boston seized copious amounts of alcohol at the St Patrick’s Day parade even though its start time was brought forward in a bid to curb public drinking
An earlier parade was agreed upon by city leaders to avoid the rowdiness that occurred during the 2024 event, but nine people were arrested and four others will be summonsed to face a judge after the 122nd annual celebration.
They will also face charges ranging from possession of alcohol to assault and battery, public fighting, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, assault and battery on a police officer, and destruction of property when they appear in a South Boston District Court.
We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity.
Please review your details and accept them to load the content
Boston police said one of the individuals is a juvenile, while the other twelve are adults.
The Police Department also revealed the efforts they made to curb underage and public drinking by shared photos of various “borgs” that were seized from paradegoers.
Also known as a blackout rage gallon, a borg consists of a mixed drink made in a plastic gallon jug, generally containing water, vodka, and flavoured drink mix.
Boston health experts have already raised concerns of a ‘borg’ drinking trend on college campuses.
“The ‘borg’ is a trendy choice among college students and also for Sunday’s festivities, with officers collecting dozens upon dozens of jugs filled with various coloured mixtures,” Boston 25 News reports.
“Alcohol has been seized due to underage and or public drinking,” the police department wrote in a statement. “We thank the vast majority of those celebrating today for doing so in a safe and appropriate way.”
MBTA Transit Police also seized alcohol from St. Patrick’s Day revellers at Broadway Station.
Talking to X, an almost exasperated post reads: “Some folks refuse to listen and follow simple rules.
“This is a small sampling of what Transit Police officers seized from people coming into the parade.”
According to Boston 25 News, the annual tradition not only celebrates the rich Irish heritage in the city, but also honours the day in 1776 when British troops left Boston after a lengthy attack during the Revolutionary War.
Since 1948, the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council has been organising the parade.