On August 30^th, the Urbana Hawks Football team played Dover. The game was intense and so was the student section with a couple of students getting breathalyzed.

The Urbaniacs were going crazy. After two painted up students stumbled while walking up to the concessions stand the cops walked over to them and smelled their alcohol odor. They told the students to go out and sit by the cop car. The cops suddenly came down to all the Urbaniacs and told us to come with them to take a PBT (breath test).

As we all were escorted up the stairs all the parents’ and kids’ eyes were on us as we walked in single file line with the cops. Even though I had nothing to worry about because I had not been drinking, the guilt kicked in.

We felt like thugs, delinquents, and even though I had nothing to be ashamed of, I felt disgraced.

Junior Connor Wills said “Personally I felt violated and exposed, and my reputation was lowered. Even though I passed I still felt like a felon.”

In thinking back on the events of that night, I started questioning why it was legal to get an entire group to take the test when only two students were acting up.

In talking with Deputy Brian Stocks the next day, I learned that the cops actually did have probable cause because those who were first caught were affiliated with those who were standing on the railing. If you are affiliated with a group and one is accused you can all be breathalyzed

The cops weren’t doing it to make us feel guilty. “They were doing what they were trained to do and doing it to ensure our safety and to make sure no one would get hurt,” said Stocks.

Overall I think they should have done further investigation of each individual because the way we felt sitting against the fence was terrible. Wills said, “I thought it was unfair that the cops took the entire group rather than the individuals acting out.  We felt like criminals.”