Facing accusations of a conspiratorial government agenda, a HAZMAT-suit-donned Zombie Walk participant loosely apologized for the Environmental Protection Agency’s involvement in the Gold King Mine blowout.
“Yes we did it,” said Josh Labato, a Fort Lewis College student. “We’re so sorry.”
Thousands of costumed party-goers marched on Durango’s Main Avenue on Saturday night as the clock rang in the sacramental hour of 12 a.m. This year’s celebration brought in more than a few playing off the Aug. 5 mine spill.
Kevin O’Neal, dressed as Santa Claus, sat outside the Irish Embassy Pub asking for this year’s Christmas wishes. When one passer-by asked for a long-term treatment plant in the Upper Animas watershed, St. Nick wasn’t sure if he could deliver.
“The Animas is getting real naughty this year,” O’Neal said, adding that the city of Durango could be receiving coal in its stocking. “It’s been real naughty.”
Despite the outbreak of fireworks and smoke bombs, this year’s Zombie Walk continued the trend of balancing the will of mass gatherings and the demands of keeping control on the streets.
Durango Police spokesman Ray Shupe said as of 1:30 a.m. Sunday, only one arrest had been made after a fight broke out on the 900 block of Main Avenue.
Shupe said the level of crime the department encountered on Saturday is consistent with the last couple years.
“The crowd was very cooperative when officers went out on the streets and asked people to move onto the sidewalks,” Shupe said. The marchers peacefully dispersed once the event ended, he added.
The Halloween celebration in Durango, which culminates in a midnight march down Main Avenue, has in the past erupted into bouts of violence. But Shupe said Durango police learned from experience how to deal with the unruly crowds.
“The big thing was just not coming in very heavy-handed,” he said. “We’ve gained cooperation without using a lot of force. We’ve gotten in front of the situation with a lot of communication – just asking for people’s cooperation when we need to shut it down and get the streets back open.”
Brian Herrera, draped in a ghostly mummified costume, popped out of the shadows at Ninth Street and Main as people walked by. In his 12th year participating in the Halloween event, he’s seen the Zombie Walk go from rowdy to respectful.
“It had a bad rap,” Herrera said. “But things have calmed down. It’s a lot more low-key this year. There’s a sense of community, understanding it’s all in good fun.”
As in years past, those taking to the streets started the familiar chant of “Whose Streets? Our Streets.” But on Saturday, the cry was more celebration rather than contention.
“It’s not about police,” said Jake Appenzeller, a Durango resident. “It’s our street. It’s about people having fun. How often do we have an entire street to ourselves?”
Still, intoxication took its toll around 2 a.m.
At the Durango Downtown Inn at 800 Camino del Rio, about 10 people were involved in a drunken brawl, Shupe said.
One person was stabbed, and rushed to Mercy Regional Medical Center. A person of interest in the incident was taken into custody, he said.
But for most, Saturday night was a time to let loose inhibition behind masks and costumes in good nature. The additional hour bars remained opened because of the setback in daylight saving time didn’t hurt, one Zombie Walker said.
“This is a lot wilder than New York City,” said Michael Bircholl, a newcomer to Durango dressed in a trash bag. “It’s a testament to Durango.”
jromeo@durangoherald.com
