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Despite a sizeable media campaign warning partygoers not to party too hard downtown, Santa Cruz police arrested roughly 50 people on Pacific Avenue on Halloween, the vast majority for public intoxication. In addition, two stabbings were reported in the downtown area. The two victims, both teenage males, were airlifted to out-of-county hospitals, according to SCPD Spokesman Zach Friend. Neither injury is considered life-threatening. Police believe both stabbings were gang-related. All arrest figures were as of 12:30 a.m. Final figures were not available at press time.Police doubled their presence on Pacific this year to 168 total law enforcement personnel. Of that, 120 were uniform officers and the rest were various security personnel and first-response guards. The increase in patrol came as an effort to crack down on the violence and chaos of years past, which resulted in seven gang-related stabbings last year. Though the overall turnout downtown this year was down from roughly 25,000 to 20,000, slightly more arrests were made, but fewer violent crimes committed."Obviously two stabbings is two too many," Officer Friend said. "Up until that, the night was going smoothly. I think the media campaign, along with the university’s cooperation helped to decrease the violence."Friend said that several suspected gang members were arrested early Tuesday on probation and parole violations, in an attempt to keep the gang element away from the evening’s festivities.In San Francisco, Halloween parties also became violent, as 10 people were shot in the Castro District.
