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I've a large building and we've hosted many parties here. Almost always, people are great, even when drunk. Alcohol does not make good people turn bad, in my ex
by PieterH 11y ago
I've a large building and we've hosted many parties here. Almost always, people are great, even when drunk. Alcohol does not make good people turn bad, in my experience. Every now and then an event deteriorates. I learned that someone has to stay sober and play host. It's not about policing. It's about being available, and separating parties when there's an incident. That's all. I'll modify the text to make this clear, as the notion of policing is exactly what I'm trying to make distance from.
One example: we had a party downstairs with several hundred guests. It was a Congolese wedding, so people were drinking a lot. I go to sleep, and around 2am get woken by extremely loud noises. I put on some clothes and go down, and find a battle raging in the entrance to my building.
Seems two young guys (North African) had come in and were caught stealing from peoples' jackets. The crowd had caught them. One had escaped, one was still prisoner. The one that fled had come back with reinforcements, so I found about eight young men hammering on the doors of my building with a steel bed frame (don't ask me where this came from). Inside, a group held the other young man down, while he was shrieking for help, afraid they would murder him.
It took only a few seconds to get this whole story from various people. I picked up the young man by his arm and dragged him out, and threw him at his friends. "You will leave now, or the police will be here," I told them. They put the bed down and left. I told the party goers, "are you utterly insane? What did you think was going to happen?" and ushered them back into the party room.
It all took maybe 5 minutes.
If I'd had even a small amount to drink, no way I could have done this.
Now, such incidents are extreme. Yet when you have guests in your home or event, and you offer them alcohol, you have (in my mind) to look after them. No ifs or buts. Bad stuff can happen.
I also learned after this night to have professional security, which is another thing that can help.
Hope this helps. The host absolutely does not monitor peoples' behavior. He/she intervenes quickly when there is an issue, before it gets out of hand.
Thanks for your feedback, it was helpful.
- afarrell 11y agoWow. I admire your ability to take command of a situation.