News

Paint was not the only thing being splattered around on Tuesday July 10, as a 20-year-old female student was found unconscious and covered in her own vomit after attending the Illuminate Paint Party at the Edgar Centre.

The near-hypothermic girl was found by Police at around 1.30am on the Wednesday morning after the alcohol-fuelled party. An article printed in the ODT on July 12 stated that the girl involved admitted that she had drunk “way too much” wine and cider at a student flat before the event, and could not remember the incident.

The discovery of the girl was the only major incident of the evening, but it has sparked discussion about the introduction of a detox centre to deal with drunks instead of locking them up in a police cell, which is considered by many to be a waste of police resources.

The event was organised by a private group. However, OUSA President Logan Edgar hoped that in future event organisers would hold the Paint Party closer to University premises for safety reasons. “If I were a predator, I’d just roll past and chuck them in my black van. But I’m not a predator.”

The incident also raises issues surrounding the Dunedin City Council’s liquor ban proposal. Edgar emphasised the fact that incidents like these are not going to be prevented by banning the consumption of alcohol in public spaces. “The liquor ban is not going to change anything. It happens everywhere, even in Courtenay Place in Wellington. Young people are just getting fucked, basically.”

Critic spoke with a student who was supportive of the detox centre proposal, saying “it would certainly make me feel safer to know that if I did somehow end up in such a terrible state, there would be somewhere for me to go that wasn’t a police cell. We’re not all criminals.”