Messages spread on social media cause North Van house parties to escalate

VANCOUVER – Messages that spread quickly and easily on social media caused four house parties to get out of hand in North Vancouver this past weekend.

Mounties say, with good intentions, the hosts of the parties used social media to invite a few close friends over. However, word quickly spread online, with over 60 young people showing up at one party. Police did not elaborate on what happened at each house, but said so many people in each place “quickly resulted in negative actions and behaviours that attracted the attention and concern of neighbors and eventually the police.”

They say many of the young people had been drinking and some were fighting. One fight ended in a girl being knocked unconscious after hitting her head on a curb.

Three of the parties were hosted by 16 year-olds whose parents were not home for the weekend, said Cpl. Richard De Jong of the North Vancouver RCMP. The forth party had a parent present who was entirely unaware of alcohol being consumed by youth in their basement.

With warmer weather and spring break coming up, police are providing advice on hosting a house party:

• Be cautious when utilizing social media to invite friends over – ensure the list is manageable.
• Party crashing should not be allowed.
• A parent should be home during a party.
• As a parent, if young people consume alcohol in your home it is you who will be held responsible for any resulting consequence.
• Call police before your party is out of control, reducing the potential for fights and property damage.

All too often, police see that through social media, a party of six quickly turns into sixty plus and with that comes the potential for some very serious negative consequences, commented De Jong.