The Issue: Some Catholic University of America (CUA) students living off campus like to party. They’re loud, they stay up late—and worse.

Crack Down!: Resident Tyler Nelson describes a party on Monroe Street over the Labor Day weekend that turned into “quite the little night.” He writes on the D.C. police department’s Fifth District listserv:

The party had a number of … behaviors that we have seen before from guests of this house. Underage drinking, guests walking with open containers, trash everywhere, cars parking in the middle of street for minutes at a time. What made this party so egregious was the shear number of guests inside and outside of the house, the volume of noise caused, consistent expletives shouted, and the fact the residents were illegally charging for entrance to the party and were doing so out in the open.

He and others want CUA and police to do more to crack down on “problem” houses, “nuisance” students, and illegal activities.

Leave Them Kids Alone: Eric, on the listserv, has a different take:

Dude, seriously, I think in DC the least of our worries is a group of college kids having a party. Just go talk to them. Most college kids  are actually scared of the cops. So the parties are easily shut down or quieted. Also, they are unlikely to shoot you if you go talk to them. The Howard parties in our neighborhood are occasionally a problem, but the kids are ok so just go talk with them.

Some say a police crackdown is a waste of resources and urge the complainers to, well, move. Adds Steven Conn:

If having a Saturday night party was the biggest threat to my block, I’d be thrilled. Instead, I deal with 24/7 loitering – and daily souvenirs of beer bottles and take away containers / garbage strewn all over the block, not to mention the daily noise pollution.

Next Step: Lamar Greene, the 5D commander, says police responded to the weekend bash and met with CUA officials “who agreed to respond to these parties as well.” He has asked for any photo documentation of party activities taken by neighborhood residents so he can follow up further with the university. “We have made arrest last weekend at on[e] of the parties…. I will review the calls for service at this location and find out who from my office responded to the call and review their actions once on the scene.”