Organizers of the annual picnic that attracts thousands of black fraternity and sorority members say they won't tolerate any trouble.

You saw the news footage from last year's Greek Picnic. Police beating and kicking a suspect, young women stripped and groped by bands of roving thugs, South Street merchants and neighbors cringing in terror. Picnic organizers saw it too, and they're determined to change the image of Greek Picnic weekend.

The Annual Picnic of the Black Greek Letter Organizations of the Philadelphia Alumni Chapter of the National Pan-Hellenic Council has been held in Fairmount Park every summer since 1974. But in recent years, the picnic has come to represent something other than the scholarship, respect and fellowship the organizers intended to convey. In the eyes of many Philadelphians, it's a no-holds-barred bacchanalia, with thousands of young black revelers tying up traffic, exhibiting all manners of lewd behavior and generally scaring the bejesus out of the local gentry.

But not this year, says Gregory Wright, president of the Philadelphia Alumni Chapter.

"We've adopted a zero-tolerance policy," Wright said at a recent meeting. "Any incidents of illegal or uncivil activity will be dealt with at once and the perpetrators turned over to the authorities."

The same authorities who beat the snot out of a few picnickers in full view of video cameras last year?

"The problems with the use of force by the police last year have been addressed in meetings we've had with Commissioner [John] Timoney," according to Wright. "In fact, those officers have been disciplined by the department, and we applaud the commissioner for that. So while we condemn the excessive force used by some officers, we want to make it clear that we welcome a significant police presence and will cooperate fully with any officers making a legal arrest."

Sgt. Susan Slawson, police public affairs spokesperson, confirmed meetings between picnic organizers and the police commissioner.

"The commissioner is still meeting with the organizing committee, checking out party venues, and mapping out a strategy," Slawson says. "Beyond that, I can only tell you that the meetings are ongoing and the atmosphere is one of cooperation."

The issue of security is of such concern to picnic organizers, they've determined to take a more proactive role, according to David Warren, another member of the organizing committee. "We're asking some of the older Greeks to act as eyes and ears, in effect deputizing them," says Warren. "I've noticed in years past that when I see a young brother doing something he's not supposed to, a few words from an older brother about decency and respect will usually make him stop. I think if we just show a little more vigilance, we can nip a lot of those problems in the bud."

Problems like "whirling," where a group of predatory thugs surround a young woman, rip at her clothes and freely grope the hapless victim. Problems like drunkenness and public urination, shoplifting and open drug use. The kinds of problems that give your organization a bad name and make your little shindig downright unwelcome.

"That's going to change, starting now," says Warren. "In addition to using our own security to complement the police, we have numerous authorized events scheduled, at places like the Pennsylvania Convention Center, that will cut down tremendously on the amount of people wandering North Broad or South Street."

Pan-Hellenic Council Vice President Rita Tolbert agrees. "We've already scheduled rap artists Funkmaster Flex and Kid Capri to perform a free concert at the Convention Center Saturday, July 24," Tolbert says. "There's also a step show at the Mann Music Center and more activities being scheduled as we speak. We'll have information booths set up in the park, plus the hotels and police patrols will be provided with maps and schedules of activities, so they can point partygoers in the right direction and control traffic patterns. People can also call our hotline at 215-851-0822 all the way up to Greek Picnic weekend for the latest information."

Picnic organizers have made clear the reasons for the internal and external changes to the event.

"Look," says Warren, "the Greek Picnic generates about $24 million annually for the city, at least $8 million from out-of-towners. We want people to feel safe about coming to Philadelphia for the picnic, and we want residents to feel good about having us here. It's just good policy."

A policy also adopted by the city of Atlanta, where thousands of black college-age partygoers converge for the annual black college spring break known as Freaknik. In recent years, Freaknik has been marred by some of the same incidents that threaten the Greek Picnic. Atlanta mayor Bill Campbell took a get-tough stance, stepping up police security and recruiting volunteers for the Mayor's Friendship Force, an army of eyes and ears to assist the police in weeding out troublemakers. The effect has been twofold: The number of arrests and traffic violations are way down, but so is the number of partygoers—less than 50,000 this year from a high of 200,000 in 1995, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Greek Picnic organizers say they're not worried that the zero-tolerance policy will deter the faithful from attending.

"If the prospect of arrest keeps some people home, good. We want the picnic to reflect the themes of scholarship, respect and unity. Anyone who wants to engage in activity that doesn't reflect those themes is someone we don't want there anyway," says Wright.

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