An ugly early morning brawl erupted outside the Sigma Nu fraternity house on School Street in Gorham early Saturday morning, involving some 40 people and leading to the arrest of three men – two armed with knives.

The melee, which occurred less than three days after a meeting on Dec. 10 between university officials, police and fraternity brothers, put in sharp relief the problems and tensions between residents in Gorham Village and University of Southern Maine students living there.

“It’s getting unbearable,” Elm Street resident Peter Wentworth told those gathered at the meeting.

He said he feels as though he’s a prisoner in his own home.

“We want to feel safe.”

Gorham Police Chief Ron Shepard said college-age people were reported fighting at 1:15 a.m. on Dec. 13 after a party at Sigma Nu.

“They had knives and brass knuckles,” Shepard said Tuesday.

Shepard said trouble apparently erupted when some individuals refused to leave the Sigma Nu property. Shepard said five Gorham officers and one from university police responded to quell the melee. The fight began outside the Sigma Nu house and spilled out into School Street, Shepard said.

Matthew Taggett, president of Sigma Nu, said Tuesday a number of uninvited guests had gotten into a party Friday night. Taggett said the trouble began after the party ended, when unwanted guests walked outside the house but some refused to leave Sigma Nu property.

“The fraternity brothers were trying to push them off the property,” Taggett said. “When it became apparent they weren’t leaving, we called police.”

Taggett said the unwanted guests became “extremely” belligerent. “They threw punches at a couple of our guys. They were hostile and brandished weapons,” said Taggett, describing the weapons as knives.”

Shepard said Gorham police arrested Said Mohamud, 22, of South Portland, on charges of disorderly conduct and trafficking in dangerous knives; Vu Tuan Le, 19, of Portland, on a charge of disorderly conduct; and Joseph Nguany, 21, of Portland, on charges of assault, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon (knife), and violating conditions of release.

The three arrested were taken to Cumberland County Jail, but Nguany was first taken to Maine Medical Center for treatment. Taggett said a couple of Sigma Nu brothers sustained small cuts and bruises but no serious injuries.

University spokesman Bob Caswell said Tuesday the three arrested were not students at the university.

“I guess nothing has changed yet,” said Rhonda Laughlin, an Elm Street resident, upon hearing of the brawl.

The Dec. 10 neighborhood meeting at Robie Gym, which was attended by fraternity representatives, was seen as a first step to resolve problems. Fraternity house neighbors complained that university students urinate in public, dump beer cans in yards, fight in streets, curse, play loud music and, in once instance, stole a family pet.

Wentworth, who has lived on Elm Street for three decades, was one of about 15 to attend the meeting. Shepard and Sgt. Mike Nault of Gorham police also attended, along with two university police officers. Joe Austin, university dean of student life, moderated.

Party street

Delta Chi at 23 Preble St., Phi Kappa Sigma, 27 Preble St., and a former sorority, Sigma Iota Sigma, where co-eds now rent at 19 Preble St., are among the 10 houses facing Preble Street, which runs between Elm and South streets.

Fraternity neighbors said problems have escalated in recent years on Preble Street, which is borne out by police statistics. Shepard said Tuesday that through Oct. 31 this year, police have received 66 calls to the downtown area of Preble, School, Elm and South streets, and he said 34 of those calls were to Preble Street. Calls included those for disorderly conduct, stolen property, drunkenness and trespass. Shepard said some incidents have gone unreported by neighbors.

In 2007, police were called 74 times to the same area of the four streets, with 21 of those to Preble Street. Those numbers were up from 50 calls in 2006 with nine on Preble Street; and 32 calls in 2005 with seven on Preble.

Ardith Keef, a USM associate professor of music, said fights involving students happen in front of her home on Preble Street and the front of her car was once smashed.

Keef said she has called police many times.

“I’m afraid to go out,” said Keef, also a lawyer.

Residents on State and School streets joined residents of Preble and Elm streets to air complaints. University students in the past have been seen guzzling beer on rooftops and tossing the empty bottles in a neighbor’s yard. Keef has seen university freshmen toting alcohol along Preble Street.

Wentworth said he doesn’t want to pick up beer cans before his grandchildren can go out to play. But, Wentworth said, partying has been a way of life on Preble Street.

“The word is out, Preble Street is a party place,” Durwood Graffam, a 30-year resident of Preble Street, said at the meeting.

Laughlin, a hairdresser who owns Whispy Ends, lives and works on Elm Street. She said at the meeting her biggest complaint has been that a pet rabbit was stolen. She said the rabbit was found on the lawn at the Sigma Nu fraternity house on School Street.

Laughlin said this week a fifth of Tequila was found under the empty rabbit cage at her home.

Neighbors of frat houses complained that students living in campus dorms lead to downtown problems. Laughlin said students take a shortcut through her yard as they return to the campus overnight hours and have destroyed flowers, urinated on vehicles and left behind vomit.

Bruce Roullard, a School Street resident, said he’s called police five times this year. Roullard, who serves on the board of the Sigma Nu housing corporation, said the biggest issue is lack of respect from students living in dorms on the university campus.

“When you leave the campus, you’re a guest of the town,” Roullard said. “At 3 a.m., it can be like an Old Port festival.”

Suggestions at the meeting to halt rowdy problems included fraternity representatives patrolling streets after parties break up. Fraternity leaders volunteered their phone numbers for residents to call when they had complaints.

Brian Boyt, president of the Inter Fraternity Council at the university and a Sigma Nu member, said Tuesday the three fraternities with houses have banned parties on Thursdays.

“We need to develop a better relationship with neighbors and better control guests,” said Boyt, who said the frat houses already had posted members as monitors outside in efforts to control noise on the streets.

“We’re going to be more mindful of what’s going on outside,” Taggett said.

Austin told the group the university had clamped down on student drinking.

“We’ve tightened the alcohol policy on campus,” he said.

Austin also said the university recognizes the fraternities as groups, but doesn’t control their properties. Austin said the university felt obligated to sponsor the neighborhood meetings.

“I’m committed to making this a better relationship,” Austin said.

Another neighborhood meeting will likely convene in January.

But Tuesday, Bill Keef, husband of Ardith Keef, said, referring to the latest incident at a frat house, “That doesn’t bode well for the crew.”

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