THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 5, 1995 TAG: 9502030248
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BRIAN BURNHAM
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
In her column ``On The Block'' (Beacon, Jan, 25), Beth Barber wrestles with the problem of punks - ``rude, crude, intimidating youth'' - and drunks whose behavior at the Oceanfront (centered on ``The Block'' bounded by 21st and 22nd streets and Atlantic and Pacific avenues) is a concern to citizens, businesses, ABC, police and city officials. Ms. Barber's note that ``nobody talks about it candidly'' calls for straight talk about problems on the whole beach strip (Atlantic Avenue about six blocks north and south from 21st Street) and possible solutions. Thus I offer these opinions.
First point: Many strip businesses don't care much that beach yahoos drive off ``locals'' during the summer since, as it's been put to me, ``Locals don't leave (big) money on the beach anyhow.'' The happiness and safety of day-trippers and folk too young to drink legally and too impecunious to spring for pricy meals are of slight concern to many beach businesses. To maximize profits from tourism, it is desirable to dispossess light-spending locals.
To that end, it now takes three typed pages just to list all the beach's behavior-regulating laws, some of which discourage low-cost/no-cost recreation on the sands and on Atlantic Avenue. Young people who, naturally, want to strut their stuff or just hang out on Atlantic Avenue have recently seen their last low-cost dance hall closed. Left with pricy arcades, ticky-tack eateries and The Block, some ``punks'' choose the latter as hangouts. Police, who'd tell you that former youth hangouts such as dance halls were fire hazards or centers for the drug culture, etc., now turn their guns (figuratively) on The Punks on The Block.
In fact, top cops at the Second Precinct, and City Council members too, know who has political clout and that the heavy hitters want a sanitized strip. That means chucking young non-voters (who are assumed to have no birthright to enjoy what nature and man hath wrought, especially if it's free). Unfortunately, the beach resort and retail industries haven't shown leadership in creating attractive, affordable, alternative sites where young people can congregate and do their thing without getting in the way of commerce. It's a truism that those who own property on the beach strip think they own the Oceanfront, at least to the point that they can, with the connivance of City Council and cops, cast out all economic pariahs.
Moreover, the saloonkeepers' word to boisterous young-but-of-age barhoppers (their youthful exuberance fueled by booze) is ``Why don't you take it outside!'' where they expect the police to clean up ensuing punch-ups. At public ex-pense.
Second point: More police aren't needed on the strip in the summer. On peak days, 55 or more officers, plus private security staff and, when required, sheriff's deputies, are on Oceanfront duty. (None normally will police the Boardwalk, where, unfortunately, Grandma and Granddad are at risk as husky men on bicycles and roller blades weave along illegally but unimpeded by police.) Street officers are assisted by a good but costly camera surveillance system on Atlantic Avenue. Thus, bad eggs on and near the strip are quickly yoked. In the near future 17 more officers, provided in large part by federal crime bill funds, will be assigned along a big area, centered on Pacific Avenue.
Even more cops and cameras will only bring higher taxes to locals, not significantly greater crime deterrence or more arrests. Successive commanders of the Second Precinct have stated that the strip is their first priority, so much so that policing against vandalism and theft in the precinct's residential areas has no priority, even when these communities cry out in frustration. And it's easier to chase prostitutes from one strip street corner to another than to stake out vandalism-prone boondocks, you know.
Hence, citizens' dollars have gone to private neighborhood security patrols. These folk will not tolerate further tax dollars for policing the strip.
Solutions lie in many directions. A necessary though not sufficient condition for solutions requires changed attitudes among beach businesses, City Council members and senior police officers. Stronger efforts by publicans, the ABC and the courts to reduce drunkenness and punish rowdyism may help.
But reactive punishments need to be harnessed to pro-active initiatives. For instance, deep-pocketed resort-area businesses (coming off two very good years) and city coffers must pool resources to establish alternate beach-area venues for facilities that provide for the needs of older teens to socialize. Council has shown the ability to build fine recreation centers that meet the needs of many. And a police/busi-ness/citizen coalition has organized and supported a Police Athletic League for younger teens. Now let's move on together to address the legitimate needs of the 16- to 20-year-olds for whom those facilities are not the answer.
Though I've singled some sectors out for reform, others must change, too. Young people must be more responsible and, as their parents must too, learn to use their city councilors and the Second Precinct Citizens' Advisory Committee (which meets the third Wednesday night of the month, from 7 p.m. in the library of Virginia Beach Middle School). There, they can voice their concerns in the presence of police officials and beach business representatives. Then I hope they'll all listen.
Beth Barber writes that nobody likes the present state of affairs, ``And everybody blames somebody else.'' It's time to stop blaming and start thinking about how to turn things around at the beach. If we don't change direction, we'll end up where we're headed. We've seen enough trouble already to tell us that's not where we want to go. MEMO: Mr. Burnham lives in Virginia Beach's Second Police Precinct. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DAVID B. HOLLINGSWORTH
Mid-July 1994, on The Block.
by CNB