Letter: A Long Beach 4th of July

Published 12:35 pm Monday, June 26, 2023

Fireworks, beer, and ice are bought. Lodging plans are made. Lugnut trucks and RVs head across the bridge or from inland to our towns and beach. Traveling in all directions from fireworks-free zones. Beach grass is brittle dry. Flags are flying, banners hung, trash bags handed out, and dumpsters set at the approaches. Hoses stretched across lawns in preparation. Tranquilizers ordered for the pets. Locals head elsewhere if they can afford to and don’t fear for their property. Preparations being made for a Fourth of July Battle Royale. Is our peninsula ready for the onslaught?

The Fourth of July on Long Beach is chaos. Blasting illegal fireworks from the afternoon till past midnight and driving on the dunes. For the entire extended weekend. (My neighbors have already started test-firing). Speeding and spinning cookies. Some out-of-towners trash our beach, cause mayhem, make a mess, and then leave. Tides sweep the trash into the ocean…. A special holiday is spoiled for many.

Most visitors are respectful of our beach and environs. Some are not. Many locals take advantage of weak enforcement to flout the laws too.

A fireworks ban? County commissioners claim this would trample on personal freedoms (who’s? Blowing off illegal fireworks in someone’s backyard is a personal freedom?). Merchants claim that a ban would put them out of business (even though the beach would still be full — think of all who stay away now to protect their families from the craziness). The sheriff claims a ban would be unenforceable anyway. Is that a defeatist stance or what? By the way, the County Sheriff’s Office is understaffed with many patrolmen in training or on administrative leave. I expect they will provide a ceremonial presence only.

The beach is a state highway. Speed limit 25 mph. I have never seen a state patrolman on the beach, let alone a traffic stop. State law is very restrictive regarding legal fireworks. Limited projectiles. Walking Long Beach on the evening of the 4th is akin to being in a war zone!

Is someone, anyone going to provide beefed-up law enforcement? I grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota. For two weeks every August the Highway Patrol triples their presence for the Sturgis Rally. The city and county bring in extra professionals and hire private security firms. Traffic control, crowd control, emergency response, and sobriety checks. The rally is crazy, but at least there is a presence. How about some pro-active planning on a smaller scale to protect our beach and citizens?

Keeping our collective fingers crossed for no fires, property destruction, or worse should not be the best we can do.

STEVE BAREIS

Ocean Park

Marketplace