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A Georgia beach aims to disrupt Black students' spring bash after big crowds brought chaos in 2023

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A Georgia beach aims to disrupt Black students' spring bash after big crowds brought chaos in 2023
News

News

A Georgia beach aims to disrupt Black students' spring bash after big crowds brought chaos in 2023

2024-04-18 12:06 Last Updated At:12:10

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (AP) — Thousands of Black college students expected this weekend for an annual spring bash at Georgia's largest public beach will be greeted by dozens of extra police officers and barricades closing off neighborhood streets. While the beach will remain open, officials are blocking access to nearby parking.

Tybee Island east of Savannah has grappled with the April beach party known as Orange Crush since students at Savannah State University, a historically Black school, started it more than 30 years ago. Residents regularly groused about loud music, trash littering the sand and revelers urinating in yards.

Those complaints boiled over into fear and outrage a year ago when record crowds estimated at more than 100,000 people overwhelmed the 3-mile (4.8 kilometer) island. That left a small police force scrambling to handle a flood of emergency calls reporting gunfire, drug overdoses, traffic jams and fist fights.

Mayor Brian West, elected last fall by Tybee Island's 3,100 residents, said roadblocks and added police aren't just for limiting crowds. He hopes the crackdown will drive Orange Crush away for good.

“This has to stop. We can’t have this crowd anymore," West said. “My goal is to end it.”

Critics say local officials are overreacting and appear to be singling out Black visitors to a Southern beach that only white people could use until 1963. They note Tybee Island attracts vast crowds for the Fourth of July and other summer weekends when visitors are largely white, as are 92% of the island's residents.

“Our weekends are packed with people all season, but when Orange Crush comes they shut down the parking, bring extra police and act like they have to take charge,” said Julia Pearce, one of the island's few Black residents and leader of a group called the Tybee MLK Human Rights Organization. She added: “They believe Black folks to be criminals.”

During the week, workers placed metal barricades to block off parking meters and residential streets along the main road parallel to the beach. Two large parking lots near a popular pier are being closed. And Tybee Island’s roughly two dozen police officers will be augmented by about 100 sheriff’s deputies, Georgia state troopers and other officers.

Security plans were influenced by tactics used last month to reduce crowds and violence at spring break in Miami Beach, which was observed by Tybee Island's police chief.

Officials insist they're acting to avoid a repeat of last year's Orange Crush party, which they say became a public safety crisis with crowds at least double their typical size.

“To me, it has nothing to do with race,” said West, who believes city officials previously haven’t taken a stronger stand against Orange Crush because they feared being called racist. “We can’t let that be a reason to let our citizens be unsafe and so we’re not.”

Tybee Island police reported 26 total arrests during Orange Crush last year. Charges included one armed robbery with a firearm, four counts of fighting in public and five DUIs. Two officers reported being pelted with bottles, and two women told police they were beaten and robbed of a purse.

On a gridlocked highway about a mile off the island, someone fired a gun a into a car and injured one person. A white man was charged in the shooting, which officials blamed on road rage.

Orange Crush's supporters and detractors alike say it's not college students causing the worst problems.

Joshua Miller, a 22-year-old Savannah State University senior who plans to attend this weekend, said he wouldn't be surprised if the crackdown was at least partly motivated by race.

“I don’t know what they have in store,” Miller said. ”I’m not going down there with any ill intent. I’m just going out there to have fun.”

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson was one of the Black students from Savannah State who helped launch Orange Crush in 1988. The university dropped involvement in the 1990s, and Johnson said that over time the celebration “got off the rails.” But he also told reporters he’s concerned about “over-representation of police” at the beach party.

At Nickie's 1971 Bar & Grill near the beach, general manager Sean Ensign said many neighboring shops and eateries will close for Orange Crush though his will stay open, selling to-go food orders like last year. But with nearby parking spaces closed, Ensign said his profits might take a hit, “possibly a few thousand dollars.”

It's not the first time Tybee Island has targeted the Black beach party. In 2017, the city council banned alcohol and amplified music on the beach only during Orange Crush weekend. A discrimination complaint to the U.S. Justice Department resulted in city officials signing a non-binding agreement to impose uniform rules for large events.

West says Orange Crush is different because it's promoted on social media by people who haven't obtained permits. A new state law lets local governments recoup public safety expenses from organizers of unpermitted events.

In February, Britain Wigfall was denied an permit for space on the island for food trucks during Orange Crush. The mayor said Wigfall has continued to promote events on the island.

Wigfall, 30, said he's promoting a concert this weekend in Savannah, but nothing on Tybee Island involving Orange Crush.

“I don't control it," Wigfall said. "Nobody controls the date that people go down there."

A worker places a section of metal barricade along a main road on Tybee Island, Ga., on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, a few days ahead of the weekend beach party known as Orange Crush. Black college students started the spring bash at Georgia's largest public beach more than 30 years ago. Tybee Island officials are blocking roads and parking spaces and brining in about 100 extra police officers for the party this weekend, saying record crowds last year proved unruly and dangerous. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum)

A worker places a section of metal barricade along a main road on Tybee Island, Ga., on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, a few days ahead of the weekend beach party known as Orange Crush. Black college students started the spring bash at Georgia's largest public beach more than 30 years ago. Tybee Island officials are blocking roads and parking spaces and brining in about 100 extra police officers for the party this weekend, saying record crowds last year proved unruly and dangerous. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum)

A worker places a section of metal barricade along a main road on Tybee Island, Ga., on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, a few days ahead of the weekend beach party known as Orange Crush. Black college students started the spring bash at Georgia's largest public beach more than 30 years ago. Tybee Island officials are blocking roads and parking spaces and brining in about 100 extra police officers for the party this weekend, saying record crowds last year proved unruly and dangerous. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum)

A worker places a section of metal barricade along a main road on Tybee Island, Ga., on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, a few days ahead of the weekend beach party known as Orange Crush. Black college students started the spring bash at Georgia's largest public beach more than 30 years ago. Tybee Island officials are blocking roads and parking spaces and brining in about 100 extra police officers for the party this weekend, saying record crowds last year proved unruly and dangerous. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum)

FILE - A woman sips on her drink inside the crowd of party-goers during Orange Crush on Tybee Island, Ga., April 16, 2016. Thousands of Black college students expected this weekend for an annual spring bash at Georgia's largest public beach shouldn't expect a warm welcome. Tybee Island's city leaders are bringing in dozens of extra police officers and using barricades to block parking lots and residential streets during Orange Crush, a sprawling beach party begun three decades ago. (Josh Galemore/Savannah Morning News via AP, File)

FILE - A woman sips on her drink inside the crowd of party-goers during Orange Crush on Tybee Island, Ga., April 16, 2016. Thousands of Black college students expected this weekend for an annual spring bash at Georgia's largest public beach shouldn't expect a warm welcome. Tybee Island's city leaders are bringing in dozens of extra police officers and using barricades to block parking lots and residential streets during Orange Crush, a sprawling beach party begun three decades ago. (Josh Galemore/Savannah Morning News via AP, File)

FILE - A crowd of party-goers cheer for a woman drinking from a beer bong during Orange Crush on Tybee Island, Ga., April 16, 2016. Thousands of Black college students expected this weekend for an annual spring bash at Georgia's largest public beach shouldn't expect a warm welcome. Tybee Island's city leaders are bringing in dozens of extra police officers and using barricades to block parking lots and residential streets during Orange Crush, a sprawling beach party begun three decades ago. (Josh Galemore/Savannah Morning News via AP, File)

FILE - A crowd of party-goers cheer for a woman drinking from a beer bong during Orange Crush on Tybee Island, Ga., April 16, 2016. Thousands of Black college students expected this weekend for an annual spring bash at Georgia's largest public beach shouldn't expect a warm welcome. Tybee Island's city leaders are bringing in dozens of extra police officers and using barricades to block parking lots and residential streets during Orange Crush, a sprawling beach party begun three decades ago. (Josh Galemore/Savannah Morning News via AP, File)

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Dozens of people have been arrested in Georgia after police in the capital used tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters who rallied outside Parliament to protest a controversial bill which they argue limits media freedom.

Georgia's Interior Ministry said 63 people were arrested Tuesday while they took part in a demonstration in Tbilisi. Levan Khabeishvili, an opposition MP, posted a picture of himself on his social media accounts with a bloodied face and heavy bruising. Members of his party said he had been assaulted by police.

Those arrested were taking part in the latest in a series of protests against a bill which would require media and non-commercial organizations to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power" if they get more than 20% of their funding from abroad.

The protesters have denounced it as “the Russian law” because Moscow uses similar legislation to stigmatize independent news media and organizations critical of the Kremlin.

It is similar to a bill that the ruling Georgian Dream party proposed and then withdrew under pressure last year after large street protests.

If the bill is adopted, protesters are concerned that it will allow the authorities to more heavily control the media space as well as derailing integration with the EU after Georgia was granted candidate status in December 2023.

“We do not want the Soviet regime that our parents have experienced," Kato Salukvadze, a protester, told The Associated Press, adding, “I think that everyone should be in the streets and say no to the Russian law and yes to Europe.”

Police moved to break up the protest late Tuesday after demonstrators tried to block the entrances to Parliament in order to prevent lawmakers from leaving.

Georgia's Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze said at a briefing Wednesday that the protesters and leaders of the opposition party were “constantly committing violence.” Darakhvelidze alleged that Khabeishvili, the opposition MP, broke through a police cordon and was injured while “he resisted.”

Giorgi Vashadze, another opposition politician, said Georgians have the right to peaceful protest and that the behavior of the ruling party and law enforcement agencies is “completely illegal.”

Earlier this month, the parliament endorsed the bill on its first reading despite the protests. Debate will continue Wednesday as part of the bill's second reading. It must pass three readings before it can be adopted.

Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili has harshly criticized the bill and vowed to veto it if it is passed by parliament. The ruling party, however, can override her veto and then the parliament speaker can sign it into law.

A woman shows a heart standing in front of riot police during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

A woman shows a heart standing in front of riot police during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

A demonstrator stands with a EU flag in front of police block during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

A demonstrator stands with a EU flag in front of police block during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Riot policemen stand ready to fire gas grenade during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Riot policemen stand ready to fire gas grenade during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Demonstrators scuffle with riot police during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Demonstrators scuffle with riot police during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Riot police detain a demonstrator during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Riot police detain a demonstrator during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Riot police use a water cannon during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Riot police use a water cannon during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Demonstrators sit in front of police line during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

Demonstrators sit in front of police line during an opposition protest against "the Russian law" near the Parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Clashes erupted between police and opposition demonstrators protesting a new bill intended to track foreign influence that the opposition denounced as Russia-inspired. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)

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