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We have already cancelled our summer vacation plans to Myrtle Beach. It is a pity Myrtle has now become another dangerous
Vacation spot similar to Va Beach. After the incident years ago when the Black college riots terrorized the beach the question one asks is "What is happening to the tourism industry in this country"? WHY does Myrtle Beach continue to risk everything with this publicity? I am concerned the Myrtle Beach tourism folks cannot see the IMAGE this incident has created. Good Luck!
Try Sunset Beach or Ocean Isle. Beautiful clean family oriented area. I can't wait to visit again. Myrtle is on my crap list.
During Biker's Week, if you were staying south of Myrtle Beach, in the Pawleys Island/Litchfield area, you would not even realize there was a gathering of bikers in the middle of the Grand Strand. The same, apparently, is true of the area north of the city, just over the line in NC. It appears that Myrtle Beach's annual crime figures are skewed by one week per year.
During Biker's Week, if you were staying south of Myrtle Beach, in the Pawleys Island/Litchfield area, you would not even realize there was a gathering of bikers in the middle of the Grand Strand. The same, apparently, is true of the area north of the city, just over the line in NC. It appears that Myrtle Beach's annual crime figures are skewed by one week per year.
WHY does Myrtle Beach continue to risk everything with this publicity? I am concerned the Myrtle Beach tourism folks cannot see the IMAGE this incident has created. Good Luck!
The bike festival is actually put on by Atlantic Beach, not Myrtle Beach. However, the "town" of Atlantic Beach has 300 residents and is roughly the size of a typical golf course. From Google maps, the entire business base is almost literally one motel, 3 strip clubs, 3 adult stores, a tattoo parlor, a Chinese restaurant, a pawn shop, two fireworks stores, a liquor store, one hair salon/spa and a couple of the typical beachwear stores that are on every other corner throughout the area. I doubt they really care what happens in Myrtle Beach. Myrtle Beach has very limited power to stop the festival.
In reference to my earlier post suggesting Atlantic Beach not caring about what happens in Myrtle Beach:
Quote:
Atlantic Beach’s Mayor pro-tem said that she is saddened by the tragedies that unfolded over the weekend, but “the city will not make any changes.â€
Charlene Taylor answered an emphatic “no†when asked if her city was considering canceling the BikeFest.
“That’s a Myrtle problem,†she said. “We have enough police and nothing happened here,†she said.
I am also buying a home in Market Common and had to meet someone there at lunch today. Supposedly that area stayed surprisingly quiet through the weekend. I was told the dicey areas had been from 4or 5th Avenue South to the mid 20s on the South end along Ocean Blvd. and from the area just north of the Pavilion up to about 21st avenue along 17 and surface roads.
There were apparently 3 more shootings that received no press- one at 2001 night club, another shooting at one of the hospitals, and an armed robbery at House of Blues.
The city of Myrtle Beach tried to put an end to all this with laws, ordinances, etc. The NAACP took them and several businesses that closed for the weekend to court and won. Laws were thrown out, ordinances voided and cash settlement awarded. And in the end the main result has been crime against blacks who are visiting.
One of my black friends linked to a facebook post/image that proclaimed 'if you are looking for wifey material, go out in your town this weekend. All the hoes are in Myrtle Beach." The reputation/issues associated with this gathering is really quite sad.
ALL MB area residents: There is a solution to this.
Years ago, the Myrtle Beach area police (Horry County, MBPD, etc) would put out a mutual-aid request from other agencies in the state, in particular the ones in the Lowcountry (Charleston, N Charleston, Mt P, Orangeburg and others). They'd send a dozen or so officers each to boost manpower. That would be another hundred or so cops on the road each night. And the bike weeks weren't as bad, because there were a lot more cops on the road, and thus, the idiots knew their chances of getting caught doing stuff was greater.
They don't do that anymore. Email your council and mayor. Tell them that the police in the MB area work their butts off...but the numbers are just that. Start asking other parts of the coast to pitch in, they did before, and it helped a lot.
ALL MB area residents: There is a solution to this.
Years ago, the Myrtle Beach area police (Horry County, MBPD, etc) would put out a mutual-aid request from other agencies in the state, in particular the ones in the Lowcountry (Charleston, N Charleston, Mt P, Orangeburg and others). They'd send a dozen or so officers each to boost manpower. That would be another hundred or so cops on the road each night. And the bike weeks weren't as bad, because there were a lot more cops on the road, and thus, the idiots knew their chances of getting caught doing stuff was greater.
They don't do that anymore. Email your council and mayor. Tell them that the police in the MB area work their butts off...but the numbers are just that. Start asking other parts of the coast to pitch in, they did before, and it helped a lot.
Well, North Myrtle Beach did NOT use any other agency except their own fine law enforcement and in spite of the occasional speeding ticket there were NO incidents in North Myrtle Beach this weekend...so Myrtle Beach, being twice as large, should have had control of situations...the problem isn't the number of law enforcement instead of WHAT they do and how they handled the weekend....but as long as we are talking about this, I know that IF there is a bike week next year, they are getting the National Guard to help next year....wow, as I type that it gives me chills......sad really....
ALL MB area residents: There is a solution to this.
Years ago, the Myrtle Beach area police (Horry County, MBPD, etc) would put out a mutual-aid request from other agencies in the state, in particular the ones in the Lowcountry (Charleston, N Charleston, Mt P, Orangeburg and others). They'd send a dozen or so officers each to boost manpower. That would be another hundred or so cops on the road each night. And the bike weeks weren't as bad, because there were a lot more cops on the road, and thus, the idiots knew their chances of getting caught doing stuff was greater.
They don't do that anymore. Email your council and mayor. Tell them that the police in the MB area work their butts off...but the numbers are just that. Start asking other parts of the coast to pitch in, they did before, and it helped a lot.
They had 200 officers from other agencies working last weekend, doubling the size of the city's police force.
Quote:
“We don’t have enough law enforcement officers,” Rhodes said. “We only had 400 total – 200 per shift – over 60 blocks. We needed 800.”
Myrtle Beach has 200 sworn police positions and officers from other jurisdictions were in the city to help with enforcement last weekend, city spokesman Mark Kruea said. Knipes said every available officer was working last weekend.
They had 200 officers from other agencies working last weekend, doubling the size of the city's police force.
I was amazed at the number of LEOs I saw last Saturday while driving around. One of them was nice enough to give me his autograph!
The police presence during BBW was vastly higher than during BW.
BBW lasts 4 days so why is it called a week?
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and in spite of the occasional speeding ticket there were NO incidents in North Myrtle Beach this weekend...so Myrtle Beach, being twice as large, should have had control of situations...the problem isn't the number of law enforcement instead of WHAT they do and how they handled the weekend....but as long as we are talking about this, I know that IF there is a bike week next year, they are getting the National Guard to help next year....wow, as I type that it gives me chills......sad really....
