Courtesy Marc Alch/More than 1,000 teens gathered on Margate’s beach last Memorial Day.
MARGATE – It’s not something you normally hear from municipal leaders in shore towns, but a Margate official Thursday, March 21 said he hopes it rains Memorial Day weekend.
The comment was made following a discussion about how to prevent throngs of young people from gathering on the Decatur Avenue beach near Lucy the Elephant, which has become a Mecca for high school and college students celebrating senior week.
Members of the Margate Homeowners Association suggested the city could require beach tags starting Memorial Day weekend instead of the third week in June in an effort to tamp down problems experienced when students flock to the beach for year-end celebrations.
“I believe the additional revenue generated by selling beach tags might offset extra police presence. Something really needs to be done as far as beefing up presence, keeping the kids off the beach, the streets and the destruction that goes on in Margate city,” MHA Vice-president Marc Alch said. “A lot of people feel as I do, that we really need to try to do something.”
Thirteen young adults and juveniles were arrested Memorial Day weekend 2017 after two fights broke out in a crowd of about 300 people on the Decatur Avenue beach near Lucy the Elephant. Six adults and seven juveniles visiting the shore were charged with disorderly conduct and simple assault, along with drug and underaged drinking offenses. Only three were from the South Jersey area, police said. Police required backup from Longport and Ventnor. Crowds were even larger last year, officials said.
Alch suggested MHA members could be stationed at dune crossovers at popular beaches to check for beach tags or have a checker there selling beach tags.
Mayor Michael Becker said the city does not support the idea because of liability issues, but also because many high school-aged beach tag checkers are not available to work until the school year ends.
Commissioner of Public Safety John Amodeo said the commissioners consulted with leadership of the Margate City Police Department who advised against using volunteers as tag checkers.
According to Capt. Matthew A. Hankinson, there will be four Class II officers assisting as many of the department’s 28 patrol officers who are willing to work overtime to patrol the beach on all-terrain vehicles over the three-day weekend.
Amodeo said each year he instructs checkers and lifeguards to avoid confrontation with unruly or intoxicated beachgoers and just walk away before calling for police back-up.
“A lot of the college and high school kids on the beach are locals who are walking from their grandparents’ or parents’ house who are not here for the weekend, which exasperates the issue,” Amodeo said.
“It should be a community thing, where people should take responsibility” and not allow their unsupervised children or grandchildren to entertain friends in their homes while adults are away.
“To put residents on street ends volunteering, which I appreciate the thought, but there’s liability and I don’t want to put any citizen in harm’s way,” Amodeo said. “Our police are trained, they know how to handle crowds, and with this situation, we just have to hope for rain.”
Anyone breaking the law will be charged and required to appear in court, Amodeo said.
Hankinson said police must ensure they do not infringe on the rights of the youngsters, who are savvy about their constitutional rights.
“We just can’t randomly go into bookbags in fear of violating their civil rights,” he said. “It’s a cat and mouse game we play, and we try to the best of our ability to quell those situations that get out of control. We dance a fine line ourselves.”
Leadership of the Police Department will come up with the best plan possible for the entire weekend, he said.
“We will do everything we can to get it under control, but there are limitations,” Becker said.
