‘I saw the good, the bad, and the ugly’ Tybee activist reflects on Orange Crush
Posted: Apr 24, 2018 / 12:01 AM EDT / Updated: Apr 24, 2018 / 12:22 AM EDT
Tybee Island is getting back to normal after reportedly thousands of people flocked to the island for the annual spring break bash known as “Orange Crush.”
2018 marked the second year Tybee Island City Council passed a ban on open-air alcohol and loud music during two weekends in April, one of which was the Orange Crush event.
Tybee resident and committee member for Tybee MLK Julia Pearce was one of the most outspoken opponents of the alcohol and music ban and told WSAV on Monday she still believes it singles out African American students.
“The city passed an ordinance that, yes, I termed it ‘Jim Crow’ because it was only for the black students and it had no effect at all in this situation. The ordinance City Council passed was useless,” she said.
The City of Tybee and Tybee Police have not yet released numbers to show whether the ban was effective in reducing alcohol-related citations or crimes.
Tybee Mayor Jason Buelterman went on record saying he was not in favor of the ban and wished the council would have extended it to more spring break dates in March, not just the time when Orange Crush occurred.
He explained that since Orange Crush is an organized event, though it doesn’t have a formal permit, law enforcement knows consistently there will be a party-like atmosphere each year, as opposed to small parties of people that come sporadically throughout the spring break season.
Pearce says she was on the island for Orange Crush this weekend and reflected, “I saw the good, the bad, and the ugly.”
She says ‘the good’ came in the form of resident welcoming young people to the island and rainy weather that more than likely contributed to lower attendance.
”The bad’ was at night behaviors by the young people that were just not tolerable, you know, they’re children, young adults, simulating sexual activity. It’s on Facebook,” she remarked.
‘The ugly’ came for her in the form of seeing some of her neighbors react online and in person to students visiting the island for the weekend.
“The language around it is as offensive as the behavior that these young people exhibit,” she said.
Even so, after seeing the crowds herself, Pearce says action needs to be taken against Orange Crush.
“It’s about safety cause if we leave it like it is, one or many of those young people could lose their life because it’s dense, so many people there aren’t police can’t get to them,” she said. “And so we need to look at those events and if those events need to be banned, if there is a way to ban them, then we certainly do. Orange Crush is an event that should be banned but it’s not the only one.”
Tybee’s annual and popular Beach Bum Parade is set for May 18, 2018.
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