OCEAN CITY – An Ocean City councilman is calling for a campaign to remind Ocean City visitors there is to be no booze permitted on the beach.
At this week’s Mayor and Council meeting, Councilman Brent Ashley said he came across a group of men last weekend loading a large cooler of beer into their car at a local shopping center. He asked where the party was and they responded they were going to the beach. Ashley reminded the men it is illegal to drink alcohol on Ocean City’s beaches and they replied they do it all time while hiding it from the lifeguards.
Ashley then called Ocean City Beach Patrol Captain Butch Arbin, who told Ashley alcohol is by far the biggest problem on the beach, and although lifeguards keep an eye out for it, people hide alcohol or disguise it.
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17 comments:
No alcohol, but we can bring our drugs, guns and clubs still, right?
I don't understand why Ashley picks on tourists all the time when he makes no effort to clean his own house. Why must visitors be subjected to second hand smoke from OC bus drivers when the Town bans smoking by visitors in their parks and they continue to keep trying to extend that ban to the beaches? It's ok to drink beer on the beach if the city sold it to you. It's ok for their bus drivers to stand at the door of the bus blowing smoke in the face of visitors. Ashley should set an example by Town employees instead of constantly forcing his will on the visitors who fund that town while granting privilege to his own.
"It's ok to drink beer on the beach if the city sold it to you."
I think you found the issue. This is Maryland, if they cant eek every tax penny out of you for something that it must be illegal.
Ashley sounds like a bit of curmudgeon.
Does Ashley drink? Let sbynews expose that truth.
Stupid law. Just go to the beach and look around. Under almost EVERY umbrella is a coozie with some sort of "beverage" in it. The frequency with which there are alcohol related incidents are MINISCULE compared to the number of people having a few drinks on the beach and never causing any trouble.
It's a false cause, and it's a lie.
8:04 - You're exactly right.
"Stupid law", though, I disagree. If there was no law (or ordinance) there would be no cause for the authorities - BP or PD - to control the handful of idiots that can't handle the hootch.
Trust me on this: You will be seeing a MAJOR crackdown on small "quality of life" issues (public drinking, seat belts, running red lights, noise, even littering!, etc.). I have a feeling that the new Chief will be bringing to OC the same mindset that turned NYC around, and that is to control the minor offenses - and the major crimes will diminish. The theory absolutely works - and NOW is the time to put it to work in OC.
It's time to get tough.
Brilliant! A Beer Permit! Just need a couple of goons with cigs hanging from their mouths to patrol the beach and write citations for anyone without a BEER PERMIT.
Common sense, people. Adults at the beach on vacation do drink booze. How many liquor licenses are in OC? I would guest over 400. It would seem that the local government is talking out of both sides of its mouth about being a "family" resort. I suggest having an adult zone on the beach, where responsible drinking is permitted. They already have surfing zones that are announced each day. The government could even sell permits to bidding concessionaires like they do for umbrellas, etc. and have the beverages delivered to the adults. This would be the control measure, and the revenue incentive. You must buy the alcohol there and can not bring your own. I just got back from a resort out of country, and a similar concept worked very well there.
There are already so many police in ocean city that it is ridiculous. Bike cops on every corner. Undercover on the streets and boardwalk. One even stands in the entrance into ocean city on route 50 and watches every car that goes through. Yet there are still massive problems. Ocean city seems to like all of the trouble that the June bugs, partiers, thugs , gangs and the like bring to town. They are a revenue source for the town not only in term of spending but also in terms of court systems fines, lawyer fees and the justification of town employee salaries that come with all of this nonsense. Just wait to see how much money is generated by arresting or giving citations for people drinking on the beach.
10:22: That's ridiculous.
The problem in OC is the problem nationwide. It's today's society.
The only way to control what you call a "massive problem" in OC is a massive police presence.
I strongly disagree - that on the whole - OC has become more dangerous, or crazier, or less of a family resort because of the behavioral problems in today's society.
Yes, there are some weeks that I would not recommend a family to come on vacation - Senior Week(s) is certainly one of them.
This is still a wonderful, unique town, and I have faith in the town leadership that all aspects of this situation are being addressed, and remedies will be found.
8:34-NYC is still really bad except for small pockets of areas tourists frequent and a handful of residential areas. Still one of the highest crime cities. You are confusing the whole of the city with Times Square.
What the Giulini admin did was to crack down on the businesses (mostly sex related) that attracted the undesirable and crime to TS. They over regulated and police presenced them to death so they closed up or moved. This won't happen in OC. No one's big enough to stand up to places like Seacret's and other "clubs" (that's what the thugs are calling them) that are the main attraction to them with the music being played. They go their to sell ecstasy and other drugs and mostly don't even buy drinks themselves because they are all into these drug cocktails they secretly make in these places with either cough medicine or codeine.
11:45. There are police on every corner in ocean city so why are the problems worse than ever?
11:45 Multiple stabbings, rapes, armed theft, bank robberies, drug sales, gangs, terrorist operation to fund Hezbollah through illegal cigarette sales, june bugs, noise violations, cars racing up and down coastal highway during the car show, Sins city porn shops at two entrances to Ocean City, fights, boardwalk shops selling counterfeit merchandise....seems massive to me and getting worse.
11:45-You are incorrect. Not all beach resorts have this problem. I say OC is probably becoming one of the more dangerous even maybe. Head up to NY, RI, MA and some of the other more northern beaches and check them out or go online and read up.
I think when OC lost it's quaintness it also lost people with money who know how to act. Those things all up and down the highway that the realtors tout as "luxury" condos are a joke. I don't think they have ever seen real luxury condos and apartment buildings and co-ops because what they perceive to be luxury is far from it.
They let horrible looking buildings be built like the Marriott which looks like it as built with leftover material from a strip club or something similar with the see through fencing. It's utterly tacky. Then in the historic district or whatever they call it, they let people use plastic for everything and unpainted wooden fences and porch railings everywhere. Looks horrible.
"...11:45 Multiple stabbings, ....[etc,] ...seems massive to me and getting worse...."
That's a load of crap.
FIRST of all: You cannot compare OC with other beaches, except for a handful across the country. This isn't Bethany...this isn't Lewes...this isn't Chincoteague. This is Ocean City, MD, one of the few remaining "carnival-type ocean resorts" in the COUNTRY. You don't want big-city problems? Then don't come to a big-city resort. This town draws 300,000 people a weekend for about 10 weeks. I don't know where you all are from, but if a quarter-million people came to your town one weekend, I would imagine that there would be some increase in crime, no matter what you would try to do to stop it.
True, OC is not the 'quaint' town it once was, but neither is our country as civil as it was in those days.
I was out tonight in OC. I went to three bars for the live music they offered - two on the bay, and one on the boardwalk. The two bay bars were packed with friendly people - even a few families with kids.
On the 'boards, it was also packed with families....LOTS of kids everywhere. No rapes - no stabbings - no "Hezbollah" in sight. Just a wonderful, fun, safe, old fashioned OC experience, the type of night I remembered and cherished in this town since the 60's.
Yes, it's a different time now...but OC has done it's best to keep those old-time values in check, even though it is close to impossible to do nowadays.
Don't give up on this town. To do that is to give up on society.
As you get older, places like Chincoteague, and the tranquility of the Outer Banks is more suited to your liking. But for those that are young at heart, I'll still take OC any day.
Mayor Rick declares that drinking is legal in public facilities that include eagles landing golf course, mackies, secrets, fagers, the turtle, and all of his other friends of Gov! And also ok if you get the secret pass card from selected council members.
Drinking is permitted on certain areas of the beach. Coconuts on 39th St. at the Castle in the Sand has servers that bring it to you. Never seen issues with persons drinking alcohol there.
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