However, those good intentions were soon pitted against the scale of the event. As more and more people turned to his Tybee, the strain on resources became apparent. The ‘no trespassing’ and ‘no parking’ signs were blocked by cars parked on the pavement and lawn. Around mid-afternoon, traffic stopped, and cars traveled down the Islands Expressway from Tiburissa Street, almost the entire length of Highway 80.
It has caused traffic accidents, road rage, congestion, drug and alcohol abuse, noise, illegal parking, and complaints about trash, according to a Tybee City press release.
Chuck Kearns, CEO of Chatham Emergency Services, said Saturday between noon and 10 p.m., there were 10 car accidents linked to Tybee, seven of which were injured and one passenger on Suncrest Boulevard. He said he was thrown out of his car on Highway 80 East.
“I can only think of traffic jams when I was in Florida. They were evacuating because of the hurricane. Our crew was raging non-stop all day.”
As one hour turned into three, restlessness and what Kearns called “chaos” erupted. An emergency vehicle rushed through a traffic jam to receive an emergency call. Cars stuck in traffic took the wrong lane into a one-way parking lot, people were barred from entering the neighborhood, and people started dancing between cars and on their roofs.
Chris Clark, a student at Albany State University, said he and his friends decided to turn around and go home after being stuck in traffic from 5pm to about 8:30pm.
“It didn’t make sense.”
Restlessness soon turned into road rage. Adam Bauer, 38, was arrested by Chatham County police around 7:20 p.m. Saturday in connection with a shooting on Highway 80 near Fort Pulaski. One was taken to a local hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. Bauer is being held at the Chatham County Jail after being charged with six counts of aggravated assault. Vehicle that fired.
Eyewitness reports and social media videos also showed a crowd running on the beach after someone allegedly opened fire. There were also reports of shootings in an alleyway behind Wet Willies on Tybrisa Street.
Before Sunday morning services, Reverend Jerry Ragan, pastor of St. Michael’s Catholic Church, announced that the praying angel in the church’s memorial garden just off Butler’s Walkway had been destroyed, leaving only the foot of the monument intact. was found to remain
“I think everyone did their best yesterday. Five percent of that. Most of the kids were respectful. They said, ‘Pastor, please pray for us.’ One man said, “We made it,” implying that this was a rite of passage for them.
The City of Tybee acknowledged that the event was a burden on the community and a challenge for the City to manage. We partnered with external agencies such as the Business Law Enforcement Department, Chatham County Police, Georgia Patrol, Chatham Emergency Services, and Savannah Fire Department.
The City of Tybee Island was defended by 40 sworn law enforcement officers, 8 law enforcement officers, 23 public works workers, 13 fire and rescue workers and 7 parking lot workers during the event.
and Facebook post On Saturday night, Rep. Jesse Petrea said Gov. Brian Kemp also personally ordered additional Georgia Patrolmen on Highway 80 to ensure traffic laws were followed. According to Petrea, GSP was not asked to assist Tybee at the event.
In anticipation of heavy traffic, some businesses, such as US-80’s Zunzibar, have decided to suspend operations for the day.
“We have decided to adjust our plans for the weekend based on the expected increase in traffic on the bridge predicted by Tybee Island City officials. will be closed Saturday, April 22. Get off the island,” the restaurant posted. Instagram “We apologize for the inconvenience, but as always, we want to take care of our staff.”
Venues such as Boardwalk Ice Cream, Fannies on the Beach, Windrose Bar and Grill on Tiburisa Street and Sand Bar on Butler Avenue have decided to remain open for all events.
“We’re not closed unless there’s a hurricane,” said Jennifer Knox, owner of The Sand Bar, checking her ID at the door. “It’s been nine years since The Sand Bar hosted Orange Crush and she’s never had a major problem.”
Her main wishes were for everyone to have a good time, be safe, and follow the rules of the island.
Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley was assigned to his wife’s restaurant, the Windrose Bar and Grill, on Sunday morning. It was a milder scene than Saturday, when restaurants closed four hours early after all the food had sold out by 6 p.m., but Hadley said aside from the tired staff. Everything went smoothly.
more: This weekend’s “Orange Crush” event on Tybee Island has nothing to do with the Orange Crush Festival.
Compared to previous Orange Crush weekends, Hadley said there were definitely more people. He believes law enforcement hasn’t changed any more.
“As we all know, 99.9% of the people here are here to be polite and respectful and have a great time. But if there are 20,000 people and 1% are silly , that’s 200. Things are bound.I think Tybee PD did a really good job, I know they tried not to police the event, but I think the cops were respectful. “
As the day’s events continued into the night, social media rumors surfaced on Twitter, pointing to incidents such as a pier fire (which turned out to be an orange smoke grenade), mandatory lockdowns, and a traffic fatality. claimed. However, Tybee Mayor Shirley Sessions said none of these rumors were true.
In a press release, Sessions acknowledged the negative impact of the incident on Tybee Island and its residents. “This year’s event was certainly too big and chaotic,” Sessions said. “But at the end of the day, Tybee Island is lucky that no lives were lost and no property was destroyed.”
Sessions revealed in a text message that the city will have a post-mortem review and plan after this weekend’s event, with help from the state and county for backup.
“Tybee Island is a public beach, so there are limited things we can do to control this event.
Laura Nwogu is a quality of life reporter for the Savannah Morning News. Please contact her at LNwogu@gannett.com. Twitter: @lauranwogu_
