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The First Amendment grants us the right to peaceably assemble. The key
word here is peaceably. Our opponents claim that the 4th of July party has
been a drunken riot in recent years, we disagree. We all do agree however,
that there is room for improvement.
And since it had been pointed out that FreeNewport! only has criticism for
the city's plan for the 4th of July without offering any solutions, we
thought, hey, why not put in our 2 cents! So without further ado, here it
is, FreeNewport!'s map for a fun and safe 4th of July for all...
POLICE:
- Block Based Policing We know that the NBPD already has this in the
plans, but let's make it work. Here's how you do it: Early in the day, when the
parties are just getting started, and the police are standing around looking at
girls or rollerblades in bikini's (not that we don't agree with that), but take
some time to walk your assigned blocks.
Make it a priority to locate the primary contact for each
party, and introduce yourself. Don't make your first introduction with your citation pad
later in the day. Not only will this encourage positive communications as the
day goes on, but you can also then use this contact to help you to stop problems before
they get out of hand.
- Relax A Little... Remember that your attitude will often determine
how we react to you. Your ultimate goal is to keep the peace, and if you convey a
negative image then you will receive a negative reaction. Obviously you could then
begin arresting people, but are you really keeping the peace then? Remember, many
riots actually begin when police don't exercise effective crowd control skills. We're
all human, if someone has got you fired up, then take a break and cool off.
- Take It Easy On Us! Keep in mind that we're celebrating our
Independence Day! You don't necessarily have to cite everyone for every minor ordinance
infraction that you see. Here's a good rule of thumb: If you wouldn't cite them any
other day of the year for dropping a cigarette, why cite them on the 4th of July?
- Take The Real Problems To JAIL! Hey, if someone is really causing a
problem, get them out of here. Don't just cite them and let them go back and get more
booze. If they are truly a threat to public safety, then get them out of our neighborhood!
PARTY HOSTS:
- Be Responsible Party Hosts If you have people getting out of control,
tell them that it's time to go home. Don't let a few bad apples spoil your party. And
if people in your party are mouthing the police, tell them to keep it to themselves.
Treat the NBPD as you want them to treat you and your guests. We've all had our issues
with them in the past, but trust me, if you want to keep your party alive, it is in
your best interests to take it easy on them. The goal here is to maintain order at
your own party, so that they don't do it for you!
- Wristbands This may sound crazy, but we've used them every year and
never so much as received an advisement card from NBPD. Not only will they help to
identify your guests, they deter visitors from sneaking into your party, and drinking
your ever so precious alcohol! They're only about 25 cents each at Alin Party Supply
in H.B., at the corner of Warner & Magnolia, (714) 847-1688.
- Keep The Music Down Keep the music to moderate levels during the day,
and at a minimum at night. Remember, we all don't like the same music! Not only that,
your conservative neighbors will be the same ones that we'll see at city hall next
year complaining about us!
- Keep an eye on your neighbors property One complaint that we've heard
is that people's property has been damaged, trespassed upon, or even urinated on! Let's
all respect our neigbors and neighborhood. Tell the offenders to leave, or tell your
block's policeman to take care of them. They give us all a bad image.
CITY COUNCIL:
- Fine the ACTS, not the AREA. Can the "Safety Enhancement Zone".
We don't think that it's fair (or even legal) to target one specific geographical area
or demographic. There are large parties in all of Newport Beach, not just the "Safety
Enhancement Zone", which tie up city resources.
If your concern is breaking up large gatherings or people that are
drunk in public, then increase those fines accordingly. Target the activities
that you are trying to discontinue, rather than a neighborhood.
- Define an "Illegal Large Gathering" Can someone please describe
an "illegal gathering" to us? Is it 15 people if you are wearing skull
caps? Is it 30 people if you drive a Mercedes and are sipping cognac?
This really shouldn't be that difficult. Aren't all of the lots basically the same
size? Maybe you could have one standard for the day, and another guideline for night,
but establish some guideline here. This way we know what the law is, and no one feels
like they're being singled out - for whatever reason.
- End the party earlier I think that we can all agree that the 4th of July
party in Newport Beach is actually pretty well behaved throughout the day. Consider
shutting it down at sunset, or maybe by 10pm. We're all pretty beat by then anyway,
and nothing good seems to happen at night. Take one from the New Orleans playbook, and
line up the police officers, police cars, and street cleaning trucks at 10pm. It's
actually a ceremony in itself that is worth watching if you're ever in New Orleans as
they close Mardi Gras. The law then is simple: Get off the streets or get a ticket.
The bottom line is simple: If we establish lines of communication and treat each other
with respect, then we should all be able to peaceably enjoy our nation's independence
day - together!
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