Opinion/Stead: Take your riot parties somewhere else, perhaps Florida
I leave the state for 10 minutes, and this is what these crazy kids get up to!
On some major summer holidays, we get out of Dodge and go to the Pine Tree State rather than try to navigate the increased population here. But the local ‘interwebs’ were alive with reports and rumors about the crazy crowds of young revelers, assumed to be from off-Cape but possibly staying in grandma’s summer place for the weekend. Another possible source was multiple weekly renters having come here to enjoy themselves and perhaps less considerate of their 7-day neighbors — not that we do not have our own crop of local partiers.
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But Dennis is a stodgier town than Hyannis or Provincetown and we are not as used to a partying influx. When returning to the Cape on Tuesday night, there were still cars backed up past Exit 61 (formerly Exit 3), and reportedly the vehicles had been bumper to bumper to Exit 68 (formerly Exit 6) the day before. It is a wonder that the fragile peninsula did not snap off and sink with so many additional temporary residents. So the town was not prepared for the influx of exuberant visitors last weekend.
Dennis has many of the great beaches, north side and south, 18 of them in all. Chapin, Cold Storage, West Dennis, Sea View, Corporation, and Sea Street are only a few of them but that is where the craziness happened.
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Large groups of partiers, some crowds estimated at more than 100, swarmed all over the beaches with technically illegal fireworks and liquor, which is never a happy combination, and the fire department had to come to put out fires. The Dennis Police were quickly overburdened and called in Brewster and Yarmouth police — who had their own fish to fry — and eventually the Massachusetts State Police just to get some control as the different incidents were popping up all over town. The Fire Department had to cope with at least one large fire, seemingly started by illegal fireworks.
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The fate of the West Dennis plovers is unknown at this time, but it is a cinch their pristine nesting environment took a hit. There was no reported large-scale damage, but there were mountains of trash at all these locations, and those living next to the beaches had an unplanned spectacle of flashing lights, but only red and blue.
It seems no arrests were made, but it is unclear why citations for at least littering, alcohol use, unpermitted fires, and disturbing the peace were not issued. It is a shame, but the judgment of the officers at the scene has to be respected. It is to be hoped that the officers were straining to contain a potential drunken riot with more serious consequences and that the idea that these young people do not need a blot on their record was not part of the calculations.
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One question was how so many people could arrange to have so many parties in so many locations at the same time. The answer, of course, lies in the connectivity of the internet. Time was, you had to spread the word of an illicit party by word of mouth over time — now it is instantaneous and fluid, making it that much more difficult to contain. But the angry abutters and observers have access too, and the Facebook community pages were alight with reports of who was doing what where.
There have always been inappropriate summer visitors, such as the two couples who chose to indulge their passion in the waves at Mayflower Beach in the middle of the afternoon for all the kiddies to see, although the arrival of the sharks may put a damper on future displays. But this was not a merry group of partiers it was a bona fide mob. The town was not well prepared for it but why should they have been? Riot scale celebrations are new, and need to be watched for in the future.
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But I will offer suggestions to these visitors for the future. I hear that Fort Lauderdale is now re-opened. Book your holiday flights now! Dennis is a stodgy old town, full of cranky old people and our hearts are as cold as our water! Have a nice time in the Sunshine State, and write if you get work!
Cynthia Stead is a columnist for the Cape Cod Times and can be contacted at cestead@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: 4th of July party riots in Dennis, MA are new and unwelcomed
