Cities nationwide are gearing up for the Fourth of July weekend, preparing to counteract potential ‘teen takeovers’—events orchestrated via social media that have caused concern in various states. Law enforcement agencies are adopting preventive measures to curtail any disruptions before they unfold.
These so-called teen takeovers have been springing up across the country, primarily organized through social media platforms. As the holiday nears, police departments are mobilizing resources and strategies to avert disturbances and safeguard the Independence Day celebrations.
The police in Falmouth, Massachusetts, have ramped up their presence and deployed drones to handle potential teen takeovers on local beaches. Their aim is to prevent large gatherings from escalating into unsafe situations, according to Masslive.com.
In one weekend during spring, the Tybee Island Police Department, in collaboration with Georgia State Police, arrested 22 individuals and issued 22 traffic citations. (Richard Burkhart/ Savannah Morning News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Lt. Ryan Hergt shared with reporters that the force has implemented measures to control large gatherings, including those involving teenagers, after facing challenges in managing such events in past years.
In Ocean City, Maryland, police in June stopped a teen takeover that was advertised on social media as a “Late Night Beach Party Link Up.” Police learned about the event through the Baltimore Police Department, and arrested several of the alleged organizers before the teen takeover could even happen, according to WTOP.
Some towns are going even further. In Greenville, North Carolina, the city’s mayor enacted a curfew ahead of the holiday weekend in response to threats of a teen takeover, according to The Reflector.
A large, unpermitted gathering on Tybee Island ended in panic after police said gunfire broke out along the pier. (Tybee Island Police Department)
“Greenville Mayor P.J. Connelly has established another temporary curfew for juveniles under the age of 18 in downtown Greenville to help ensure their safety,” a statement from the city reads.
The city dealt with a teen takeover on June 20 in which a large number of fights broke out in the downtown area, with social media posts threatening another similar event on June 27. As a result, a curfew was declared last weekend as well.
Past teen takeovers have proven the events have potential to become dangerous.
In Georgia’s Tybee Island, an “unpermitted pop-up event” in April ended up with gunshots ringing out, which sent scores of teens running for their lives.
Margaret McLean, a former prosecutor, told News Media that law enforcement doesn’t need to wait for chaos to unfold.
Cities across the country prepare for a rise in “teen takeovers” as summer approaches. (Elissa De Souza via Storyful)
“It’s a big preventative measure that police are using. They’re monitoring the social media… arresting some people for rioting. If these organizers are worried that they may face criminal charges or they may get a criminal record or possibly even go to jail, they may step back and decide not to organize one of these events,” McLean said.
She said teen takeovers are such a priority for police because of the potential for them to turn violent, fast.
“People can be trampled,” McLean said.
“What makes them so dangerous is fights can break out and somebody, some innocent bystander can get pushed down or hurt, or they can fall and hit their head and then die from a bad head wound,” she added.