It
is the actions of the few that reflect upon and affect the many.
While it is a tragedy that the Bikefest had
fatalities this year, it is an event that partially kicks off the beginning of
the summer working season for many people in and out of Myrtle Beach. A great deal of the workers that depend on
the summer working season have found the season becoming shorter and shorter.
My husband is one such worker and before my current career, I was too. We
depended on the income from the summer months to sustain us through the winter
season when work was not so plenty and unemployment was not a timely
replacement.
We noted that at least one of us had to find work
that was not so seasonal in order to provide enough income to pay for a roof
over our heads, utilities, and necessities. We also have to provide for our
children. We live INSIDE the city limits
of Myrtle Beach and have done so for at least 12 years. I have noticed that a great deal of the
people that attend audience with the city council are not residents within the
city limits. While some may work in the city or choose to come through the city
to get to the beach, they do have valid complaint about the things that occur
during Bikefest. This letter is not disputing that. Further, I note that the
city council members are not directly located in the city but in affluent homes
around the edges of the city and do not bear 24 hour witness to the activities
of Bikefest.
As stated before, this is a tragedy and the actions
of the parties involved ruined it for everyone. While there should be more
respect of the city as we open our hospitality industry to then on Memorial Day
weekend, Governor Nicky Haley said it best:
“This
was not something to be proud of. This was not a good weekend. There was a lot
of damage, but more importantly there were deaths. This is no longer a law enforcement
issue. Our law enforcement was stellar. We had more than enough people.”
There are multiple truths here. Yes, it is NOT something to
be proud of. The events that occurred resulted in loss of life and it did
happen in Myrtle Beach. The disrespect for life, the hospitality of the area,
and those they hurt in the process was horrid and they should be punished for
what they did. However, their actions should not hinder the event itself nor
should it be taken away only to make the summer workers of this area suffer
more than they already have. Secondly, it was NOT a good weekend due to the
deaths. Third, anytime there are a lot of people coming to a place for an
event, there will be damage. The more people, the more damage there will be. In
speaking of the law enforcement, maybe there were enough and maybe they did to
a “stellar” job. I am not writing this to dispute that. In the same press
conference, Governor Haley also said the following:
“There are no revenues worth the bad press
that we got this past weekend. There are no revenues worth the lack of
companies that will come to this area because of what happened this weekend.
There are no revenues worth the lack of tourism that we will lose because of
what happened this past weekend. It is time for that Bikefest to come to an
end,”
This is where I have issue. She is right in that there are no
revenues worth bad press and tourism lost. However, those that depend on this
weekend to start their income season will lose out unless something of a
similar caliber is set in its place and what will provide that type of
revenue? The hotel workers put in extra
hours, the gas station attendants pull extra shifts. Those that work in the
restaurants work doubles and come in early and stay late during the Bikefest
weekend. These workers keep businesses running during an exorbitantly busy
weekend and they depend on that money to pay their bills and to provide for
their families. If you take that away, that is another ding in the incomes of
these people. Many of these workers live right here in the city limits. Most
will not even think about reaching out to City Council or listen to what
Governor Haley is saying. They just want to have a job to look forward to
during the summer months when they know they can make the money.
A few years ago, there was a big issue in Myrtle Beach about
Helmet laws and noise ordinances and such after a similar situation which had
occurred during Bikefest. The helmet issue (among others) went all the way to
the Supreme Court of South Carolina and was subsequently overturned as being
against South Carolina Constitution. Unbeknownst to the ones that set that
controversy in motion, it hurt “the poor people.” Or as the cogs of this city
are referred to: The Summer workers. Business has never been the same since
that has occurred. Bikefest weekend as well as the Harley weekends is not as
busy as the hospitality workers would like. Further, local businesses like restaurants
and hotels are not hiring as many people because of the “loss of revenue.”
Every single time an incident like this occurs, here comes
the Governor demanding something that has a detrimental effect to those of us
who are nearly too broke to sustain but make about $3 too much to receive any
type of assistance. Further, those of us who are working our fingers to the
bone to barely make it are directly e
few make living almost impossible and the City and the Governor wonders why
there is a homeless problem in this city.
Finally, Haley mentioned preventative measures:
“Law enforcement was not a problem this past
Memorial weekend. The problem was the lack of a curfew, the lack of a noise
ordinance, the lack of any sort of discipline or organization, the lack of any
sort of ability to control the environment. That was the problem. But it was
not law enforcement.”
I am not proposing any solutions but you need to think about
the Utilitarian point of view before you make a demand that an event should be
eradicated. Haley said there was lack of a noise ordinance but the Helmet Law issue
did put in place a noise ordinance. Why was it not enforced by the stellar law
enforcement we had for Bikefest? Further, City code does have curfews in place.
Especially for minors. Why were the curfews not enforced? (I find it silly to
impose a curfew on a resort area when adults know right from wrong and there is
no martial law.) While there was not much discipline on the part of the
visitors and a few of the locals, there was certainly no organization present
within the city. This can be seen from 2 viewpoints. 1. The organizers of
Bikefest did not have any structure in the events of the weekend and everyone
came to the beach to just ‘hang out.’ When one goes on vacation, hanging out t
is what they do. When they go to the sands of the beach or the pool, that is
what they do. When they go to the bars, that is what they do. It is human
nature to want to congregate and socialize. 2. The visitors were undisciplined
and chaotic. Yes. Yes they are. They came to Myrtle Beach to have a good time
and while the stores, clubs, and restaurants were open, what activities were
there for them? Absolutely none. So what option did they have but to amuse
themselves and hang out? One can also
look at this from the standpoint that while law enforcement believed they were doing
their job, they were severely outnumbered and failed to enforce noise
ordinances, local nudity laws, and curfews.
When situations like this occur, it is always the blame of
the caliber of people attending the event. However, did anyone ever consider
that the many outside of the few were not really causing any issue? Further,
Bikefest has been going on for quite some time, the people that brought their
families should know or should have known what occurs in the Grand Strand
during Bike Fest. Choosing a different immediate area would not have been a
detriment to them. Further, it would not have affected any incoming revenue for
the business owners.
In suggesting that Bikefest must come to an end or to
eradicate the event all together disrupts the lives of the cogs of the city. Those
of us that work this and live this life 24 hours a day. Those of us that have
roots here and not in some affluent neighborhood on the outskirts of the city
limits.
For the City Council and Governor Haley, should you see to it
that this event comes to an end, are you going to come out of your pocket to
replenish the lost wages for those of us who work long hours during this event?
A person making $9.00 an hour working in a restaurant will work 8-14 hours a
day during the Bikefest weekend. If you take that away and force the summer
working season to start later, you are causing businesses to work people like
my husband 4-5 hours a day during that weekend and causing a hardship on us.
That money goes right back out in the form of Rent, insurance, water, power,
and phone bills. (Not to mention gas, and food.) Do you really want to take the
rug out from under the citizens you are seeking to help out by “bringing more
jobs to the area?” Businesses won’t come because lack of a successful income
year round. It has nothing to do with a singular crime that happened during a
large event.
I don’t expect anyone to pass this along but I send it in
hopes that someone will read it and see it from the point of view of the
workers. Were it not for those of us that live paycheck to paycheck, who would
work the service industry jobs? Certainly not the affluent ones, certainly not
the City Council, and certainly not Governor Haley.
