Police presence reduces issues on July 4 in Crystal Beach
As many as 500 young revellers celebrating the Fourth of July converged at Crystal Beach Thursday, but a substantial police presence meant there was much less commotion than last year, says a local businessperson.
Robin Bannerman said after police showed “zero presence” in the area when a similar-sized crowd gathered on and near Erie Road the night before, on July 3, she contacted Niagara Regional Police to make sure they would have officers on scene July 4.
“There was a lot of open alcohol and disorderly kids” the night of July 3, said Bannerman, who owns the Crystal Ball Café and Erie Road Social Weinerie.
But on Thursday, as beachfront fireworks displays ended there were several NRP cruisers patrolling the area.
She estimated 500 partiers — mostly Americans under the age of 21 — roamed the streets in the waterfront area of Fort Erie.
On the American holiday in 2018, she said, flower pots were uprooted and garbage cans tipped over, while broken glass and other debris littered the streets.
Things weren’t so bad this time around, she said Friday, attributing the improvement to police making their presence known.
“We’ve never seen that kind of enforcement or presence,” said Bannerman, adding she took the precaution of moving three large flower pots placed at her business by the local BIA and beautification committee away from the action for the night.
Around 10:30 p.m., on public beach lands in front of privately owned cottages, a swarm of close to 500 people made its way east on the beach.
They stopped in a loud, rambunctious circle at the border of the Crystal Beach Tennis and Yacht Club, a gated community on the site of the former amusement park.
NRP spokesperson Const. Phil Gavin said numerous complaints were received after the crowd arrived.
“During that time, we responded to noise complaints due to parties and disturbances. We had reports of large groups of younger adults and youth fighting,” he said, adding police estimate the group was no larger than 400 people.
He said “it would appear” no arrests were made and the busiest time was from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Daniel Poczciwinski, a lifelong Crystal Beach resident with American relatives who own a cottage on the lake, said the large group of young Americans is common on July 4 once the fireworks are over.
“It’s an annual thing with these kids, congregating on the public beach,” he said, adding he finds it “disruptive.”
Bannerman said she did not witness any violence on Erie Road during the night.