This discussion will be in two posts. The first deals with the disorderly groups that have been congregating in and around Village parking lots during late-night hours. And the second post will deal with the Trustee’s concerns with the creation of “The Meadow”.
If you missed last night’s Board of Trustees meeting and plan to watch the replay, here’s a little warning:
As Bette Davis once said, “Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night.”
The Mayor kicked things off by reading a post from the Code Enforcement Department that went up on Facebook:
“The Village is aware of and very concerned about the disorderly groups that have been congregating in and around Village parking lots during late-night hours. Please be assured that the Village is working with SCPD 6th Precinct personnel to ensure that proper enforcement measures are taken if these groups continue to disturb the peace and compromise public safety and welfare of the Village.
The matter will be further discussed at tonight’s Board of Trustees meeting.
Please continue to call 911 for all police matters that require emergency response and enforcement.”
From there, the Board and other officials laid out some possible steps to deal with what’s been happening downtown late at night. These included:
Increasing Suffolk County Police presence in the areas where people are gathering and breaking laws
Adjusting Village Codes tied to the issues at hand
Raising fines for violations — anywhere from $500 to $5,000
Hiring an additional Code Officer for weekend nights
Using photos and videos from residents as evidence to pursue enforcement
Several residents spoke, sharing just how disruptive the situation has been — affecting their sleep, peace of mind, and quality of life.
Blogger’s thoughts:
It’s hard not to notice that the Village only seemed to take stronger action once residents started posting videos of what’s really happening downtown late at night. Like it or not, the local Facebook groups clearly play a big role in making sure residents’ voices get heard. That said, we all need to keep calling Code Enforcement and the Suffolk County Police when we see laws being broken. Keep documenting with photos and videos — they make a difference.
One resident pointed out online that this problem seems to have gotten worse since the Village stopped arming Code Enforcement and reduced their authority. I understand why that decision was made, but I don’t think the Mayor and Board fully considered the consequences.
Hopefully, the proposed actions — from more police presence to tougher fines — will finally send the message that this behavior won’t be tolerated. With any luck, it will either push the troublemakers to move on or, better yet, convince them to change their behavior.
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