SCITUATE, Mass. — A town in Massachusetts is temporarily shutting down a public beach to deter unruly Fourth of July partiers.
The public portion of Humarock Beach in Scituate is closed to end what the town's police say is a "historical cycle of drinking and disorder" in the area.
A post from the department's Facebook page blames crowds of "teenagers and young adults" for causing problems in the past.
Police said any drinking, fighting or fireworks in the area should be reported to the department.
The decision has drawn dozens of angry comments protesting the decision on social media, and many people at the beach Monday said they wish police waited until dusk to kick them off.
“I get it because like, people do get crazy at night but my thing is that 4:30 p.m. is early – the sun is still out. I would understand if it was like 7 or 8 p.m.,” Shane Tierney from Raynham said.
A booking area was also set up near the entrance to the beach for any arrests, but the chief said that's only part of the concern.
“More importantly than the arrests are the protective custodies that we end up with and a lot of. That is from this group we get 16-, 18-, 20-year-old kids that are just intoxicated, they’re hammered and they can’t even tell us their parents’ cell phone numbers to come get them,” Scituate Police Chief W. Michael Stewart said.
Police say the beach will reopen at sunrise on the Fourth of July.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cox Media Group
