Tybee Island, Georgia, is preparing for the annual Orange Crush beach party, which has historically drawn large crowds of Black college students and led to chaos and safety concerns. The city plans to increase police presence, block off parking, and close streets in an effort to control the event, sparking criticism of racial bias. While officials cite public safety concerns, critics argue that the crackdown unfairly targets Black visitors and perpetuates racial stereotypes.
Tybee Island, Georgia, is implementing a police crackdown and road closures to curb the annual Orange Crush beach party, which draws thousands of Black college students and has caused public safety concerns in the past. While officials claim the measures are for public safety, critics argue that the response appears to unfairly target Black visitors and may be racially motivated. The event has sparked controversy and raised questions about racial discrimination and over-policing, with some residents and officials expressing concerns about the impact on local businesses and the community.
Tybee Island, Georgia, is preparing for the annual Orange Crush beach party, which has historically drawn large crowds of Black college students and led to chaos and safety concerns. The city is implementing roadblocks, extra police presence, and parking closures in an effort to control the event, sparking criticism of racial bias. While officials claim the measures are for public safety, critics argue that the crackdown unfairly targets Black visitors and perpetuates racial tensions. The event's organizers deny promoting unpermitted activities, and the community remains divided over the handling of the annual gathering.
A 22-year-old woman, Jasmine Murphey, has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault and robbery after bragging on social media about her involvement in a beating of a mother and daughter during the unpermitted 2023 Orange Crush event on Tybee Island, Georgia. Murphey was located and arrested at her job after sharing videos of the beating on social media and implicating herself as a suspect. The victims were beaten and robbed on the beach by a large group of people.
A-J's Dockside Restaurant on Tybee Island will be closed on Saturday due to rumors of a second unpermitted beach party, Peach Fest, and social media threats of gun violence. The restaurant cited concerns for the safety of its staff as the reason for the closure. Officials on Tybee Island are preparing for a similar sized crowd as what the island saw last weekend during Orange Crush.
A mother and daughter were beaten and robbed by multiple individuals during the unpermitted 2023 Orange Crush event on Tybee Island, Georgia. A video of the attack has gone viral, prompting police to issue an arrest warrant for one person involved and ask for the public's help in identifying others. The event hosted people who traveled from as far away as New York and Maryland, making it difficult for officials to identify everyone involved.
The Tybee Police Department made 18 arrests, issued 37 traffic citations, and 53 code enforcement violations during the unpermitted Orange Crush beach party, which is the unofficial spring break beach party for students of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the South. Police are preparing for another beach party next weekend after rumors surfaced. The event returned to Tybee Island in full force after its relocation to Jacksonville Beach, Florida, two years ago.
Tybee Island Police Department is investigating an assault and robbery case after a woman reported that she and her daughter were beaten and robbed by a group on the beach during Orange Crush. Video footage of a brawl on the beach near the pier has been circulating online. The police department has secured warrants for one of the people involved and is working with outside law enforcement agencies on an arrest. They are also trying to identify other people in the video.
The Tybee Island Police Department made 18 arrests and responded to over 300 calls during Orange Crush weekend, with many of the charges related to DUIs, driving violations, and disorderly conduct. One incident involved a woman being beaten and robbed by a group on the beach, while another involved a crowd destroying a police truck and throwing items at officers. Police were able to disperse the crowd without further force, and recovered a stolen vehicle and two stolen firearms.
The Orange Crush beach bash brought in between 40 to 50 thousand people, mostly college students, to Tybee Island, Georgia. Local businesses, particularly restaurants and bars on Tybrisa Street, saw record sales during the event. Boardwalk Ice Cream, one of the few businesses that stayed open during the event, ran out of product multiple times due to the high demand. Despite being out of supplies, the owner hopes to be fully restocked in the next couple of weeks.
More than 50,000 partygoers attended the annual unpermitted Orange Crush event on Georgia's Tybee Island, overwhelming police officers and causing chaos. Seven people were injured in a car crash, and one woman was shot in the back. Nearly 12,000 vehicles and between 40,000 to 50,000 people were on the island, causing gridlock, traffic accidents, crowding, drug and alcohol abuse, noise complaints, illegal parking, and litter. Mayor Shirley Sessions plans to work with federal and state legislators for future events and find better solutions.
The Orange Crush Festival, a popular beach party for HBCU students, returned to Tybee Island with unprecedented force, drawing approximately 40 to 50 thousand people. The event, which has operated without a permit since 1991, caused a strain on resources, miles of gridlocked traffic, and violent incidents. Despite the negative reputation of the event, attendees focused on promoting the event in the best light and seeing Black students come together on a beach that used to be whites-only until Savannah civil rights activists staged wade-ins to desegregate the beach in 1964. The City of Tybee acknowledged that the event was a strain on the local community and a challenge for the city to manage, and will be enlisting the help of the state and county for backup in the future.
The unpermitted Orange Crush beach party on Tybee Island attracted nearly 50,000 people, causing chaos, traffic accidents, crowding, drug and alcohol abuse, noise complaints, illegal parking, and litter. A crash and a shooting occurred during the event, and there were 10 overdoses. Tybee Island Mayor Shirley Sessions said they were limited in what they could do to control the event as it is a public beach, but they will work on better solutions going forward. No lives were lost and no property was destroyed.
A drone video captured the massive crowd of people in and around the Tybee Pier & Pavilion during the unpermitted weekend beach party, Orange Crush, on Tybee Island. The event was expected to attract thousands of HBCU students to the island, causing added traffic and incidents, including a crash and a shooting.
A crash on Highway 80 near 5th Avenue on Tybee Island has shut down the road, with traffic being detoured down Miller Avenue. Emergency personnel are working to clear the scene, and there is no word on possible injuries. This comes after a shooting on Highway 80 and a crash that sent seven patients to the hospital, amidst the controversial Orange Crush weekend beach party that has brought thousands of visitors to the island.
