Luxury travel hotspot, Newport Beach, is an annual fourth of July hotspot, but this year, things heated up quickly. With fireworks launched into the crowds, fights erupting, and looting the local Pavilions grocery store, this takeover was unlike most America 250 celebrations.
These events lead to the local Police issuing a “999” officer calling request for assistance from surrounding agencies. At 8:30 p.m., an unlawful assembly was called and the police asked for all residents to shelter in their homes.
While the direct post has not been linked, authorities and Newport Beach Mayor Lauren Kleiman have claimed a direct link to the use of social media to coordinate this crowd. Authorities started to shut down the beach from 22nd Street to 36th Street in the late afternoon, which led to the shuttle of the crowd to the Pavilions parking lot.
In a social media release, the City of Newport Beach, said, “Late in the evening, social media posts drew a large influx of juveniles and young adults to the Newport Pier area within a matter of minutes. As the crowd quickly grew into the thousands, dangerous and unlawful behavior escalated, blocking roadways, preventing emergency access and putting families, visitors and first responders at risk.”
The crowd seemed to consist of young adults and juveniles who were mostly from surrounding cities and out of state visitors. The President of the Newport Beach Police Association gave a statement on social media saying, “ These persons came to our city with the intent on causing harm, injury, and destruction, bringing harassment, disturbances, and mayhem.”
With the locals quickly responding to the takeover, “Not in Newport” was quickly implemented to crackdown on local violations to crowds, safety zones, rental properties, public drinking and more. California Assemblymember Diane Dixon posted her reactions and comments on social media, applauding the Newport Beach Police Department and other officials for their work.
With hundreds of videos on social media, Newport Beach was viral on the news but was quickly cleaned up by the local community Sunday morning.
