Remember that whole Folly Beach Booze Ban thing?

Do you remember that whole Folly Beach Booze Ban thing? Remember how the residents were up-in-arms about people drinking on the beach? They claimed the drinking was out-of-control (which on July 4th it certainly was) and banning booze would be the only way to stop crime in the city.

Many people outside of the Folly community knew that claim was ridiculous. There were so many problems unrelated to the alcohol consumption, that it was clear the crime would continue. Well, it was clear to anyone who didn’t live in Folly Beach, but the residents there were all fired up and promptly got their way.

A few months have passed and unsurprisingly nothing has changed in the way of crime. Since the ban there has been TWO ( an incentive program and an officer’s high-profile suspension) embarrassing moments for the police department, which point to bigger issues in Folly Beach. Plus, many local businesses were saying the booze ban had significantly hurt their sales. It wasn’t just because they weren’t selling as much alcohol, they weren’t selling as much of anything. Beach-goers opted for Isle of Palms or Sullivan’s Island instead and brought their disposable income with them. Folly Beach was becoming somewhat of a ghost town.

The crime, of course, hasn’t stopped either. The biggest story to come out of the city is the recent arrest of a man who was running a marijuana-growth operation in West Ashley. What did this have to do with Folly? The man’s home address was on the beach.

So you mean to tell me one of those perfectly well-behaved Folly Beach residents was arrested!? Unfathomable! All that crime was due to outsiders!

I guess the tables have turned – Those damn Folly Beach outsiders our destroying our beautiful city with their criminal activity! We should ban them from leaving the beach!

Or is this just a case of the few ruining it for the many? Am I unfairly blaming one person’s actions on an entire group?

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