This was a summer highlighted by the World Cup. Bars and eateries across the Island that showcased the games saw crowds of fans who stared at the screens with bated breath, erupting into boisterous cheers or collapsing into silence at the end of their favored team’s run. There was fierce support from fans of the U.S., Brazil, Cabo Verde, England, and Norway on the Vineyard.
In the wake of Spain’s World Cup victory on Sunday, six Democratic Massachusetts senators, including the Cape and Islands’ Julian Cyr, announced the introduction of a so-called “fun agenda” that proposed a series of legislative amendments to bolster nightlife, cultural, and outdoor recreation in the state. Much of this fun agenda has the backing of Gov. Maura Healey, like support for local-option happy hour and codifying the liquor policies introduced this summer, and the state Senate began to debate the $325 million economic development bill the proposed amendments are a part of on Wednesday.
This is a part of an effort to spur the post-COVID recreational economy. There are a variety of economic opportunities that have relevance to the Island so full of musicians and farms, from proposed micro-grants for entertainers and expanding support for agrotourism. But the one to keep an eye out for on the Island is an effort to expand access to alcohol.
Overall, we’re in favor of giving a boost to the “fun economy.” Over the years, we’ve heard of complaints about a shrinking number of venues for music, and less availability for nighttime entertainment. We’ve reported on business owners who say their revenue streams have been severely cut after closing times were moved back to 12:30 am in Oak Bluffs and Edgartown, the two towns with the most bustling nightlife scenes on the Vineyard. Even when closing times were extended to 3 am statewide, Island towns gave only an extra hour, and allowed closing times to be up to 1:30 am.
We’ve seen the jubilance that can come from events happening around the Island with some casual drinking. But this past month, there have been a series of incidents that should serve as a blinking yellow light; we all need to take a moment to go into this intersection of fun and commerce, especially since this may well mean more police would be needed.
In recent years, we have heard mounting concerns expressed by police departments that they feel understaffed, and those concerns feel front and center amid a summer where, anecdotally at least, it feels like there is a spike in traffic accidents and police-involved incidents.
Consider: The accident near Nomans that led to severe injuries for a father and son who had to be medevaced off the Island, and a truck rollover that occurred there a week later. An altercation outside a bar on Circuit Ave resulted in a man being paralyzed. In Oak Bluffs, a woman was hit by a vehicle while walking in the crosswalk. Then there were the suspected illegal fireworks in O.B. that led to beach grass catching fire. In Edgartown, a lady drove a work van into three parked cars. There was also an engine fire that scorched a car in Chilmark. And weather conditions following the Fourth of July, including heavy rain, winds, and flooding, led to congestion in Five Corners. In Vineyard Haven, a woman drove a vehicle at high speed into a Steamship Authority ferry, and died afterward.
So could stepped-up policing have stopped these events? Probably not. Was alcohol involved in all of these cases? No. The only incidents in which police mentioned alcohol were the truck rollover in Oak Bluffs, the assault in Oak Bluffs, and the work van in Edgartown. But there is just no question that excessive alcohol consumption, which happens in summer communities with great frequency, as people come here to relax and have fun, increases the risk of accidents. It clouds judgement, and some people get more aggressive, whether in person or behind the wheel. And when accidents happen, first responders need to hurry to the scene to make sure everyone is safe, or often to save a life.
Police departments across the country have noted a shortage of officers, and the Island’s departments seem to have openings for officers annually. These are spurred by a mixture of factors, including retirements, housing, and lateral job changes. It raises the question in a time when there seems to be a noticeable rise in incidents: Are we shoring up our police numbers enough? Each time officers need to block off the roads, that is resources stripped away from other incidents. That’s even with mutual aid, a system that allows the towns’ first responders to help one another in emergencies.
The town where this was most acutely felt was in Aquinnah. While the Island’s smallest police department is now shoring up its roster, and has recently named a new sergeant in the department, it had to rely on support from Massachusetts State Police and Dukes County Sheriff deputies to patrol at night for months.
If the amendments pass, Island towns will have to make careful consideration of how to manage the nightlife of the Island, especially regarding alcohol. This would primarily be for down-Island towns, but intoxicated driving is something that can impact anyone, anywhere on the Vineyard. Even if the state legislature passes amendments to bolster nightlife, Vineyard towns will need to strike a balance between supporting businesses, facilitating more fun for all of us, and the need to bolster the ranks of first responders.