PETITION TO THE VIRGINIA BEACH CITY COUNCIL

Opposition to the Proposed 9:00 PM Oceanfront Resort Area Curfew

To the Members of the Virginia Beach City Council,

We, the undersigned business owners, operators, stakeholders, employees, and patrons of the Virginia Beach Oceanfront Resort Area, are writing to formally oppose the proposed 9:00 PM curfew. We share the city’s grief and frustration regarding the recent violence, but we believe this specific measure will cause severe economic damage to our community without providing the security the public deserves.

The Failure of Restrictive Measures

The recent shooting on Atlantic Avenue occurred despite a significant and commendable increase in police presence. This proves that traditional restrictive measures are not a guaranteed deterrent for those intent on violence. Implementing a blanket curfew for all ages will effectively clear the streets of law-abiding patrons and business owners, creating a vacuum that can make an area less safe.

History shows that removing "eyes on the street" often has the opposite of the intended effect. According to a study published in the Review of Economics and Statistics (D. Mark Anderson, 2014), which analyzed gunfire data in Washington D.C., gunshot incidents actually increased by as much as 150% during the hours immediately following the implementation of a curfew. Furthermore, when the City of Austin, Texas abolished its juvenile curfew ordinance in 2017, the city reported a 21% decrease in youth victimization within a year, demonstrating that broad curfews are often ineffective at reducing the very crimes they aim to prevent.  

Economic Reality of the Resort Area

The Oceanfront is the heart of our city’s economy. Many of our establishments make the vast majority of their revenue between 9:00 PM and midnight on weekends. This revenue pays our rent, our taxes, and the wages of hundreds of hospitality workers. A 9:00 PM curfew is not just a minor inconvenience; it is a forced shutdown during our most critical hours of operation. Our staff members, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck, cannot afford the loss of hours and tips that this ordinance would mandate.

A Request for Targeted Action

We urge the Council to move away from broad restrictions that penalize the law-abiding business community and instead focus on precision-based safety strategies. We propose:

1. Focusing resources on the strict enforcement of existing laws regarding illegal weapons and loitering rather than stopping all commercial activity.

2. Improving permanent infrastructure, such as high-intensity lighting and advanced surveillance, to assist the VBPD in real-time monitoring.

3. Engaging in a formal, ongoing safety partnership between the city and Oceanfront business owners to share data and coordinate security protocols.

We ask that you vote against the 9:00 PM curfew. Let us work together on a solution that keeps Virginia Beach safe while keeping our local economy alive.