Letter to the Editor for March 22, 2018

Special to the PRESS

Please tell me when the talk to make Spring Break more family oriented will actual become actions. I have been coming to this island since 1984, owner since 2011 and permanent residents since 2013 and see only actions that increase my lack of desire to bring anyone’s family here. I had my family followed and threatened with violence for blocks on an evening walk last year. Sold a beautiful condo on the Gulf because my grandchildren could not even play tennis during the day for the vulgarity and public display of alcohol abuse on the front porch across the street. Purchased a home in a residential area on the Bay in hope of finding my peaceful island once again. I drove 10 hours to bring my grandchildren here last Saturday on the unenforced talk that changes were made to improve this island for a family friendly spring break. Not one but three phone calls made to the police for spring breakers bringing their party to the end of my new residential block. Girls literally naked getting out of cars and running nude in front of my grandkids. Not one police car ever came. I cannot find blame on the police since I am pretty sure they could not get through the traffic to get here or that kids out of control in a residential area was exclusively my problem. Since Thursday evening I have had in the neighborhood of 3 to 4 hours of sleep a night due to the volume of the noise from the night clubs 10-12 blocks away. My grandkids could not sleep the last three nights here. I return from a 10 hour drive to take them home on 3 hours of sleep listening to them discuss not wanting to visit here on spring break again because they don’t want to see or hear people act like this. Do you hear what the town is saying? When my four grandkids visit I purchase $500 or more in groceries and try to take them to dinner at least 2-3 times which runs $150 or more a meal. They each get to pick something to do on the island which runs $150 or more x 4. All which is locally spent in a week. Tell me how much do you think the kids that left their underwear in the yard next door spend? And by the way this year the all events and half the meals out were in Brownsville or Harlingen to get them out of the mess on the island. I am writing this listening once again to music so loud I cannot sleep and will try to work tomorrow on little to no sleep for days. Since when does it become more important to accommodate those who spend money one week a year over your tax paying voting residents? This is the only city I have every lived in that seems to either have no noise decibel ordinances or chooses not to enforce them. If I can feel and hear the bass 10-12 blocks away I am pretty sure the people at the event can. I am also pretty sure they are drunk or high enough they would not notice the level of the music to be low enough that the people who actually live here might enjoy their home. Explain to me why I have to be afraid in my own town to be out at night because this season is more important than my family’s safety. Friends who winter here have expressed to me they were afraid for the first time this year to walk the street in the evening. I would only take my grandchild to eat during daylight hours. I love this island, always have. I want my grandkids to love it too. How do I show them the beauty of it Mr. Mayor?

Sincerely,
Brenda Parker

Editor’s Note: This letter to the editor, which was originally sent to South Padre Island Mayor Dennis Stahl, was also sent to the PRESS by its author as an open letter to Island residents.


CORRECTION
In the March 8 edition of the Port Isabel-South Padre Press, an unedited version of a letter to the editor was mistakenly published. While the Press has a longstanding and proud tradition of allowing and encouraging its readers to express their views, an honest mistake occurred during the production processes. The Press regrets the error.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2018/03/23/letter-to-the-editor-for-march-22-2018/

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