THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 18, 1996 TAG: 9607170020
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 35 lines
My family and I purchased and read your paper in Virginia Beach. We were there from June 23 to June 29. You publish an excellent newspaper, and we enjoyed it very much. The reason we visited Virginia Beach again this year was to catch up on what we did not see when we were there last year. We enjoyed the Norfolk Naval Base tour, the beach and fishing. We looked forward to the Virginia Beach boardwalk and shopping along ``hotel row.''
But this year, it was not to be. We could not believe the ``gangs'' of preteen and teenage youths that now roam Atlantic Avenue, using the filthiest language; male and female youths grabbing and groping each other in public, bumping and pushing into pedestrians and not even caring. The overflow runs onto the boardwalk into all hours of the night. We even saw a purse being snatched. One tourist, upon being almost knocked down by one youth, was told to go home and ``don't come back if you don't like it.''
If this continues, the only customers Virginia Beach merchants will have will be these gangs of youths. We are taking the advice of the youth and will stay home or look into somewhere else to stay for our next trip. I have a feeling that we are not alone with our opinions, especially after talking to other lodgers in the motel where we stayed.
Between lodging, sightseeing, restaurants, fishing trips, etc., we spent almost $2,000 in a week, which was a little more than we spent last year. This will multiply many times if others stay away.
I don't have any solutions, and obviously neither do the merchants of Atlantic Avenue. It's bad that the real culprits - the parents of these kids - can't be made to pay for the rowdy and obnoxious behavior of these ``gangs.''
TED E. LEE
Reynoldsburg, Ohio, July 1, 1996 by CNB