Public drunkenness, disorderly conduct leads to 233 arrests at annual Jeep Weekend in Galveston Texas. 50+ people rushed to hospital

[Blitzinger]

Don't let stories like these dissuade you from having a good time. I went to an overland festival a few weeks ago. two day overnight trip with 30 strangers and their rigs and it was amazing. Met new people, learned a lot, got some helpful advice, some good food and good conversation by camp fire. Just do some research before you go.

Sponsored

 

[Chunky White]

I'd bet Memorial Day weekend at South Beach will have that beat and that kind of reminds me of Senior Beach week in Myrtle Beach 20 some years ago

 

[Summitsearcher]

Drummond island is a great place to be. Good perch fishing this time of the year too. So many small mouth bass too if you like fishing. I like the Geopro camper. I have a 15TB and heading to Silver Lake to camp in a couple weeks.

Hank

The 15TB is a great camper! Almost got that one.

 

[BearDog]

From the CNN link:

"Official Jeep clubs and fans began to pull away from the Crystal Beach area, located along Texas’ Bolivar Peninsula that borders the Gulf of Mexico, to meet elsewhere in the state, Nolen said – but that hasn’t stopped others from coming into the area."

Exactly. 99.99% of these incidents are from other idiots that have taken over a years-long Jeep meet.

 

[carmigo]

As a New York area guy just reading about it:

50 thousand or so people attending, a couple hundred arrests (mostly misdemeanors), 50ish hospitalizations, one critical accident (fell from vehicle), and no murders. All that over several days.

Sounds tame and controlled to me. We beat those stats in 4 hours every weekend of the NFL season.

edit: I mean just at the stadium.

New Yorkers are a different breed lol. Would rather go against an army of Florida men than one angry new yorker.

 

[Reo Cook]

The Galveston event has changed drastically over the years. Back in 2005 I went when I had my TJ and it was tons of fun. Now it’s a disaster with people who would’ve never been caught dead in a Jeep years ago. And they love being idiots. I actually have started blocking our beach rental from being rented during events like this so they don’t bring the party to my house after

 

[wyodirt]

? I bought my jeep to get away from crowds....

Same here pal

 

[SargeDiesel]

This looks crazy. I can't tell if it's a really good time or just terrible?

https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/21/us/texas-jeep-weekend-event-arrests

https://www.click2houston.com/news/...a-result-of-jeep-weekend-in-galveston-county/

Well it was in Texas

 

[texanjeeper]

I guess if hanging out on a beach with a bunch of drunks that are itching to fight and/or stand their ground sounds like a good time…have at it. I’d have to pass.

Dude. It doesn't say that people were shot. Yeah, it's not a good look, but how many of these idiots were from other states? I'd venture to guess, about half.

 

[Barnaby’sdad]

Dude. It doesn't say that people were shot. Yeah, it's not a good look, but how many of these idiots were from other states? I'd venture to guess, about half.

No doubt. Florida Man is a likely culprit.

 

[Ted Striker]

That being said, I have never been to the Galveston event, but knowing how the media works, I'm sure it wasn't all that bad.

That's just the thing, it really is "that bad". Just look at some videos online taken from the last few years - fights, stabbings, minors totally wasted, half-naked drunkeness...the list goes on. But unfortunately, it all gets blamed on the Jeep people because we were the ones who started it many years ago (albeit a MUCH tamer version). Now, everyone I know who owns a Jeep in Houston or Galveston or surrounding areas absolutely avoids it like pandemic.

 

[BAT]

Can’t speak about October fest, but I was last there in July 2018. I’ll never go back. It’s your typical crowded city, but as soon as I walked out of the parking garage I witnessed one guy pin a woman against the wall and put his hands all over her. When he saw me approaching him and is buddy, they let her go. Then one looked at me and started thumping his chest saying “come on American”. No doubt I would have had my ass beaten, but the girl was long gone and I was with my 70 yr old parents and my wife and kids so I quickly walked in the other direction. Later we were walking to dinner and had to pass several small crowds of teens. Let’s just say none of them were friendly. I felt less safe there than any city I have been to in the US.
I was there once before as a kid in the early 80’s and this was night and day from what I remember.
Sorry for getting off the local subject, but that place was a s hole!

I just got back from 8 days in Europe and there are many, many there who have no love for Americans.

 

[BearDog]

I just got back from 8 days in Europe and there are many, many there who have no love for Americans.

Lol. So.

 

[Huntsource]

Anyone else notice the lack of Jeeps in that picture?

Exactly! They're no where near the majority, are they? The CNN article makes it clear it's really no longer a Jeep-centric event. In fact, it notes Jeep clubs meet elsewhere, suggesting the event has basically been hijacked.

 

[Lynn_F]

I live about 45 mins from the location of this event and have been to it many times. I stopped going 4 years ago after having a bad experience. The main issue as I see it is that the infrastructure is entirely insufficient for this massive influx of people. Bolivar Peninsula is a vacation destination with a population of ~2500. There are hundreds of cabins available for rent but not nearly enough to support the amount of people that come to the event. Add to that maybe 50 Sheriff's to manage 30000 people. The arrests would go up in a direct correlation to the additional police. If you get setup early on the beach near an entry and just hang in a spot to watch its really not that bad during daylight hours. The problem is if you have to go anywhere...it can take hours to just get off of the beach. The perception of someone who is parked vs someone who is driving is very different. Everybody is drinking and driving with most of the crowd from the surrounding areas not having a place to stay. That being said, the bad element that everyone refers to are the people who show up knowing that there aren't enough cops and basically treat it as a free for all. These pics are from the last couple of years. Every vehicle you see there has to drive somewhere to stay...and they've all been drinking.

Sponsored