Posted on 03/17/2004 5:21:42 PM PST by mylife
No Respect: Campaign to tame Spring Break hits bump Hundreds of promotional 'respect' posters go missing
By ANDREW LYONS Staff Writer
Last update: 16 March 2004
DAYTONA BEACH -- Talk about no respect.
The city's campaign to curb drunken lawlessness during Spring Break suffered a sucker punch early Monday. A thief in the night swiped 300 trash can sleeves emblazoned with the city's new catch phrase: "It's all about respect."
The theft of the trash can cozies was committed in the core tourist district, historically where college kids converge to drink and often cause trouble.
But the plot thickens as investigators try to solve this baffling whodunit. No Spring Breakers are suspects, and police are wondering if they're on the trail of some organized crime.
"I can understand how some students would have taken one or two or maybe 10," Mayor Yvonne Scarlett-Golden said. "But to have taken 300 of them from the one corridor?
"It leads me to thinking it's an organized effort, although I can't think of who would have led that."
Some business owners have joined the mayor's program to tame the excess of Spring Break and Black College Reunion. Tens of thousands are already here, but by mid-April, an estimated 175,000 college-age people will hit town for the two events.
Since last week, business and city leaders have been donning bright yellow T-shirts, passing out buttons and slipping the $7 sleeves over trash cans on Atlantic Avenue and Seabreeze Boulevard. The "respect" campaign is supposed to convince visitors and other business owners to abide by the city's laws and ruffle as few feathers as possible during these traffic-clogged street parties. Businesses paid for the trash can covers.
But now, campaign organizers fear that an enemy lingers in the midst.
"We believe it was somebody who wanted to see the campaign fail," said Donna Sue Sanders, who works at Daytona International Speedway and assists the mayor in the Friends of the Collegiate Events Task Force. "It's got to be an orchestrated effort to take that many (sleeves)."
The mayor said she first noticed the missing sleeves Monday afternoon while driving to a press conference to promote her campaign. She later learned all but two sleeves were taken from Atlantic Avenue between Bellair Plaza and the border of Daytona Beach Shores. The sleeves on Seabreeze Avenue were also missing.
Police Sgt. Al Tolley said the sleeves were stolen a few hours before sunrise Monday when the street had finally emptied. Spring Breakers aren't likely at fault because a few would have probably hung the sleeves in their car or hotel windows, he said.
Meanwhile, police hope a surveillance camera from a business might have captured the culprits on film.
"It's of interest to us," Tolley said of the stolen sleeves. "We're going to do our best to look into this."
Sanders said the campaign has another 650 trash can covers for next weekend's car stereo event, commonly known as Soundcrafters.
She said the campaign will bounce back stronger than ever. City and business leaders are asking the public and additional business owners to join by donating $7 for more sleeves that could feature their name.
"In all honesty, this might be a negative thing, but I can't think of anything more positive than to have the community jump in and make it work," Sanders said.
andy.lyons@news-jrnl.com
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