It was a pretty busy day and I didn't get a chance to post this earlier....I also wanted a little time to reflect on it a bit.

The nickel version on it is this: A KO in the first minute of the second round. :mad:

However, this was the second reading on the matter, and any comments and/or objections were to be heard at the first reading the last time it was on the docket. It went pretty quick, and everybody who was there - myself, DZ, JohnR, Tattoo, Joe and Bobby from Edward's, EdB and several other guys from our club - looked pretty stunned after a very short discusssion on the matter with a quick 5 to 2 vote. The most serious objection was posed by Councilwoman Nance, who spoke eloquently on ROW's and the state constitution in regards to another ROW issue also on Easton's Point. It didn't matter much - like I said earlier, it had already gotten through under anyone's radar. Apparently, hanging a hearing notice in the Town Hall lobby is supposed to be notice enough in M-town. So it goes.

I guess my thoughts are this:

I don't fish there a lot, it's true, but I'll bet the mortgage payment that if I were to go there tonight, I'd find bait boxes, cans and broken bottles, paper coffee cups, food wrappers, hook and plug packages, coils of discarded line, soiled diapers and possibly human feces. I dunno, maybe I'm wrong but I'd guess you'd find the same piles of detritus from "fishermen" in 99% of the spots in RI. Yeah, we're fishermen, too but I don't think any of us would leave that kinda crap behind.

If you asked the abutting property owners (which at this point would be the private Clambake Club and the developer of the waterfront houses still under construction), I'll bet they'd tell you about drinking, littering, yelling, profanity and vandalism - and they just might be right on all counts. I couldn't say for sure based on first hand observation, like I said I don't fish there a lot.

I was under the impression that there wasn't an adversarial relationship between the CC and the fishermen, but apparently that isn't so. But it wasn't the CC that brought the petition before the council, it was the developer who is building the properties.

So again, it all boils down to us versus them. But the "them" - our real enemy - isn't some WASP tooling along in a Mercedes.

The "them" we need to be concerned about - the group responsible for closures - are the people trashing the place, getting drunk, yelling and leaving all their crap behind - both figuratively and literally. The "Us" then would be...well, us, the fishermen who do none of the above, but just want the opportunity to access a good spot for a while without causing a disturbance.

And the "them" fishing and causing the problem is just as likely to be an arrogant bunch of aging trust fund kids from off-island as a group of Portuguese/Asians/Central Americans. The unacceptable behavior that will be the probable cause for restricting access to any spot has neither ethnic, social nor economic origins.

Or the short form is, if you're a loud, belligerant drunk trashing a spot and leaving #^&#^&#^&#^& behind, we ALL take the rap and will pay for it since we're all identified as "fishermen" too. Rotten apple theory, ya know.

Sorry for the length, I just don't know too many short stories, I guess, but I'm trying to make a point here - and I may be missing the mark, but I don't think so.

How many spots do you - meaning all of us here at S-B - go to and find pristine? Damned near none. Littering, public disturbances, drinking and vandalism at any spot is gonna give abutting property owners all the ammo they need to petition a town or city council to restrict access and put a lid on it - and succeed. And let's face it, it doesn't matter whether you paid $100K or $100M for your home, NOBODY is gonna allow themselves or their families to be subjected to that kinda horse#^&#^&#^&#^& for long without trying to do something about it.

All in all what I remember most is the faces of all the guys who did show when the vote was taken - it was stunned disbelief, and everybody just got up at the same time and left. Everyone was ready to make an impassioned plea and deliver carefully prepared statements and they never even had a chance. You got the feeling that you'd shown up at a gunfight with a knife. Period. End of story. That's all she wrote.

So while it was the owner of the property who petitioned the council, and the council who voted to restrict access by limiting parking (and thus access) it was the behavior of a certain type of fisherman that set the wheels in motion and ruined it for all of us.

I've seen the enemy and the enemy is "them" - not us.

Just as an addendum, I also think it's important to for me to note that I know the President of the town council personally and have for most of my life. He's a helluva nice guy but then, his whole family is, too - brothers and sisters who were - and are - surfers, great parents - but maybe that's where everything begins and ends.

Tell ya the truth, I had the feeling after thinking about it a while today that he may have shooed it through pretty quickly so it wouldn't get even worse in terms of restrictions on parking and a de facto closure.

Although it's cold comfort at this point, I think we may be lucky that there's any parking at all at that spot. It could have been much worse still.

A good solution would be the fishing parking pass like what Newport is doing.. that way it soiuld keep the partying kids from parking there and maybe the un-educated bait-slinging-littering-heathens from fouling the place up-

I fish there sometimes, but I know the people across the street and park in their driveway:D

Yeah, Eben, I got friends and family in the neighborhood too - and I did mention the pass solution to DZ last nite after the meeting - I dunno, maybe it's too simple for them, but it'd sure be a big step in the right direction, I think.

sorry I missed the meeting. Thought it was the 9th. What was the decision?

I think all the local governments would just as soon ban all the access areas. To them , fisherman are trangents and they'd just as soon not see us in town. If you don't have a strong local group , in this case Middletown Residence , showing up , you won't get far.

The town councils , etc , know all the ins and outs of the rules. they use them to get something like this slid through. Posting a quiet notice on a bulletin board. Including the discussion periods in with other meetings as a very small unnoticed activity. Deciding amongst themselves how the vote will go before they even hear the opposition.


Ocean access is only ever going to go down. as I see it , the only hope is to find a way to pool money and start buying property. Ideally the state would do it but its not happening. Somehow , the fisherman have to get organized into one big powerfull organization. Until that happens , enjoy your fishing spots because they won't be "your spot" for long.

Amen, Mike.

There was a very dejected and shocked looking couple in the lobby after we all walked out of the meeting - I knew the woman - and they were there for the closure too. The husband was obviously a surfer - long blonde hair in a ponytail - but dressed in a suit. They wanted to know what their recourse was.

I told them the only way to truly control it was to buy it.

What about getting RISSA to buy a paiece of property withing a reasonable walking distance and allowing it to be used as a parking lot? Maybe a special RISSA fund that folks could contribute to or do fundraising for?

Chuck..
moons ago... when I was kickin g around MHS (where I gots a good edjamakation) that was a big drinking spot; most of the beer cans probably resulted from that rather than fisherman.. of course I didnt drink in high school (well not on school grounds :D)
Bryan

The Narragansett club, I believe purchased property long ago. It's not plausible now esp. in Midd/Newport. Let's face it, unless you know someone with waterfront property in Mischtown, there are only a few spots that have access but problems with parking and the CC is one of them. Sachuest, the Beach and a few others have parking. I grew up in Midd and live in Newport and to pay $60 to fish two spots is ridiculous. The same can be said for the Midd guys who pay $60 for the Newport pass even though you get more bang for the buck. It just pisses me off that I have to pay a tax to fish the Island I was born and raised on. As far as the bait slinging, scup catching, short taking morons who litter the Island up, they will buy the pass too because they are just like us in one respect, they fish. As long as they fill their buckets with scup they will come. At first they might get a ticket or get towed, but they will learn what to do in order to fill their buckets because they are like us, they like to catch fish. Let's see, if the Newport and or said Midd pass costs $10 for residents and $60 for nons, that's $70 to fish the Isle plus $20 for the Sachuest pass. Now it's up to $90.If you're from Portsmouth it's $140. I pay because I have to fish. I've already seen the results from the increase in rates. It's only the beginning of June and the Point is already swarming with wingtipped scup fisherman. Something I've rarely ever seen.

it really pisses me off to see things like this! the people that are the cause of the loss of access will just find another spot to ruin, or further hurt the area in question. look at places like Watch Hill and Weekapaug. they are a mess! are group clean ups the answer? would they help or would they be futile attempts as the areas would just get trashed again? buying land is a good suggestion, but obviously a tough answer. the club i belong to in RI is always looking to purchase property. we are currently in the process of acquiring more beach front real estate in the Green Hill area to retain a public access point. as it is pending, i can not divulge the details.

The other guy is right you need numbers of people from Mischtown and of all the guys I know that fish on the Island come from either Newport or Portsmouth. There might be some carpetbaggers who just moved to Midd that fish and some Navy guys but the majority of guys I know don't live in Midd any more. The next spot you have to get organized for WILL BE Burma Rd. I've already sat in on some meetings for the Development of the West Side. My wife works for CCH and is involved with this project. Trust me if you're gonna organize, do it for that project. We got lucky with Kaiser and the public access they are supposedly offering down there.

we should all take it upon ourselves to act as one Anti Drunken Belligerent Beach-Trashing Googan Task Force. if you see someone in the wrong, let them know politely from the perspective of a law abiding, serious fisherman that they are jeopardizing our rights to access and that in process they are giving all fisherman a bad rap. Furthermore, they should understand that not only will fishermen lose their rights to the beach, but so will their drunken asses. if they give you sheet, then proceed to give it it right back. :D

Bart I don't know about you but I'm not gonna give a group of drunken kids that look like they just got out of a rap video a bunch of #^&#^&#^&#^& especially when I'm by myself. Trust me when I see someone take a short or litter and they look reasonable, I'll say something, but to start giving a group of drunken kids a hard time, you're asking for trouble especially if your vehicle is anywhere close. There are spots where you see the keg cups and the cans but the majority of spots in Newport that are trashed you'll find alot of fishing related gear and I don't know about others but I'm finding alot of items written in Spanish and the last time I checked, there was'nt a Spanish only High School on Aquidneck Island. The fact is there are alot of People coming to Newport to fish who don't speak English and there has to be signs put up in other languages like Sachuest. I don't get out there as much but are the signs working out there? If so Newport should follow suit.

Violence is not the answer, and it never will be. Violence just begets more violence.

It's too bad that the many ends up ruining the scene for the few... As one learns, it's becoming harder and harder to fight the rising tide of idiocy in this growing population. I think it's becoming a losing proposition.

I rarely fish at the Wee Wee River near the Cape, but it was sad to see how littered it was. I'm proud to say that I always pick up after myself when leaving. And if I have a guest who comes along for fishing, I always make sure to let them know that they should pick up after themselves.

i never suggested violence, i believe I said to explain your situation and then if it becomes confrontational it becomes so. i am not afraid of a bunch of high school kids. the car thing is a valid point, but if youre afraid to tell people they are wrong then you need to grab your sack and grow up. i'm not gonna let a bunch of drunken #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&s ruin my night or season of fishing, because the police orgs don't give a #^&#^&#^&#^& and they won't do anything about it. they'd like to see all of us fisherman leave anyways.

Bart; we're not all 6'4 250 either man...:D
I've been in my share of scrapes, but 20 on 1 is still 20 on 1, regardless of age..
The best solution, when you get back to your car, call the local PD, ask them to send a car down, that will end the drinking at that spot for a while (we used to wait a week at least back in the day :D
as far as taking shorts, good luck calling DEM, I usually just make a comment walking by going.. hmm, I thought the limit was 28"... problem usually solved, if they dont speak english, then you're out to lunch....
Bryan

About 15 or so years ago I was talking to a Newport police officer I know over a beer or twelve and we were discussing the party house problem in Newport. He said it was easy to take care of if it became a priority (in other words, orders from the top).

"If you want 'em out," he said, "You hassle them out."

Maybe what we need to do is work in concert with property owners to address their concerns, rather than go head on head with them (which of course isn't always do-able). If it's an antagonistic confrontation, the only ones who ultimately win are - you guessed it - the lawyers on both sides and the waterfront property owners. Whether it's kids or immigrants or the ignorant, we still ending up taking the rap and losing spots.

Newport Police - 847-9030

Middletown Police - 846-1104

Portsmouth Police - 683-2422

RI DEM Enforcement - Sgt. Ed Cabral, Marine East Supervisor
24 hour Dispatch 401-222-3070
Pager - 401-544-8953

RI is currently adding 30 enforcement officers to their rosters. Feel free to give 'em a call and give 'em something to do.

And don't try to John Wayne it yourself, man, Chipwood is right - a lot of people carry these days. And I don't think anybody wants to stuff a .45 with hydroshock rounds in their waders to go fishing at nite - I sure as hell don't.

A local guy beat the jesus out of an non-English- speaking type at the State Pier over squid - and then got jumped and very badly beaten by a bunch of them several nites later.

Drop a dime if you see illegal activity of any sort - or a quarter or whatever it is these days - or whip out yer cell :D

Sorry I can't be a big tough guy like you Bart. I don't know where you're from but in Newpt and Midd, we don't have police orgs we have police departments and here on the Island especially in Midd the police don't have much else to do than bust up drinking parties. I was'nt advocating violence I was merely saying that I'm not gonna go up to a bunch of drunks and get into an argument. Maybe that's how you do things Bart but me I only have little testicles. Back when I was in high school most of the fishing spots were fair game for underage parties, but in the early 90's things changed with the police and their attitude towards drinking on the rocks. Shoot we used to rage every summer on the Cliff Walk with no cops in sight and I know for a fact that the trash was a big issue then. I'm out on the rocks often during the season and I really don't see too many kids partying at night anymore.

A couple of nights after you know who moron got pole whipped buy the Asian fisherman , I was talking to a Vietnamese fellow who I saw squidding every night . He told me if you know who had'nt been arrested when he did, they, meaning the Asian fishermen, were going to shoot him. This guy was the nicest guy and he was dead serious. They were going to shoot him. I guess a couple of nights in jail saved you know who' life. People do not mess around these days. You know who definitely needed a beating but to be shot. He's an #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& and all but getting shot is just crazy.

police org's--EP, Police Department, Dept. of Fish and Wildlife--all organizations, departments, whatever you want to call them. i'm sorry, i forgot. being passive and relying on them to do their job has really proven to work. that's why there's less poachers and more law abiding citizens fishing now. that's why there's less trash and more access. i dont' know whats gotten into me :rolleyes:

Lets get back on track here. Access is the topic.

I'm not posting to argue with you Bart. I totally agree with you on enforcement by the DEM. I see you're from Franklin, MA and I don't know you or how often you fish Rhody or Aquid. Isle but I do know that DEM 911 is a joke in this town. I've talked with one female officer who said they don't even give tickets to offenders if their name is not already in the system. Newport is probably the easiest spot in Rhody for the DEM to catch poachers and the people who litter. There are stretches of shoreline that are so accessible to the DEM but the problem I hear is the number of officers. Getting back to organizing, maybe a fishing club should petition the DEM for more help in terms of officers to help out with the issues that confront the waterfront in Newport. The majority of fisherman on Aquidneck Island would not be effected but the hordes of poachers and litterbugs would.

To the people who live next to the access points , access and littering go hand in hand. Where there is litter in terms of fishing gear there usually is poaching going on. As far as I'm concerned bonfires, beer cans and underage drinking is police responsibility, but the DEM could help out with that too.

i am in no way advocating violence, but would calling the cops be the best plan of attack? perhaps to say something to the offender on a non-confrontational level is best. in my opinion, if you call the cops too many times about illegal activity in an area, it would give the land owners more of a platform to stand on when looking to shut down access to the public.

Yeah sublte innocent hints about littering or size limits is a good way to go, but 20 kids drinking; subtle isn't going to work...
Bryan

We got lucky with Kaiser and the public access they are supposedly offering down there.

Yeah they are "offering" it there now, but wait till the high rise is finished. Lets see if they let us walk to the shore then. I can see that place being shut down already. I drove down there three weeks ago. Looks like there are clearing out a stretch all along the shoreline to the right, I must have drove down the shore about 1/4 mile in the truck before I decided to turn around. Next will be the Abby....

Last night after fishing a place that the pass is required in newport, two cars show up just as I get back to the truck. They parked down at the end of the road right in front of the NO PARKING signs. There must have been 10 guys and a few girls with about (6) 30 packs. I got the gear off and drove down to check it out. They were no where in sight so I couldnt even ask for a cold beer and to see what the plan was to do with all the empties. The cars had no pass hanging from the visor. I figure them from the high school. I saw quite a few limos last night so it must have been prom night or something.

So what does one guy tell 15 pre-druken fools to do about trash?

Spook the hell out of 'em with a spook. Just start casting the heaviest spook with no hooks from the highest rock and see if you can knock 'em out one by one. Pretty soon the parking guy will be there, hopefully and things will take care of themselves. As I get older and see what happens in Newport, partying wise, I just get so fed up with the tourist thing more and more. It's getting to the point that I'm giving wrong directions. I don't want to be like that.

i fish jamestown all the time so believe me i know all about poaching, access, and lack of DEM enforcement. In my first post i said that you should politely explain to the people committing the crime how it affects all of us first, or something of that nature. i'm just sick of people complaining all the time but never doing anything about it. i went down to one of the coves one day by myself because i overslept the group beach clean-up. i filled 3 bags of trash then left, would've filled a dump truck if i had brought more(stupid of me). i didn't even take out a minute fraction of the garbage left down there. nasty #^&#^&#^&#^& too like diapers and toliet paper. i don't know where i'm going with this, it just disgusts me that beautfiul places like jamestown and newport are being ruined and nothing is being done to stop it, except taking away the rights of hard fishing, law abiding citizens