The Virginia Beach Circuit Court issued a temporary restraining order pausing enforcement of an all-ages curfew for Friday night.
Virginia Beach City Council voted last week to set a 9:30 p.m. all-ages curfew on the Oceanfront for April 17-18 and on April 24 as the city’s response to a recent spate of violence, highlighted by a mass shooting in which eight people were shot on Atlantic Avenue on April 11.
“This is tough love. This is doing what we have to do to save lives,” said Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer, telling a local TV station that the city had considered shutting down the Oceanfront entirely.
Notably, the April 24-26 weekend has the Oceanfront set to host the Stars, Stripes and Spurs: Virginia Beach Military Appreciation Weekend event, with the entertainment scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
Local media reports have it that the Virginia Beach PD is saying it has 86 active job openings in its ranks, meaning it’s operating at about 90 percent capacity, as a local crime wave is peaking.
The ruling impacts the curfew originally scheduled for Friday, but has no impact on a previously established juvenile curfew.