City of Benton Harbor cracking down on mobile nuisance parties through new ordinance

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. -- The city of Benton Harbor is cracking down on mobile nuisance parties.

Mobile nuisance parties are large, illegal get-togethers that relocate every time cops shut one down.

Benton Harbor city officials say they've been dealing with these parties over the last several years, but this past weekend proves their point on how violent they can get, when a party ended with a police chase and an office opening fire.

On Wednesday night, the city's Legislative Committee got the ball rolling on a new ordinance that would hopefully curb these parties from happening.

Benton Harbor Police say they're already seeing flyers for mobile nuisance parties planned for this weekend, and that's why they're pushing for the ordinance.

"We have nothing against people having a good time but do it safely and properly. And it's been exhibited time and time again; that these mobile parties cannot," says Michael Clark, Deputy Director for the Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety.

Clark showed photos and videos from the parties in Wednesday's meeting to show just how violent and dangerous they can get.

"When these events happen, we have had numerous where people have been shot, two include this past weekend," Clark says.

It's not just shootings that are a problem.

There are videos of officers getting assaulted by party goers, on top of crowds blocking traffic, illegal consumption of alcohol on city streets and inside liquor stores, and marijuana use in public.

Some local establishments aren't exactly helping the cause either, as in the case of this past weekend where giant crowds gathered.

"They're blatantly serving this, and they're supporting this," Clark says. "They're not doing anything to stop this, they're not shutting down, they're not closing down their business. They're not following the laws of the city or the state; they're just concerned about making the dollar.

The new ordinance would officially prohibit these types of parties within Benton Harbor city limits.

A violation of the ordinance, whether it be party goers, throwers, or businesses facilitating them, would be a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and/or a maximum fine of five hundred dollars.

Some say this should have been done a long time ago, and others don't want to see young people criminalized for 'having fun'.

"It has gotten out of control, and we have allowed it to get out of control," says one person at the meeting.

"We have got to do something better other than sending people to the Berrien County Courthouse or the Jail," recommends another person.

City leaders say it's time to crack down on the violence, and this is the way to do it.

"We're going to move this ordinance forward, and the commissioners are going to vote for it," says the Chair of the Legislative Committee, Commissioner Sharon Henderson. "The people in this community deserve better, they don't deserve to be lying in bed and a bullet comes through their wall, which has happened several times. Our people deserve better than that."

The ordinance will be on the desk of the Benton Harbor City Commission on Monday.

If they vote to pass and adopt the ordinance, it will go into effect immediately