Belle Isle Hippie Beach

Curious if anyone's been out there to the rogue beach past the lighthouse on BI? I got a ticket for swimming in my river a couple of years ago and have not been able to afford the cost of the ticket. I can only assume I have a bench warrant out so I'm afraid to even go near BI. Im just curious if that little oasis even exists this summer.

I never had a problem on Belle Isle with the so called "Riff Raff" in the past so I gotta say that this summer without BI is going to suck. Yeah I know, I'm guilty, I took a swim.

You forgot Sarge got ticketed a few times too. Partners in crime.

The beach is fine and people still use it. I'm out there a couple of times a week walking my dogs and other than the goose feeding incident I haven't had any problems.

Goose Feeder!!!!!

Here are some from April 13, the first warm day of the year.

http://detroityes.com/webisodes/2014/hippe-beach1.jpg
Above - visitor reads a book on the beach.

http://detroityes.com/webisodes/2014/hippe-beach2.jpg
Above left - a couple picnics.

http://detroityes.com/webisodes/2014/hippie-beach3.jpg

What's funny is that Richmond, VA has a Belle Isle park in the James River, and it too has illicit, unsupervised beaches. James River, like the Detroit River, has dangerous areas with strong currents. Yet the cops in Richmond don't give a hoot where you swim, and nothing bad ever comes of it.

It just blows my mind that Detroit cops continually waste time on Hippie Beach. There are tons of neighborhoods on the east side that have open air drug markets. They could go cruise those, but no, they're fanatical about swimmers instead. And if they don't already know where the drug markets are [[doubtful), all they'd have to do is catch one teenager and tell the kid they'd let him off he says where the drugs are at. Hell, the kid would probably have a blunt in his hand for easy identification.

Oh Hell, I have plenty of Detroit stories, a dear friend was in Home Hospice. His regular supplier [[the mail man retired) His other sources were dry. Me being stupid, said it can't be that hard to find weed. Sure enough, talked to a high school kid and he hooked it up. Never felt so nervous in my life making a purchase [[not for us) in a liquor store lot. Never offered to do that again.

I did like the hippie beach, was there a few times. Frankly we aged out a long time ago. It was civil and charming. I hope they leave it alone. No harm, no foul. Sumas

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Originally Posted by Django

Curious if anyone's been out there to the rogue beach past the lighthouse on BI? I got a ticket for swimming in my river a couple of years ago and have not been able to afford the cost of the ticket. I can only assume I have a bench warrant out so I'm afraid to even go near BI. Im just curious if that little oasis even exists this summer.

I never had a problem on Belle Isle with the so called "Riff Raff" in the past so I gotta say that this summer without BI is going to suck. Yeah I know, I'm guilty, I took a swim.

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Why would you not just pay your ticket and be done with it.

I wasn't completely honest Cliffy. I have a few tickets from back when I used to drive a car. I just don't have the money. I suppose I don't deserve to enjoy BI technically. Its just frustrating. I've had so many great summers on BI and put work in on BI but now Im just afraid of being arrested.

It's far easier to bust harmless people doing harmless things than to go and take on drug dealors and other dangerous criminals. If they are in dire need of target practice they can shoot your family dog.

Strange you say that unclefrank. I know someone who was growing a bit of weed on the east side about a year ago, they raided his building and shot and killed all three of his dogs for sport. They chased them down and shot them in the back.

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Originally Posted by nain rouge

What's funny is that Richmond, VA has a Belle Isle park in the James River, and it too has illicit, unsupervised beaches. James River, like the Detroit River, has dangerous areas with strong currents. Yet the cops in Richmond don't give a hoot where you swim, and nothing bad ever comes of it.

It just blows my mind that Detroit cops continually waste time on Hippie Beach. There are tons of neighborhoods on the east side that have open air drug markets. They could go cruise those, but no, they're fanatical about swimmers instead. And if they don't already know where the drug markets are [[doubtful), all they'd have to do is catch one teenager and tell the kid they'd let him off he says where the drugs are at. Hell, the kid would probably have a blunt in his hand for easy identification.

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Are you talking about "Detroit cops" in the general sense of all the law enforcement in the area? Because DPD cops haven't been patrolling the island in months since it was taken over by the state. DPD was actually had a fairly live-and-let-live approach to the island. The new guys have anything but that approach to the island. It's now a bunch of over-compensating hard-asses looking to keep the island "clean" of "riff-raff" and "rowdies."

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Originally Posted by nain rouge

It just blows my mind that Detroit cops continually waste time on Hippie Beach. There are tons of neighborhoods on the east side that have open air drug markets. They could go cruise those, but no, they're fanatical about swimmers instead. And if they don't already know where the drug markets are [[doubtful), all they'd have to do is catch one teenager and tell the kid they'd let him off he says where the drugs are at. Hell, the kid would probably have a blunt in his hand for easy identification.

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That's because swimmers usually don't have guns, just like hookers and johns usually don't put up much of a fight either. But drug dealers tend to be armed, and if police and media propaganda are to be believed - they are armed with everything just short of nuclear warheads.

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Originally Posted by Dexlin

Are you talking about "Detroit cops" in the general sense of all the law enforcement in the area?

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A little of both. When the DPD was in charge they were still pretty aggressive towards hippie beach. Even the Metro Times can testify [[I believe the DPD was still in charge last summer, correct?): http://blogs.metrotimes.com/index.ph...-hipster-beach . But if you wanted to block the road with your friends and drink liquor from a red plastic cup, you were good.

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Originally Posted by nain rouge

A little of both. When the DPD was in charge they were still pretty aggressive towards hippie beach. Even the Metro Times can testify [[I believe the DPD were still in charge last summer, correct?): http://blogs.metrotimes.com/index.ph...-hipster-beach . But if you wanted to block the road with your friends and drink liquor from a red plastic cup, you were good.

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Now that is a perfect example of selective enforcement based on avoidance of adverse repercussions.

Sounds good to me. If the Metro Times wrote an article about it, I'm SURE it was THE most annoying type of hipster ...... hangout.

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Originally Posted by Django

Strange you say that unclefrank. I know someone who was growing a bit of weed on the east side about a year ago, they raided his building and shot and killed all three of his dogs for sport. They chased them down and shot them in the back.

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When did the cops become such dog haters?

On our way to church on Sundays, a non profit sells newspapers. We always buy one although I find little news in it. Good cause though.

Relating to Belle Isle, my husband was amused and pointed out to me "letters to the Editor" regarding the Island. The two most amusing were from Alaska and Texas??

I assume of course these are military postings. They Love that law and order shit. But when were they last on the Island?

Displaced Detroiters always disturb me. I like the ones who wax poetic. Detroit is just now different. Sorry, old enough to remember a vibrant Detroit but young enough to hope it morphs into something really special. The vibrancy is still here.