Weather permitting, you can count on a large crowd of young people assembling every Sunday evening on Treasure Island beach. From an hour before sunset until ten PM, the sandy venue at 104th Avenue and Gulf Blvd. becomes a commune of blankets, chairs, music and laid back socializing. If this were the 60’s, it might be characterized as a “ happening.”
The “Drum Circle and Sacred Circle of Sound” has been providing informal free performances for over a decade on the powdery white sand. Just like the culture from the “Summer of Love,” everyone is openly invited to participate. A blur exits between audience and performers as nearly four hundred people dance, join in the music making, or simply meditate to the vibe. All “sacred instruments of the earth” are encouraged, which includes a wide variety of drums, Tibetan chimes, rattles, shakers and the angelic tones produced by quartz crystal singing bowls.
The Times They Are a Changing
Recently the déjà vu of peace, love and understanding on the beach has given way to criminal arrests. “Flower power” has morphed into police power ever since the Treasure Island Police Department began taking a keen interest in the beach crowd attending the Drum Circle festivities.
Authorities blame the number of arrests on alcohol related offenses, marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession. There have also been numerous charges filed for fighting and disorderly conduct. Police contend that some young people even go so far as to dig deep holes in the sand in an effort to hide from law enforcement. These unfilled trenches later become potential safety hazards to beach goers. The City Commission is receiving pressure from Treasure Island residents that is reminiscent of the earlier uproar over college crowds at “Caddy’s on the Beach.” (See our earlier blog articles: “Don’t Let a Pinellas Arrest Ruin Your College Spring Break Experience” and “Locals Likely to Get Caught Up in Spring Break Crackdown.”
This spotlight on the Sunday night Drum Circle crowd translates into a hotbed for your potential arrest. The last three consecutive weekends resulted in numerous arrests and one teenager hospitalized. If you must attend, keep a watchful eye since the police are on a “heightened alert” and under pressure to maintain the peace and arrest law violators.
What to Do if You are Arrested at the Treasure Island Drum Circle
1. Avoid being disrespectful or argumentative. You are not going to successfully argue your way out of an arrest. Everything that you say or do is subject to later being used against you in court. Do your best to remain polite and courteous with the police officers, but don’t make any admissions or statements that are against your best interest. We can often later use your respectful attitude to your advantage in resolving the criminal case;
2. If a friend or family member does not promptly post your bail, ask the judge at your advisory hearing for an R.O.R. (Release on your own recognizance.) If granted,this would result in your release from the Pinellas County jail without your need to post a cash bond or to hire a bail bondsman;
3. While your memory is still fresh, begin writing down the names of witnesses to the incident and start securing their contact information;
4. Promptly schedule a free consultation with our office to discuss the facts of your case. Even though you have been arrested, there are times when a lawyer can convince the State Attorney’s Office not to prosecute you. This “early intervention” on your behalf could be highly beneficial;
4. You can discuss with us your eligibility for participating in P.T.I diversion. Your successful completion of this program will result in the outright dismissal of the criminal charge. We can also investigate another option known as a withholding of adjudication, which would avoid a formal conviction for a crime.
5. Do not talk to anyone other than a lawyer about the facts of your case. Your statements may be recounted inaccurately or taken out of proper context;
6. Review our website page on how to avoid post arrest publicity;
7. Remember that your primary objective (if you have no prior record or a limited contact with the criminal justice system) is to resolve your case in a manner that will qualify you to later have your criminal arrest sealed or expunged.
Our office regularly assists clients who reside out of town or are first time offenders. In many cases, we are able to resolve the criminal case without the need for our client to return to Pinellas county. It is our priority to make every effort to avoid conviction, avoid jail, and to seal or expunge our client’s criminal record from the background checks that employers routinely conduct.
Arrested at the Treasure Island Drum Circle?
We are local Pinellas County criminal defense lawyers who regularly represent young people facing criminal charges.
Contact our office for a free consultation at: (727) 578-0303
Visit our Criminal Defense website at: www.defensehelp.com
Visit our Drunk Driving website at: www.duistpetersburglawyer.com
Related Links:
Rowdy Drum Circle an Issue
Treasure Island Drum Circle Images
Treasure Island Drum Circle – a Good Time for Even the Skeptical
Quartz Crystal singing Bowl Video
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