Long Beach sues party planners to pay cost of prepping for canceled event

The City of Long Beach has filed suit against two Queens men who promoted an unauthorized beach party that was expected to be attended by more than 500 people before it was thwarted by city officials.

The suit, filed June 20 in Nassau County Supreme Court — the day after the planned event, called Sandy Cheeks Beach Day — names the party's two organizers, Carl Roberts of Inwood and Giovanni Neil of Jamaica.

The city contends the men, who, the lawsuit sold tickets to the unpermitted event, are responsible for reimbursing Long Beach taxpayers the cost of mobilizing its staff, including police overtime, in anticipation of the party.

“If you come to our city to cause chaos, or you attempt to come to our city to cause chaos, we want you to hear a message loud and clear: Long Beach won’t stand for it,” City Council President Brendan Finn said at a news conference Wednesday. “We will shut you down just as we did June 19, and it will cost you.”

Long Beach City Manager Daniel Creighton said the cost to the city was roughly $24,000.

Acting Police Commissioner Richard DePalma said the department held officers several hours past their shift, which would typically end at 7 p.m., while calling in an additional dozen officers who were stationed throughout the boardwalk and on Long Beach Road.

“We were looking for signs of an unauthorized gathering,” DePalma said. “Large groups of people together — alcohol, marijuana, things like that.”

The event had been scheduled for nearly a week after an unrelated gathering of more than 2,000 mostly teenage revelers converged on the beach from high schools around the area and New York City for a “senior cut day” celebration advertised on social media. The event later became violent and two people were charged in separate shootings, officials said.

In response, Long Beach imposed new restrictions, closing the beach from dusk until dawn, and moving up beach pass collection, requiring paid beach passes seven days a week effective immediately.

In an interview with Newsday last month, the promoters of the planned party said they were out more than $10,000 in costs from the canceled event.

Roberts contended the city overreacted because of the shooting in Long Beach connected to the previous beach gathering that turned chaotic.

“We're looking into it to see if our rights were violated.” he told Newsday. 

Neil, however, said he understood the concern following the shooting.

“We don't condone violence,” he said last month.

Messages left Wednesday with Roberts and Neil were not returned.

The two men began promoting the party on their shared 'Team Takeover' Instagram account on June 16, the suit states.

The social media post said that “pouches,” a commonly used term for alcohol stored in plastic packaging and consumed through a straw, would be available for purchase but that partygoers were encouraged to bring their own beer and wine. An online link connected to the post showed there were more than 500 planned attendees, the suit said.

Long Beach officials said they were notified of the afternoon party only hours before it was scheduled to begin, and immediately sought, and received, an emergency restraining order to prevent the gathering.

Police from Long Beach and Nassau County detectives went to the homes of Roberts and Neil to warn them of possible repercussions, officials said.

A message posted on Long Beach's social media pages alerted partygoers that the event was canceled and later deterred those who showed up from accessing the beach, officials said.

Any gathering of 100 people or more requires a permit, city officials said.

“These gatherings have been growing in size, are increasingly disorderly, and have occasionally resulted in violence.” Creighton said.

With Janon Fisher