October 23, 2018
During the late night hours of September
29th and early morning hours of September 30, 2018, a large number of
individuals staged a “Williston Block Party” in the area of the New Hope
Baptist Church in East Williston, Florida.
An estimated crowd of 3,000 partiers used vehicles to completely block
traffic on County Road 318 and Northeast 212th Court. Loud music, alcohol and marijuana smoke
filled the area for approximately 4 hours.
Some of the activities of that
gathering were documented on social media and can be viewed (with ADULT
LANGUAGE advisory) at:
With the assistance of the Marion
County Sheriff’s Office and Williston Police Department, LCSO deputies made 9
drug arrests, seized numerous firearms and took multiple noise complaints.
Sources have informed LCSO that a
similar event is planned for October 27th beginning at 11:00
P.M. While the organizers and profiteers
of these type of events generally avoid identifying themselves, they should be
aware that the lawless behavior exhibited at the last event on September 29th
will not be tolerated. Those wishing to
organize a “Block Party” are encouraged to find a venue that does not require
blocking traffic, disturbing residential neighborhoods and breaking drug and
firearm laws.