VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — With 'Something in the Water' now over, city leaders and the Human Rights Commission were able to gather the numbers and look at the stats and feedback. That includes the positives and some improvements that could be made.
Assistant to the city manager, Brian Solis, said some positives were the unparalleled community harmony and showing a warm, welcoming side of the resort city.
"As a whole, there was a welcoming and inclusive, positive image for the city, region, and the state. You really saw a lot of pride for not just Virginia Beach but the state," he said.
That positivity, Sylvia Nery-Strickland, said is most likely what translated to a weekend with no violence. She's the chair of the Human Rights Commission.
"Everything was way over to the positive side. If there was a meter and we were applauding, I think it would go off the scale," she said.
The Human Rights Commission had dozens of independent observers at the festival.
Nearly 100 percent of them ranked the mood as 'VERY SAFE', and ranked crime 'NOT A PROBLEM'.
"It was the vibe. It was a good feel from beginning to end. Everybody thought it was going to be good. Everybody wanted it to be good, to be a success," said Nery-Strickland.
Police Captain Shannon Witchendahl also felt those good vibes.
"The citizens were policing themselves the entire weekend, which I thought was phenomenal. We didn't have to get involved. It worked out great and I was very pleased to see that," she said.
Witchendahl said the weekend only saw four people charged with seven felonies total. None were violent crimes. That's compared to nine last year, and 15 in 2017 during 'College Beach Weekend'.
"There were 178 charges through the entire weekend. I think that's something to be very proud of given the enforcement activity, the number of people we had and the outcome you saw," said Captain Witchendahl.
The Human Rights Commission hopes it's the same outcome, or even better, next year.
"We didn't have the problems. I think the city did an outstanding job. I think the police did an outstanding job," said Nery-Strickland.
The city said they want to improve transportation for next year and a key for next year, they want more of a local presence and framework.
Solis said a lot of their planning was done in different cities this year.