MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) – One day after a protest erupted outside Fresh Brewed Coffee House, Myrtle Beach police are releasing images and arrest records from the weekend’s loitering enforcement, along with new data on loitering arrests and calls for service in the area.
From Feb. 1 through Aug. 9, 2026, officers made 369 loitering arrests citywide. During that same period, police and fire responded to 205 calls for service at the Fresh Brewed location and adjacent City Hall property, according to MBPD.
Police say 14 people were arrested over two days in the City Hall parking lot at 937 Broadway Street, steps from Fresh Brewed Coffee House.
On Saturday, officers arrested six people: five for loitering and one for open container and loitering. On Sunday, officers arrested eight more: seven for loitering and one for pedestrian on highway.
MBPD says the lot has been posted as a “no loitering” area for several years.
Officers conduct regular keep checks of the area in response to complaints from community members, area businesses, city staff, and some members of city council. Keep checks are periodic checks officers conduct on a location throughout their shift.
During those checks, officers observed people actively violating the law and detected the smell of marijuana, according to MBPD.
Images released by police include a body camera screenshot and surveillance images from the City Hall parking lot. Officers also located and safely recovered a person who had been reported missing while at the scene.
The arrests sparked a peaceful protest Sunday and outrage from those who rely on Fresh Brewed Coffee House, a nonprofit that provides daytime shelter, help obtaining identification, and a mailing address for those without a permanent home.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Protest erupts after arrests near Myrtle Beach coffee house known as resource for homeless
Kate Curran, executive director of Fresh Brewed Coffee House, says arrests are not the answer to addressing homelessness.
“Loitering. You’re standing in the parking lot. You were sitting in the shade. You have nowhere to go,” Curran said.
“But rather than just saying ‘No, the police are going to arrest everybody, and you know they’re just going to go away’ — they’re not,” Curran said. “They get arrested. I’ve got people arrested in J. Ruben. Whenever they get let out, they’re right back on a bus, and they’re right back where the food is, not just here, but in Myrtle Beach. Where the resources are, where the shelter is. It’s a cycle. We’re not breaking that cycle.”
Curran is also working to pay the bonds of those who cannot afford them through a bail bond fund, but adds it’s something she doesn’t want to have to use again.
“I don’t want to fight,” Curran said. “But right now none of this is making sense and it feels like we were dug into a fight for our community. But I just– it’s not my hope.”
Robert Myers, who has relied on Fresh Brewed’s resources, called the arrests disheartening.
“Very sad,” Myers said. “Very sad because these homeless people come here to get help, get fed, and have a place to sleep and get out the heat and out of the rain and everything.”
Myrtle Beach attorney Stuart Axelrod says he will represent those arrested free of charge and plans to file a formal lawsuit against the city.
“It’s just unfair the way the city treated them, and I’m going to make sure the city pays for what they did this time because it’s appalling,” Axelrod said. “They’re treating these people like they’re a nuisance. They’re not — these are human beings.”
Curran says she wants to see a 24/7 emergency shelter where people can access not only shelter but also resources at any time.
“But we need an emergency shelter,” Curran said. “Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, where police officers and EMS and hospitals can release people to it to be triaged for their housing insecurity needs, and go forward.”
Myrtle Beach Mayor Mark Kruea says there have been discussions about this need, and a study is currently underway to find solutions.
MBPD says it will continue to enforce the law while working alongside resources and community partners to connect people in need with available services and support.
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