Post by classic53 on May 20, 2009 5:57:51 GMT -6
Read this in our paper here in Harisburg, pa this past weekend after riding home. It's long, but realize, this is in Pa. Here is the complete article:
In the midst of a recession and with loads of empty hotel rooms, South Carolina's hot spot is hanging a "No Vacancy" sign for hundreds of thousands of motorcycle riders who have come here each May.
Over the past year, officials have outlawed parking lot gatherings, loud mufflers and riding without helmets- all in an attempt to keep the bikers out.
Even with the city's new measures, motorcycle riders are expected to show up for two of the nation's largest rallies: one traditionally attended by white bikers on roaring Harley's, the other by black bikers on screaming sport cycles.
But for the white biker rally that began Friday, tourist dependent business owners are uneasy because bookings are down a third from last year.
"At a time like this, you can't pick and choose the tourists you want. You take the ones who are going to come," said Robert Kelley, who owns three hotels and a restaurant.
The recession is only the latest wrinkle to hit the Myrtle Beach bike rallies. The fight has been brewing for years as the region's year-round population mushroomed and its tourist industry tries to change the city's image from weekends of muscle shirts and budget motel stays to khakis and top notch golf courses.
Residents fed up with the noise and traffic that choke roads up and down the 60 mile Grand Strand in northeast South Carolina say there is no normal life for weeks. Some shut themselves inside or leave town.
Critics complain about the visitors having sex in parking lots, women baring their breasts and contests involving wet T-shirts.
The push for the local ordinances kicked into high gear after a white, 20 year old Coastal Carolina University student was shot to death last May outside a Myrtle Beach house by two black men during the height of the black Memorial Day bike fest. Arrests didn't come for nearly two weeks, and rumors started circling that the suspects were black bikers.
That it turned out the two suspects were non-biking locals didn't slow residents who joined community groups and protested at public meetings.
In less than a year, the city raised taxes to pay for its fight and passed nearly a dozen laws.
A publicity drive was launched to let people know the rallies were over: "Effective 2009, Myrtle Beach, S.C., will no longer host motorcycle rallies," a city-sponsored web site said.
But the bikers and rally supporters have fought back. They rented a banner plane at the Dayton's Beach, Fla., rally earlier this year with a message "May is on, pass it on."
And there's been one unexpected result - white and black riders separated by race and motorcycle style - have joined in a common cause.
"We've laughed about that, both sides," Harrell said. "They did something that we all never thought would be possible - that would be the black biking community and the white biking community coming together and being united - standing next to each other and saying we as bikers will not stand for certain things."
Critics point to racism as a reason for the tighter restrictions, but the black bikers couldn't be pushed out without going after both groups.
The city has a rough history with the black festival. Three years ago, it settled a discrimination lawsuit with the NAACP after it used different traffic restrictions for the black biker rally. The civil rights organization also successfully sued several restaurants and a hotel, saying they either closed during the black biker week or operated differently.
"I do believe the underlying factor is they really want to get rid of the Memorial Day Bikefest, because it is highly attended by African-Americans," said Hakim Harrell, organizer of the black rally.
"We don't care if tourists come on a boat, on a plane, two wheels, four wheels or no wheels," said Tom Rice, a 51-year-old tax attorney who led the anti-rally campaign. "We aren't going to tolerate this. We don't want people who can't behave.
Fingers are done! OUCH!!!!!!!!
In the midst of a recession and with loads of empty hotel rooms, South Carolina's hot spot is hanging a "No Vacancy" sign for hundreds of thousands of motorcycle riders who have come here each May.
Over the past year, officials have outlawed parking lot gatherings, loud mufflers and riding without helmets- all in an attempt to keep the bikers out.
Even with the city's new measures, motorcycle riders are expected to show up for two of the nation's largest rallies: one traditionally attended by white bikers on roaring Harley's, the other by black bikers on screaming sport cycles.
But for the white biker rally that began Friday, tourist dependent business owners are uneasy because bookings are down a third from last year.
"At a time like this, you can't pick and choose the tourists you want. You take the ones who are going to come," said Robert Kelley, who owns three hotels and a restaurant.
The recession is only the latest wrinkle to hit the Myrtle Beach bike rallies. The fight has been brewing for years as the region's year-round population mushroomed and its tourist industry tries to change the city's image from weekends of muscle shirts and budget motel stays to khakis and top notch golf courses.
Residents fed up with the noise and traffic that choke roads up and down the 60 mile Grand Strand in northeast South Carolina say there is no normal life for weeks. Some shut themselves inside or leave town.
Critics complain about the visitors having sex in parking lots, women baring their breasts and contests involving wet T-shirts.
The push for the local ordinances kicked into high gear after a white, 20 year old Coastal Carolina University student was shot to death last May outside a Myrtle Beach house by two black men during the height of the black Memorial Day bike fest. Arrests didn't come for nearly two weeks, and rumors started circling that the suspects were black bikers.
That it turned out the two suspects were non-biking locals didn't slow residents who joined community groups and protested at public meetings.
In less than a year, the city raised taxes to pay for its fight and passed nearly a dozen laws.
A publicity drive was launched to let people know the rallies were over: "Effective 2009, Myrtle Beach, S.C., will no longer host motorcycle rallies," a city-sponsored web site said.
But the bikers and rally supporters have fought back. They rented a banner plane at the Dayton's Beach, Fla., rally earlier this year with a message "May is on, pass it on."
And there's been one unexpected result - white and black riders separated by race and motorcycle style - have joined in a common cause.
"We've laughed about that, both sides," Harrell said. "They did something that we all never thought would be possible - that would be the black biking community and the white biking community coming together and being united - standing next to each other and saying we as bikers will not stand for certain things."
Critics point to racism as a reason for the tighter restrictions, but the black bikers couldn't be pushed out without going after both groups.
The city has a rough history with the black festival. Three years ago, it settled a discrimination lawsuit with the NAACP after it used different traffic restrictions for the black biker rally. The civil rights organization also successfully sued several restaurants and a hotel, saying they either closed during the black biker week or operated differently.
"I do believe the underlying factor is they really want to get rid of the Memorial Day Bikefest, because it is highly attended by African-Americans," said Hakim Harrell, organizer of the black rally.
"We don't care if tourists come on a boat, on a plane, two wheels, four wheels or no wheels," said Tom Rice, a 51-year-old tax attorney who led the anti-rally campaign. "We aren't going to tolerate this. We don't want people who can't behave.
Fingers are done! OUCH!!!!!!!!