And so the bikers have left Hollister, after the rally that
wasn’t.
Hollister, where the welcome is colder than the beer.
And so the bikers have left Hollister, after the rally that wasn’t.
Hollister, where the welcome is colder than the beer.
While in years past I would marvel at the miles-long parades of Harleys and other bikes coming into town, this year I counted 15 Highway Patrol vehicles in a convoy on San Felipe Road.
Dare I say we’ve got a “ChiP” on our shoulder?
The helicopter that patrolled the skies probably annoyed local residents more than the bikers, who, with their helmets and loud vehicles, couldn’t hear the beat of rotors that droned above residential neighborhoods several times a day.
I had heard Chief of Police Jeff Miller explain why the rally, as it had unfolded in previous years, was dangerous and a bad idea. I was reassured to learn that the city and county were preparing for an influx of bikers. The worst thing that could have happened would have been to cancel the rally and make no preparations for the visitors who came anyway.
But what happened last weekend seemed ridiculous.
Where in previous years you had to detour around downtown because of blocked streets, this year we detoured around it for fear of attracting the attention of cops with too much time on their hands.
Many times there were more cops on a given downtown corner than bikers, or anybody else.
My husband saw an elderly woman, with a walker no less, being ticketed.
I saw a young family being ticketed by two cops.
I wish we could get this kind of attention the rest of the year, to the people who speed down our residential street, bass reverbs blasting.
I wish the City could find $150,000 to repave the alley behind our house.
For that matter, I wish America’s War on Terror showed the same kind of single-minded efficiency and high-tech coordination as was reported for this event.
While cost was cited as a concern, I understood that perhaps an even bigger issue was the threat posed by motorcycle gang members who had staked out Hollister for their next turf battle.
It doesn’t seem right to clamp down on the average “Heck’s Angel” because a few truly bad guys might come to town. We know who these people are; can’t we use intelligence, restraining orders and other tactics to just keep them away?
I believe if managed right, a yearly rally could bring in real revenue, not just for the businesses that sell beer to bikers, but for the whole city. If the city and county could work with professional event organizers as efficiently as they worked with other law enforcement agencies, I bet we could extend a truly warm welcome, make money and pay for public safety.
After all, like it or not, Hollister is the home of the American Biker, not the home of the American Actuary or the American Domino Champion. We might as well make our notoriety work for us instead of against us.
