John Rhodes – Mayor of Myrtle Beach referring to Bikers.

This is a perfect example of a politician that has been freeloading at the public trough much too long. You need to fire him and interivew other applicants for the job.

I don’t care how much you try to avoid it by saying bikers are welcome, what you are too SISSY to say direct is, “We don’t want YOUR KIND among us.” Read some of the blogs above this one and you will see it stated in no uncertain terms.

This bespeaks much of the people of Myrtle Beach and the kind of employees like the Mayor that they hire to run their town. The hired help is usually a true reflection of the Electorate.

For a state that is so poor it has nothing to offer but Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand, you sure are picky! The only state poorer than you is Mississippi.

Myrtle Beach doesn’t deserve Biker week or anything else. I bet you need a lot of tissue to keep on blowing your snobbish noses.

I knew there was a reason that for the last fifty years we’ve always affectionately referred to Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand as the “Redneck Riveria” John Rhodes just proved why with that single remark.

It’s the Bikers who are classy and well mannered. Not the other way around.

Being from Daytona, I can honestly say that our Spring Break events cause more trouble, more arrests and moretrashing of hotel romms than any bike events.

Dave, You’re correct about the Harley crowd being older, wiser and having more spending money to stimulate the economy of the local towns during these events. It’s the same with the NASCAR fans. Great people.

Sure there are riff-raff at any large sized event but usually it’s townies looking for the hot spot to get wasted and pick up out-of-town chicks who are looking to party.

As far as noise and that argument goes. I live on the beachside on a street that connects Daytona to Ormond Beach (where the best clubs are) and sure it’s noisy for a few weeks but I’ve found that it’s not healthy to let the small things like loud pipes and other noise get you stressed.

Plus, the bikers I run into at local restaurants and watering holes are a nice as can be and the local waiters and waitresses all say they tip great.

Myrtle Beach is a great town, hopefully they won’t deny the faithful who have returned year after year the privelege of returning to a familiar place.

Great blog, btw !!!

Marc

Here is the schedule for the next city council meeting:

If you will be negatively affected by the attempts by the City and County to eliminate the Bike Weeks, we need you to attend a meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 25th at Revolutions in Celebrity Square at Broadway at the Beach.

The next County Council Meeting is July 1 at 6 p.m. at the Courthouse in Conway.

The next City Council date is Tuesday, July 8. The workshop begins at 9:00 a.m. here at City Hall. The regular meeting begins at 2:00 p.m. at the Collins Law Enforcement Center.

If you are impacted in the least as a business, an employee, whatever it might be. We can’t afford to have government selectively decide what tourists are good and which ones are bad.

And, even if you aren’t impacted, the following statement appeared on-line at Myrtlebeachonline.com yesterday afternoon and should be very concerning. It is not in today’s print section of The Sun News.

Mr. Martino wants to decide which tourists come to town! And, I thought the 3 mills was to get rid of bikers, not to replace lost revenue. I would be worried that your taxes are going to go even higher!

Councilmembers said they hope to see a concerted effort among everyone who’s affected — hoteliers, merchants and the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce — because they will all play their parts in replacing bike-rally visitors with other types of tourists.

“We’re going to have to displace them with the tourists we want,” Councilman Chuck Martino said at Tuesday’s workshop discussion. “Then when the bikers want to come, the hotel rooms are already full.

“But if we don’t replace them, I don’t think three mills is going to make up for the lost revenue.”

Peace brothers, Lynwood

We are moving to the area next July. I just find it funny that someone still sterotypes bikers(and my husband is the long *gasp* hair hippy missing a tooth kind of biker and I teach highschool)I look forward to moving!

Oh yeah the area we are moving to is a new gated community in forestbrook(IS that right?) Over by the state park and the flea market

Me

Tia, thanks for the comment and the link. It’s good to hear from people who have been here much longer than I. A lot of the guys I work with spent their whole lives here. I think shutting down the gun club might be a wise decision. I also agree with AA’s reply that the cops are kind of in a no-win position. If they come down too light, they seem ineffective and like they are letting it fall apart. If they come down too hard, they are the bad guys trying to keep the bikers down. I’m just glad I’m not in their job.

AA, you used the dreaded “Y” word! To be honest, I was thinking about using it too in my original reply to Marc. I’ve only been inside one gated community here and I met a guy who not only lived in it, one of these things off of 707 that is one GC amongst miles of them, but he also had guns and heavy duty alarms to “keep himself safe.” Dear god, does he think this is Baghdad? I don’t even lock my car doors half the time. To me, that says more about him than the area. Oh, and he’s from Jersey. I’m just saying.

Having lived near the beach since ’75, I can tell you that this discussion has gone on as long as I can remember. Eventually, the businesses that determine it isn’t worth it to stay open close for a couple weeks. The police always get a bad rap .. anyone remember the hooplah over them stopping the tail end of the Hell’s Angels (I believe it was) for running a red light since they hadn’t applied for the appropriate permit? Quite a few people were arguing that the cops should have looked the other way since the group was headed out of town. I’m not saying they should ignore the behaviour noted by Tia, just that they’re always criticized no matter what.

Not much of a point there, but I have to add one extra thought .. prior to around 1990, there were no gated communities in MB, and they weren’t necessary. Somehow I don’t think they all popped up b/c of Bike Week .. I have a feeling it had more to do with a bunch of d@mn y@nkees moving in!

(for those who can’t read tone – that last bit is meant tongue in cheek

My gun club happens to be directly across from the old SBB, right in the heart of the original Bike Week territory in Murrells Inlet.

Since guns and hundreds of drunk bikers don’t mix, they close up for these two weeks and sell their parking. They have a big nice porch that most of the club members have become addicted to, and we tend to find ourselves going and sitting on the porch during Bike Week, too, even though the range is closed.

So tonight I spent about six hours on that porch watching the madness. There were several cop cars parked across the street, seeing the same things I was. No one was arrested, and hardly anyone received warnings.

Things I saw LOTS of:

People walking in the street with open containers
People walking to their vehicles with open containers in hand, then getting in/on their vehicles and driving away
Fights
Burnouts on the road
Public urination
Bikes parked in driveways, and fire-lanes, and protruding into the road

Again, no one was arrested, and there were very few reprimands. Since 4pm this afternoon there have been four deaths. I found out that number about three hours ago, as I watched an ambulance and firetruck blaze by on their way to another accident.

I don’t think that Bike Week is a bad thing, I’ve been to every single one since I was a little girl. I used to ride when I was younger.

But I do believe that our law enforcement has a duty to adequately police these events, for the protection of the attendees and area residents. From what I saw tonight, the police are not doing their job.

Chuck’s shift ends at eleven, and he’s got to drive home through all that crap.

Marc, when your problem is that the “Lower Middle classes” (your words) don’t act to your standards, I find that dickish. I don’t consider that an insult but an observation. I suspected after your first comment you were a troll, with your third I know for sure you are a troll and a Bringer of Big Drama. I think going away is a fine idea. Not only is it a good idea, it is one I’ll enforce if necessary.

Joe, I agree that bikers bring in a giant wad of dough to the area and as a year round resident I like it. If it means I have access to more stores and restaurants and bars that make it through the off-season because of a really flush biker week, yeehaw! Bring them on.

James, it didn’t seem extreme to me. I seldom see people so explicitly state their problem is with the lower classes without using code words. I suppose I could be penalizing him for being honest. Regardless, he won’t be back.

To everyone, please don’t feed the trolls. If this post becomes too much of a bullshit magnet next stop is to close comments. Life is too short, and y’all got hogs to be riding.