Arizona - Businesses waive ?no colors? policy, serve hundreds of paying customers
KINGMAN - No major incidents or disruptions were reported Saturday after more than 500 motorcyclists rolled into Kingman to protest a "no colors" policy recently instituted by several local bars.
Bikers were even served at at least one of the bars they anticipated they would be turned away from. And one bar avoided the controversy altogether by closing.
"Why would they turn us away?" said Steve Musgrave, a member of the Desert Thunder motorcycle club and a registered motorcycle rights lobbyist for eight years. "Our money should be as good as everyone else's."
Musgrave rode 240 miles from Casa Grande to protest the move by several bars in Kingman to post a "no colors" policy. Colors are defined as a patch or insignia that identifies an affiliation with a motorcycle club, although several people have said they've been asked to leave several recent local events for wearing anything motorcycle-related, including Harley-Davidson T-shirts.
In July, motorcyclists in Kingman said they began to notice a visible police presence by the State Gang Task Force at their ride events, including the weekly Bike Night, where riders gather at a local establishment to eat and socialize.
Bike Night, which is sponsored locally by Performance Specialists, moved from Chuy's on Stockton Hill Road to the Sonic Drive-In on Andy Devine in early September after Chuy's instituted a "no colors" policy.
Riders wearing their club colors on Saturday expected to document people who were turned away from Chuy's for a possible class-action lawsuit. Those who arrived armed with discrimination forms, however, found no need for them after they were served, despite wearing their vests.
Bikers were also served at Cerbat Lanes but were asked to leave the Sportsman's bar. Police responded to the location at the request of the bar owner but no arrests were made.
The owner of Mad Dog's closed the establishment Saturday afternoon and posted a notice that as a business, they have the right to establish their own dress code.
Police had a highly visible presence around town and especially outside of the American Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs' meeting, which was held at noon Saturday at the American Legion Hall at E. Oak and Third Streets downtown. A police helicopter circled in the air after the meeting had adjourned, while several marked and unmarked police vehicles drove up and down the street.
Officers in at least one unmarked SUV were taking photographs and video footage of people congregating outside of the meeting. Police from Bullhead City also patrolled the area. Sgt. Bob Fisk with the Kingman Police Department reported no incidents by mid-afternoon.
Anecdotally, those inside and around the meeting traded stories about several riders who had been ticketed or arrested on their way to Kingman, including Sonny Barger, a founding member of the Oakland, Calif., chapter of the Hell's Angels. Barger, 71, was allegedly arrested at a gas station on Interstate 40 just east of Kingman Saturday morning. At least one law enforcement official confirmed the arrest but was unable to provide details.
Dan Balentine, president of the Kingman chapter of the Desert Road Riders, said his club was scheduled last year to host this month's ACMC meeting. It was originally scheduled to be held in Fort Mohave but was moved to Kingman so that riders could protest not only the "no colors" policy, but what the motorcyclists perceive as harassment on the part of police.
"We feel like law enforcement are the one who are trying to create a bad image of us," Balentine said.
Police have been tight-lipped about what prompted the surveillance by the State Gang Task Force in the first place, although Kingman Police Chief Robert DeVries has said previously that police aren't targeting riders as a whole but rather those involved in criminal and gang activity.
Musgrave said it is unfair for police to label motorcycle clubs as gangs.
"We are a club, not a gang. We have regular meetings and pay dues," he said. "Almost everybody here is a law-abiding citizen who has a job and pays their taxes, just like everyone else."
Disclaimer: The opinions in this article are solely those of the writer, and may not reflect the beliefs of anyone at Outlaw Biker World.
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