Bob Ingersoll of Vietnam Legacy Vets Motorcycle Club says he and his group were told to leave the Temecula casino or be arrested, on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2010. A spokesman for the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians says the incident is being exaggerated.
A leader of an Inland-area Vietnam veterans motorcycle club claims he and his group were disrespected by security staff at Pechango Resort & Casino on Veterans Day last year, when security told them they couldn't come in wearing their patch-decorated vests, and ordered them to leave or be arrested.
"As Vietnam vets, this was the same treatment we received in the '60s and '70s," said Bob Ingersoll, 66, of Murrieta. "You would think that veterans deserve more. Not this."
The Vietnam Legacy Vets Motorcycle Club includes veterans of the Vietnam War, active-duty servicemen, and Native American military veterans, Ingersoll said. They wanted to go to Pechanga for the free buffet offered to veterans on Nov. 11, 2010.
"I knew there might be an issue, so I called ahead and checked," Ingersoll said. "I told them who we were, that we are a motorcycle club, and that we wear vests with our club identified and patches about our service and the units we served in.
"The guy on the phone said sure, we'd be welcome," Ingersoll said. "That wasn't the case when we got there."
A spokesman for the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians says the incident is being exaggerated, and that the casino's policy addressing motorcycle clubs and their "colors" is a prudent public safety measure.
Outlaw biker gxxgs such as the Hells Angels, the Mongols and the Vagos have been involved in a number of brawls, knife-fights, and shootings in Nevada and California casinos over the years.
Two weeks ago in Sparks, the San Jose chapter president of the Hells Angels was killed in a gun battle inside the Nugget Casino, and two Vagos were wounded, according to Nevada authorities.
In March 2002, Mongols members brawled with other spectators during an Ultimate Fighting Championships event in a tent outside Casino Morongo in Cabazon, and more than 100 security and law enforcement officers responded.
A month later, three bikers were killed when the Hells Angels and Mongols rioted with guns, knives and other weapons in the Harrah's Casino at the Laughlin River Run in April 2002.
The Hells Angels, Mongols, Vagos, and other motorcycle clubs consider themselves "one-percenter" groups, and law enforcement authorities call them outlaw gxxgs.
The Vietnam Legacy Vets do not claim one-percent or outlaw status.
Ingersoll said in a letter to the Pechanga tribal council he was with six other Vietnam veterans, one active-duty Marine, and two of their wives when they had trouble at the casino last Veterans Day.
"We were in line about 20 minutes, and a security lieutenant came out and told us we had to leave or be arrested for trespassing," Ingersoll said. "At one point they said we could come in without our vests. Then they said we could come in with the vests with a security guard assigned to us.
"None of that was acceptable to us," Ingersoll said. "We are not a motorcycle gxxg. We are veterans who ride motorcycles. We are proud of our service, and our vests have unique meaning to us. This is the country we fought for and our brothers died for. We view this as disrespectful to all veterans."
Pechanga spokesman Jacob Mejia said this week he's already apologized repeatedly to Ingersoll, and he offered to have the Vietnam Legacy Vets back for dinner. Mejia said the Pechanga Resort & Casino has served thousands of free meals to veterans, and he's disappointed the incident last year "is still being exaggerated."
The Pechanga venue has a policy forbidding motorcycle clubs to wear their colors inside, Mejia said.
"We have a strict policy in place for the safety of our employees and our guests," Mejia said. "This small group declined to cooperate with our policy. Another group removed their colors with no problems."
Ingersoll said he understands why casinos forbid colors in some cases.
"I was in Vegas last weekend for BikeFest, Thursday to Sunday," Ingersoll said. "The casinos in Vegas wouldn't let anybody wear colors in the casinos. Because of Sparks and the Vagos, what happened the week before.
"That's understandable, sometimes they crack down," Ingersoll said. "But Pechanga has no signs or anything. They can profile, pick and choose who they don't want to come in. This happened last year, and I'm still waiting to hear from the tribal council."
Ingersoll's letter to the Pechanga tribal council in December 2010 stated in part:
"I know Indians have many traditions, so do we. You should be able to understand that we wear our Vest with pride. Each patch on our vest has a special meaning. It’s not just given to us. We earn the right to wear it and feel insulted if asked to remove it.
"There are many Veteran Motorcycle Clubs in this area besides ours, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion Riders, Leathernecks, Marine Corps Riders, Rough Riders, EOD MC, just to name a few.
"There are also at least three MC clubs in the area that are active or former police officers. We, along with the above mentioned, and more, are Motorcycle Clubs not involved in illegal activities. We should be respected for who we are and what we represent.
"I know we can’t change what happened on Veterans Day. I am requesting that you give us an invitation to return to your Casino for the complementary buffet. I would also hope that we would be allowed to wear our Vests."
Ingersoll concluded the letter stating he was willing to come and speak with tribal council.
"The outcome was they ignored us," Ingersoll said. "Now with Veterans day coming around again a lot of people have been asking me about what happened. Well, this is what happened - they ignored us."
http://banning-beaumont.patch.com/articles/vietnam-vet-bikers-disrespected-at-casino-tribal-rep-says-claim-is-hype
Outlaw biker gxxgs such as the Hells Angels, the Mongols and the Vagos have been involved in a number of brawls, knife-fights, and shootings in Nevada and California casinos over the years.
Two weeks ago in Sparks, the San Jose chapter president of the Hells Angels was killed in a gun battle inside the Nugget Casino, and two Vagos were wounded, according to Nevada authorities.
In March 2002, Mongols members brawled with other spectators during an Ultimate Fighting Championships event in a tent outside Casino Morongo in Cabazon, and more than 100 security and law enforcement officers responded.
A month later, three bikers were killed when the Hells Angels and Mongols rioted with guns, knives and other weapons in the Harrah's Casino at the Laughlin River Run in April 2002.
The Hells Angels, Mongols, Vagos, and other motorcycle clubs consider themselves "one-percenter" groups, and law enforcement authorities call them outlaw gxxgs.
The Vietnam Legacy Vets do not claim one-percent or outlaw status.
Ingersoll said in a letter to the Pechanga tribal council he was with six other Vietnam veterans, one active-duty Marine, and two of their wives when they had trouble at the casino last Veterans Day.
"We were in line about 20 minutes, and a security lieutenant came out and told us we had to leave or be arrested for trespassing," Ingersoll said. "At one point they said we could come in without our vests. Then they said we could come in with the vests with a security guard assigned to us.
"None of that was acceptable to us," Ingersoll said. "We are not a motorcycle gxxg. We are veterans who ride motorcycles. We are proud of our service, and our vests have unique meaning to us. This is the country we fought for and our brothers died for. We view this as disrespectful to all veterans."
Pechanga spokesman Jacob Mejia said this week he's already apologized repeatedly to Ingersoll, and he offered to have the Vietnam Legacy Vets back for dinner. Mejia said the Pechanga Resort & Casino has served thousands of free meals to veterans, and he's disappointed the incident last year "is still being exaggerated."
The Pechanga venue has a policy forbidding motorcycle clubs to wear their colors inside, Mejia said.
"We have a strict policy in place for the safety of our employees and our guests," Mejia said. "This small group declined to cooperate with our policy. Another group removed their colors with no problems."
Ingersoll said he understands why casinos forbid colors in some cases.
"I was in Vegas last weekend for BikeFest, Thursday to Sunday," Ingersoll said. "The casinos in Vegas wouldn't let anybody wear colors in the casinos. Because of Sparks and the Vagos, what happened the week before.
"That's understandable, sometimes they crack down," Ingersoll said. "But Pechanga has no signs or anything. They can profile, pick and choose who they don't want to come in. This happened last year, and I'm still waiting to hear from the tribal council."
Ingersoll's letter to the Pechanga tribal council in December 2010 stated in part:
"I know Indians have many traditions, so do we. You should be able to understand that we wear our Vest with pride. Each patch on our vest has a special meaning. It’s not just given to us. We earn the right to wear it and feel insulted if asked to remove it.
"There are many Veteran Motorcycle Clubs in this area besides ours, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion Riders, Leathernecks, Marine Corps Riders, Rough Riders, EOD MC, just to name a few.
"There are also at least three MC clubs in the area that are active or former police officers. We, along with the above mentioned, and more, are Motorcycle Clubs not involved in illegal activities. We should be respected for who we are and what we represent.
"I know we can’t change what happened on Veterans Day. I am requesting that you give us an invitation to return to your Casino for the complementary buffet. I would also hope that we would be allowed to wear our Vests."
Ingersoll concluded the letter stating he was willing to come and speak with tribal council.
"The outcome was they ignored us," Ingersoll said. "Now with Veterans day coming around again a lot of people have been asking me about what happened. Well, this is what happened - they ignored us."
http://banning-beaumont.patch.com/articles/vietnam-vet-bikers-disrespected-at-casino-tribal-rep-says-claim-is-hype
