OFF THE WIRE
NCAACP in town to monitor fairness of rally compared to Harley Davidson event.
NAACP set to monitor discrimination.
"We anticipate that will still be the case this year."
The seventh annual Operation Bike Week Justice has been launched, said the Rev. Nelson Rivers III, vice president of stakeholder relations for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, announced at a press conference.
The group focuses specifically on Myrtle Beach, he said, because of its "sordid and sorry history," and because the city has "created an almost terroristic atmosphere" by unfairly prosecuting its laws more strictly during the predominantly black-attended Bikefest than it does during the annual Harley-Davidson Spring Cruisin' the Coast rally and calling in too many additional law enforcement officers, which is intimidating.
"It's the same stuff they say every year, and it's as untrue as it was when they began saying it seven or eight years ago," Myrtle Beach City Manager Tom Leath said.
Read more: http://www.thesunnews.com/2011/05/27/2184575/naacp-in-town-to-monitor-fairness.html#ixzz1Ng6LCiXT
The seventh annual Operation Bike Week Justice has been launched, said the Rev. Nelson Rivers III, vice president of stakeholder relations for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, announced at a press conference.
The group focuses specifically on Myrtle Beach, he said, because of its "sordid and sorry history," and because the city has "created an almost terroristic atmosphere" by unfairly prosecuting its laws more strictly during the predominantly black-attended Bikefest than it does during the annual Harley-Davidson Spring Cruisin' the Coast rally and calling in too many additional law enforcement officers, which is intimidating.
"It's the same stuff they say every year, and it's as untrue as it was when they began saying it seven or eight years ago," Myrtle Beach City Manager Tom Leath said.
"We do not discriminate."
The police department did not respond to an email asking for its response to the NAACP'sassertions.
Rivers and Asaka said they and many volunteers stationed "from Atlantic Beach to Socastee" will monitor the area this weekend to make sure businesses are treating all patrons fairly, that they are open for business and that the Myrtle Beach Police Department is being fair.
The NAACP sued the city and a local business several years ago.
The suit against the business claimed it closed only during Bikefest, which some call "Black Bike Week," so it wouldn't have to serve blacks.
The suit against the city claimed discrimination because traffic was modified on Ocean Boulevard differently during the two events.
NAACP representatives say the situation in the city is different since the suit, but the city says it doesn't do anything differently now than it did before the suit, except the one-way traffic shift during the rallies was made similar for a few years.
Since the city took a stand against being the epicenter of any bike rally in 2008, the attendance at both events has diminished, and the city no longer shifts Ocean Boulevard traffic during either event.
Leath said he wonders why the city and the NAACP cannot work together to present the same message, that everyone is welcome to come and enjoy the area as long as they respect the rules and abide by the laws.
He said the NAACP has not been receptive to that idea.
Asaka said the NAACP's hotline garners several complaints each year. He said that over the seven years of Operation Bike Week Justice, the NAACP has filed more than a dozen lawsuits with the S.C. Human Affairs Commission.
Last year, for example, he said there were two complaints lodged, including one against a business that was open during the Harley rally, closed for renovations during Bikefest, and open again as soon as Bikefest was over.
He declined to name the business. "Unfortunately, the commission rarely takes action," Asaka said, attributing that to the agency having too few resources.
When complaints come in about businesses discriminating, he said, volunteers work to verify the claims, documenting closures when possible.
He said "a lot" of the complaints have to do with the police department.
"The Myrtle Beach Police Department has a long history of being overly aggressive during Black Bike Week," Asaka said.
"They treat the Harley visitors with kid gloves. In 2009, there was a 2-to-1 disparity between the number of citations given during Black Bike Week and the Harley rally."
Leath said if more citations were written, it's because more people were here.
He said the Harley riders were far more upset about the city's anti-rally ordinances, especially the now-overturned helmet law, and organized the Not a Dime in '09 and Again in 10 boycotts - efforts theBikefest attendees did not undertake.
The number of Harley rally attendees has fallen, and the number who avoid the city has increased.
Many people agreed there were more people here this year for the Harley rally than last year, but the numbers are still far below peak years when the two-week event could draw an estimated 300,000 people.
Leath said the city has always asked the NAACP to allow it to investigate the claims, too, but often the city doesn't get the information for up to six months later.
"In many cases, people have forgotten the specifics by then," he said.
The NAACP said it monitors during the Harley rally to make sure the same standards are applied during Bikefest.
But there are some differences between the two events.
Myrtle Beach spokesman Mark Kruea said historically one issue has been that the Bikefest crowd spilled over into Myrtle Beach and was concentrated on Ocean Boulevard, while the Harley rally attendees spread throughout the area.
"The Bikefest crowd was focused on 60 blocks of Ocean Boulevard east of Kings Highway," he said. "The Harley rally was spread out over 60 miles of the Grand Strand."
The city asks for extra help when it anticipates a large number of visitors, he said, as it will this weekend because of the Memorial Day weekend, Military Appreciation Days and other events.
The police department did not respond to an email asking for its response to the NAACP'sassertions.
Rivers and Asaka said they and many volunteers stationed "from Atlantic Beach to Socastee" will monitor the area this weekend to make sure businesses are treating all patrons fairly, that they are open for business and that the Myrtle Beach Police Department is being fair.
The NAACP sued the city and a local business several years ago.
The suit against the business claimed it closed only during Bikefest, which some call "Black Bike Week," so it wouldn't have to serve blacks.
The suit against the city claimed discrimination because traffic was modified on Ocean Boulevard differently during the two events.
NAACP representatives say the situation in the city is different since the suit, but the city says it doesn't do anything differently now than it did before the suit, except the one-way traffic shift during the rallies was made similar for a few years.
Since the city took a stand against being the epicenter of any bike rally in 2008, the attendance at both events has diminished, and the city no longer shifts Ocean Boulevard traffic during either event.
Leath said he wonders why the city and the NAACP cannot work together to present the same message, that everyone is welcome to come and enjoy the area as long as they respect the rules and abide by the laws.
He said the NAACP has not been receptive to that idea.
Asaka said the NAACP's hotline garners several complaints each year. He said that over the seven years of Operation Bike Week Justice, the NAACP has filed more than a dozen lawsuits with the S.C. Human Affairs Commission.
Last year, for example, he said there were two complaints lodged, including one against a business that was open during the Harley rally, closed for renovations during Bikefest, and open again as soon as Bikefest was over.
He declined to name the business. "Unfortunately, the commission rarely takes action," Asaka said, attributing that to the agency having too few resources.
When complaints come in about businesses discriminating, he said, volunteers work to verify the claims, documenting closures when possible.
He said "a lot" of the complaints have to do with the police department.
"The Myrtle Beach Police Department has a long history of being overly aggressive during Black Bike Week," Asaka said.
"They treat the Harley visitors with kid gloves. In 2009, there was a 2-to-1 disparity between the number of citations given during Black Bike Week and the Harley rally."
Leath said if more citations were written, it's because more people were here.
He said the Harley riders were far more upset about the city's anti-rally ordinances, especially the now-overturned helmet law, and organized the Not a Dime in '09 and Again in 10 boycotts - efforts theBikefest attendees did not undertake.
The number of Harley rally attendees has fallen, and the number who avoid the city has increased.
Many people agreed there were more people here this year for the Harley rally than last year, but the numbers are still far below peak years when the two-week event could draw an estimated 300,000 people.
Leath said the city has always asked the NAACP to allow it to investigate the claims, too, but often the city doesn't get the information for up to six months later.
"In many cases, people have forgotten the specifics by then," he said.
The NAACP said it monitors during the Harley rally to make sure the same standards are applied during Bikefest.
But there are some differences between the two events.
Myrtle Beach spokesman Mark Kruea said historically one issue has been that the Bikefest crowd spilled over into Myrtle Beach and was concentrated on Ocean Boulevard, while the Harley rally attendees spread throughout the area.
"The Bikefest crowd was focused on 60 blocks of Ocean Boulevard east of Kings Highway," he said. "The Harley rally was spread out over 60 miles of the Grand Strand."
The city asks for extra help when it anticipates a large number of visitors, he said, as it will this weekend because of the Memorial Day weekend, Military Appreciation Days and other events.