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News › Motorcyclists Gather for Spring Run in Fresno, Despite Clubhouse Loss
The Soul Brothers, a longtime southwest Fresno motorcycle club, has been homeless for a year, but that isn't keeping the club from inviting a few thousand friends to the city today.
Motorcyclists from the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Arizona and points beyond began streaming into Fresno on Friday for the club's annual spring run, which for years has been centered at their clubhouse at 1045 F St. in Chinatown. That changed this year when city officials evicted the club because of a zoning ordinance.
The Fresno chapter is holding its dance tonight at the Rainbow Ballroom on Broadway, following a comedy show Friday night at the Armenian Cultural Center on Ventura Avenue. Between the two events, there will be a lot of motorcycle riding -- something that at times has caused tension between the club and Fresno police.
"By and large, they are a good group," said Fresno traffic Sgt. Eric Eide. "But there are a lot of obnoxiously loud exhaust pipes and obnoxiously loud stereos."
Club members say that the riders in Fresno this weekend are regular joes who hold down weekday jobs and come to town to spend thousands of dollars in the area economy.
"Loud pipes save lives," said club treasurer Mike Taylor, 46, aka "Tac," quoting a biker credo that holds that motorists in cars will often be unaware of a quiet motorcycle.
"How can you not hear a stereo on a motorcycle?" asked Lavelle Banks, 43, aka "Big Banks," who looks like, and is, the club's sergeant-at-arms.
The Soul Brothers was formed in 1967 in the Bay Area. During a time of racial tension, the club touted its multiracial nature with a patch displaying a white arm crossed with a black arm.
"I wanted to join the Soul Brothers because they were the big fish," said treasurer Eric Duarte, 36, aka "K-9." "They weren't a black club. They weren't a white club. When they pulled up, everyone stopped and looked."
The Soul Brothers aren't the only riders coming to town. Other clubs expected to take part in today's run include the East Bay Dragons, the Chosen Few and the Hells Angels.
Eide said there will be plenty of police manpower on hand because of the number of bikers expected. He said all of the department's motorcycle officers will be on duty and they will be backed by crime suppression officers. He hopes to keep the relationship cordial, though.
Eide is a serious motorcyclist himself. He spends his working hours on a BMW police motorcycle and owns another BMW he is planning to ride to Alaska. In past years, he broke the ice with the bikers by riding up and jokingly accusing eventgoers of discrimination.
"Look at all of these Harley Davidsons -- and not one BMW," he would say. Then, he tells them that if they "watch your P's and Q's, there won't be any problems."
"You are responsible for your guests," he warned about this year's run. "There could be idiots that block traffic [at intersections] so 50 guys can go through."
He said the event has sometimes drawn "ghostriders" -- drivers in cars with 24-inch rims who jump from behind the wheel and break-dance on the hood while the vehicle rolls down the street.
The promise of the police presence left some Soul Brothers feeling that they are being singled out. Any large group will have a few troublemakers, they say.
"The Fresno fair draws knuckleheads," Duarte said.
Said Banks: "Unfortunately, they come out with good people who just want to have fun. You go to a baseball game, you get knuckleheads."
Banks is a truck driver during the week. Taylor is an electrician. Duarte is an auto technician. All said that they did not pour thousands of dollars and hours of work into their pricey Harleys to ruin everything by getting into trouble.
"A blind man could see the good we do," said Taylor. The group touts little league and T-ball teams they sponsor. At events at the Hinton Center in southwest Fresno, group members say, they frequently feed anyone and everyone.
The Hinton Center issue is also a point of controversy between police and the Soul Brothers. There was a dance at the center in 2005 sponsored by another motorcycle group and two men were fatally shot nearby. Members of the Unknown Riders say the shootings had nothing to do with their event. Nevertheless, city officials including Mayor Alan Autry and Police Chief Jerry Dyer held a meeting in the wake of the violence to re-evaluate rules for events at the city's community centers.
Some members believe the closing of the Soul Brothers' F Street clubhouse was partially caused by fallout from the shootings, but Deputy Chief Robert Nevarez said the closure was initiated by the city's code enforcement unit.
The city code calls for motorcycle clubs to be located on an arterial street and 1,000 feet from a residential area. The club on F Street did not meet the criteria.
Planning Director Nick Yovino said a proposal to amend the code would go before the City Council in June. If passed, it could make it easier for the Soul Brothers to find a new home. They would be happy if the club were in Chinatown.
"They want us back," Duarte said. "Since we left, drugs and prostitution are up. Our presence lowered that."
Source: Fresno Bee
Posted by editor on Sunday, May 04, 2008 (20:26:01) (275 reads)
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