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law enforcement is driving away bikers and I’ve heard many a biker say just that. After all bike week was never meant to be a family event that you bring young kids to.
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With all due respect to Law Enforcement... there needs to be an understanding, IMO. Bike Week used to be Spring Break on Wheels! Wild, crazy, fun and outrageous! I think it was in 2000 that they decided to prosecute for nudity. Now, I'm not a proponent of public nudity by any means, but banning it REALLY impacted the frivolity of the event. And, really, was there any harm done? I miss the days where the lawn chairs and coolers were lined up on the boulevard five deep, watching the bikes go by, and soliciting pass-bys with cheers and taunting. Am I crazy? Maybe. But, it's not Sunday church, it's BIKE WEEK! Like I said, Spring Break on wheels!
I'm not sure we should cut back in LE Patrols, for safety reasons. I just think that public nudity should be lower on their priority list. What does it cost the city/state to jail someone for "showin' em", compared to the $800 fine, I wonder?? Worth it?
My fear, moving forward, is that the same visitors come for bike week each year, and we're all getting older. We're not getting any new blood from year to year, which will result in a slow decline of the visitors to the event.
When I share this philosophy with people, they seem to agree. It's not that I like the lewdness of the event, but for many years, the region profited from the visitors that came for exactly that! So I thought I'd just throw that out there - what are your thoughts? What do you think marked the decline?