To say a hearty thank you for the apparent success of the new anti-biker rally ordinances in Myrtle Beach, the group Take Back May hosted a lunch for Myrtle Beach city leaders on Wednesday.
The event, held inside the old train depot in Myrtle Beach, drew hundreds for a free barbecue lunch.
Outside, dozens of bikers, not allowed in by security guards, protested the rally, and, ultimately, the laws that kept thousands of bikers--and their hard-earned money -- out of Myrtle Beach this past May.
"We decided we would try to keep it on peoples' minds," said Tom Rice, a member of Take Back May, a collection of Myrtle Beach residents and business owners who pushed city leaders to do away with the Harley Davidson motorcycle rally and events surrounding the Memorial Day Bike Fest. Rice said in years past, it seemed the furor from full-time residents over the biker rallies quickly subsided.
"I feel bad for people who lost money," Rice said. "I think sometimes profit is not worth what you put the community through," he said.
Bikers protesting outside say city council went about this all wrong.
"If city council would have approached the biker community and said, 'we really don't want bikers in the month of May. How about you move to June?' I really don't think that would have been a problem," said Lee Wimmer, who owns on a custom bike shop on the south end of the Strand.
"This whole thing has affected our economy," he said.
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