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News from Hells Angels MC Baltimore
| Headline: Lost Isle owner speaks out after Hells Angels visit |
| Sunday - 08/02/2009 |
| Referrer: FOX 21 NEWS |
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By Beth Jett and photojournalist Harry Baker, FOX 21 News
CARLTON - As of Sunday night, there was no more rumbling of motorcycles. Members of the Hells Angels and Outlaws Motorcycle Clubs were on their way to South Dakota for the 69th annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis. That event starts Monday.
Back in the Northland, the visit by the bikers left behind a trail of anger among business owners who want law enforcement to be held accountable for aggressive tactics.
Sunday afternoon, FOX 21 caught up with the last of the Hells Angels bidding farewell to their hosts at the Lost Isle in Carlton. They declined interviews on camera, but the owner of the bar, Tim Rogentine, sang their praises.
"It was fantastic," said Rogentine of renting out his bar since Wednesday to the Hells Angels. "They helped out in every way. If we needed help, from ooking the food to cleaning up the messes, they were right there and just great."
St. Louis County Sheriff Ross Litman described the weekend visit as a success. "This was a very quiet weekend on a lot of different fronts," Litman said. Law enforcement held a final press briefing Sunday morning. They reported 210 traffic stops in Carlton and St. Louis Counties over the last 24 hours. Of 79 citations written, only two were to members of the Hells Angels.
there were no major incidents and no injuries during the gathering, unlike past years in places around the country.
"I'm not aware of any Hells Angel rally where there was not at least one significant event, whether it be a stabbing, assault, bar fight," said Litman.
Local and federal agencies defend their approach saying it deterred trouble from visitors as well as locals.
"All of our calls have been down this weekend," Carlton County Sheriff Kelly Lake.
"Not only was this response warranted and our planning, preparation and actual plan that we put in place this week appropriate, and I think it also proved positive," said Litman.
There are many who disagree and say the area was left in the dust financially.
"These people had come here to help our economy and our law enforcement not only prevented that, but they also cost us taxpayers tons," said Rogentine.
Law enforcement officers say they tracked the costs of their efforts and are still tabulating them. Meanwhile, public outrage continues to grow, leaving the owner of the Lost Isle contemplating whether or not to hold a public meeting about what was good and bad about the event.
"I'm pretty serious," said Rogentine. "It was very upsetting what I saw and talking to others what they saw and I feel something needs to be done."
Meanwhile, all is quiet in Northwestern Wisconsin, where member of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club gathered. Wisconsin State Patrol and Superior Police arrested one Outlaw Friday night for carrying a concealed pistol. He bonded out of jail.
The fallout from the way police and the media handled the Hells Angels visit may just be getting started.
FOX 21 has heard from many business owners who plan to approach their local governments about what they believe were overly aggressive police tactics that scared away regular customers as well as hells angels. But police insist many people appreciated their efforts.
"We did receive positive comments as well," said Lake. "It's hard for us to quantify what we did prevent out there by being there."
FOX 21 has also heard from some viewers who believe the media demonized the Hells Angels or gave too much coverage to the visit. However, there is strong public interest. Stories about the visit on FOX21online.com have generated about ten times as many hits as other major stories.
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