2yld
05-08-2008, 01:05 AM
By Lisa Black
Chicago Tribune
May 07, 2008
Motorcycle enthusiasts have hired a lawyer and are filing Freedom of Information requests with the Village of Grayslake to find out more about a threat of gang rivalry that was cited as the cause of a last-minute cancellation of an event Sunday at the Lake County Fairgrounds. About two dozen motorcyclists filed into a Grayslake Village Board meeting Tuesday night, some of whom accused Mayor Tim Perry of discriminating against bikers.
'The people who attend these [motorcycle] events are people with jobs, with lives,' said Dave White of Pleasant Prairie, Wis., a member of the Lake County Motorcycle Club. 'To assume all people will be irresponsible is a slap in the face.' The bikers added a colorful, leather-clad presence to the Village Board room as they explained they are tired of being branded as troublemakers. The cancellation of the Ironhorse Roundup, which the lawyer said was expected to draw 40,000 bikers, reportedly cost its promoter and vendors money and inconvenienced thousands who rode in from out of town. 'There is an impression that your decision was not made just based on safety but because of the attendees to this event,' said Ed Domine, assistant state coordinator for A Brotherhood Aimed Towards Education. 'I have to ask you to ask yourselves, did the fact these were motorcyclists play into this?' Perry said he sympathized, but he had to prioritize the safety of Grayslake residents. He said he made the decision to pull the Lake County Fair Association's permit for the show late Friday afternoon after the Illinois State Police and a regional gang task force reported that members of the rival Outlaws and Hell's Lovers were expected to settle a score at the Ironhorse Roundup. Police Chief Larry Herzog told Perry public safety could not be guaranteed without at least 20 more officers assigned to the fairgrounds. The department has just 30 officers, and many already had been hired by organizers as security. 'I will always err on the side of caution when it comes to the safety of the residents of the community,' said Perry, adding that a concert at the fairgrounds was canceled several years ago under similar circumstances.
Pete Naylor, a Gurnee lawyer who rode his Harley to the board meeting still wearing suit and tie, told the board he has been hired by the event's promoter to seek restitution. On Friday, he said, promoter Mark Khayat scrambled to Village Hall trying to find out why the permit was pulled. Khayat is owner of Austin's Saloon in Libertyville, which, along with a Kenosha radio station, had spent months promoting the event. 'Mark walked into City Hall, was brought into an office and read the press release,' Naylor said. '[Herzog] didn't answer any questions. . . . There was no opportunity for them to fix the issue.'
lblack@tribune.com
Chicago Tribune
May 07, 2008
Motorcycle enthusiasts have hired a lawyer and are filing Freedom of Information requests with the Village of Grayslake to find out more about a threat of gang rivalry that was cited as the cause of a last-minute cancellation of an event Sunday at the Lake County Fairgrounds. About two dozen motorcyclists filed into a Grayslake Village Board meeting Tuesday night, some of whom accused Mayor Tim Perry of discriminating against bikers.
'The people who attend these [motorcycle] events are people with jobs, with lives,' said Dave White of Pleasant Prairie, Wis., a member of the Lake County Motorcycle Club. 'To assume all people will be irresponsible is a slap in the face.' The bikers added a colorful, leather-clad presence to the Village Board room as they explained they are tired of being branded as troublemakers. The cancellation of the Ironhorse Roundup, which the lawyer said was expected to draw 40,000 bikers, reportedly cost its promoter and vendors money and inconvenienced thousands who rode in from out of town. 'There is an impression that your decision was not made just based on safety but because of the attendees to this event,' said Ed Domine, assistant state coordinator for A Brotherhood Aimed Towards Education. 'I have to ask you to ask yourselves, did the fact these were motorcyclists play into this?' Perry said he sympathized, but he had to prioritize the safety of Grayslake residents. He said he made the decision to pull the Lake County Fair Association's permit for the show late Friday afternoon after the Illinois State Police and a regional gang task force reported that members of the rival Outlaws and Hell's Lovers were expected to settle a score at the Ironhorse Roundup. Police Chief Larry Herzog told Perry public safety could not be guaranteed without at least 20 more officers assigned to the fairgrounds. The department has just 30 officers, and many already had been hired by organizers as security. 'I will always err on the side of caution when it comes to the safety of the residents of the community,' said Perry, adding that a concert at the fairgrounds was canceled several years ago under similar circumstances.
Pete Naylor, a Gurnee lawyer who rode his Harley to the board meeting still wearing suit and tie, told the board he has been hired by the event's promoter to seek restitution. On Friday, he said, promoter Mark Khayat scrambled to Village Hall trying to find out why the permit was pulled. Khayat is owner of Austin's Saloon in Libertyville, which, along with a Kenosha radio station, had spent months promoting the event. 'Mark walked into City Hall, was brought into an office and read the press release,' Naylor said. '[Herzog] didn't answer any questions. . . . There was no opportunity for them to fix the issue.'
lblack@tribune.com