by William Schiffmann, Associated Press
HOLLISTER, Calif. (AP) - Fifty-five years ago, a brawl at a motorcycle gathering in this Central California farm town inspired the Marlon Brando film “The Wild One” and cemented the image of the outlaw biker in American lore.
Over the July Fourth weekend, an army of law officers will be on hand to make sure the Hollister Independence Rally, the scene of that long-ago dustup, doesn’t turn into a repeat of the lethal violence that rocked a similar event in Laughlin, Nev., in April.
“We’re always concerned,” said police Capt. Bob Brooks. “This year that concern is a little more heightened.
“We’re taking steps to address the concerns,” he added, “but we’re not going to have any gunships, and there will be no snipers on the roofs.”
Police expect more than 60,000 riders, most on expensive, heavily chromed Harley-Davidson motorcycles, for this year’s rally Friday through Sunday. On Saturday, the busiest day, sparkling bikes line block after block, and visitors can barely move through the crush of leather-clad humanity.
Hollister’s population swells from 36,000 to 100,000 or more with the rally crowd. In stark contrast, on a recent weekday at 10 a.m., there was not a single pedestrian in sight on San Benito Street, the main drag.
In front of Johnny’s Bar & Grill, a life-size image of a young, leather-clad Brando as he appeared in the film greets thirsty patrons. Inside, two people sit at the bar, poking at breakfast.
During the rally weekend, Johnny’s will be jammed to overflowing, befitting its position as the unofficial headquarters for the festivities. Over the bar is the cover of an ancient Life Magazine, featuring a photo staged way back in 1947. It shows a bleary-eyed reveler sitting on a bike, a beer bottle in his hand and a pile of bottles under the bike.
The magazine’s story reported on a mostly imaginary riot - there were a number of arrests, mostly of drunks - but it tarred American motorcycle riders with an outlaw image they’ve never really shaken.
“At first it would seem like a strange thing to celebrate the original Hollister run, which led to the movie “The Wild One,” which gave motorcycling such a big black eye,” said Dave Edwards, editor of Cycle World, one of the most popular motorcycling magazines in the country.
Edwards doesn’t expect trouble in Hollister, which has welcomed the thundering horde of bikers for the past five years as a major boost to the local economy.
“The Hells Angels or whatever gang, they don’t go out of their way to attract attention,” he said. “They don’t want the attention of the police any more than you or I do. They know the heat is on and they are not going to go out looking for trouble.”
Normally a peaceful gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts, the Laughlin rally was marred by a brawl in a casino between Hells Angels and Mongols gang members that left three dead April 27. A fourth biker - a Hells Angels member from San Diego - was found dead that same day on Interstate 40.
Some motorcycle events around the country have been canceled because of Laughlin. However, three major motorcycle runs - the Elko, Nev., Motorcycle Jamboree, the Redwood Run near Piercy in Northern California and the annual Laconia, N.H., rally, all last month - have been trouble-free.
Johnny’s co-owner Charisse Tyson is hoping that trend continues, because the bar - and the town’s charities - make a ton of money. City officials estimate the riders leave behind $6 million to $8 million over the three-day weekend event.
“We make three months’ income in six days,” she said. “I’m praying a lot.”
Over at Hollister Harley-Davidson, owner Dan Stern sits in his small, cluttered office. Outside, the sidewalk is crowded with shiny motorcycles for sale, sunlight glinting on chrome and gleaming paint.
He’s not anticipating problems, either.
“Any time you mix alcohol and crowds you have a potential for trouble,” he said. “But I’d bet in any town with 100,000 people you’d have more arrests than we’ll have here on rally weekend.”
Ellen Brown, executive director of the Hollister Independence Rally Committee, said the community’s charities depend on the rally for fund-raising, selling food and souvenirs.
“We’ve been very lucky since Laughlin,” she said. “I really thought that was going to give a lot of ammunition to people who were against the event. We got two negative letters.”
“Sadly,” said Edwards, “I think that just like the original Hollister event, what happened at Laughlin really had nothing to do with motorcycling.”
Brooks said alcohol is usually the root of any evil at rallies.
With an eye to avoiding such trouble, the city recently passed several ordinances: No knives over 4 inches can be carried and no cans or bottles will be allowed on the street.
“We have zero tolerance for alcohol violations,” Brooks said. “We want to make sure they stay within the bounds of their fantasy and that alcohol doesn’t cloud the line between fantasy and reality.”