Lookin’ at this picture, I had to ask myself, “If President Bush showed up at one of
the “non-friendly” Daytona establishments wearing a set of these Colors would he be
turned away? (Asking that question about Kerry would be impossible - he would never
get accepted as a probate to the USMVMC, much less earn Colors. (No integrity, no
character, no understanding of Brotherhood and definitely no loyalty to his fellow Vets.
That became apparent the day I showed up at one of our events with fifty “Viet Nam
Veterans against John Kerry” bumper stickers and was mobbed by my Brothers. Everyone
wanted one. I could easily have given out a hundred of ‘em. I guess that tells you some-
thing about how most Vets feel about this “candidate.”)
I never cease to be amazed at the attitude most of the establishments on Main Street in
Daytona, as well as some of the “world renowned” places north of Daytona, show to a biker
flyin’ Club Colors. In most establishments this policy has even extended to HOG, CMA, and
even the ‘Bad Bones’ patch anyone with $20 can buy from a vendor. WHY?
I’ve NEVER been able to get a straight answer on WHY “they” feel that allowin’ someone wearing Colors into their establishment was gonna to be a problem. I sure have heard a bunch of rumors though… For example:
a) Local police told the “owners” if they allow Colors and they have ANY type of problem, the police will not respond to a call. (This would seem to me to be irresponsible and illegal if true)
b) Seeing Colors (especially if there are more than two of us) in the establishment scares away the regulars (read: RUBS).
c) There are more “incidents” when Colors are in an establishment. When exploring this a little further, I was told: “Typically, patrons wearing Colors weren’t involved in the incident, but the sight of them [a club patch] instigates aggressiveness in others. The Colors just fires up the non-color wearing individual to ‘be aggressive’ to each other.” (Good grief!)
d) Owners are watching reruns of Brando and Marvin in The Wild One and want to avoid the Hollister hoopla coming down on Main Street.
And then there are the places that colors are allowed at anytime except Bike Week or Biketoberfest. Guess Colors are less tolerable that time of year. You can bet your ass they don’t EVER get my business. When times are good, (i.e. Bike Week) they don’t need my business, but they need me the rest of the year when the crowds aren’t in town. Screw them all the time. I’m not stupid. Guess that’s the RUB factor; see (b) above.
With that said, there are places I am not welcome when I’m flyin’ my Club Colors. So be it. To be honest with you, even if Colors were permitted I have NO interest in going into most of these places. They’re much more interested in selling you a friggin’ $20 t-shirt than selling you a cold brew at a reasonable price. Every time I see one of these place’s shirts on someone’s back I can only think, “SUCKER!” But one great thing about this country is you have the right to piss your money away as you see fit, even if it is to pay twenty bucks for a $4 shirt because it has the name of a bar by a cemetery on it. What can I say? Support those that support Bikers and Bikers’ causes. They’re the ones that’ll be there for you if you need them. They’re easy to find, too. Just page through this rag… they’re makin’ sure you keep getting DBI for free! They’re there for us all the time.
Monk's Two Cents
Boots and I don't belong to any motorcycle clubs or organizations. That includes ABATE, HOG and any others you may think of. We choose, like many of our readers, to be Independents and we feel we have to keep the magazine independent as well. Though we don't wear a patch, three-piece or otherwise, we do support all bikers, motorcycle clubs and organizations. In short, we, and Dixie Biker Illustrated, support the motorcycle community, period. Also, many of our staff do belong to Motorcycle Clubs or Motorcycle Organizations. That's their right and we support their choice and thank them for all they do for Dixie Biker Illustrated and for the motorcycling community.
Our support for the motorcycle community and motorcycle clubs and organizations has cost us money over the years. Lotsa money, as a matter of fact. How come? Simple really. We don't accept advertising from any business that discriminates against any biker. No Colors is not Biker Friendly. How can you describe your establishment as "Biker Friendly" in advertisements, flyers, etc. and then hang up a sign that says "No Colors." That's bullshit. And it's not Biker Friendly. Further, we don't sponsor or support Runs and Benefits at establishments that are not Biker Friendly - our definition - not theirs.
We've received letters asking us why we didn't cover such and such event since it was for a good cause. Simple - it was held at a place that had a "no colors" policy. We don't care what the event was for - they're always good causes - if it's at an establishment that hangs a No Colors sign, we ain't goin' there. And if one our writers happens to be there (we never ever tell our writers what to cover or where to go), we may run some pictures or words but we will not publish the name of the establishment in the magazine or the website. That answers some other questions readers've had: how come there aren't pictures from some of the "famous" bike week hangouts on the website or in the magazine. Mainly cuz we don't go there. If they hang a No Colors sign, just like Wile E mentions above, we don't spend our money there nor waste our time. It's too bad sometimes cuz I'd like to see David Alllen Coe again before he gets too old to do his shows, but I ain't spendin' money at a place that claims to be "Biker Friendly" and then hangs a "No Colors" sign. We have published lotsa pictures from the Main Street area, but have never mentioned a single bar except the only place that allows Colors on Main Street: The Main Street Station. Thanks, Benny (wish you'd advertise with us!).
On the other hand, we support 100% the owners right to hang that "No Colors" sign. Just don't lie and tell us you're "Biker Friendly." The owner pays the bills, the owner has the right to say who comes into thier place - regardless of what the government might say. If you wanna discriminate, that should be you're right. You're payin' the bills, afterall. We, however, choose to NOT support you and to ask and encourage our readers to do likewise. We'll spend our money and our efforts with the establishments and businesses that are Biker Friendly - those that don't discriminate against ANY biker, regardless of affiliation.
