The vendors say they are out thousands of dollars. John Huddleson, who sells and sews patches for bikers, said he spent $800 on fuel on his trip from San Diego. "We don't have all kinds of money to bang," said Huddleson, who said he found out about the cancellation Tuesday. Doug Schellenger, who sells American Indian jewelry, custom-screened T-shirts and patriotic memorabilia, said he would lose a total of more than $10,000 if he is not able to sell his wares at Echo Basin. Like many bikers, he sees motorcycle events as expressions of basic freedoms. "The military give their lives so we can have a free country," Schellenger said. "Now these cracker-jack county commissioners think they can supersede that."

The rally's owner says bikers are coming regardless and are furious about the cancellation of the events. Huddleson said county officials would find that bikers will be coming regardless of their decisions. "The bikers don't really care, you know," Huddleson said. "They're going to come." Mario Frenette of Los Angeles said he hadn't heard about a problem with the rally until he arrived and planned to make the most of it. "I thought, what the heck, I will just make the best of it anyways and tour Colorado and maybe check out New Mexico," he said.

Bikers agreed that their events are no more dangerous or destructive than other events and called opposition to the rally an expression of discrimination. "The word discriminatory is with a capital 'D'," said Jeff Kraus, who said he planned his summer around filming the rally for South Bay Custom Cycles of Compton, Calif.

Dean Rogers of Tucson, Ariz., said, "I'm all pro-rally. I don't see what the problem is. Motorcyclists bring business to the area." Rally organizer Dan Bradshaw called the cancellation "discriminatory," he added, "it's illegal, it's immoral." He said his gathering would be treated differently if it were for a church group. Local leaders prepare Bradshaw said Montezuma County and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe had greatly increased the potential for trouble by shutting down his rally. "They've created a firestorm that I have no idea what will happen," Bradshaw said. "The tribe and county kicked 30 (thousand) to 70,000 bikers." Mancos town leaders said Tuesday they were ready for anything this Labor Day weekend as businesses, law enforcement and residents gird for an influx of motorcyclists whether or not Rally in the Rockies events are held.

Local government officials are bracing for the main body of bikers to arrive today and Thursday. "I feel like we've prepared as well as we can with the budget we have and the time we've had," said Town Board member Cindy Simpson after a 20-minute meeting on rally preparations. "And, hopefully, all will be well." The on-again, off-again twists in the rally's fate this year have left law-enforcement agencies expecting droves of bikers with no place to stay and no events to attend. "We're going to have 2,400 people with no place to sleep," said Joyce Humiston, owner of Valley Inn Nursing Home in Mancos and a rally supporter. Some residents speculated that bikers would camp in the woods. Sheriff Gerald Wallace said rally organizers had told him they plan to protest in the Cortez area. In Mancos, Marshal Bryan Jones said extra officers will be ready in case things get out of hand.

Town leaders said rumors had been flying. "There are people who are afraid, who think they need to leave town, lock up and get their guns out," Mancos Mayor Greg Rath said. "I don't think in my mind that anything will get out of control, but you never know." Rath said he had kept the Town Board officially neutral on the rally, preventing a vote in support or protest. Simpson expressed frustration over the rally. "I feel that people should not advertise events until they're sure they have permission," she said. "I'm not anti-motorcycle, I'm not anti-rally. I just think they should've done it right." Bradshaw said he would fight the county for damages over the canceled rally.

From: Jeffrey B. Krouse: President, Founder, South Bay Custom Cycles, LLC

Compton California

RE: Montezuma County Commissioners' Discriminatory Actions

Date: Reporeted in Jamnuary 2007

My name is Jeffrey Kraus. I am an ex UCLA film student, the producer, director of films, as well as a biker. My company was founded to document my crew’s Harley Davidson motorcycle trips (runs), traditional motorcycle gatherings (rallies) of motorcycle enthusiasts across the United States to preserve our traditions. This group consists of folks who love to ride their motorcycles as an expression of freedom, to get away from their stressful lives, and relax with friends in settings free from “big brother.” Contrary to expressions of the uninformed, we are not outlaws just because we wear leather or, have facial hair and tattoos – most of the folks who ride to these events make up the heart and soul of our country’s economy. Just look at the way Harley Davidson stock is performing, all the related jobs that the industry has spawned, and all the charities we diligently support.

Many riders are veterans or have served the public in law enforcement and as firefighters. The majority of us are honest to a fault, trustworthy and we’re about the last group I know of who’ll stop to help someone if they’re broken down on a highway just because that is our way. In August of 2006, after five months of careful planning, with the promoter’s and venue owners’ permission, I took a film crew of fifteen to document an “old school” motorcycle rally. It was to have been held in Montezuma County, Colorado on private property at Echo Basin Ranch – “Rally in the Rockies.” In recent history, Echo Basin Ranch has been the venue for such acts as Alabama, .38 Special, Tanya Tucker, Dan Fogelberg and Charlie Daniels, just to name a few. In April of 2006, the promoter and landowner had been told by Montezuma County Commissioner, Larrie Rule, and Montezuma County Sheriff, Gerald Wallace, that they would support the event. Although it had never been a requirement before and other events with similar attendance had been allowed without permits, the Montezuma County Commissioners requested a “High Impact Permit” be obtained by the principals for the event to be sanctioned. Everything had been done by the promoter and the landowner to comply with ALL of the requirements of this permit. However, mysteriously, the permit was denied and the Sheriff “sat on his hands” and failed to follow through with his promise to support the event.

With just thirty-six hours before the event was to begin and with tens of thousands of motorcyclists on the way, an injunction that had been filed by the Commissioners in late July was upheld by the Montezuma County Judge, Sharon Hansen. Several headline entertainers were already on their way (paid 50% in advance by the promoter) and, many vendors (small businesses) who sell their wares at these events had arrived early in the week to set up shops. Four days later, on Friday, September 1, 2006 at 5:16PM, the promoter was arrested and jailed on a dismissed warrant out of New Mexico to shut him up.

Three days earlier in a “private meeting” I sat in on, Montezuma County Sheriff, Gerald Wallace, could not get the promoter to admit (on his hidden tape recorder) that he was going to incite a violent riot in protest of his event’s illegal cancellation. So instead, he tried to silence the promoter by arresting him on a bogus warrant that had been previously dismissed so he could keep the vocal promoter incarcerated over the long weekend without a chance of his release until the following Tuesday. Thankfully, the promoter’s attorney was able to demonstrate that the warrant was not valid and the promoter was released the following morning. But it was too late. The damage was done. The Durango Herald’s headline about the promoter’s arrest had already been published! The promoter’s attorney was even contacted by law enforcement and told that the Colorado National Guard was on stand-by just in case!

There were riders who had been planning to attend this event coming from all over the USA and from as far away as Canada. I’ve been told that a group of servicemen, fresh from Iraq, who had been planning their vacation (after being in harm’s way), rode in from the East Coast nearly simultaneously as they went on leave only to arrive and find, that like the others, everyone who arrived at the venue was being turned away because of the injunction. Everyone had been cheated by puppet politicians and law enforcement. The actions of the local politicians and law enforcement were illegal and despicable. Furthermore, tens of thousands of motorcyclists lost out on the enjoyment of a Federal Holiday when the gathering was forced to shut down because of an injunction that was filed in such a way that there was not enough time for the promoter to get a stay from the Federal court in Denver.

To add insult to injury, the closure of this event prevented millions of motorcyclist’s dollars to be pumped into the most depressed economy in the state.

Because of the illegal cancellation / injunction, I saw an opportunity to try to salvage what I had planned. I kept a small film crew on hand to film the politics throughout the week and that weekend. What we have captured is a story that is hard to believe. I am three weeks away from releasing my film – “Showdown in Durango.” The footage and interviews I have are the makings of an incredible story about American taxpayers being discriminated against as a group and being denied their constitutional rights. It is difficult to imagine that in this day and age, these types of actions are happening. Along with the motorcycle community the American public should be told about what happened. They have a right to know.

I am seeking major media attention for this issue to ensure that ALL American citizens are allowed “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” as guaranteed in our Constitution. Feel free to contact me using any of the information listed below my signature if you are interested in what I have. I recommend that you access my company’s website for further information to back up my statements – especially my websites “Press” tab. The motorcycle community is “up in arms” over the diabolical actions of a few individuals who have discriminated against motorcyclists in a manner that is unforgivable. Additionally, these matters are going through the court system and the promoter, who was defamed, prevented from earning a living, and illegally jailed in the process, will not rest until his attorney and he have exhausted all available peaceful legal remedies and justice has been served.

Furthermore, if the people who shut down this event are not forced to accountability through the court system, a template will have been created so this recipe can be used elsewhere to shut other motorcycle events down.

Respectfully,

Jeffrey Kraus,

President, Founder

South Bay Custom Cycles, LLC

Producer / Director "Where The Bikers Go":Showdown In Durango" Part IV