The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“There were no real problems last time”
“If law enforcement knows we’re coming to your community and they don’t plan accordingly, shame on them.” Those are the words of Sonny Barger, founder and president of the Oakland chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, and author of several books on life in the HAMC.
Local law enforcement agencies up and down the Gunnison Valley are heeding Barger’s advice, preparing for the rumored summer arrival of the HAMC as part of the club’s 2010 USA run before gathering in Sturgis, South Dakota.
The club last came to Gunnison in 2002, headquartering at the Comfort Inn and even playing a softball game against a local Gunnison team. They stopped in Crested Butte at places like the Brick Oven, but overall their presence wasn’t over the top at the north end of the valley.
Crested Butte Chief Marshal Tom Martin said last time there were up to 50 HAMC members in their colors and partying in Crested Butte on the last day they were in town.
“We’re just following [Barger’s] advice,” Martin said, referring to the preparations under way for the club’s arrival. “Last time was pretty low-key.”
But Martin also said, “Our entire staff will work that event.”
“We were notified by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation back in December that they had info that they’d be coming,” said Gunnison Police Chief Keith Robinson. “After the first of the year we started seeing bookings at the hotels indicating that.”
Various Hells Angels chapters have started booking hotel rooms and inquiring about campgrounds in and around Gunnison for the week of July 27 through August 1.
According to Martin, there have been at least 100 reservations made so far.
That weekend is also the outdoor Arts Festival in Crested Butte, which is laid out like a mini-tent city up and down Elk Avenue. Martin said, if nothing else, that weekend would be busier than usual.
During the 2002 event, there were nearly 200 out-of-town uniformed officers, plus undercover and federal agents posted in dorms at Western State College and at the Crested Butte Hostel. The large police presence and approach was credited with keeping things under control. These efforts were so successful that local law enforcement doesn’t plan on changing its approach much this summer.
“Tentative planning is to follow what we did in 2002,” said Robinson. The approach in ‘02 was maintaining an obvious police presence to deal with situations that might occur, and prevent other incidents from happening in the first place. Robinson said there are an estimated 400 to 500 Hells Angels coming to town from all over the United States. “We’re not expecting any different outcomes,” this time around, Robinson said.
The plan is to bring in roughly 150 city, county and state officers to assist local law enforcement. The Gunnison Police Department will operate as the central agency during the event. “Our reservations indicate the main body [of Hells Angels] will be within city limits,” Robinson said. “Everyone will support the city and we’ll support everyone else.”
Gunnison County Sheriff Rick Murdie said he doesn’t expect many problems. “We don’t target these folks; we’re an equal opportunity [department],” Murdie explained. “There was no real problem last time.”
While the additional officers are in town, Robinson said, there is a mutual aid agreement where their respective agencies pay their salaries; Gunnison is responsible for covering expenses like food and accommodations.
The Crested Butte Marshal’s Office and Mt. Crested Butte Police Department will be working in congress with the Gunnison Police and Sheriff’s Department.
