New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
City warns against coming to biker rally
But organizers say it’s too late
NEW HAVEN — City officials urged people not to come to New Haven for the upcoming East Coastin’ motorcycle event Wednesday, saying the gathering was not properly permitted and police would be out in force to ward off the “chaos” that characterized last year’s iteration.
Organizers, though, said the ball already was in mo
tion; they said they would do what they could to keep the annual event contained and people safe.
Mayor Justin Elicker and Interim Chief Renee Dominguez, speaking at the Woodward Avenue police substation, said the city had sought to work with the organization as it sought a permit, then, after that failed, they told organizers repeatedly the event would not be tolerated this year.
“New Haven is a place where people deserve to feel safe; they deserve to have a high quality of life. And we are telling people: do not come to this event. Do not come to this event. Do not come to this event if you care about New Haven’s public safety,” said Elicker. “Do not come to this event if you respect our city. If you do decide to come to this event, we are prepared, and we will hold you accountable.”
Dominguez said the department was putting together a special detail to monitor the situation Saturday. Parking laws will be enforced, she said; those who break the law may be arrested.
The department also was in contact with state troopers and police from East Haven and West Haven, who will watch over the highways for large groups, she said.
About 10,000 people came to the city for last year’s event, causing disruption and “chaos” in the city, Dominguez said.
“It required police resources all over the city, taking away from resources that we needed for regular calls for service and 911 responses,” said Dominguez.
The city had strived to help the East Coastin’ organization complete the required documentation to receive a permit from the city, but the group ultimately did not fill out an application, Dominguez said.
“This is a non-permitted event. This is not sanctioned by the city,” said Dominguez. “If individuals are coming to the city ... they need to follow the rules we have set forth . ... We are asking that individuals who come respect the city, respect the neighbors and the residents.”
Elicker said the city had warned organizers against holding the event in 2020 as well, but they did so anyway. With that track record, it was hard for the city to work with them, he said.
“What’s wrong with you? We have so many challenges in this time,” said Elicker, noting the coronavirus pandemic, violence and economic stresses, among others.
The situation this year is particularly stressful for the department, given the recent passing of Officer Joshua Castellano, Dominguez said.
“It’s extremely frustrating. We had a conversation with the organizers on Monday, and we said our officers are grieving, our officers are hurting, our officers are dealing with a wake and a funeral Thursday and Friday — have some compassion,” said Dominguez. “Even trying to speak to the emotion has not worked.”
Gabe Canestri and Sal Fusco of East Coastin’, which they stressed was an affiliation of friends and not a formal motorcycle club, also attended the press gathering Wednesday. They said it was too late to keep people from coming to New Haven.
Prospective attendees already had booked hotel rooms, they said; even if they formally canceled the event, there would be some kind of gathering. They had warned people that they would bear risk if they came, they said.
Canestri and Fusco said they had been willing to jump through whatever hoops were necessary to get a permit for the event, but were unable to do so. Canestri blamed the bureaucratic process, saying they had been “shushed along” in their various efforts by the city, although the department had sought to work with them.
“I said I’m willing to go down whatever avenue you guys need me to go down — whatever the permits cost, let’s do this the right way,” said Canestri. “We want to make this a legitimate event.”
“We don’t want to make this chaos; we want to make this a good time. We want people to come down, have one day, we clean up, we do as much as we can to make the event go as smoothly as possible, and go home the next day,” said Fusco. “We tried to pull all the strings we can to do things the right way, and it just won’t happen. ... It’s just an unfortunate situation.”
“It is what it is at this point,” said Canestri. “The people that we deal with this are pretty true to this, so they’re coming to New Haven (whether) it’s high risk or not.”
The event had been unexpectedly large in 2020, Canestri and Fusco said. It was one of the first gatherings after the height of the coronavirus pandemic, they noted. Several thousand fewer people are expected this year, they said.
Dominguez also noted the pandemic as a potential factor in the size of the event, but noted it had grown in each of the past several years, prompting concern.
Canestri and Fusco said they would strive to keep the event to the organization’s property on Forbes Avenue this year, limiting the impact on the rest of the city. The event features motorcycle stunt riders, they said; people usually come to watch and hang out.
Businesses in the area had agreed to close during the gathering, they said, allowing for people to park off the street.
“We’re going to have it contained. We’ve had this event for five years; we’ve never really had an issue,” said Fusco. “People come, we have a good time, do motorcycle stunts in the back roads ... just come, have a good time, go home.”
Alder Carmen Rodriguez, D-6, expressed her displeasure after Canestri and Ferruci had finished offering remarks.
“We’re going to have citizens of New Haven worried about their safety on Saturday,” said Rodriguez. “Shame on these two young men.”