Trouble has a way of crashing the party

Red River may have cultivated an Old West image with wooden storefronts and quaint saloon names, but it didn’t bargain for a shootout just off Main Street.

But that’s what happened over Memorial Day weekend, when police say members of the Bandidos motorcycle gang exchanged gunfire with another group of bikers that left three dead and five injured. They were among thousands of visitors who packed into the small resort community for the 41st annual Red River Memorial Day Motorcycle Rally.

The violence was just another reminder there’s a fading sense of safety in New Mexico, particularly at large gatherings that draw an overwhelming number of well-intentioned people, but also a few who pack heat — and perhaps, hate.

The violence in Red River, which came despite substantial police presence, put an abrupt end to the festivities and thrust the Northern New Mexico community into the glare of national news media. It also altered the future of the event, which Red River Mayor Linda Calhoun said will no longer market to bikers.

That’s a far cry from this year’s pitch, which advertised the gathering online by saying “Get ready for the rumble as 28,000 bikers from all different backgrounds line Main Street for one crazy party.”

Calhoun said local officials had a heads-up that hundreds of Bandidos were coming from as far away as Texas, where members have been involved in past shootings.

But as the event evolved, possibly double the expected number rumbled in.

“Its our big kickoff to the summer season,” she said of the motorcycle rally, “and so everyone depends on that weekend because we just come off a very slow offseason from ski season.”

New Mexico State Police Chief Tim Johnson said 32 state officers had been assigned to Red River “from the get-go,” but more officers were added after the Texas Department of Public Safety informed his agency it had been following hundreds of Bandidos to the New Mexico state line.

Finger-pointing after a tragedy is the way of the world, so perhaps it’s no surprise there has been grumbling in Red River about how well the event was staffed, particularly by the Taos County Sheriff ’s Office. But therein lies the problem: If thousands of people are gathered in one place, how many cops are enough?

It’s a question that will be asked from now on, and not just at motorcycle rallies (there’s one scheduled for Las Vegas, N.M., in late July).

If they haven’t already, organizers of almost any outdoor event — and Santa Fe is loaded with them in the summer — must now reassess their security plans.

Which is a sad testament to our times. To be certain, the vast majority of people who rode into Red River were nonviolent motorcycle owners out to take a scenic springtime ride for food, music and two-wheeling camaraderie. Some made an annual stop at the nearby Vietnam Veterans National Memorial at Angel Fire.

They weren’t looking for trouble. But trouble has a way of crashing the party. And it often brings guns.

Longtime residents of Santa Fe can sympathize. Events surrounding our city’s annual Fiesta in the past were marred by violence and property damage, forcing changes designed to reduce the risks that come with big crowds of revelers. A man was shot and killed on the Plaza following the 1997 burning of Zozobra.

Now that popular September ritual is separated from Fiesta weekend, and the throng that gathers in Fort Marcy park is given little reason to jam into the Plaza afterward.

But with the knowledge there are some bad actors with guns out there who are willing to misuse them, safety will continue to keep cops and event organizers up at night.