Myrtle Beach is really, really trying to crack down on the three motorcycle rallies that occur every year. As such, the city’s attorney has just proposed a giant set of laws that would mandate all sorts of onerous policies on Myrtle Beaches residents and businesses.
You can read all of the legalese at the city’s website: http://www.cityofmyrtlebeach.com/PDF%20Forms/Rally%20Options%20–%20DRAFT.pdf (Yes, I know they had to use spaces in all of their files, but that’s local government for you.)
As a way of quickly “disposing” all of the infractions that these laws will now create, the city has created the position of Administrative Hearing Officer. This officer, who will be chosen by a city administrator and is not publicly accountable, has full sway over all sorts of what are now called nuisance laws.
But basically, the judge can do whatever he or she wants. Rules on hearsay? Gone. Rules on evidence? Don’t need them. Basically, these administrative hearings are going to be the word of the police vs the word of an out-of-town biker. I can really see how this is going to serve justice. Completely.
But just in case you didn’t think that the City of Myrtle Beach came up with such a brilliant idea by itself, look at page 15, line 616:
2. Nothing in this Chapter shall affect the jurisdiction of any City Board, Commission or
Board established by the Code of the City of Des Plaines. Emphasis added
So Myrtle Beach cribbed this administrative judge thing from Des Plaines, Illinois. Some facts about Des Plaines:
- This was the city where John Wayne Gacy was discovered and captured.
- The McDonalds Museum is here.
- The two largest ethnic groups in Des Plaines are the Germans and the Poles. It may be this fact that lead Des Plaines to the establishment of an administrative hearing officer. Once you get those two groups next to each other… well I don’t have to tell you the rest of the story
So the whole idea of Myrtle Beach is to ordinance the bike rallies to death. Given the legal culture of the US, this was inevitably going to happen. But of course, it’s not the fine establishments that will bear the brunt of these laws and regulations, it will be the convenience stores, small hotels and bars that will be targeted. And motorcycles. Don’t forget motorcycles. Because despite all of the rules on motor vehicles in these laws, I bet no more than one or two cars get cited for any of these rules. Remember, this is meant to get those no-good, dirty out-of-towners away from MB so it can be a “family-friendly” tourist area. These laws will NOT be enforced against locals if the police can help it.
The Highwayman 