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Born to Be Wild Outside Habana Outpost
A few sport bikers revved up as they passed by Habana Outpost Friday night, punctuating the collective chorus of bus brakes, loud Habana patrons and ice cream trucks.
New York - Mike Reicher (New York Times) - It appeared to be a mellow night compared to a recent one that one reader described as “incredibly loud and a total nuisance to anyone who lives nearby.” Another reader had said, “I see them revving their engines, riding on the left side of the double yellow, pulling wheelies, and I just don’t get it.”
Maybe Friday was calmer because the bikers couldn’t park their motorcycles in front of the restaurant: blue police barricades blocked the sidewalk on Fulton Street and on South Portland.
Maybe it was just an off-night, despite the balmy weather and crowds. Another reader wrote us that we might have been there the wrong night: Saturday “marked a new record for roaring engines, screeching tires, and related honking horns.”
One security guard who would only give his first name, Frank, explained that the Habana management has been trying to control the bikers for the past two months in response to complaints from neighbors. Without the barricades, he said, 10 to 15 of them would be parked in front.
But Frank couldn’t stop a pair of renegade bikers from moving the barricade and parking on South Portland. He asked them to leave; they resisted. Marisol Tineo, the restaurant manager, called the cops. She was visibly upset. “They’re very rude and very nasty,” she said.
About 20 minutes later, the police arrived, but by that time the bikers had finally cooperated and rode away.
We talked to several bikers, none of whom seemed to think the racket they bring to the neighborhood was a problem. Check them out on the video above. (Sorry about the rather obscure image quality — it gets dark at night — and the, uh, noise.)
One biker, Slash (not the guitar hero), said that his presence was good for business. “Having a bike parked in front of the establishment brings more customers,” he said.
A police department spokesman, Detective Martin Speechly, confirmed that the 88th Precinct has been working with the management at Habana to control its sometimes rowdy crowds, including the bikers. Earlier this month, the precinct’s commanding officer, Captain Anthony Tasso, met with Habana owner Sean Meenan, the detective said.
“We have sat down with the owner of the establishment and are addressing the issues,” Detective Speechly said. “These include writing summonses for illegal behavior, including parking motorcycles on the sidewalk.”
On Friday there were about four to six motorcycles parked elsewhere on the surrounding streets at any given time during the night, up until Habana closed at midnight.
Then, at the end of the night, Lieutenant Berger from the 88th Precinct came to make sure that the bikers were under control and that Ms. Tineo was satisfied by the police response from earlier. He seemed to be fond of Habana and had a good working relationship with Ms. Tineo. “They’re good over here,” he said. “They have no problems, besides the bikers.”
Source: The New York Times
This article contributed by editor on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 (01:28:20)
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