EXCLUSIVE: 'This is America, you can't tell us what to do!' More than 300,000 maskless leather-clad bikers flex their defiance - and muscles - on Daytona Beach over Biden's national mask mandate
More than 300,000 bikers rolled into Daytona Beach this week with a defiant message for President Joe Biden and his national mask mandate: 'This is America, you can't tell us what to do.'
The famed Spring Break mecca pushed ahead with its 80th annual Bike Week despite fears it could spawn a Covid-19 superspreader event.
Virtually nobody wore a mask or practiced social distancing as tattooed revelers packed into bars to sing along to REO Speedwagon covers and kick back with $3 beers.
'I refuse to mask. Joe Biden ain't gonna tell me what to do. I have a constitutional right to do whatever the hell I want,' laughed biker John Saxon, 52.
Tens of thousands of bikers rolled into Daytona Beach, Florida, this week for the 80th annual Bike Week
The bikers had a defiant message for President Joe Biden and his national mask mandate: 'This is America, you can't tell us what to do', as one biker is seen flying a 'F*ck Biden' sign
Many bikers were seen maskless and appearing without a care in the world as fears mount that Bike Week could become a large superspreader event
Ashley Martinez, (left) a 27 -year-old erotic dancer from Miami, was happy to put a mask on while indoors. But 52-year-old John Saxon (right) said 'I refuse to mask. Joe Biden ain't gonna tell me what to do. I have a constitutional right to do whatever the hell I want'
Hundreds of bikers and motorcycle enthusiasts descended on Daytona Beach, Florida for the 80th annual Bike Week this week
Saxon wore a stars and stripes bandana, Confederate-themed sleeveless shirt and had a badge on his black leather vest listing his vocation as 'sex instructor: first lesson is free'.
In fact, his day job is working in a power plant in Biloxi, Mississippi and he rides 550 miles east every year to Daytona Beach to 'get drunk and meet nice women.'
A lingering pandemic and a recent surge in mutated UK and Brazilian Covid cases in Florida was never going to deter him or his biker brethren.
'I don't believe in all that virus bullsh*t. I've had a friend who's had it three or four times,' Saxon insisted. 'And if anyone should be worried about the virus, it's me - I don't have a spleen.'
David Seibert, a 24-year-old mechanic from Pittsburgh, was similarly dismissive of catching Covid.
He rode to Daytona Beach for cruising and camaraderie, not to be 'lectured' over a disease he reckons is no more dangerous than the common cold.
'if I was going to get it, I would have had it by now. I don't believe in masks, I'm yet to even wear one. If I walk into a gas station and they ask me to put one on, I just walk straight out of there,' Seibert said.
That was exactly the sort of attitude that Joe Biden condemned last week as 'Neanderthal thinking' as he attacked states for rolling back Covid restrictions.
The President has vowed to work with governors and mayors to introduce a national mask mandate to help stem the spread.
But judging by the large black banner flying from the back of Seibert's customized Harley he didn't care too much for the Commander-in-chief's advice. It read: 'Fu*k Biden and Fu*k You For Voting for him'.
Louie Louizes, 51, owns the Ocean Avenue Gallery and sells commemorative t-shirts, masks and other trinkets in Daytona Beach. One of his top selling masks reads, 'This Mask is as useless as Joe Biden'
There was little love for Biden but the crowds roared with approval when a 'Trump Unity' bus covered in banners reading 'Stop the Steal' and 'Honk if you love Trump' lapped the block
A bikini clad women poses on a motorcycle on Main Street during Bike Week in Daytona Beach, Florida on Tuesday, March 9
The Terrace on Main Street welcomes bike week bikers with a special offer of $3 Miller Lite, Coors Light and Yuengling in Daytona Beach
Zoldan (left) owns and sells shirts at the Daytona Shirt Shop. 'Four, for $20, best deal in town!' he said. Vanilla Dawn, 43, (right) from Reno, Nevada, is a rally bartender at The Crusin' Cafe on Main Street in Daytona Beach during Bike Week
A biker wearing an American flag shirt with an explicit message on the back rides his motorcycle without a care in the world
An ambulance was seen towing a trailer with the Trump Unity Bridge and the former President's slogan 'Make America Great Again.' Over a megaphone they project 'Trump, the greatest President ever!'
'The flag has got me an insane amount of attention but people love it, they love the message, bikers love their freedom,' Seibert added, straining to be heard over a deafening backdrop of revving engines.
Daytona Bike Week began decades ago when rival gangs would invade the coastal Florida resort to drink and brawl during Spring Break.
Best sellers among the bustling stalls and stores this year include t-shirts saying 'Bikers Lives Matter' and 'I survived Corona Bike Week'. A 'Sons of Trump' shirt is seen
City authorities eventually decided in the 1980s to turn it into an organized, cleaned-up event that soon became a major money-spinner for the local economy, worth as much as $75million every year.
Official events include races, concerts and bike exhibitions at the Daytona International Speedway. Then there's the dozens of unofficial events from parties and cookouts to karaoke and 'midget wrestling.'
It's estimated that 300,000 to 400,000 people will descend on the city this year, down from the 500,000 yearly figure but still a huge boost for the Covid-ravaged tourism scene.
The influx has provoked comparisons with last August's Sturgis Motorcycle rally in South Dakota that drew 450,000 bikers and led to an estimated 266,000 Covid infections across the US, according to one study.
The Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, which runs Bike Week on behalf of the city, brushed aside those concerns, saying an array of Covid-busting measures would rule out any repeat.
These include spacing events out across a far larger area and striking a deal with local venues to reduce indoor capacity to 60 percent in return for issuing permits for outdoors drinking and entertainment.
'The numbers aren't quite what we are used to but it's a healthier event,' said Janet Kersey, the chamber's executive vice president.
'Before it tended to be people sat inside bars listening to bands but this year we are seeing a lot of people enjoying the sunshine, riding around, walking around the town.
'The bars have moved the majority of the entertainment outdoors. There are safety plans on top of that as well as signage and messaging, stay safe, wear a mask, stay six feet apart.
'As a tourist destination we've lived with Covid for a year now so a lot of these cleaning and safety protocols were already in place.'
Gift shops and small vendors along the main Daytona Beach drag told DailyMail.com they relied on bike week for at least a third of their annual revenue
Biker David Seibert, 24, a mechanic from Pittsburgh, flies a flag behind his motorcycle that reads "Fu*k Joe Biden and Fu*k you for voting for him!"
Scantly clad women walk down Main Street in Daytona Beach posing for pictures for tips. 'People are just ready to be out there with other people. Everyone is happy and excited to be around each other with no masks, no distancing. Social distancing has been hard on the world,' one local told DailyMail.com
A live band plays to a crowd in the parking lot of The Full Moon salon. 'We took a beating last year. We were shut down for three months. We missed all of Spring Break, that's 40 percent of our business,' said Louie Louizes, 51, who has owned the Ocean Ave Gallery since 1989
A local vendor said, 'But I will tell you this: bikers don't give a fu*k about Covid and they don't give a fu*k what you think. They are free, it's their style and I feel the same'
It's estimated that 300,000 to 400,000 people will descend on the city this year, down from the 500,000 yearly figure but still a huge boost for the Covid-ravaged tourism scene
Cruisin' Cafe has Go-Go dancers outside and a packed house inside with very few people seen in masks during Bike Week 2021
Street vendors are seen selling food to maskless customers on Main Street during Bike Week. The state has permitted restaurants and bars to operate at full capacity since September
The City of Daytona Beach adopted a resolution in June 2020 requiring everyone to wear face coverings inside businesses in line with CDC guidelines.
It's still in place but Kersey explained that an executive order signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis rendered it moot by preventing local authorities from enforcing mask mandates or fining anyone.
The state has permitted restaurants and bars to operate at full capacity since September.
'The governor has declared Florida for business. The vaccines are rolling out, we are seeing the numbers decline, and if people are concerned about the event, it's ok not to come,' Kersey said.
'We are not trying to make light of Covid or what people have gone through by any means. But a lot of businesses here have already closed, people are unemployed, they can't pay rent, they can't feed their children.
'The lines at the food banks are extraordinary. Our tourism industry has been devastated and this is the first real revenue they've seen.'
Gift shops and small vendors along the main Daytona Beach drag told DailyMail.com they relied on bike week for at least a third of their annual revenue.
Best sellers among the bustling stalls and stores this year include t-shirts saying 'Bikers Lives Matter' and 'I survived Corona Bike Week'.
Face coverings emblazoned with 'This mask is useless Joe Biden' have similarly gone down a storm.
Protocols were put in place including spacing events out across a far larger area and striking a deal with local venues to reduce indoor capacity to 60 percent in return for issuing permits for outdoors drinking and entertainment
Bikers got creative with their costumes, with one enthusiast outfitting his cruiser with clown faces as he wears a clown mask
As the afternoon wore on Wednesday, revelers funneled into Main Street for outdoor gigs, discount beer and photo opportunities with scantily clad biker girls
'We took a beating last year. We were shut down for three months. We missed all of Spring Break, that's 40 percent of our business,' said Louie Louizes, 51, who has owned the Ocean Ave Gallery since 1989.
'It's quieter this year, more spread out, but it's been good for the economy. I don't enforce the mask rule because I don't want to be a hypocrite, I often don't wear mine.'
Signs at the entrance to Dirty Harry's Pub urging customers to 'wash up, back up, mask up' were almost universally ignored by customers. A bank of hand sanitizers by the entrance was barely touched
As the afternoon wore on Wednesday, revelers funneled into Main Street for outdoor gigs, discount beer and photo opportunities with scantily clad biker girls.
There was little love for Biden but the crowds roared with approval when a 'Trump Unity' bus covered in banners reading 'Stop the Steal' and 'Honk if you love Trump' lapped the block.
Signs at the entrance to Dirty Harry's Pub urging customers to 'wash up, back up, mask up' were almost universally ignored by customers. A bank of hand sanitizers by the entrance was barely touched.
It was a similar story at Main Street Station where maskless revelers crowded around the stage to cheer on a blonde in military garb who waved an American flag to Lee Greenwood's 'God Bless the USA'.
Not everyone, however, was comfortable with the diminished personal space and lack of masks.
'I wear mine, I protect myself. It's a little bad that people don't care,' said Tali Matteo Morales, 43, who rode for 17 hours, stopping only to refuel, to get from Reading, Pennsylvania to Florida.
He was joined by his wife Mary Ortiz, 40, and a group of friends who all had on face coverings.
'I've had the vaccine but I still want to feel protected. But to each their own, it's their lives,' added Ortiz.
Others like Ashley Martinez, a 27-year-old erotic dancer from Miami, were happy to put them on while indoors.
'Covid is real, you just have to keep your distance. Everyone here is friendly and down to earth but there should be social distancing, definitely,' said Martinez, who lost her dancing gig during lockdown.
Florida's Health Department recorded 4,853 new Covid cases Wednesday bringing the total number of infections since the pandemic began to 1,957,586.
There were 59 new deaths, taking the number of Floridians who succumbed to the virus to 31,889, of which 683 were from Volusia County, where Daytona Beach is located.
DailyMail.com joined the rally as photos show leather-clad motorcyclists from every state in the nation cruising down Main Street for a raucous week-long party
Cruisin' Cafe has Go-Go dancers outside and a packed house inside during Bike Week 2021
None of that worried Vanilla Dawn, 43, who works over at the iconic Cruisin Cafe, where every table is dedicated to Daytona 500 Winner.
'People are just ready to be out there with other people. Everyone is happy and excited to be around each other with no masks, no distancing. Social distancing has been hard on the world,' she told DailyMail.com.
Local businessman Zoldan, who preferred to not give his full name, has been running the Daytona Shirt Shop for the past 30 years, offering 'four for $20 on t-shirts, the best deal in town.'
If there's one things he knows, it's bikers, he told DailyMail.com.
'You know how it goes, I say one thing I offend some people, I say the opposite, I offend some other people,' he said with a shrug.
'But I will tell you this: bikers don't give a fu*k about Covid and they don't give a fu*k what you think. They are free, it's their style and I feel the same.'
Freedom is what America is all about. Freedom for AMERICANS.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately there is a price for freedom this is not a war were were in foreign lands this is a war in our own backyard with a virus you can't see can't shoot it with a gun the only no kill it is a dead person that it attacks or perhaps of vaccine that attacks the covid it's up to you be free if you want I'm older and I want to stay alive for a little bit longer so I stay in place I wear a mask I got my shots today God bless you if you're following the Donald cuz you're going to need all the help you can get maybe you guys should get some bail money together for him he's in some big do do you know
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