Mongols rent out Palm Springs hotel for annual retreat

A motorcycle club, known for violence and drug trafficking, is in Palm Springs this weekend for its annual retreat.

Hundreds of members of the Mongol Motorcycle Club are staying at the Hilton Hotel downtown.

This is the fifth year the Mongols have made a trip to the Coachella Valley, bringing between 300 to 500 members to the desert.

Hotel management said Friday the club has rented out the entire Hilton property.

Palm Springs Police said the department would step up its patrols of the area during the weekend with other law enforcement agencies assisting.

“We have a significant law enforcement presence for this event,” said Palm Springs Police Department spokesman, Lt. Paul Abshire. “When motorcycle gangs come into town one of the things we worry about is weapons. A lot of them carry weapons,” Abshire said.

KESQ News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2’s Alex Cheney spoke to a member of the Vagos Motorcycle Club, a rival to the Mongols, also in the Coachella Valley this weekend.

“The Mongols likes it out here, I’m not sure you know,” a member named ‘Reno’ of the Desert Empire Vagos said. “The Desert Empire is our area. They like to come here because it’s a resort town,” said ‘Reno.’

A sudden surge of bikers has some residents confused.

“I notice when they’re in town, a customer will ask me, you know, what’s going on with all the bikers,” said Howard Tillman, manager of Hats Unlimited. “They’ll ask, ‘Is this normal? Is it like this all the time?’,” Tillman added.

While not only staying in local hotels, the Mongols spend money in local shops and restaurants.

‘Reno’ said, “We’ve been told several times that the businesses tell us, ‘You guys come in. You spend money. You’re respectful. We don’t have any problems with you.’ I don’t understand why the police always have to come harass you,” ‘Reno’ added.

One tourist says the biker group’s presence isn’t a problem for her.

“It’s kind of like when Comic Con is in town,” said Stacy who’s visiting from Seattle. “There are a bunch of nerds in the hotel. Does that bother people? Probably on some level it might,” Stacy added.

Motorcycle riders believe their impact is misunderstood.

“As people in large, we fear the unknown,” said ‘Reno.’ “So it takes a minute to sit down and talk to someone and understand that they’re not here to bother them. They’re just here to have fun,” ‘Reno’ added.

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