Cops arrest organizer Canestri; Chief Dominguez stands to his right.
NEW HAVEN — The city’s industrial waterfront disappeared in a cloud of exhaust smoke and the sounds of revving engines and police sirens Saturday as thousands of motorcyclists from across the Northeast descended upon the Annex to participate in a controversial “canceled” event.
By the time the sun had set, police had arrested the event’s organizer on charges of inciting a riot, and officers cleared the streets.
That was the outcome — for now — of Saturday afternoon’s raucous, controversial, and “cancelled” EastCoastin 2021 motorcycle event.
Police estimated that roughly 5,000 people attended the event. Police wound up making two custodial arrests — including of the event’s organizer, Gabe Canestri, Jr. (See more below.)
The event began at around noon at the Hole in the Wall club on Forbes Avenue. At the start, it felt like a boisterous family reunion filled with Harley-Davidsons, hamburgers, leather jackets, lots of beer, and venders hawking souped-up sound systems and t‑shirts mocking the city’s attempts to “cancel” the gathering.
