For more than two decades, thousands of African American motorcyclists have traveled across the nation to South Carolina, to attend the Atlantic Beach Memorial Day Bikefest. On the last weekend in May every year, the low hum of customized choppers with high-handle bars and the high-pitched revs of neon-painted street bikes have sounded out on Ocean Boulevard.

The 2015 Bikefest, however, was different. Ocean Boulevard, a two-lane commercial strip running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean, was partially closed. Hundreds of police officers enforced a one-way traffic pattern that clogged streets for miles and forced motorcyclists to idle in gridlock for hours. Much to the dismay of riders, pedestrians walked faster than bikes.

Outside the Sandy Beach Oceanfront Resort, Sean Robinson watched the stop-and-go traffic from the seat of his parked 2008 Harley Davidson, his arms crossed. For the sixth consecutive year, he had traveled five hours from Richmond, Virginia, to attend Bikefest, which is known to most attendees as "Black Bike Week". He was upset with the way things had changed.

"I'll never come again," said Robinson, blasting Migos' hit song Hannah Montana from the stereo of his bike. He said his group of friends spent more than $20,000 on lodging for a week-long stay, with little return.

"We're spending a whole lot of money," he said. "You can't ride a Harley. You can't move. It used to be open and you could go both ways, sideways, everything."

An estimated 400,000 people were expected to travel to Myrtle Beach for the holiday weekend. But one week after nine people died in a white biker gang shootout in Waco, Texas, Myrtle Beach officials invoked public safety as they ramped up police presence and enacted their controversial traffic plan.

Last year, the vast majority of riders peacefully partook in Bikefest. But three people were shot to death and several others suffered gunshot wounds. South Carolina's governor, Nikki Haley, called for city officials to end Bikefest for good. Local officials decided to keep Bikefest going, albeit with some drastic changes.

"This isn't anyone's idea of a good time. Our staff has been working non-stop this weekend to try to keep everyone safe

Mark Kruea

Law enforcement officers from more than 40 agencies and three states traveled to Myrtle Beach. According to Mark Kruea, Myrtle Beach's public information officer, no shooting deaths occurred this year and only one person was injured in a shooting, at the Compass Cove Resort Hotel.