Community Corner

Chop Shop Owner 'Convicted, Sentenced Without Due Process'

The business' owner is hoping organizers of Saturday's Hampton Christmas Parade will reconsider their decision to block his business from participating.

The owner of a local bar is still holding out hope that organizers of Saturday's Hampton Christmas Parade will reconsider their decision to block his business from participating.

Bill Niland, owner of the Chop Shop Pub in Seabrook, has released a string of e-mails between himself and Experience Hampton Inc. President John Nyhan as Niland and supporters of his biker bar continue to try and rally support for their inclusion in the parade.

Niland expresses frustration in his e-mails for not being included in what Nyhan described as multiple lengthy Experience Hampton board discussions about the safety issues that caused the group to reject the Chop Shop's request for a float and motorcycle riders in the parade.

"Sir, I have been convicted and sentenced without due process," claims Niland in the e-mails.

Hampton has been cautious and has closely considered safety issues in recent years after a young boy was killed during a Portsmouth parade after falling from a float. 

The Hampton parade was suspended for multiple years following that death, and a small controversy broke out before last year's parade after Santa and Mrs. Claus were informed they were no longer allowed to ride atop the Hampton Fire Department ladder truck due to safety concerns.

One of the safety issues that caused Experience Hampton to reject the Chop Shop's request this year — but not block the business for submitting a participant request in 2014 — involved an "overzealous individual not connected with The Chop Shop [who] did a momentary spin of his wheel" three years ago, according to Niland.

Niland said that biker was "reprimanded on the spot and was asked to leave" the business' caravan "at the end of the parade."

"Other than that isolated incident I am baffled as to what issued you may be referring to," said Niland, who has claimed his motorcyclists are being discriminated against, in an e-mail to Nyhan.

Patch couldn't reach Nyhan for comment, although Experience Hampton has released a statement about the decision to bar the Chop Shop from inclusion this year.


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