Here's a recap of events which transpired during the first weekend of the annual spring Sparks America Bike Rally in Sparks, OK, which was plagued, for the first time in its history, by Police Roadblocks stopping and profiling Motorcyclists and trikers, specifically those attending the event, while allowing cars and trucks to proceed. While I was at work Friday night, I kept getting calls from Rev. Mike Bass (our Oklahoma Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (AIM) Rep) about Police Roadblocks being set up by the City of Meeker PD, Sac and Fox Nation Tribal Police, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, to target bikers attending Sparks America. I called the AIM attorneys office out in California, as well as Holly Hefton, our ABATE Legal Advisor here in OKC. Joey Lester advised me to make sure we were handing out Anti-Discrimination forms to those who were being profiled. After hearing about what was going on, I knew I was going to have my work cut out for me that weekend. What's ironic here is, I look forward to events like Sparks precisely to forget about any “business” for awhile and just kick back. I guess Eternal Vigilance being the Price of Liberty includes staying vigilant during the whole Bike Run, too!
In the middle of things on Saturday, Tony Ward, the terrific guy who runs the show, wanted me to say a few words. Now, those who know Tony are aware that he's quite the MC and owns the stage! So, I dragged myself down there and said a few words about what ABATE and the OK Confederation Of Clubs do for Bikers' Rights and what our game plan was going to be for reacting to unacceptable situations like these roadblocks, which might be legal by definition, but certainly aren't right! Ultimately, Tony passed the hat around to raise money to support ABATE, and we ended up with a sizeable contribution–that completely floored me, as I certainly wasn't expecting to get involved in that kind of business over the weekend! Cops causing an ABATE Fundraiser–who'd have thunk it? Tony got together with Roach and myself, and we started mapping out strategy for how to react to this BS. Believe me,Tony was definitely ticked off, since he lost literally thousands of dollars in revenue from folks not attending his event after hearing of the roadblocks. Tony feels a number of riders who were victimized might have cell-phoned their friends, and would-be attendees decided to stay away. It seemed to me that the first weekend's crowd was kinda light, and I'm sure the roadblocks influenced decisions to head home.
I got off work at Tinker AFB on Monday afternoon early, after whining to my Boss about how I needed to be somewhere important. That was because Rev. Mike, our AIM Rep for Oklahoma, called me to say that a bunch of riders were leaving out of Sparks America for the Meeker City Hall to attend the scheduled City Council Meeting at 6:15PM. So, I headed from Tinker directly to the City Hall on Hwy. 62, and the street and parking lot around the building were full of bikes! I parked and went into the meeting room, which was packed with well over a hundred folks–it was standing room only! I was accompanied by Holly Hefton, an attorney and ABATE's Legal Advisor, who was able to attend after a busy day of meeting with clients. There were also a LOT of police present as well, from Meeker PD, SAC and Fox Tribal Police and Lincoln County Sheriff's Dept. A number of Oklahoma Confederation Of Clubs members were also present, including Confederation Co-Chair Grumpy and myself as Liaison. During the Public Hearing portion of the meeting, it was great to see so many of our Riding Community standing up to passionately defend their Rights, with Tony Ward leading the charge! I stood up to say a few words as well, specifically to make the point that Motorcyclists as a group represent the finest citizens America can produce, with a larger percentage involved in serving their Country, paying their taxes, and taking an active role in Government compared to other groups. Over thirty people made their feelings known during that portion of the meeting, unanimously Pro-Biker! A news crew from News Channel Four in Oklahoma City, including Cherokee Ballard, one of OKC's better-known reporters, also attended, and filmed part of the meeting after interviewing several of the riders present, including Tony Ward. On her way out, she let us know that an account of the event would be included in Monday's edition of the 10 O'clock News.
All in all, the motorcyclists and trikers who attended gave a good accounting of themselves, and we all have much to be proud of regarding our Oklahoma Riding Family's defense of Freedom this week. The Chairman of the City Council stated, after hearing everyone out, that a decision on the matter wouldn't be made that evening, because the issue was added on at the last-minute to the agenda. However, he assured us that our words didn't fall on deaf ears, and that the Council would definitely take our statements to heart. That said, I'll withhold my judgment until I see positive actions accomplished to support the City of Meeker's expressed genuine desire to fix this unacceptable situation.
Talking with members of Law Enforcement afterward, I heard them remark about how what they were doing was legal and that they were only doing “their job.” However, that sure doesn't make it right in my opinion–it's as unjust to profile an individual for riding a bike as it is for wearing a Badge! We SHOULD all be able to get along, since being Free Americans is what we're all about, so we have a common interest! Bikers aren't looking for special treatment–we're looking for EQUAL treatment under the Law. ABATE and the Oklahoma Confederation Of Clubs have long advocated the passage of Equal Access Legislation, which, in eliminating Anti-Biker Discrimination, would target these very types of profiling roadblocks, among other issues. If we're able to successfully get this type of law passed in our state, I'd look to the incidents at Sparks America this past weekend, and to yesterday's City Council Meeting, as the springboard which headed us down that path. I'll update folks of the results of the Council Meeting, which hopefully will include a positive decision on behalf of us Bikers and Sparks America
Yours in Freedom,
–Tiger Mike Revere
State Coordinator, ABATE of Oklahoma, Inc.
Liaison, Oklahoma Confederation Of Clubs
“Ohhhhh–the Biker and the Lawman should be Friends;Oh, the Biker and the Lawman should be Friends; Some Cops will profile a Bike; Biker Roadblocks some dislike–but that's no reason why we can't be Friends!”
–From the musical “Oklahoma” (Paraphrased)
