Omaha Police refuse motorcade access to Patriot Guard Riders

from https://www.ketv.com Omaha police: Only law enforcement in Cpl. Page motorcade for safety reasons Patriot Guard Riders say they’ll follow behind motorcade. OMAHA, Neb. — Omaha police said it’s not safe to have hundreds of motorcycles on the route that will only be blocked off for the fallen Marine Cpl. Daegan Page and his family to pass. The Patriot Guard Riders said it’s their honor to pay tribute to Page and still plan to follow the motorcade. “I’m a bit flabbergasted with the decision. It really took me by surprise,” said Scott Knudsen, Nebraska State Captain, Patriot Guard Riders. Knudsen and other Patriot Guard Riders said they’ve never been denied a place in a military motorcade and asked Page’s father for permission to be part of Friday’s event. “We never go anywhere unless we are invited. We always seek out permission to achieve permission from appropriate people,” Knudsen said. But Omaha police asked all groups to stay out of the motorcade for safety reasons, disappointing Knudsen and hundreds of riders coming from Western Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa. “It’s really a shame that it has come to this, but we are in different times today. I don’t know all the details I’m certainly not blaming the Omaha Police Department or the sheriff’s department or anybody else,” Knudsen said. “We decided for safety sake and not tie up the intersection,” said Steve Lahrs, Director of American Legions Millard Post. Millard American Legion Riders were planning to join the escort to honor the fallen Marine until police asked them to stay parked on the sidelines. “They are short-staffed and short-manned and it would create too much of a havoc for the city of Omaha to have hundreds of bikers blocking intersections,” Lahrs said. In a statement to KETV, Omaha police said once again […]

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