ABATE is YOU

As we move to the end of the summer months, I am already wondering if 2020 is just a bad dream I haven’t woken up from yet. A pandemic, a new civil rights movement, a rise in motorcycle fatalities, and municipalities looking to defund police departments are all in my face all of the time. As I look at all the issues of the day, I try to remain focused and positive about what fits into the mission statement of ABATE of WI, what needs direct action and what members must think if we wait too long to take action on others. Earlier in the year we started to focus our marketing on the slogan “ABATE is You” and I truly believe that our members should help focus the organization’s direction. So, we should all be asking ourselves “what issues are really important to me?”. Without being divisive or partisan, I’d like to offer some food for thought on what issues are important to me, as a citizen and a biker.

The first, and possibly the most important issue on my plate, is the rise in motorcyclist fatalities. We have an approximate 30% increase in motorcyclist fatalities as of the end of July. I’d like to say that many are right of way violations and we are already working hard to curb them, but the pandemic is limiting our awareness efforts and because of that, fatalities have unfortunately risen. But that’s really not the case. Most fatalities this year have been due to riders driving too fast for their abilities or that drinking has been involved. Add that to things we can’t gauge but can assume, like more people having time to ride and are putting miles on since they can’t go into work, and the numbers make a little sense. Either way, and no matter how unfortunate, we are killing ourselves. If there was ever a time to reach out and speak up when meeting other riders, it is now. Mentor a new rider, share a ride with someone just getting back on two wheels, speak up and offer help to someone who’s had too much to drink before the government starts to make those decisions for us. We can all do something to curb the increase in fatalities and there is no reason to wait any longer. You can make a difference.

Speaking of fatalities and right of way violations, just because we passed laws, fixed laws, and passed some more laws to make drivers responsible for actions that lead to motorcyclists fatalities doesn’t mean law enforcement, district attorneys, and judges are listening. And if they’re not listening, how can we expect motorists to change their behavior? There have been several instances throughout the state where enhanced penalties that we’ve fought for haven’t been enforced. It’s up to all of us to communicate and speak up when we see this happen. If we have to sit in every courtroom, write to every DA, meet with every police chief, we should and will. We’ve done it before, and we’ll do it again. But we can’t fix what we can’t see, so members have to communicate to regional leadership when they see things going wrong. We are all in this together, please be ready to take action.

Defund the police. I can’t say that I’m always a fan of law enforcement, but I can’t see a world without someone to enforce the laws that protect us. In our urban areas – in which I live, motorcyclists already have to be extra cautious because law enforcement can’t just enforce traffic laws with the assumed reasoning that there is already a lack of staff to handle more serious crimes and everyone knows it. Speeding, reckless driving, failure to obey traffic signals are all too common on my commutes. We can write and pass all the laws we want to protect bikers, but if there is no one to enforce them we are all in trouble. Milwaukee’s no pursuit policies led to a rash of motorcycle and pedestrian injuries and fatalities. Is that really what we want throughout the state? I’ve always thought that every government agency needs to justify their budgets and be responsible with regards to their constituents and I think a better solution than “defund the police” is needed.

I said last month that I would touch on the divisive issue of civil rights. I will not say that there has not been a need to open up discussion on this issue for some time throughout America, but what seems to be missing to me is the fact that civil rights violations aren’t limited to just one race, ethnicity, or group. As bikers we have been quietly, maybe too quietly, dealing with these issues for some time. My first recollection of profiling happened when I attended the 25th anniversary of a run for an Outlaws MC member that was killed by the Milwaukee police department in 1977. As I parked my bike along with hundreds of other civilian bikers and club members, law enforcement walked behind all our bikes videotaping our license plates and taking pictures of us. There was no riot, no drinking going on, nothing illegal at all. Just bikers getting together to remember a fallen brother. Since then, I’ve experienced this too many times to count at club functions but have never been stopped or detained, although maybe because of an abundance of precaution on my part, so I never looked to take further action. In Wisconsin we continue to compile a pattern of evidence to bring to our legislators in order to stop this kind of behavior from law enforcement. Other states don’t have a larger need to speak up and in the last decade I’ve seen and known bikers that have been detained, arrested, and even murdered without just cause. Just a Google search of Waco biker incident should be enough for all of us to recognize this. Waco was a Confederation of Clubs meeting, just like an ABATE meeting, that brought civilian bikers and club members to that fatal location. It wasn’t part of mainstream news, there were no major protests, and in the end, there were no convictions. But bikers were killed for being bikers and that shouldn’t and can’t happen again without us speaking up. Every American is entitled to their civil rights and liberties, and everyone needs to defend them.

My final politically incorrect topic is about dealing with the current state of the COVID 19 pandemic. ABATE of WI, as an organization, has been responsible in dealing with the rules and suggestions set forth by the government. We cancelled meetings and fundraisers including our premier event “The Summer Hummer”. Many awareness rallies were cancelled or delayed. We should be respecting social distancing rules whenever relevant. We should be respecting every member’s decision on how they choose to deal with this issue. Although I don’t know any member that doesn’t believe this virus is very real and very serious, I do know many that choose to deal with their fears or lack of fears about it differently. We will not be closing the gate at the land we all own, ABATE Acres, nor will we be initiating any special rules or requirements to utilizing your land if you so choose. The only rule that applies is to continue to show respect to your brothers and sisters. With that in mind, our land will be open for camping throughout Labor Day, free for our members to use.

My favorite ABATE t-shirt, and the one that gets the most comments, says “I Love My Country – It’s My Government I Fear”. I’ve spent a lot of time disseminating statistics, attending meetings with various agencies, and of course lobbying politicians to know that without eternal vigilance we will never be free. The odds are often stacked against us when government agencies use false or inflated statistics or even stereotypes against us to sway opinion in the eyes of the general public. The mainstream media is often of no help either. Changing the perception of bikers to both legislators and the average citizen should be priority #1 to all of us. Without drivers recognizing us on the road, without law enforcement recognizing us as responsible citizens, and without being allowed to deal with things that affect us as adults how we so choose, our lifestyle and our freedoms will be gone. ABATE is You. Every biker should know it and be a part of the solutions to the issues that affect us. There has never been a more important time to be an ABATE member or a better time to ask a friend to join you.

Until next month…Ride Free

    Chubby