Jr. Patriot Report

by John Stumpner

One part of the ABATE of Wisconsin Junior Patriot program is that the Junior Patriot members have to be sponsored by a biker, in particular a member of ABATE of Wisconsin. And by biker, we mean someone that operates a motorcycle, a close friend or relative that rides with them, or someone that supports bikers’ rights and the biker lifestyle in general. So, the Junior Patriots are either living the biker lifestyle or has someone close to them that does. Junior Patriots know how respectful bikers are of others, especially non-bikers, and how generous bikers can be. One of the many ways bikers help is by holding Toy Runs in the late fall. At toy runs, bikers collect toys to be given to children who might not otherwise get any presents at Christmastime.

As much as we like riding and living the way we do, many non-bikers do not like motorcycles or the people that ride them. Some that dislike bikers include some of our elected representatives, law enforcement officers and members of the so-called “mainstream media.” News reporters may sometimes say that bikers do Toy Runs and other charity events to make up for all the criminal things they do. However, all these crimes bikers are committing are usually just the imagination of the news reporters.

Some of our elected representatives, while they don’t actively dislike bikers, will try to get laws passed that will be bad for bikers. To be fair, these representatives probably do not want to hurt bikers. These people though, are so committed to doing what they think is good, they don’t care who they hurt in the process.

Unfortunately, some members of the police and other law enforcement do actively dis-like bikers. This harassment has been going on as long as people have been riding motorcycles. While the police now rarely arrest bikers for no reason, some police do unfairly bother bikers that are just minding their own business. Police will sometimes unfairly stop and search bikers only because they were on a motorcycle or wearing motorcycle related clothing. Often, a police officer will closely follow a motorcycle in traffic, hoping to catch them, while not paying attention to the obvious traffic violations of the other cars.

When you see how some people unfairly view bikers, you start to see why organizations like ABATE of Wisconsin are so important. ABATE members try to present bikers in a positive way while staying true to our adventurous, fun-loving roots. ABATE leadership even will actively reach out to news reporters to make sure they are getting the true story about bikers. ABATE of Wisconsin works with our elected representatives and other government officials to make sure that good laws are passed that will not be bad for bikers. Finally, ABATE of Wisconsin and the various other biker’s rights groups are actively working to make sure that law enforcement officers are treating bikers fairly and not profiling or harassing them.

Merry Christmas and be sure to look for your own Junior Patriots newsletter coming to your mailbox in January.

John