Posts
736
Joined
1/24/2012
Location
Annapolis, MD, USA
Edited Date/Time
4/26/2013 8:13am
Interesting...
baltimoresun.com
Don't penalize city kids for riding dirt bikes
11:15 AM EDT, April 25, 2013
The latest attack on Baltimore City children of color, exacerbated by Del. Shawn Tarrant's bill aimed at dually penalizing our youth for riding recreational off-road vehicles — both through the courts and the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration — is a good example of why we need to fully dissect the hundreds of bills affecting the lives of area residents coming from Annapolis each year and challenge those officials who have shown that they don't have our best interests at heart ("Email address to report on illegal dirt bikes," April 18).
While I understand the nuisances these vehicles can bring average citizens when traveling on the roads and highways, I also understand the frustrations of our youth who are merely trying to project their energies into something positive and possibly financially beneficial in the future. And while we know that kids will be kids, the delegate's approach of penalizing these youth through not only the criminal justice system, but via the MVA by suspending their licenses before they ever obtaining the age of eligibility, is itself both criminal and unconstitutional — in my humble opinion.
This egregious bill mandates that my office target these offenders and mandates that I report such behaviors and convictions. And while I am obligated by my oath to do such, I don't believe these efforts protect the lives of the citizens of Baltimore but rather unfairly ruin the lives of young black children who are left without the options of recreation with the elimination of recreation centers and absolutely no outlet for their childish inhibitions.
While I have great respect for the new police commissioner and his preventive approach at eliminating the illegal usage of these vehicles, I believe his department should take it a step further in lobbying the city for a specified alternative destination where these children can take their vehicles and ride. Surrounding counties not only allow for the storage of the vehicles in their garages but also have designated tracks for these dirt bike riders to go and practice their craft.
So instead of trying to criminalize the childish behavior of our children, city officials would be better served by creating innovative outlets for these young folks to legally participate. We cannot keep penalizing children of color and expect them to advance in life when they are beginning adulthood with extensive criminal, and now vehicular, records due to the lack of compassion and forward-thinking policies of adult legislators who are elected to represent their interests.
Frank M. Conaway Sr., Baltimore
The writer is clerk of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City.
baltimoresun.com
Don't penalize city kids for riding dirt bikes
11:15 AM EDT, April 25, 2013
The latest attack on Baltimore City children of color, exacerbated by Del. Shawn Tarrant's bill aimed at dually penalizing our youth for riding recreational off-road vehicles — both through the courts and the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration — is a good example of why we need to fully dissect the hundreds of bills affecting the lives of area residents coming from Annapolis each year and challenge those officials who have shown that they don't have our best interests at heart ("Email address to report on illegal dirt bikes," April 18).
While I understand the nuisances these vehicles can bring average citizens when traveling on the roads and highways, I also understand the frustrations of our youth who are merely trying to project their energies into something positive and possibly financially beneficial in the future. And while we know that kids will be kids, the delegate's approach of penalizing these youth through not only the criminal justice system, but via the MVA by suspending their licenses before they ever obtaining the age of eligibility, is itself both criminal and unconstitutional — in my humble opinion.
This egregious bill mandates that my office target these offenders and mandates that I report such behaviors and convictions. And while I am obligated by my oath to do such, I don't believe these efforts protect the lives of the citizens of Baltimore but rather unfairly ruin the lives of young black children who are left without the options of recreation with the elimination of recreation centers and absolutely no outlet for their childish inhibitions.
While I have great respect for the new police commissioner and his preventive approach at eliminating the illegal usage of these vehicles, I believe his department should take it a step further in lobbying the city for a specified alternative destination where these children can take their vehicles and ride. Surrounding counties not only allow for the storage of the vehicles in their garages but also have designated tracks for these dirt bike riders to go and practice their craft.
So instead of trying to criminalize the childish behavior of our children, city officials would be better served by creating innovative outlets for these young folks to legally participate. We cannot keep penalizing children of color and expect them to advance in life when they are beginning adulthood with extensive criminal, and now vehicular, records due to the lack of compassion and forward-thinking policies of adult legislators who are elected to represent their interests.
Frank M. Conaway Sr., Baltimore
The writer is clerk of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City.
Why they dont load up their trucks and make the hour and half drive to budds creek is beyond me.
I guess its easier to make excuses than take action against criminals....
I am no lawyer here but two things come to mind.. #1, if they wanted to ride at a track, they would. Unless you are going to designate a public street so they can display their "talents", they won't show. #2, insurance.. duh. Nothing would be more rewarding as a tax payer to be shelling out tax dollars to insurance and inevitable law suits from accidents to guys parading on stolen motorcycles.
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Some don't have parents who have trucks or drive at all. I feel sorry for them.
If they want to ride on the streets fine, but when someone plows over one of them because they are riding a wheelie through a red light or stop sign, there should be legal and insurance coverage for the car/truck driver.
Budds creek is 73 miles away from baltimore, I live 60 miles from Milestone when i wanna ride i pack up my truck and drive to the track..... Its not rocket science.
Anybody defending this is truly off your rocker.
Absolutely false. Maryland's attitude towards OHV use is something like Goebbel's attitude was towards non-aryans. There is no county or state land open to OHV's within 130 miles of Baltimore, and at that we have roughly 4 miles of public trails along the WV border. Some private tracks exist but are several hours away.
Two schools of thought here. The riding in the streets is BS and needs to be stopped. These assholes are constantly causing traffic accidents and most of those bikes are stolen to boot. On the other hand though, there is nowhere reasonably close to ride your dirtbike in this state. Liberals have created this problem by closing virtually all public land to OHV use, suddenly they realize they've "disenfranchised" a minority group (big no-no) and now something needs to be done about it.
Pit Row
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/blog/2010/06/anger_over_dirt…
You are a F*cking idiot if you're defending these morons
Or how about the TV commercial for blackpeoplemeet.com (or something like that) who thinks I'd be called a racist for starting "whitepeoplemeet.com"?
That article is laced with inverse racism and falsehoods candy coated with ceative wording to persuade you to his point of view, which is wrong. Sure, there's a bigger underlying problem, but thugs riding dirt bikes ILLEGALLY on the street, and wrecklessly, isn't the solution.
Northwestern District commander says bikes "are terrorizing our city streets"
By Justin George, The Baltimore Sun
6:50 PM EDT, April 17, 2013
Police have taken a new step in their the battle to remove illegal dirt bikes and their freewheeling riders from the streets of Baltimore, creating an email address where residents can report the bikes anonymously.
"All the way around, it's a menace, and we have to take some action," said Maj. Johnny Delgado, the commander of the Northwestern District, who launched the initiative.
Riding dirt bikes in the city limits is against the law, as is storing them in a house or a shed with gasoline, police said. They are asking people to email dirtbikes@baltimorepolice.org if they have information on riders or where the bikes are stored.
In recent years, a growing number of teens and young adults have taken to riding dirt bikes through the city streets, popping wheelies and performing other tricks at high speeds that have caused fatal car accidents. Videos of the rides, where riders sometimes taunt police to chase them, can be found on YouTube.
This year, The New York Times featured several riders in an online pictorial called "Popping Wheelies in Charm City," and filmmaker Lotfy Nathan released a documentary entitled the "12 O'Clock Boys" that received attention at film festivals including the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.
Locally, dirt bike riders have been seen in Northwest Baltimore holding rallies and rides on an area of Reisterstown Road that abuts Druid Hill Park, Delgado said, where spectators can sit on a hill and watch.
"It's all over YouTube, and it's a danger to our city," said Lt. Craig Hartman, commander of the Baltimore police regional auto theft task force. "The way they ride is a danger to the public. I'll be honest, a lot of these riders are looking for attention. That's why they're on YouTube. … That's why they want police to chase them."
On Sunday, police responded to the 1600 block of N. Ellamont St., where they found a man lying in the middle of the street who had been shot, bleeding from his head to his knees. Police said the victim had been riding his dirt bike when someone wearing a white shirt shot him with a black handgun.
The state legislature also has addressed the issue of dirt bikes, passing a law this year sponsored by Del. Shawn Z. Tarrant, a Baltimore Democrat, that suspends driver's licenses for people caught driving illegal dirt bikes on highways.
Police estimate that almost 30 percent of seized dirt bikes are stolen. Police, prohibited from chasing the riders in high-speed pursuits, are concentrating on seizing the bikes. Police said dirt bikes seized will be impounded. Those legally owned with proper paperwork and registration would be returned to owners while bikes found to be stolen would be returned to their rightful owners or destroyed, police said.
Baltimore Sun reporter Erin Cox contributed to this article.
Nothing but crims and stolen bikes.
& Whoever decided to have "Chino" wheeliing at the MEC (Im looking at you Matt Cook) - bad idea.
Post a reply to: Baltimore clerk- help Wheelie Boyz ride