OFF THE WIRE
On Monday, August 29, 2011, Robert "Prospector" Boellner, State Legislative
Coordinator for ABATE of New York, Inc., met with a representative from the
New York State Attorney General's office to discuss the ongoing
motorcycle-only vehicle checkpoints.
You may recall that, since May 2008, ABATE has publicly expressed its
opposition to New York State's tactic of conducting highway roadblocks which
divert only motorcyclists from the state's roadways for the purpose of
conducting "safety checks".
Since motorcycles operated in New York State are already required to pass
annual safety inspections, the ongoing New York State Police initiative
serves only to harass, intimidate and inconvenience motorcyclists traveling
upon the state's roadways. Further, motorcycle-only roadblocks conducted in
the name of "safety checks" are a discriminatory and unconstitutional
infringement upon an individual's right to travel without interference, and
an abuse of discretionary power as acknowledged by the New York State Court
of Appeals.
The Office of the Attorney General was reportedly receptive to Prospector's
request of an investigation into the actions of the New York State Police,
and a reporting mechanism has now been implemented for direct complaints of
motorcyclist profiling.
If you, or anyone you know, has been a victim of motorcyclist profiling,
Prospector encourages you to call him at 518-239-4560 for assistance in
filing a complaint.
If you're as offended by these motorcycle-only roadblocks as the rest of us,
please follow through with Prospector to aid in our efforts to have this
practice stopped.
Ride on.
