2014 Motorcycle Rider Unification Rally
Logistics
When:
Saturday, January 11, 2014 from 12 PM to 2 PM. Riders and friends can begin to assemble on the 10th Street (West Side) capitol building steps at 10:00 am. Because we are expecting contingents of riders from the far north and south of the state, we provided a two hour period, 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon, to allow enough time for everyone to get there and situated by 12 noon.
Where:
California State Capitol Building: 1400 10th Street (West Side), Sacramento, CA
Parking:
There will be reserved parking stalls for approximately 5000 motorcycles. To maximize the total number of spaces for motorcycles, no spaces were reserved for 4 wheel (or more) vehicles. If you drive in, you will have to use one of the many parking garages or side streets around the capitol building.
Reserved parking will be located on Capitol Mall for several blocks leading to 10th Street. Parking will continue to fill the horseshoe on both sides of the streets on 10th, N and L streets.
NOTE: Our permits and reserved parking is good until 3:00 PM. Any bikes left in parking stalls after 3:00 PM without the proper permit or standard day/metered parking, will be subject to getting a parking ticket and towed.
Security:
As part of the event approval process, rally organizers had to "hire" several police officers; however, they will be monitoring the traffic and parking situations within the 10th street, L and N street horseshoe. The capitol will have law enforcement on the grounds on foot and on horseback.
There have been some questions and comments regarding the use of civil disobedience at this rally. Although civil disobedience is key to any political movement and will no doubt play a role in future events/activities, this rally was designed to bring us together on a weekend without the typical political sideshows. So the answer is NO! This rally is meant to be a peaceful and lawful gathering.
There have also been some questions on knifes. I posted info on the City of Sacramento specific knife ordinances (knife laws) as of 2012 on the Rally event page on Facebook.
Restrooms:
A number of porta-johns have been rented and will be placed within the horseshoe on 10th, N and L streets.
Guiding Principles and Respectfully Submitted Guidelines:
· Respect one another
· No weapons of any type on the capitol grounds
· No public drinking and intoxication during the rally
· Keep your bike's noise level to a minimum when entering and leaving the capitol building area
· Self-policing: the process of keeping order or maintaining control within a community without accountability or reference to an external authority. Expect a large, diverse collective of riders, clubs and organizations from all over California. Remember, that this rally is all about unity.
· Feel free to bring signs or banners provided they are related to rights and rights related organizations. However, we request that there be no profanity or extremist wording. Media and law enforcement expect and even hope for that type of behavior which affirms their view of what they think we are.
Goals and Objectives
Purpose:
To bring together as many California State registered motorcycle riders, off-road riders, clubs, independents, veterans, rights organizations, associations, coalitions, bike builders, part manufactures, service industry, journalists, event promoters, law firms, biker-friendly legislators, freedom fighters, political activists and all their family and friends to stand together side-by-side, in a show of unity and resolve to discuss political, legal and public relations issues and solutions that affect our personal freedoms, lifestyle and culture within the framework of a peaceful and lawful gathering.
Unity - why it is important?
Within any civil rights movement, citizens in the effected class must first come together emotionally and agree in principle that problems do exist requiring action. A dialog is can then be established to discuss solutions leading to legislative relief and social recognition and change.
Desired outcomes
· Bring a broad and inclusive group of citizens and organizations together to bond as one unified community and PROACTIVELY work towards common goals and activities in defense of our civil rights which will help preserve and advance the American Motorcycle Rider lifestyle and culture
· Help educate and create awareness of political forces, legislation and campaigns which continue to impact basic civil rights and liberties of ALL motorcycle riders
· Increase the level of participation and engagement by everyone in all aspects of the movement
o Politics - Both state and local legislative and political candidate campaign efforts· Identify opportunities to, at a personal level, make an impact on both local and state wide levels.
o Judicial - Holding government accountable to the rule of law
o Grass Root Activities - Rallies, organized meetings and events, protests, communications
o Public Relations - Changing the image of bikers to represent positive truths, not what the government and media portray us to be.
Rally talking points
Note: The following simply outlines structure and does not necessarily represent the actual talking points from any guest speaker or the flow of discussion. As in most rallies, an agenda merely states who is going to be speaking and in what sequence. What each speaker will be talking about will be of their own choice.
· The big picture - understanding, developing and executing the framework for positive change
· Roadblocks to success
1. Apathy and lack of personal investment· Current laws, pending legislation, national campaigns, litigation and the rumor mill
2. Being reactive versus proactive
3. Fragmentation and divided efforts
4. Bad behavior and conduct on the roads
o Profiling - pretextual traffic stops
§ Current strategy. Find a legislative author for the (Unbacked) California Anti-Profiling bill (RN: 1225968) before the February 2014 new legislation cutoff date
o Denial of Service in business establishments and public events on private property - No Color Policies/dress codes
§ Current Strategy - Amending the California Unruh Civil Rights Act... date TBD
o Proposed Lane Splitting law to regulate the practice here in California
§ SB350 - still active and showing no change of status in the bill process within the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee
o NHTSA Rider Conspicuity (Reflective Gear) national campaign
§ No known legislation is currently pending. However, there remains the strong possibility of it forming into a specific legislative bill or being "slipped" into an existing bill whose title will not be obvious to the general public, if not this year, within the foreseeable future.§ Although similar legislation has passed in other countries, it is just one program among many within the framework of the United Nation's Global Harmonization of Motorcycle Manufacturing Standards. California SB435 (2010 Exhaust Bill) is an example of campaigns from this treaty finding their way into law.
o NHTSA License Plate Recognition Campaign
§ No known legislation is currently pending. However, the NHTSA is recommending changes to plate positioning standards to bring the US in line with European regulations and allow license plate recognition technology used by law enforcement agencies to read plates via street and cruiser LP readers as well as by satellite.
o Limiting riding groups to 3 or less
§ No known legislation is currently pending. However, the rumor is very strong and there are real concerns that it will come at some point.§ (California) Definition of "criminal street gang" - which appears to apply to everyone, not just motorcycle clubs....A criminal street gang is defined as any organization, association or group of three or more persons, whether formal or informal, which (1) has continuity of purpose, (2) seeks a group identity, and (3) has members who individually or collectively engage in or have engaged in a pattern of criminal activity. (Reference section 186.22(f) of the California Penal Code).§ Law enforcement agencies within California have (at random) threatened to split riding groups to 3 or less per group during motorcycle runs without the proper permit§ Laws of this nature have passed in other countries and are being considered in others.
· Australia's Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment (VLAD) Act of 2013o Institutes the 3 or more definition as a generalized justification for arrest and convictiono Enhanced penalties for associations with motorcycle club members outlawed by the state.
o Federal agencies outside of the Department of Transportation (such as the Center for Disease Control (CDC)) recommending a MANDATORY NATIONAL law requiring helmets for all riders and passengers
o Update on BOLT of California's federal lawsuit against law enforcement officers who wrote unconstitutional helmet tickets and violated citizen rider 4th Amendment Rights.
· Other issues
o Veterans as threats to national security and veteran clubs being labeled as criminal gangs
o California Helmet Law - modify or repeal: What about letting riders and passengers decide
o Increasing Gang Task Force Operations, Traffic Task Force Ops, License Stops, Warrant Stops
§ Circumvention of AB1047??? - Conducting Motorcycle Only Checkpoints§ Continued NHTSA (Federal) funding of such operations§ Use of success metrics for continued funding which include minimum number of pullovers, citations and arrests§ Monitoring social media events to plan checkpoint operations
o Escalating government surveillance and data collection
§ Drones§ Fusion Centers§ NSA Spy Center§ Extensive use of cameras on public streets
o Department of Homeland Security's programs
§ International travel restrictions for motorcycle clubs§ Property fortitude cases against motorcycle clubs§ Joint police/military training exercises
Examples of what we can do as individuals
o Register to vote
o Joining MRO's and the COC to stay informed and get more active
o Developing a personal relationship with your local legislator and city council
o Helping to get biker-friendly political candidates into office
o Finding an author for our Anti-Profiling Bill
o Gathering evidence to support legislation and judicial efforts - Video and stop forms
o Never take a plea in court - use the system and win
o Participate in all future rallies
o Getting independent riders engaged
o Creating alliances within and outside the community
o Step up as a leader and set the example for others to follow
o Leverage existing knowledge capitol and each other
Motorcycle Rights Freedom Rally
California State Capitol - Sacramento
Monday, January 9, 2012
This is what Freedom looks like!
