agingrebel.com
A pack ride and rally that followed a hearse from Arlington, Texas to the McLennan County Courthouse was cut short this morning by Waco police in order to ensure the safety of the protesters. The ride and rally were intended to protest the arrest of 177 motorcycle enthusiasts last May 17 after the Twin Peaks Massacre and “the death of our freedoms.”
The rally by about 75 riders was scheduled to start at 11 a.m. Shortly before eleven, Waco police verified the existence of a suspicious suitcase and a suspicious cooler near the ALICO Building about a block from the protest. Unable to prove beyond any doubt that the cooler and suitcase were not improvised explosive devices without actually looking at them, McClennan County Sheriff’s Captain M.R. “Bubba” Colyer ordered the protesters to leave while a robot was deployed to remove and inspect the suitcase and the cooler.
Waco officials have long argued that bikers and explosives go together like a horse and carriage. Three days after the Massacre last May, Waco officials announced that members of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club were “supplying the gang with grenades and C-4 explosives.”
This morning, after approximately 100 minutes. after the protesters were long gone, police determined that the suitcase and cooler did not contain grenades, C-4 or any other explosive substance or device but were merely a suitcase and a cooler. The suitcase and cooler were initially discovered by a Sheriff’s Deputy who was surveilling the protesters.
“It’s always better to be safe than sorry. We just can’t take a chance,” McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara explained to Olivia Messer of the Waco Tribune-Herald.