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Motorcyclists Unite
March 27, 2017
Motorcyclists Unite on Anti-Profiling Bill Language
Consistent with the Motorcycle Riders Foundation’s (MRF) 2016
Legislative Agenda as voted on by its Sustaining State Motorcyclists
Rights Organizations, the MRF has aligned with other national
motorcyclists’ rights organizations on proposed federal anti-profiling
language. (The full version of the language can be read on our website
at www.mrf.org.)
The MRF recognizes the importance to all motorcyclists of this
much-needed language, and we applaud the hard work of organizations that
are addressing this issue legislatively on the state level. The time
has come, however, to address profiling on a national level. There is a
public misconception that profiling is strictly an issue that affects
only motorcycle clubs; in reality, nothing could be further from the
truth, as profiling injustices continue to happen across the country to
all types of motorcyclists. This issue is a matter of civil liberties,
and now is the time to roll up the sleeves and get to work.
To
that end, at the most recent Anti-Profiling Action Group meeting in Las
Vegas, ranking members from many motorcycling organizations all agreed
to support anti-profiling language, including James “Doc” Reichenbach
II, Chairman of the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM), Frank
Ernst, Chairman of the NCOM Legislative Task Force, and David “Double D”
Devereaux, representing the Council of Clubs and author of this
anti-profiling language. Other members of the Anti-Profiling Action
Group include the Committee Lead Russell Radke, MRF President Kirk
“Hardtail” Willard, Committee Secretary Shelly Holcomb, MRF PAC
Treasurer Lenny Holcomb, and nationally known motorcyclists’ advocate
Dick “Slider” Gilmore.
As the true “boots on the ground” of
motorcycling rights, the MRF is asking each of you to reach out to your
federal legislators and ask them to support anti-profiling language.
Time is of the essence—we need to know who will support us and who will
not by May 1, two weeks prior to our “Bikers Inside the Beltway”
national biker lobby day on May 12, 2016.
Please send all
responses from your legislators—both those that are in favor and those
that are against—to Russell Radke at Russell@MRF.org. Russell will then
forward all the compiled information to the MRF’s analyst to compile
into a list of talking points for the MRF’s national biker lobby day
known as Bikers Inside the Beltway to be held in Washington D.C. on May
12th.
Anti-Profiling Victory at the State Level
Maryland recently passed an Anti-Profiling bill through both the House
and Senate. Public Safety-Motorcycle Profiling-Training passed the
Senate with a 47-0 vote and the House of Delegates with a 136-0 vote.
Maryland would be the second state in the union joining Washington to
pass an Anti-Profiling bill after a procedural vote across both bodies
and a signature by the Governor.