Why do all motorcyclists get tarred with the same brush as these criminal gangs? It's a topic I have touched on before.A few years ago, there was a "biker-on-biker" mass murder near Shedden, or Dutton Ontario where my mother lives. I noted that no bikes were actually involved in the murder, or found near the scene of the murder, but the headlines still screamed "Bikers Commit Mass Murder". Why then, when everyone involved was in a car or truck, were bikes mentioned at all? Apparently, they were still a "biker" gang, because in the mind of the public the original reason for their gang membership was the ownership and love of riding motorcycles.
Now finally on the 30th of July, 2009 comes this statement under oath from a witness in the murder trial.
"Court earlier heard that men hoping to join the motorcycle club didn't actually have to own or operate motorcycles.At long last we can stop calling these folks "Bikers" and "motorcyclists" Here are some replacement labels for reporters and journalists: "alleged murderers" "gun owners" "beer tasting gangs" "drug pushers". Choose whichever is most appropriate before you pick on motorcycles.
Bryant noted that his client, Marcelo Aravena, 33, of Winnipeg, doesn't own a motorcycle or even have a licence to ride one.
"This was a bike club with no bikes?" asked Bryant, who is in his third day of cross-examining M.H.
"Pretty much, yeah," replied M.H., who was a member of the Winnipeg Bandidos and didn't own a motorcycle himself. The trial continues."
http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/673909
I'd missed that testimony ... thanks for pointing that out.
ReplyDeleteI suppose that's the way it goes. It was one thing, back in the 1960s, when biker 'gangs' were bunches of guys on motorcycles - OK, maybe selling a bit of weed on the side.
(BTW - The Wild One, which established the North American myth of the outlaw biker, is interesting to watch, because of the 'Harley' thing associated with today's wannabes ... many, if not the majority, of the bikes in that film, are British!)
But to actually let guys who can't ride into a motorcycle club ... that's degenerate.
Sheesh! That's like the American cosa nostra letting non-Sicilians into their thing, and look where that got them ;-)
Actually - It occurred to me, right after I smacked that 'Publish' button, that your readers might be interested ...
ReplyDeleteThe bike that Brando rode in 'The Wild One' was his own machine ... a Triumph Thunderbird 6T (Jimmy Dean rushed out and bought a triumph for himself right after seeing the film!).
And, speaking of Triumphs ... the 'German' motorcycle used by Steve McQueen in 'The Great Escape' was actually another Triumph, a TT650.
Just to set the record straight ... the German army did not actually use Triumphs. The most common, and popular, model was the BMW R75 - 750 ccs, putting out a massive 26hp!
BMW's plans were 'captured' by the Soviet Army in 1945 and used as the basis for the Ural ... gotta get me one of those ;-)