Quote:
Originally Posted by B-ham 34
It's amazing what racism can do to a city, see the city ordinance on Biker's Week!!!!!  |
Ok. Let me break it down for you into little pieces since you don't seem to grasp the entire picture.
1. Bike Week isn't a week. It's several weeks. It isn't just the Memorial Day weekend one affected, it's the Harley Week (normally over a week long), and the one in October.
2. Harley riders tend to be non black (some are, most aren't, however), yet the rules still apply to them.
3. It isn't about racism per sey. It's about the class, or lack there of, that Atlantic Bike Week brings. People (LOTS AND LOTS) who skip out on their restaurant bills (I've been in the restaurant business for years, so I know this is a fact). Hotels trashed. Streets littered with beer cans, etc. (This happens during all 3, but it's at a higher rate during AB week).
4. It's also about a Mayor who bowed down to pressure of a minority of people, and threw together laws, some of which then also affected buses and delivery trucks.
Now...let me say this. When we had a sign up where I worked that said "No smoking during Bike Week", I was called a racist for the restaurant not allowing black people to smoke during Black Bike Week. (this is exactly what was told to my face, in front of DOZENS of people).
This imbocile went on and on, harassing me, trying to drum up support from the people waiting ahead of him to be seated. None of them were taking the bait. At least they had brains. And you know what? They were ALL BLACK, oh well...maybe one white guy who was with him, that was it. Not one believed his garbage.
I was polite and explained that the sign was up there since the beginning of May, when Harley Week started. It was now the end of May. It was always our policy to not allow smoking during the day. The only thing the management did was change it to ALL day. Big deal.
Not everything is racist because you want it to be. Some times people make bonehead laws or rules. Pushing the bikers out was one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. I know WHY they did it, I just don't agree with it. What they could have done was enforce the many laws on the books for not paying your restaurant bills (defrauding an innkeeper); scooping up the injured and having them sign donor cards when they got into accidents (seems like we had WAY more deaths/accidents prior to the helmet law); hire more police and have an even tighter control in the late evenings, etc.
A year ago, before this bonehead move, we were driving by the Market Commons area and came across a HUGE warehouse filled with motorcycles. We asked the people there what they were for (we thought they were going to be on sale or something). Wound up they were plain clothes policemen and they told us they were ALL impounded from the various bike weeks. And that wasn't even all they had! They had another full warehouse!!! They were stolen bikes, ones people were driving w/o licenses, etc. They were to be auctioned off or returned to the rightful owners several months later.
So yes, laws had to be changed. This drastically? No. More thought put into them? Heck yes. Racist? No, but you can't deny what "Bike Week" caused the most problems.
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Not anymore!!!!
