February is upon us, the holidays are over, and we all said goodbye to 2018 and HELLO to 2019! Most of us are anxiously waiting for Spring to arrive so we can get back out and Ride. However, it doesn’t seem sometimes like we live in Colorado anymore. Whether you believe in global warming or not, and as a 10-year resident of Colorado, it does appear that our winters are getting warmer and riding is more frequent in the winter months.
Gone are the days where you really put your bike away for the winter, and maybe if you were lucky you got a 1 or 2 days to get out and ride. If you are willing to stay away from the mountains, a Colorado rider can truly ride year-round. The days you can’t ride are more of a minimum, than the number of days you can ride.
It’s Saturday morning in January, and as I am writing this piece, I can hear the roar of some bikes on Alameda boulevard, and while a bit brisk this morning, riders are out enjoying a beautiful Colorado morning riding their bikes. The high is going to be 60 degrees with sunshine.
Best of the Best
Colorado Rider News is always trying to mix up our issues and keep it fresh, so for the next 2 issues, we will be running a Top 10 Best of the Best survey. We want riders to tell us where to get the BEST Burger or Breakfast? BEST Biker Bar, BEST Dealerships. We want to compile a list and recognize the Biker Businesses that strive to give riders the best service. Please take a moment on our 2019 Best of the Best post to fill out our questionnaire or go on our Facebook Page and fill out our online survey!
Save the Patch
Colorado Rider News has asked Stephen “Bowtie” Stubbs, Mongols MC, General Counsel to write an article giving us an in-depth look inside this attempt by the Federal government to Take a Patch away.
Motorcycle Clubs across the country are at watching closely to what the Federal Government is attempting to do in trying to get the back patch of the Mongols Motorcycle Club. The question to most readers will be this has nothing to do with me. However, it has everything to do with any rider who wears a back patch on their vest or support shirt.
Here are some points that show this is OUR problem, not just the Mongols:
- It has everything to do with one’s first amendment right to wear whatever they want without it being taken or removed from their person.
- It has to do with the attempt of the government to punish and hold the patch and club accountable for the acts of an individual in their riding group or club.
- It has to do with the profiling of a motorcycle rider because of the patches they wear on their backs or t-shirts.
- It has to do with the government or law enforcement having the right to come and make you remove what you are wearing because someone has determined that shirt, patch to be associated as a criminal enterprise
- It has to do with the continued profiling at restaurants and bars putting up a No Colors Policy because law enforcement puts pressure on bar owners to do this, or they won’t respond in the event of situation.
Make no mistake, if the Federal government WINS these issues, it will start a precedent thru out this motorcycle community (MC or otherwise), and the government will not stop with the Mongol’s Motorcycle Club.
Several months ago, a jury in El Paso, Texas decided Friday that it is illegal for a member of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club to possess a weapon in the state. A member of the Bandidos El Paso, was arrested October 16th, 2017 on his way to work for Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon. Although it was conceded by all sides that Bandido had no felony record and was not a convicted criminal, the prosecution argued, and the jury agreed, that merely being a member of the Bandidos was enough to consider an individual a gang member prohibited from exercising their 2nd Amendment rights.”
So if a jury doesn’t like your “affiliation” with a group, they can strip you of your rights.
We want our magazine to be fun and enjoyable, but there are issues out there affecting this riding community that we all need to stay informed about.
Safe riding out there!
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