Believe me when I say, no one hates a squid on a sport bike more than a law-abidding motorcyclist, and after watching the videos after jump of the 10th Annual “Streetfighterz Ride of the Century,” we can’t help but roll our eyes as we yet again see a bunch of morons with a motorcycle endorsements popping wheelies and riding on the highway’s shoulder, all while clad in next-to-nothing gear. These are the type of motorcyclists we have a supreme hatred for, since nine times out of ten, they are doing far too good of a job at giving the rest of us a bad name.
That being said, the actions seen here by some Missouri Highway Patrol and the St. Louis County police officers is downright reproachable, if not criminal in our eyes. Did these BikerBoyz wannabes deserve some righteous ticketing? Yeah probably. Do they need a schooling in proper roadside etiquette and a re-education on the basic principals of ATGATT? Absolutely. But did 5-0 cross the line when they started intentionally ramming motorcyclists who weren’t with their squad cars, including bikes that were being ridden two-up with a blameless passenger on-board? You’re god damn right they did.
Let me get something straight: I’m not one of these “fuck the police” type of motorcyclists. In actuality, I’m the opposite, and I am more than thankful for our officers who keep the peace day-in and day-out. Like many motorcyclists though, I can lay claim to having gotten harassed by an officer or two — all while I was breaking no law, and I have seen other motorcyclists get similar treatment by the police for presumably the sole-reason of what form of transportation they were on. However, I am also adult enough to realize those singular acts are just that…singular acts by singular people.
For more than a decade my various jobs have had me working in close proximity of law enforcement officers, from every cut and every possible jurisdiction. At their core, they are civil servants — men and women who have dedicated their life to serving our communities. Sometimes they get things wrong, and sometimes they just make mistakes, but most of the time they get it right, and even under tough conditions.
I am trying to hold that thought in my mind as I watch these officers use their cars to intentionally knock over motorcyclists and their passengers in these videos. And for what??! Popping a wheelie on a freeway?
I don’t condone the actions of either party here, and I certainly don’t condone evading a lawful stop from a peace officer, but at some point in those 5+ minute videos, the actions undertaken to apprehend and detain these motorcyclists greatly out-weighed the alleged crime they committed. And the real reality of the situation is that the group by-in-large appeared to be law-abidding, sans for a few bad apples who just never seemed to grow out of the second grade.
Keep an eye on this story. I don’t think we have seen the last of it yet.
Source: AutoBlog
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