Sunday, October 14, 2007

STOP IT IN DELRAY BEACH OR YOUR TOWN MIGHT BE NEXT

If you have friends in or are from south Florida, pass the word.



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STOP IT IN DELRAY BEACH... OR EXPECT IT IN YOUR HOMETOWN...

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THIS CALL-TO-ACTION APPLIES TO ALL AMERICAN MOTORCYCLISTS (from the American Motorcyclist Association):

From: Imre Szauter, AMA Legislative Affairs Specialist [mailto:iszauter@ama-cycle.org]
Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2007 4:11 PM
To: Bruce Arnold
Subject: Proposed Anti-Motorcycle Ordinance in Delray Beach, Florida

Take Action. Now!

Proposed Anti-Motorcycle Ordinance [No. 45-07] in Delray Beach, Florida

A proposed ordinance in Delray Beach, Florida, would ban ALL motorcycles from a five-block section of Atlantic Avenue, between Swinton Avenue and U.S. 1, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. Further, the ordinance would require all motorcycles to be equipped with stock exhaust systems or "...U.S. EPA-approved low-noise emission mufflers..."

The Delray Beach City Commission will meet on Tuesday, October 16, to consider the ordinance. An October 10 article...

Delray mulls motorcycle curbs on Atlantic
http://tinyurl.com/3yaj4c

...in the Palm Beach Post online provides some background on the proposed ordinance.

For more information on the scheduled October 16 meeting of the City Commission, ...[here is the agenda]:

http://tinyurl.com/yodzaf
[See paragraph 12.B. for ORDINANCE NO. 45-07]

...WHAT YOU CAN DO...

* [GO ONLINE AND] visit the Delray Beach City Commission website...

http://tinyurl.com/37jzzg

...and contact each member by telephone and/or e-mail...
[
RitaEllis@MyDelrayBeach.com
Fetzer@MyDelrayBeach.com
Montague@MyDelrayBeach.com
gpe@mydelraybeach.com
wmcduffie@mydelraybeach.com
]
...to let him or her know how you feel about banning your legally licensed and insured motor vehicles from Atlantic Avenue just because it has two or three wheels. Be polite -- ask if the City Commission is willing to ban other "noisy" vehicles, such as cars and light trucks with modified exhaust systems and loud stereo systems.

* Attend the City Commission meeting on Tuesday, October 16 and express your position on banning ALL motorcycles because of the actions of a few irresponsible operators. Again, be polite -- ask how the police department plans to enforce the motorcycle ban. After all, if the police department can't respond in time to issue a citation for a noise violation, how will they respond to a motorcycle passing through the "forbidden zone?" Does the police department have enough officers to post at each end of Atlantic Avenue? If so, they have enough officers to work the district and issue excessive noise citations on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.

* Contact your Florida state senator and representative and explain that Delray Beach plans to ban ALL motorcycles from a public roadway because of the actions of a few. Ask if he or she thinks this is an appropriate approach to solving a problem created by a few irresponsible motor vehicle operators. Also ask if he or she supports a ban on ALL motor vehicles to solve the excessive noise problem. If you don’t know who your state senator and representative are, visit the AMA Rapid Response Center and enter your 9-digit Zip Code in the text box under "Find Your Officials":

http://www.amadirectlink.com/legisltn/rapidresponse.asp

* Write a polite letter [or email] to the editor of your local newspaper. Explain Delray Beach's approach to problem solving -- collective punishment. Suggest that the reason we have laws and law enforcement agencies is to punish and deter those alleged to have committed offenses. We have a court system to allow citizens the right to challenge their alleged violations. There are many examples of collective punishment in history books -- none worked for the betterment of the common good.

Do not let this unjust ordinance take effect unchallenged.

If Delray Beach succeeds in banning ALL motorcycles from a five-block stretch of Atlantic Avenue, other local governments will be emboldened to do the same.

Get Involved - TAKE ACTION NOW!

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THIS CALL-TO-ACTION APPLIES TO ALL MOTORCYCLISTS WHO CAN RIDE TO DELRAY BEACH FL ON TUESDAY (from the Enforcers MC):

Subject: Delray Beach to ban bikes on Atlantic Ave
Date: Sat, 13 Oct 2007 09:28:15 -0400
From: Debbie Anderson <admin@chemdryatlantic.com>
To: miamimike@wheelsontheroad.com

The city of Delray Beach [Florida] is having a [City Commission Meeting at 6:00pm] on [Tuesday, 16 October 2007] to ban bikes from Atlantic Ave because of the noise? We are having a protest at 5:00pm in front of the city hall to protest. We need your support to protest this bullshit. It is illegal to ban bikes from a city road. The Enforcers club is organizing the rally...
[
http://www.enforcersmc.com/
]
...It was on the news this morning and in the newspaper...
[
http://tinyurl.com/2rcnhw
]
if you want more details or call me or Animal at 561-289-7135.
[
Directions to City Hall:

City of Delray Beach
100 NW 1st Avenue
Delray Beach, Florida 33444
Main Switchboard: (561) 243-7000
City Hall Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm

From the North:
Take I-95 South towards Miami
Exit at Atlantic Avenue (Exit #52)
Turn left (East) on Atlantic Avenue
Turn left (North) on NW 1st Avenue
City Hall is the second building on your left

From the South:
Take I-95 North towards West Palm Beach
Exit at Atlantic Avenue (Exit #52)
Turn right (East) on Atlantic Avenue
Turn left (North) on NW 1st Avenue
City Hall is the second building on your left

Map Link:

http://tinyurl.com/2gjlda

]
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STOP IT IN DELRAY BEACH... OR EXPECT IT IN YOUR HOMETOWN...

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"The battle for bikers' rights is not about patches, parties or poker runs. We fight to protect the freedom and promote the interests of American motorcyclists ... to defend our right to choose our own modes of transportation, attire and lifestyle ... to deter and defy discrimination against us ... and to vanquish those who violate our rights or right-of-way."--Bruce Arnold

http://ldrlongdistancerider.com/bikers_rights.php

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Please post your comments and replies here:

http://ldrlongdistancerider.com/forum.php

1 comment:

Dean "D-Day" said...

DON'T THINK THAT THIS CAN'T HAPPEN NEAR YOU!!!
There a couple of bars in the Milwaukee area (frequented by bikers) that have been pretty much shut down because of local noise ordinances.