Hello ST family, please take a minute to read this, we need your input and advice.
For those on facebook, I am asking for your help to bring awareness to a very serious problem of Police Profiling that has been announced this week in Nanaimo British Columbia. You can read all about it here on the Facebook page that has been created to bring awareness to this concern.
I have written the mayor, as well as my local government officials, and will post a copy of the letter here.
I would really like your input on this matter, and if you are on face book I ask that you please join the page, and send an invite to all of your friends who would also be appalled at Police Profiling.
Washington state has just gone through this, so we know there are those out there with the experience to help us fight this.
Please, we need your help.
OP
Open letter to the Mayor of Nanaimo. The city of Nanaimo contracts their policing from the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police).
Dear Mayor Ruttan.
I am writing to express my deep displeasure of the newly announced RCMP plan to target the motorcycling community in and around your city.
As a member of a family who enjoys the sport of motorcycling, we have travelled to your city many times to participate in many rides for charity. We would stay in your hotels, eat at your restaurants, and shop in your stores when we were there for the rides.
We are law abiding citizens who enjoy the sport of motorcycling. We are not members of a motorcycle club, we are not gang members, we are not rabble rousers or trouble makers. We are working professionals who happen to enjoy motorcycling, and find ourselves painted with the same brush that the RCMP wishes to tar a certain segment of the population.
As your city employs the RCMP as your local police force, we find ourselves at odds with the decisions made by them and by default your town council and leadership.
As such, we, as well as many of our local clubs and riding organizations have no choice but to boycott the City of Nanaimo and all their respective merchants, hotels, restaurants and other establishments. Nanaimo appears to have taken on an unfriendly attitude towards those of us who enjoy the sport of motorcycling, so why would any of us choose your city to host or participate in any event in your city.
Please note that we are not against enforcing existing rules and regulation regarding motorcycles, or the operation of any motor vehicle. We are not against enforcement of any action against someone who operates ANY motor vehicle contrary to the existing vehicle code.
What we are protesting is the obvious profiling of motorcyclists by your police force, the RCMP, and their obvious unfriendly attitude as portrayed in the coverage given to them by local television stations reporting on the newly announced enforcement plans. This certainly does not appear to be a "safety campaign" of any type. There was absolutely no mention of raising public awareness of motorcycling, reducing the risk to those who choose to ride. Remember that the MAJORITY of accidents involving motorcyclists occur when someone turns left in front of an approaching motorcycle and the motorcyclist is the VICTIM.
Unless changes are publicly announced by yourself, your council and the RCMP, we as the citizens of this island have no choice but relocate our events to a more friendly city. This will include "voting with our dollars" which will obviously have an impact on your local business, as well as the general opinion of your city to those not even involved in the sport of motorcycling.
We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Peter and Miriam Lambert,
Sooke, British Columbia.
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