Stripping away our Charter Rights and Freedoms: The Royal Canadian Legion, the Police and the slippery slope of discrimination.

The new narrative of the Royal Canadian Legion's Dominion Command is a disappointing one.

It started because a police officer took offence to a veteran wearing motorcycle garb at a Remembrance Day event while also wearing his medals. The police officer called it disrespectful and after discussions the Dominion Command of the Royal Canadian Legion decided to adopt a ban on "outlaw" clubs...

Let me go back in time a bit...

In the late 40's, after WWII a lot of veterans came back missing the camaraderie of those they had worked with, and needing adrenaline fixes to keep the PTSD at bay (they called it shell shock back then).

A lot of veterans took up motorcycle riding and today, our highways are filled with veterans who ride motorcycle to ease the pain in their head and more.

A lot of these veterans have joined male only motorcycle clubs that are generally comprised of a small knit group of like minded people. They support each other just like they did when they were in combat. They have each other's back, they eat together, ride together, drink and party together. They stay to themselves for the most part, because they want to be with peers who understand, without having to say a word.

I truly understand that whole world these days and in ways I never thought possible.

It's the same world that Firefighters belong to, where peer to peer counselling is a big part of what goes on after a fire because there is a credibility the person you are talking to has when you fought a fire side by side  with them or you fed them....When I spiralled into an 8 month PTSD pit of hell in May of 2017 after the first anniversary of Fort Mac's wildfire, I couldn't afford counselling. It was the guys from Wood Buffalo that literally talked me off the ledge twice during that 8 months and I credit them with why I am still here today.

I was that close to going down the rabbit hole.

It is for that reason that many veterans choose to ride in close knit groups with a vetting period to ensure that the person they let into their fold is going to have their back when they wig out.
There really is nothing more sinister than that going on in 99% of these clubs.

The problem with a lot of riding clubs - one piece patch outfits - there is no vetting period - you buy your patch and you attend or don't attend events and rides. There are a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences but very seldom do they and the veteran truly have much in common. A lot of the time, because the supporters don't know how to handle PTSD etc., there is a large ebb and flow of membership, this is not what most veterans are looking for, they are looking for consistency, stability in an otherwise unstable world.

A person who has never experienced PTSD has no clue how to deal with the psychological traumas that some of these people have. Being around people who don't understand makes some of these veterans pull away, become anti social etc...

All three piece patches are not created equally and this is not an issue about 1% clubs like the Hells Angels or the Outlaws or support clubs like the Dirty Few.  Those clubs, they don't give a rats arse about the average rider. Individually I know some members of those clubs, and they have always treated me with consideration and respect, however, in the grand scheme of things, I am no one in their world and neither is the average rider.

I am not here to judge who is a criminal and who is not. I know that there are members of 1% clubs who don't have so much as speeding tickets because that's who they are as a person. I work hard not to generalize as generalizations lead to profiling which is what the police appear to do in our community on a regular basis.

I have two uncles who were RCMP officers and they definitely did not like the Rock Machine, the Angels, the Popeyes but...they did not deny the rest of the riders in the country their charter rights to try and nab what they deemed to be the bad guys. They did sound police work to get their "man".

Why the Royal Canadian Legion has decided to do just that is beyond me: take away the charter rights of VETERANS - the very people they are sworn to serve...

UNLESS YOU WEAR SOMETHING WE DON'T LIKE

A person I know who wears the patch of a Veterans MC was asked to leave a licensed establishment for wearing his colours on date night with his wife just a few weeks ago.

He is not a criminal, his Motorcycle Club is not a gang. BUT because the waitress knows she stands to face $10K in penalties and or up to 6 months in jail for serving "outlaws"....well, she asked him to take his cut off or leave and he didn't want to do either so the cops were called.

Nice right, a veteran, eating dinner with his spouse... let that sink in...

He wasn't fighting, he wasn't disrupting the other patrons, he was having a nice dinner with his WIFE.

It's for people like him that I am standing up and putting my butt on the line with my Legion Membership.

Please people, educate yourselves about the fear mongering and what the penalties are for volunteers, waiting staff and owners...here are just a few of the penalties in the province of Alberta for serving someone you are not supposed to under the act:

A waitress can face up to $10,000 and or 6 months in jail.
An owner can face up to $50K in fines and temporary closures and as high as $200K in fines and loss of license.

I am not fear mongering here.
These are the laws in Alberta, check it out in your province unless you live in Saskatchewan where this law does not apply because it was struck down in 2009 as unconstitutional. (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/saskatchewan-gang-colours-law-1.3953848).

If you serve a member of a "gang" who is wearing their "colours" you can face the fines above if you get the right police officer because under the liquor control act, they are considered liquor inspectors.

So, out of the 5,000 or so Motorcycle Clubs in the world, how many are considered criminal or unwanted by the police?

And how many get tarred with that brush simply because they have asked for permission to wear a three piece patch instead of doing what the Iron Order did in the US and just stand themselves up, don't talk to the dominants and create turf wars everywhere?

Our Traditional MC's get penalized for being considerate and polite and NOT CAUSING TURF WARS, by the police who try to make it look like these guys are in bed with what the police consider to be a criminal entity.

So folks - this petition I started is not about standing up for the 1% clubs.
They can and will do that for themselves.
My assistance is not needed by them, neither is yours.

No, this is about standing up against Patchwearerphobia (Similar to Islamaphobia which is now illegal in this country).

Our Charter of Rights and Freedoms under the Constitution Act of 1982:

Fundamental Freedoms

Marginal note:Fundamental freedoms

2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:

• (a) freedom of conscience and religion;
• (b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;
• (c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and
• (d) freedom of association.
  
  
  AND

  Equality Rights

  Marginal note:Equality before and under law and equal protection and benefit of law

  • 15. (1) Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.

I feel for the waitress or volunteer who tells someone they must either take off their clothing or leave.
I feel for the person whose Charter Freedoms are being stripped away.

Why is this happening?

It's a police narrative and agenda.

PLEASE - SIGN OUR PETITION: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/290/964/087/demand-a-reversal-of-the-motorcycle-colours-amp-logos-ban-in-all-royal-canadian-legions-in-canada/

The Legion's general meeting is in August.
I am trying to reserve my personal decision on staying or leaving until that meeting transpires.

I love our branch president here in GP and the relationship that I have with our region 1 commander. is wonderful. I really don't want to loose that.

I do not love what the organization's command has decided.  I think they have forgotten that a Veteran is a Veteran - their clothing choices do not cancel out their service to our country.

What say you?

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

Don't forget our Father's Day Contest....

Win some Haupy's Beaver Rub by snapping a photo of the "dad" in your life at the BBQ...
and then Like our page: CanadianMotorcycleEvents on Facebook.
(Please, rub responsibly and remember, this rub is not for use on live beavers)

And so begins the destruction of another wonderful summer - UGH

Why did I make the headline sound so gloom and doom?

Because folks, this is my 16th riding season covering the kind of crap that has come up in the newsfeeds again, it's depressing, demoralizing and discouraging that after 15 years of writing, talking, sharing, no one has gotten off their butt to unite and actually fight for the rights of motorcyclists.

Somewhere in this country there has to be someone with the gift, the ability to unite people and get them working together to remove the discrimination and disdain that riders experience constantly.

I am the executive director and founder of the Canadian Motorcycle Tourism Association.

Do you know how many times and how often I am forced to explain why a motorcycle tourism association is spearheading the building of Veterans Memorial Gardens or why I pushed to build the Afghanistan War Monument? It's disgusting that people's minds automatically go to the bad places, the places that sadly, the RCMP and other police services seem to lead them through the bastardization of terminologies that are commonly used in our community and a main stream media that can't seem, or doesn't want to, actually do journalism. It seems that so much of what they do is sensationalized into stuff that it isn't.

In the last 36 hours or so, three articles have hit the news that should be disturbing for all motorcyclists.

Because of the way sound reverberates in the mountains, the retirees of the Kootenay's are getting tired of all of the noise that motorcycles generate, and we now have a zero tolerance on after market pipes in the Kootenay's.

"Police throughout the East and West Kootenay will be stepping up enforcement and adopting a zero tolerance policy with respect to motorcycles that have altered their exhaust pipes or installed after market equipment to make the motorcycle louder."  Read the rest of the article HERE.

If louder was the only reason for the upgraded pipes that many have installed - ok, but truth is many dealerships sell these pipes so that the engine will breath and perform better.

Dr. Jeckill and Hyde Mufflers are what should be stock on every motorcycle sold. PERIOD.  
Quiet mode in town, louder mode when you are on the highway looking for fuel efficiency and performance.

Loud Pipes do not save lives, they piss people off and make all motorcyclists into villains.

The average citizen doesn't look at me and say, she's running stock pipes, she's a good motorcyclist but look at him, he's got illegal exhaust, he's a bad motorcyclist.  

And even if they did say that, they'd still be wrong cause buddy with a louder exhaust can control the sound, it's all in the wrist.

They just look at all of us and tar us all with the same noisy, disrespectful brush. 

And so, the us against them, the Loud Pipes Saves Lives group against Riding like everyone is blind Group, the I want to sit on the deck and have a conversation, not scream above the loud pipes groups VS, the OH LOOK AT ME crowd...

Respect - our community touts it all the time - but seriously there is nothing respectful about a set of pipes that sets off car alarms for three blocks.

A Fire Fighters Club

Then there's the whole Three Piece Patch World and how cops have this idea that three piece patches are all property of people who do bad things.

Not all three piece patches are created equally.

On Whyte Ave in Edmonton a member of the Veterans MC Canada was asked to leave a dining establishment because he was wearing his cut while on a date night with his spouse.

Now we have people concerned about firefighters who have been seen at motorcycle functions with members of the Hells Angels. Read the article: Florian's Knights

The police do not understand the culture of the three piece patch clubs (or they act very obtuse about it) there is a dominant club in every region and if you want to wear a set of patches then you need approval so as not to cause a male dominated piss fight.  



The dominant wants to know that you are not there to start trouble or interfere in the community and that you are not there to try to challenge their dominance.

The Florian Knights out of the Lower Mainland did what every respectful club does, they said - Hey Motorcycle Community - do you have a problem with us flying these colours and riding together to raise money for charity while being brothers who help each other? The dominant - the Hells Angels said no, you aren't going to cause problems in our community, we have no problem with you.  The other clubs said hey, welcome to the community. 

End of. 

BUT....

The cops use/interpret that to mean, oh, you are in bed with the Hells Angels cause you asked their permission to fly your colours.

And because you get seen at motorcycle events and the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club has members present, well, now you really must be in their hip pocket or somehow associated. 

Or god forbid, you were childhood friends with someone who became a Hells Angels Member...

OMG that is horrible and against the law that a Hells Angels member could have a friend.

NOT ALL HELLS ANGELS MEMBERS ARE CRIMINALS.

And then there is the Royal Canadian Legion and their new edict about barring 3 piece patches from their club houses while also stating that it is disrespectful for a motorcyclist to wear his medals on his riding vest....talk to the good folks who attend  and ride in the Ride to Remember at Beechwood Cemetery, then come tell me about disrespect.   Tell that to any member of theVeterans Paratroopers MC, of the Veterans MC Canada. I bet you'll get an ear full.

They want to court riders, they have their own "Club" The Legion Riders, they play a part in the promotion and running of the National Memorial Ride:
http://www.legion.ca/remembrance/promoting-remembrance/national-memorial-ride

Can you say HYPOCRITES?

Read the article: Legions' ban club colours.

It is obvious to me that there is another riding season disinformation campaign going on and yet again, many are falling into the trap.

"All who wear a three piece patch are trouble, you need to use the petty trespass act to get rid of them out of your club house or establishment or you are going to loose your liquor license." says the nice police officer.

There is a problem with that disinformation campaign....not all Three Piece Patches are worn by those who commit crimes.

Now, I have preached this over and over and over until I am sick of having to say it.

Not all who wear the 3 piece patch of the Hells Angels are criminal.
Not all who wear a three piece patch are criminal.
Not all who wear a three piece patch are connected to the Hells Angels.

Just Like:
Not all priests are pedophiles 
Not all cops are drunks who mow motorcyclists down and flee the scene like Monty Robinson.


Generalizations SUCK. 

PROFILING is WRONG, ILLEGAL AND IMMORAL.

Know your Charter Rights and USE THEM PEOPLE.

Please sign my petition. HERE

What say you?

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

Just a few of the photos from around the Internet that expose the Hypocrisy, Lies and Lunacy of it all:

                   At Beechwood Cemetery

Divisive and ill conceived laws and agendas and how they ruin well, everything.

I am normally a very outspoken character. When I found my voice after years of verbal, physical and sexual abuse, I vowed I would use my voice for as much good as I could.

I am someone you either love or hate and there are generally very few who are in the middle of the road on that. I know that, and I accept that.

Part of my job is to make people think.  If they get angry and call me all kinds of obscene names and jump all over every little mistake a person makes like it's some sort of conspiracy, so be it.  If they want to point mistakes out politely and help a person grow as a human being - WONDERFUL. As long as they are engaged and thinking, that's all I care about - I achieved my one and only goal.

Lately, I have been quiet on a lot of very contentious and touchy topics. I know, it's not really like me, right!

Some of the reason for the silence has simply been how busy I find myself these days.  After almost two years of being ill, doing only what absolutely had to be done, I find myself playing catch up in a huge way. I am feeling good these days and enjoying working again, but man oh man the work load makes it tough to balance things or find time to write.  And the fact that I find a 12 hour day is about all I can handle at work, well when you are used to producing for 18 hours a day and get reduced by 1/3 it gets interesting!

March is a very bad month for me. I have so many birthdays for people who are no longer a part of this physical realm that I am emotionally raw and so much of what I say becomes misconstrued because in March I can not effectively communicate my own name much less anything of any import.

April has gone by in a whirl with me filling out copious amounts of paperwork for grants, hiring a new CA because the one I had has done me no favours and left me and my books in a hell of a mess - ah the joys of running a small business - but please note that while I expound on the fact that I face challenges, I am thriving on them again, not dreading them.

Some of the reason for my silence however, has been the nastiness - it seems these days that if your viewpoint is not exactly the same as everyone on a certain side of any issue, you are lower than a snakes belly and unfit to be around.  It's hard to want to focus on the good, but be in this business and in this community. We can't even get along with each other or agree on much more than insurance rates.

In our country of Canada, we have huge political divisions that are tearing at the very fabric of our culture.  Our prime minister seems hell bent on bankrupting our country and leaving a legacy of debt and destruction for generations to come not to mention welcoming in ideologies that do not integrate well with western culture.

We have extreme Islamists attempting to destroy anything that represents freedom and so many hell bent on letting them destroy our country and its freedoms.  Female genital mutilation, the rape culture and many other unsavoury scenarios have played out around the world, yet our prime minister has not learned from those happenings.

If you voice your opinion, you'd best be feeling really strong, be wearing teflon, and not engage in rhetoric that will revert to mudslinging, name calling and other debasements.

Simply state your case and never look back, or be prepared to be skewered by such vehement anger and hatred that you are truly terrified for the future of our world much less our country.

As a PTSD survivor, I have found my own unique ways of dealing with the things that trigger me.  I can control myself so much better now than even a yer ago, but it takes constant effort and awareness.

Islam, Sharia Law, Profiling of Motorcyclists - these things trigger deep responses in me.

Today I am feeling strong and I have a few things to get off my chest.

So here goes nothing....

I am very PRO Blue lives matter.
I have uncles who were RCMP, I know how dangerous the job can be and I know how hard and thankless the job can be. I know it's a job I would not want to do.

I am also very PRO Our Charter of Rights & Freedoms and when the people on the Blue Lives matter side of the board start infringing on the Charter, I get really cranky - why?

Because it's hard to walk that line, to support the cops because they are necessary,  because there are bad people who do bad things in our society, communities and world, and YET, to have those very same people we rely on to solve murders, robberies etc., target the motorcycle community over its clothing the way they do year after year is getting sickening - and it puts one in a quandary, which never feels good.

Right now, there are a number of things transpiring that go against the Charter Rights of ALL Canadians who ride motorcycles and wear brand tee shirts, support clothing, regardless of who that clothing is supporting and it's got to stop.

Divisive and ill conceived laws and agendas ruin everything.

In a country where women can wear Burqa's and conceal their identity, even when voting, how in the H E DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS can it be "Immoral or Illegal" to wear ACAB gear (ALL COPS ARE BASTARDS is what some claim that means, but I also know it can mean All Cats Are Brilliant).  Or Support Red & White, Support Green & White - really? What happened to free speech?

In this day and age when you can have piercings and tattoos all over your face and you can wear pants that make you look like you crapped yourself, why is motorcycle apparel so offensive?

I'll tell you why.  Sadly the police and the politicians of this country have an agenda.

The police agenda is to ensure their jobs and careers are safe, their egos are properly primed and their point of view properly pushed.  Public safety is their last priority - budgets and careers folks - that's what it's about these days. Having a bunch of "Bad" boys who ride motorcycles that are visible, makes career security a guarantee.

Politicians have an agenda - to get elected and force you to live by their principles and ideologies, even when they are misinformed.

Our community is under siege in Bathurst, in PEI, in Alberta and really all across this country.

Heavy police presence as bikers meet in Charlottetown: http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/news/local/2017/1/21/heavy-police-presence-as-bikers-meet-in-charlottetown.html

Bathurst Mayor wants Province to ban biker gangs: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/bathurst-biker-darksiders-hells-angels-fongemie-1.4082623

The police are preventing people who wear ACAB and any support gear from entering the Tim Horton's on 82 St. and why? Because they can under the petty trespass act.

Bars in Calgary force riders to turn their Harley shirts inside out or leave - again the petty trespass act protects these kinds of discriminatory practices.

So what is the big confusion? What is the hullabaloo all about?

IGNORANCE - LACK OF KNOWLEDGE and subterfuge - (the unwillingness of the police departments to disseminate the truth).

People who ride with a Motorcycle Club, a Riding Club, a Motorcycle Ministry, a Veterans Motorcycle Club, in other words people who wear patches, are being unfairly targeted for special attention based on the clothing they wear.

Not their conduct, their clothing.

Now, the police and liquor boards would have you believe that all those who wear three piece motorcycle club colours are criminal or an undesirable element of society and that they (the cops & liquor boards) are trying to protect people from gang violence.

YET - they will not explain to business owners what patches are legal and illegal - wanted or unwanted... Why? Because none of these pieces of clothing is illegal. They just use this subterfuge to make life hard for all of us. They abuse the petty trespass act, I have even heard of bar owners who are threatened with their liquor licenses if they let these articles of clothes be worn on their premises. So...what ends up happening? Innocents get caught in the cross hairs.

I have, over the years written extensively about our patches and what they really mean. I have spoken on the topic until I am sick of it. (Here is one of the articles I have written about how challenging the patch issue is...  http://beltdrivebetty.blogspot.ca/2014/07/a-little-education-on-mc-world.html)

The police will not tell politicians or citizens who is or is not "legal", business owners and event hosts get bullied into complying with the cops and it gets media coverage thanks to the politicians who are spreading mistruths  that end up supporting the cops. And our community looks like a bunch of villains.

It's disgusting but unless we find a lawyer willing to take a challenge to the supreme court, and we have the millions of dollars in funds it is going to take to fight this profiling, and someone to take the lead - we are going to continue to be persecuted.

So get used to it Canada.

WE ARE A VISIBLE MINORITY because we ride and that makes all of us an easy target,
and that my friends is why the police can attack our lifestyle and our fellow riders.

No one will stand up for us it seems - not even us...

What say you?

Our Canada's MOST Rider Friendly Community contest is winding down.  Unofficially it looks like Port Alberni BC on Vancouver Island will be the 2016 Season winner!  We'll know once the audit has been done, but that's how it's looking!

For those in the Edmonton Alberta area, the Ride for Mom is kicking off on May 13th at Blackjacks Roadhouse in Nisku AB and Camrose Tourism will be unveiling a HUGE new tourism initiative for motorcyclists that weekend at Blackjacks as well - so come on out and support a great cause and learn all about the new tourism initiative!!!!

Here in Grande Prairie and area - the A.N.A.V.E.T.'s has a few things going on you should know about - read their posters!

Look for me to be writing again, far more consistently!

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

When does Humour go too far?

Lately we have begun seeing a commercial from the Canadian Real Estate Association that depicts a bunch of "motorcycle club" members from the Satan's Undertakers who ride up to a house just purchased by a couple who didn't use a Realtor.

Here is the commercial:

While funny on the face of things, this commercial perpetuates the stereo type that "Bikers" are bad neighbours. 

Now the vests these guys are wearing all have a 1% diamond on them, and you and I who ride, know the difference between a 1% club, a traditional outlaw MC and a riding club  - RIGHT?

But does Joe Q Citizen know the difference? To be honest, I doubt it...most riders don't know the difference anymore.

And there in lies the problem. How many people who are already intimidated by motorcyclists thanks to the main stream media, the 1% clubs and the police services and the way the 1% clubs are portrayed and spoken about - how many are going to watch this and have their fears further entrenched?.

To me, commercials like these are ill advised. Though they may be funny on the surface, the underlying message is not so funny and it hurts all who ride as it perpetuates the outdated image of our community.

Commercials like this add to the social barriers and the stigma that can accompany riding a motorcycle.

I was doubly surprised by this commercial because of the fact that the Realtors host their own charity rides. Lots of Realtors ride.  Here is the link to but one of them: Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation Motorcycle Ride for Charity

So I reached out to the association, and had an email conversation if you can call it that, with a man named Pierre Leduc.

Here is my email to him:
Dear Pierre Leduc,

I am writing about your unfortunate parody commercial that shows a Bike Gang - see attached video.
For an organization that has a charity fundraising ride involving Realtors who ride, I am quite surprised that you would choose to use the Biking Community as an example of bad neighbours.  While on the face of it, it is funny, it is commercials like this that stereotype our community and enforce the social barriers we currently face.

Can you please tell me why you did this? Why would you hurt our community in this way?

Here is is answer to me:

Ms. Charbonneau,

Thank you for reaching out.

This particular advertisement fits in with an ongoing series of commercials, using humour to highlight some of the potential pitfalls of not using a REALTOR® when buying a property. Over the past few years, we’ve had new owners woken up in the middle of the night by a SWAT team, another couple having to stay in a seedy hotel due to closing date mix-up, while another couple discovered they had purchased a haunted house when a bus tour stops out front as they’re moving in.

Our ads have been recognized by the advertising industry, and have won a number of awards.

You may be surprised to discover that many REALTORS® and CREA staffers are also riders. For example, we use our website and blog to promote the Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation Motorcycle Ride for Charity.

I am pleased that you do see the humour in the ad. Rest assured that we are not using the biking community as an example of bad neighbours. We were sure that by having the gang wear ‘colours’ with the gang name ‘Satan’s Undertakers’ that it was clear (at least to us) that this wasn’t your run-of-the-mill neighbor who likes to ride a Harley, but rather some organized criminal enterprise.

I hope you find this explanation addresses your concerns.

Warm regards,

Pierre Leduc

Pierre Leduc
Media Relations / Relations auprés des médiaspleduc@crea.ca

The Canadian Real Estate Association / L'Association canadienne de l'immeuble
200 Catherine Street, 6th Floor / 200, rue Catherine, 6e étage    Ottawa, ON K2P 2K9
Tel/Tél: +1 (613) 237-7111    Fax/Téléc: +1 (613) 234-2567

www.crea.ca     www.REALTOR.ca     www.REALTORSCare.ca    

I asked for further dialogue and was shut down completely.

I am disappointed with the interaction with the Canadian Real Estate Association.

I do not think that they truly understand how damaging to the riding community commercials like this can be. I think the commercial is short sighted and derogatory.

Is the commercial funny? Yeah, on some levels, is it the smartest or funniest commercial in their series? No.  Is this commercial ill advised? I think so.

And that's how I see it - what say you?

In other News, Two Hills Alberta and Moncton New Brunswick will be duking it out for the title of Canada's MOST Rider Friendly Community, 2015 - final voting begins at 11:59:59 MST on April 1.

www.riderfriendlycontest.ca is the place to cast your vote.

Have a blessed day and if you are fortunate enough to be riding today, please remember to ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you.

Belt Drive Betty

Editor & Rider

Another Remembrance Day - Another Controversy

It seems that every year, some motorcycle organization is singled out by the RCMP, OPP or other municipal police services and/or the Liquor Boards in the various provinces, as undesirable and undeserving of the right to march in and attend Remembrance Day services/parades or attend Legions in their riding regalia.

The Veterans MC on Vancouver Island has been locked in a battle with the local Legion, Branch 171 in Ladysmith BC.

Click this link to read the Nanaimo Daily article...

This is a battle undoubtably caused by the RCMP.  Read further and you'll understand why I say that.

Because this club, the Veterans MC, wears a 3 piece patch, they are being discriminated against.
And yet....Every member of the club HAS SERVED THIS COUNTRY by donning a Canadian Forces Uniform, and is an honest to GOD veteran.

We saw it in Cumberland at the Motorcycle RoundUp, the club was singled out by the Liquor Board & the RCMP as one of 7 clubs who were not supposed to wear their colours into licensed establishments.

In Ontario, we have heard of members of various RC's and MC's being asked to leave the Orangeville Legion because of their patches - some like C.A.V. wearing simple one piece patch, because the Legion didn't know who was who or what was what, regarding patches.

We saw it in Medicine Hat with the Falcon's MC and their poker run a few years back.

Because the police forces concern is that this MC is going to be absorbed by or is somehow already working with 1% clubs, they are being told they can't participate in Remembrance Day services.

The "request" however, never comes directly from the RCMP - OH NO....

The RCMP bring pressure to bear on those who control the establishment or function, in this case the RCL branch president.

You see the police feel that because most MC's follow COC protocol and go to the dominant club with their mission statement and their proposed patch to ensure the dominant club approves their patch and to show that their club as not interfering with any of the 1% clubs, that somehow that approval process means they are now in bed with or tied to the 1% club.

Clubs that have police officers as part of their membership are not allowed to attend COC meetings nor do they meet COC "guidelines" and therefore seldom go to the dominant to "ask for permission" to fly their colours.

It is considered a sign of respect, to let the dominant club know who you are and what your intentions are, if you intend to sport a 3 piece patch.  The dominant club either believes you or they don't. They either deem that your patch does not conflict or misrepresent who you say you are or it does in their eyes.

If you are "allowed" to wear your cut/colours that does NOT mean you are a 1% club, it means you are an MC that does not grate against the Confederation of Clubs and their protocols.

If you don't go to the dominant club to introduce your club, then in the eyes of the COC clubs, that means you allow police officers among your ranks and you are not a real MC in their eyes.
This aspect of the COC protocols creates a lot of discord/disagreement in the motorcycle community.

Of course the club that allows police officers in it, generally have a police officer who is a member who can smooth out the path so to speak, regarding the law and their ideas on special attention.

In the case of the Veterans MC, unlike many Veterans Clubs, they hold true to the core principle that you are not a veteran unless you have worn a MILITARY UNIFORM.
Unless you have worn the Canadian Forces Uniform and have been prepared for battle via basic training etc. you are not a veteran. Remember WWI, WWII, Korea, Afghanistan etc., were wars fought by soldiers not police officers. No one is discounting the fact that the RCMP serve their country, but they are not veterans who have been prepared to go to war and that is the mindset of the members of the Veterans MC.

Being an RCMP officer does NOT MAKE YOU A VETERAN in their eyes and so they do not allow police officers in their membership and therefore, they are fair game for special attention in the eyes of the police.

They (The RCMP) deem that to be the case with the Veterans MC because two their members have gone over to a 1% club. And yet, the rationale is not totally valid.  2 members left their club to go join a 1% club.  These veterans who went to a different kind of three piece patch club decided the "rigours" of being part of the Veterans MC no longer served them. They wanted to be a part of something different.  You don't see the entire membership moving over, being absorbed, patched over.  Two members....however.....

Here's where things get really muddy....

They left their club in good standing and while they will probably never be able to wear the Veterans MC colours again, they are still brothers at arms - they served in the Canadian Forces with the guys who make up the Veterans MC. So the Veterans MC gets invited to parties, events or the homes of these men who are now 1% MC members.

That's where the RCMP feel they are justified in connecting the dots if you will.  Although they no longer ride together as a club, the Veterans MC and the 2 members who moved to a 1% club are still friends, they were friends and comrades before they were MC members, but it's that very friendship the police look upon as suspicious.

At least that is how it was explained to me by a gang task force officer last year at the Vancouver Motorcycle Show.

The thing that truly makes this a sad situation is that the Veterans MC have donated substantial monies to the Ladysmith Branch of the Legion and now they feel abused and betrayed.

I called the RCL Branch 171 and asked to speak to their president, Gary Phillips, but as of this moment in time, he has not contacted me so that I could understand and pass on the specifics of this situation to you.

I do however already know in my gut how this played out.

I have heard it enough times...I have EXPERIENCED IT MYSELF, back when I used to host motorcycle shows.

Police officer tells the event coordinator, in this case, the Legion president that if they allow the Veterans MC in the Legion or to be a part of the ceremonies, they, the RCMP will pull out.
They also mention liquor licenses and how they can be affected by non compliance. They tell the Legion they are protected by the petty trespass act, and they, the RCMP will come and ask the "offensive" people to leave when they get the call.

The Legion becomes scared by the perceived intimidation, they cave in and do not defend the very veterans they are sworn to serve, they go against the Charter of Freedoms and Rights, they deny these people the right to be involved in a public ceremony on public land, they deny them access to a private club meant to serve military veterans and members and the veterans become hurt, indignant and angry.

Public opinion goes badly against the Legion because the citizens of the region do not understand the bullying tactics used on the Legion, the Legion decides that the RCMP are wrong minded in their "requests", the RCMP have no legal leg to stand on and so, the Legion reverses it's decision AFTER the damage is done.

OR, the Legion out of fear, stands firm because they would be embarrassed if the RCMP did not attend the service.

That's what has transpired, time and time again all across this country. Some Legions stand firm with the RCMP, usually out of fear of reprisal OR they stick to the Charter of Freedoms & Rights and protect the rights & freedoms of those they have vowed to serve.

Sadly too often, ill feelings become entrenched and their is a lot of anger on all sides of the equation.

In this case, the RCL Branch 171 in Ladysmith BC, has apparently, although not publicly, overturned their initial decision and have decided to allow the Veterans MC to attend.

Their decision is too late though, as the Veterans MC has decided to go to another Legion, the one in Chemainus and have vowed to not support the Ladysmith Branch.

In my personal humble opinion, there needs to be a full push to have motorcyclists recognized as a visible minority, because we are. We are very distinguishable from other motorists, other persons and we are a true minority, our community is only 700K+ strong. (Washington State was successful in having motorcyclists recognized as a visible minority).

My rights as a citizen, taxpayer and rider have been trodden on several times by the RCMP with regards to hosting events and banning patches. I lost almost a 1/4 million dollars standing my ground against them. They damned near broke me financially by blocking entrances to my show in Olds and it took me years to recover.

The RCMP will cripple you, financially and every other way they can so that they can get their way.
They do not care that what they are doing is not only immoral but bordering illegal.  It is profiling and at the very least it is subversive. They are in a battle with the 1% Clubs and sadly think that everyone who wears a patch, 3 piece or not is a 1%er unless there happens to be a police officer as a member, then the treatment tends to be different. Not always, but most times.

And so we find ourselves in this position time after time after time.

There are no rights and freedoms in this country as it pertains to motorcyclists, but somewhere there must be lawyers who will challenge the charter and people willing to force the point. Money and desire being the two strengths that are needed to get something like this done.

That's how I see this situation, what say you?

I'd dearly love your feedback on this topic.


To express your feelings to the RCL on how this situation has unfolded please contact:
Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 171
Gary Philips - President
621 First Ave, Ladysmith, BC
Phone:(250) 245-2273

Facebook Page 

Belt Drive Betty 

Editor & Rider

Disclaimer:

All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. The Belt Drive Betty Blog makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site & will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.

A response from the CFSEC to my letter

Good Morning Ms. Charbonneau,

Thank you for your email. While not a “report”, I want to thank you for bringing what is a poorly worded sentence of some of our old web-only content to my attention, especially since it is accompanied by a photo of a 1% patch next to it that doesn’t represent the best image for the content. I will ensure that the content is updated to clearly reflect that while not all Outlaw MC/MG’s are 1% but all 1% clubs are Outlaw MC/MG’s, that wearing a three-piece patch does, in fact, traditionally symbolize the “outlaw” designation and all that comes with it (consent from the dominant club, a fealty-like form of support and association, etc).

I do notice, however, that you’ve posted a blog entry without the benefit of a reply. I am disappointed that you, who is a motorcycle journalist, would not fact check, make an inquiry, and/or have a conversation with me before you posted your “story”, as the majority of journalists would normally do.

Unfortunately, and quite tragically in many cases, we have seen many “non-outlaw” motorcycle “groups” here in British Columbia in recent years drift closer or associate more and more with the more well-known OMG’s and their overt support clubs in this province. These groups wear three-piece patches with the consent of the HA or their support clubs and in addition to being found at more and more HA rides or OMG events, their members are involved or suspected of being involved in various levels of criminality with or in support of traditional OMG groups.

This is, and should be, completely unacceptable to not only all legitimate MC’s and riders, especially those law-abiding ones in these groups/clubs, but the general public as well. These people are hiding behind what some are purporting to be “non-outlaw” groups, when, in fact, many of them are more “outlaw” than they claim to be and are quickly moving closer to being a “gang” and further from a mere “club”. We know this because of our investigations, what members of these groups tell us, and what is seen in public.

Regards,

Lindsey

Sergeant Lindsey Houghton Media Relations Officer Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit - BC Desk: 778-290-3099 (Mon-Thurs) Cell: 604-764-9085 Lindsey.Houghton@cfseu.bc.ca @LHoughtonCFSEU CFSEU-BC's Website Follow us on Twitter @CFSEUBC and like us on Facebook Dear Lindsey, The column I write is an opinion piece. The fact remains that, that content is on YOUR web site - I found it through an ad for the 2014 REPORT - Prevention and Public Engagement that takes one to this web page:http://www.cfseu.bc.ca/en/  The report however is buried on the bottom of  this page: http://cfseu.bc.ca/en/end-gang-life The content is on your site, and needed no clarification or verification from your office. The content is there for all to see. It's in public domain, I took offence, I wrote to you and I wrote about the offence I took and shared my letter to you.   For you to accuse me of not being like other journalists, well - I am not.  For you to jump to the conclusion that I would not give your response the "air time" it deserved is totally untrue. Please believe me I will be posting your response, in it's entirety.  Just because I tend to do things a little differently from other journalists does not mean that I don't offer the opportunity to provide dialogue and comment.  Your full response to my first letter letter and my response to you will be the topic of another "Editorial Comment" on this topic, in the very near future. I may or may not wait for your response to this letter before I share my personal feelings, observations and opinions with my readers. Just so as we are both clear, this is on the record. So let's dive into the topic at hand. Your comments are rather confusing as your ad for the web site report was on the Eagle Valley News web site today so I am unclear as to how this is OLD content.  Perhaps having a date it was created would be handy, then one could identify if it is outdated content.   Thank you for your email. While not a “report”, I want to thank you for bringing what is a poorly worded sentence of some of our old web-only content to my attention, especially since it is accompanied by a photo of a 1% patch next to it that doesn’t represent the best image for the content. I will ensure that the content is updated to clearly reflect that while not allOutlaw MC/MG’s are 1% but all 1% clubs are Outlaw MC/MG’s, that wearing a three-piece patch does, in fact, traditionally symbolize the “outlaw” designation and all that comes with it (consent from the dominant club, a fealty-like form of support and association, etc). WHAT is an "MG" if not a Motorcycle Gang?   There are NO Outlaw Motorcycle Groups - they are Motorcycle Clubs.  OMG - Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs is a designation the police services created and has no place in the motorcycle community.  We were discussing Outlaw Motorcycle CLUBS and the mis representation/information on your site that the three piece patch is an indication of 1% affiliation. Your attaching the "MG" police designation beside the MC designation is confusing.  Or did you mean Motorcycle Group?  If that is the case, and I believe it is, then you really are doing a disservice to all riders.  The statement should read "NOT ALL Outlaw Clubs are 1% Clubs but ALL 1% Clubs are Outlaw Clubs". PERIOD I take a lot of offence to this comment: "that wearing a three-piece patch does,in fact, traditionally symbolize the “outlaw” designation and all that comes with it (consent from the dominant club, a fealty-like form of support and association, etc)." In Fact NOT all Outlaw Clubs go to the dominant club for permission, there are many Law Enforcement Motorcycle Clubs, Veterans Motorcycle Clubs as well as those who accept law enforcement and first responders into their clubs, who wear a three piece patch and have a prospecting phase, who do not approach a dominant and do not follow the COC protocols.   They are still three piece patch clubs, Outlaws by the strictest of definition, but not 1%. The Outlaw designation does NOT necessarily come with consent from the dominant club, it is not a fealty like form of support and in no way represents association.   The Outlaw designation has everything to do with earning a patch and nothing else.  Could you please make your wording less ambiguous? Please? I take a lot of offence to this particular paragraph: Begin Quote: Unfortunately, and quite tragically in many cases, we have seen many “non-outlaw” motorcycle “groups” here in British Columbia in recent years drift closer or associate more and more with the more well-known OMG’s and their overt support clubs in this province. These groups wear three-piece patches with the consent of the HA or their support clubs and in addition to being found at more and more HA rides or OMG events, their members are involved or suspected of being involved in various levels of criminality with or in support of traditional OMG groups.  This is, and should be, completely unacceptable to not only all legitimate MC’s and riders, especially those law-abiding ones in these groups/clubs, but the general public as well. These people are hiding behind what some are purporting to be “non-outlaw” groups, when, in fact, many of them are more “outlaw” than they claim to be and are quickly moving closer to being a “gang” and further from a mere “club”. We know this because of our investigations, what members of these groups tell us, and what is seen in public. End Quote So what you are saying here, if I understand you correctly, is that you are seeing members of Motorcycle "Groups" as you call them associating with Hells Angels or "OMG" feeder clubs.  Is that Correct? To what NON OUTLAW groups do you refer? The Harley Owners Group? The Okanagan Motorcycle Riding Association? The Women in the Wind?  The Rock Solid Biker Church? The Shadow Riders? The Border Riders? Who are these NON OUTLAW, Motorcycle GROUPS you refer to? What do their patches or CUT look like?  Your attempt to tar members of riding clubs and associations with "we have seen many “non-outlaw” motorcycle “groups” here in British Columbia in recent years drift closer or associate more and more with the more well-known OMG’s and their overt support clubs in this province", as a justification for misrepresenting who is who in the motorcycle community appears to me to be nothing more than a profiling of our community.   Just because I wear a patch and ride with an MRC - Motorcycle Riding Club (a motorcycle group as you call it), motorcycle association, motorcycle ministry, veterans MC or manufacturers club does not mean I will gravitate towards a tight relationship with 1% or their feeders clubs.   That is like saying that because I am black, wear a certain style of pants and hat, that I am going to gravitate towards being a member of the Jamaican Posse or some other street gang, or that because there are police officers (now former police officer) like Monty Robinson on the force that all police officers have a tendency to CYA and be drink drivers or alter reports to protect themselves. Or that because priest XYZ molested little boys that all priests have the predilection towards molesting little boys.  Profiling is profiling and it is wrong, but because clothing isn't protected under the charter you seem to feel you are able to profile motorcyclists and that it is OK to do so. It is not OK. I fail to see where your comments regarding non outlaw clubs has anything to do with my original email to you, but you sure have given me more reason to be upset not only as a journalist, but as a rider and taxpayer.  You cause every rider to wear a social stigma because you can't get your terminology right, where is that fair? You cause very rider to experience barriers to tourism and tourism services like meals, beverages etc.  Establishments that are licensed tend to be the ones most fearful of serving riders who wear their patches or cut because of conflicting terminology and a lack of understanding of the motorcycle community and the lack of educational materials like photos to identify the 1% community and training to those establishments and their employees.  I find it interesting that you did not address the fact that many Outlaw Law Enforcement Clubs exist - they have a prospecting phase and wear a three piece patch - you earn that patch, you can't buy it.  You do realize that you have tarred a large percentage of the Police Service Community with the label of 1% er because you can't get your terminology right. Not only that, but many of those Law Enforcement Motorcycle Clubs do not wear the appropriate LE designation and that causes even more confusion and fear for all involved. Please see the attachment of the ad I clicked on and some interesting Outlaw Patches that are NON 1% - in fact all are Law Enforcement Outlaw Clubs. I look forward to your response and unlike other journalists, I will print your entire response, not just a snippet. Sincerely, Renee "Belt Drive Betty" Charbonneau Belt Drive Betty Media Editor- The Busted Knuckle Chronicles So, we shall see what the next response is, if there is one.   This started out to be an editorial rant on the way things are worded and the inferences one draws, but, it appears that is has become one about education and profiling. Semantics and inference... I have attempted at various times in the past to get a civil rights lawyer willing to take on this challenge, but sadly, the Canadian Civil Liberties movement clearly does not extend to the riding community.  There appears to be no one who thinks that the riding community needs and deserves protection under the charter as a visible minority. By virtue of the fact that riders, those who wear a patch or cut, are being "monitored" because they might become friends with someone who wears a 1% or feeder club cut is cause for concern. We truly are a visible minority, we truly appear to be being profiled, but because we have no unified voice, no advocacy group, we are unprotected. It is perfectly fine to label every rider who wears a patch or cut as a potential bad person all in the name of crime prevention. That appears to be the message. In fact, there have been some cases where legitimately non criminal Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs AKA Traditional Motorcycle Clubs have been unfairly tarred with a brush they don't deserve - remember what happened in Orangeville Ontario, in Medicine Hat  Alberta and in Kelowna and Ladysmith BC?  In Orangeville, members of one piece patch clubs were asked to leave a Legion because of liquor license restrictions. In Medicine Hat the Falcons were served their food outside on the grass so as not to violate the license for the legion there - other things transpired here as well - so read the article I linked to above.   In Kelowna and Ladysmith, the Veterans MC have been tarred as 1%. They are adamant that they are not, that they are simply veterans but no matter, they are still under scrutiny - unfairly in my estimation as I know many of the members.  Read through the comments on the article linked above, about a Kelowna Gang that was convicted - the comments become somehow about the Veterans MC and the crew in Ladysmith and have a lot of Veterans MC members very upset.   And frankly I don't blame them. I know that pictures of their cuts were circulated to licensed establishments as a banned club, along with the HA and a few others. I saw the email and the print out with my own eyes.  The ideology behind the "Three piece patch being an indication of 1% affiliation" might be behind the tarring of this club.  I am just guessing here. I support the Veterans MC through our newspaper.  Why? Because I support our military and our veterans and until such time as I know for myself first hand that the clubs are going in a different direction than being about veterans causes and community, I'll keep on supporting them.  Same with the Falcons or any of the others I know who are law abiding. If everything the various newspaper reports on these three incidents, the reports from some of the clubs that were affected like the Falcons MC, is remotely true, then Houston we have a problem... Peoples reputations have suffered, peoples lives have been affected and there truly appears to be no recourse for it. I understand that the police need to do their job and keep communities safe. I do get that. The way they go about doing their jobs though, makes me wonder.   Since when are you guilty until proven innocent?   What say you? If you are blessed enough to be riding today, please ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you - and remember our SPOT THE GEAR FAIL contest for your chance to win some fabulous prizes from Kimpex and Draggin Jeans! Belt Drive Betty Editor & Rider