Ike Kendrick

George is right on the mark. Equal treatment under the law. However I'm
glad I don't live in a town with a chief of police like that. He needs
to go!
-ike

gschreckchat@comcast.net wrote:
> Evan,
>
> While I may not have liked his personal response to you, as long as
> the police treat bicyclists are cars equally, I really cannot see why
> we are getting worked up. Yes, the fine is high (same for cars), and
> yes, we may cause less damage by breaking the law (if you assume our
> getting hit becuase we took a risk does not cause some emotional
> damage to the driver who hits us), but really what we should be asking
> for is equal treatment. There is a good and bad side to it, and this
> is the bad side. Big deal. Just stop at the sign, as obeying the law
> really should not be based on the potential for harm. I am not
> necessarily perfect at stop signs, but if I get caught, I have to be
> prepared to accept the consequences, just as I will defy anyone who
> says I should not ride on the road. If he tickets cars for breaking
> the law, then accept the same if a cyclist breaks the law.
>
> I really think all the whining that has taken place only makes us look
> ridiculous.
>
> --
>
> George Schreck
> gschreckchat@comcast.net
> (503) 502-0425
>
>
> -------------- Original message --------------
> From: "Evan MacKenzie"
>
> Officer Whitehead:
>
>
>
> I was hoping I might receive a response. I got one (attached
> below), and I thank you for it.
>
>
>
> I have forwarded your response to Bikeportland.org, the Bicycle
> Transportation Alliance (BTA), and also to the Oregon Bicycle
> Racing Association (OBRA). Your response says a lot about your
> view toward cyclists, and possibly also your capability to operate
> as an unbiased public servant.
>
>
>
> My "attitude and thinking" is that bicyclists should be treated
> fairly. Same roads, same rules, same rights. You run a stop sign,
> you get a ticket. But before you jump on me for being a hypocrite,
> consider this: bicyclists, with the exception of those who ride on
> the road wearing earphones, are in a much better position to judge
> the safety of an intersection before entering it than drivers.
> Bicyclists are not insulated from their surroundings by a safety
> cage of thousands of pounds of metal, plastic and glass, which
> happens to allow such distractions as cell phones, cigarettes,
> radios and rolled-up windows to even further remove them from
> their surroundings, and thus their awareness of others. Bicyclists
> can come to an intersection, look around, listen, and know that
> "the coast is clear." Does this mean that a cyclist should be able
> to cruise through an intersection without stopping, like man y
> cars do? Of course not. Does this excuse those on bikes who ride
> in such a way, blowing through intersections with wild abandon? Of
> course not. I think that if you were to try riding a bicycle on
> the road, you would understand the great distinction between
> entering an intersection in a car and on a bike. You might realize
> that coming to a stop sign, slowing to 1-2 miles an hour, having a
> good look and listen around, and then proceeding through the
> intersection, is a lot easier (and in fact safer) on a bike than
> in a car. Without all those distractions that come from INSIDE a
> vehicle, it is much easier to concentrate on the potentially
> harmful ones on the outside. The other point I was trying to make,
> and one that was obviously lost on you, is the fact that a vehicle
> breaking the law has a much higher potential to cause harm than a
> person on a bicycle. I think the majority of police officers
> either don't realize this fact, or simply don't care.
> Unfortunately, many drivers do know this, and that is why most
> cyclists have taken such a negative attitude toward drivers (Yes,
> I include myself in this group). Many drivers look at a cyclist
> and somehow detach the person on a bicycle from their existence as
> a human being with the same rights as everyone else. You've
> probably never had glass bottles or nails thrown at you from the
> window of a moving car, or been called "faggot" for being on a
> bicycle, sometimes without even wearing lycra! People don't rev
> their motor, honk their horn, swerve toward you and yell things
> out the window at other cars because they know they might
> potentially damage their own vehicle, and because it's not as fun
> or cool to threaten somebody in a car. If you doubt me, I invite
> you to go on a ride with me and see what it's like. I'll come all
> the way back from Baker City and ride with you. Heck, I'll even
> lend you a bike and try to get some lycra for you to wear. I think
> that your experience as a police officer would benefit from some
> time "behind bars," as it were, so you might understand what it's
> like to ride a bike, and why some riders become so
> anti-establishment...and why so many people choose not to ride at
> all. It doesn't help that many police officers side with motorists
> when there is an accident, often ignoring the cyclist's concerns,
> even when the driver was clearly at fault. Or in the apparent case
> of the City of North Plains, the entire Police Department viewing
> cyclists as "the problem" rather than a very legitimate solution
> to a plethora of environmental and transportation problems facing
> the entire planet today. In spite of attitudes like this, I still
> prefer to ride my bike rather than drive a car.
>
>
>
> I might also suggest that you brush up on your grammar before you
> call someone an idiot. "Your" is an adjective which denotes
> ownership. "You're" is a contraction of "you" and "are." To put
> the two words in context, one might say: "Mr. Mayor, you're an
> intelligent person, but your Chief of Police is an idiot." I have
> a Master's in Urban Planning and an Bachelor's in Journalism. That
> doesn't necessarily make me any smarter than anyone else, but I
> have at least been taught to think critically. I prefer to
> evaluate a situation based on information, not emotion. I also
> prefer to offer constructive criticism rather than unfounded
> personal bias or conjecture. Just because a person doesn't agree
> with you does not make that person any less intelligent. In fact,
> opening a dialogue with people you don't agree with is usually a
> pretty good way to learn something, and maybe even to solve a
> problem.< /o:p>< /SPAN>
>
>
>
> I do not believe the tone of your response was very professional,
> nor was it becoming an officer of the law, who is sworn to protect
> and to serve. If your response to a concern from the public is to
> call the complainant an idiot, I have to wonder how your
> department treats those whom you cite. I, too, am a public
> employee, and I know better than to imply to anyone, either in
> person, on the phone, or by email, that they are less intelligent
> or in any way not deserving my consideration. I would quickly hear
> from my superiors for doing so, and I would also diminish my
> personal and professional status. Your town is even smaller than
> mine, and I have a hard time believing an attitude like your could
> persist for long. Perhaps you should consider leaving your job and
> becoming a private security officer, where you could practice your
> one-sided view of the world with even less discretion.< /FONT>
>
>
>
> In spite of all this, my offer to ride with you still stands.
> Although I might suggest that we meet somewhere outside your
> jurisdicition.
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
>
>
>
>
> Evan Mackenzie
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Mr. MacKenzie,
>
>
>
> I can see where your part of the problem and not the solution.
> It's people with your attitude and thinking that place bicyclists
> in danger by listening to your abstract views on things. I will
> continue writing citations to everyone who disobeys a traffic
> control device whether in a motor vehicle or on a bike. Maybe
> someday your bike friends will respect the traffic laws that they
> spend so much time complaining about.
>
>
>
> After reading your email again, your a complete idiot!!
>
>
>
>
>
> Scott Whitehead
> Chief of Police
> North Plains Police Department
> Office: (503) 647.2604
> Fax: (503) 647.2031
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *Sent:* Friday, July 06, 2007 1:44 PM
>
> *Subject:* Cops and bikes
>
>
>
> I just heard that your Police Department has stepped up
> enforcement against bicyclists after the recent death of a cyclist.
>
> I have to ask -- is this the best way to prevent reckless drivers
> from killing a cyclist... by punishing cyclists?
>
>
>
> As one of the ticketed cyclists pointed out, it's a little ironic
> that the three riders, who were each ticketed for rolling through
> a stop sign, received a combined penalty almost the same as the
> person who was driving without a license or insurance and KILLED
> someone.
>
>
>
> As a former resident of Hillsboro who used to ride through North
> Plains a lot, I now have another reason to be happy I am no longer
> a resident of the area. The area around North Plains is a
> wonderful place to ride, but not if the local police practice a
> skewed "Dukes of Hazard" observance of the law and general
> disregard for cyclists' safety. You may not realize it, but
> working with cyclists to make the North Plains area a better,
> safer place to ride can actually benefit your town. Instead, you
> have decided to give yourself a black eye.
>
>
>
> What would you do if a local store owner was shot during a
> robbery? Ticket all the other store owners for not wearing
> bullet-proof vests?
>
>
>
> For the record, I was once pulled over by a North Plains police
> officer for speeding on Hwy 26. I went to court and very politely
> informed the judge that I was not in their jurisdiction when I was
> ticketed. In fact I believe it was very near the new bridge at
> Jackson School Road, a couple miles outside town. The ticket was
> thrown out. I wonder how many other people simply paid the fine?
> Have all those people been refunded their fines, and their records
> stricken of the improper citation?
>
>
>
> I hope the affected riders go to court to contest the citations. I
> hope they are able to bring along support.
>
>
>
> I hope you are pursuing problem motorists in 5,000 pound SUVs who
> smoke and talk on the phone while driving just as diligently as
> you are pursuing 150-pound cyclists on 16-pound bikes. About the
> only way a bicyclist would really be a threat to a driver is if
> the rider is being thrown through the air at 50mph after being hit
> by an errant truck, and happens to hit another car.
>
>
>
>
>
> Evan MacKenzie
> Baker City, OR
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Subject:
> [OBRA Chat] North Plains response - Cops and bikes
> From:
> "Evan MacKenzie"
> Date:
> Mon, 9 Jul 2007 15:35:48 +0000
> To:
>
>
> To:
>
> CC:
> obra@list.obra.org, info@bta4bikes.org
>
>
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