 "Photo: Debbie Eynon Finley; The Daily Texan")
Hundreds of parked motorcycles surrounded the State Capitol on Monday as bikers from across Texas met to attend Legislative Day.
The open-door event put on each year by the Texas Legislature allows voters from across Texas to discuss legislation and policy issues face-to-face with state lawmakers. The activist bikers, wearing leather vests and chaps and engaging in spirited conversation, arrived in Austin to inform state senators and representatives of the grievances and concerns of Texas’ motorcycle community.
Pegasus, a lifelong motorcyclist and vice president of the Texas Motorcycle Roadriders Association, said her organization came to discuss a bill concerning a driver’s failure to yield the right of way to another vehicle. She, along with many other concerned bikers, said she believed the majority of motorcycle accidents occur when distracted drivers fail to yield the right of way to motorcycles.
Under Texas law, a driver who causes serious bodily injury or death to a victim is punishable by a maximum fine of $4,000 and 30 days or up to a year in jail.
“I’m tired of people killing motorcyclists and not being held responsible,” Pegasus said. “That’s bullshit. Driving is a privilege and a responsibility that needs to be upheld.”
Pegasus endorsed higher penalties and prison sentences for anyone guilty of harming a biker by failing to yield the right of way.
“Cyclists have many rights that we don’t have. Why? Because they lobbied,” she said. “These people represent hundreds of people around the state. We’re gonna get heard.”
Another biker in attendance, Roadrash, who belongs to the Brotherhood of Bikers, was more concerned about his civil liberties being curtailed.
“The government constantly wants to get into a person’s life,” he said. “It starts with one little thing and it just keeps going.”
Roadrash has been pulled over many times by police and believes he has been subject to illegal searches and seizures.
He said while driving through Palestine, Texas, an officer pulled him over and started searching his belongings.
“I had under-soap in a plastic bag. One of the county boys grabs it and yells, ‘Aha!’ and sticks his nose in there like it’s something bad,” Roadrash said. “I just laughed. That’s not even the right way to test for those kinds of drugs.”
Tom and Addie Mae Rees, members of the Brotherhood of Bikers, said they were denied access to motels because of the way they dress.
“We stopped at a motel once and the manager told us they didn’t have room,” Addie Mae said, adding that it was obvious the hotel had vacancies. “It’s like you walking somewhere with a UT shirt on and someone tells you can’t wear it. We want to get back the rights that we’ve lost.”
thank you Beatrice Bliss
aka Beaster