NYMSTF Report from the 2010 NCOM Convention

NCOM - the National Coalition of Motorcyclists - was created about twenty-five years ago to assist motorcyclists and their organizations in legal and legislative matters and to promote safety, education and public awareness.

The NYMSTF was invited to participate in the 2010 NCOM Convention in Orlando, Florida, where from May 6 through the 9th we joined avid motorcyclist and attorney Mitch Proner, transportation lobbyists from NYC and other local club representatives for conferences and seminars on a wide variety of subjects pertinent to today's motorcycling community.  Topics included motorcycle equipment laws, traffic controls, constitutional law, relevant trademark and personal injury cases, sportbike issues, lobbying, road safety, accident scene management and more.

 

While it was as unfortunate as it was unsurprising to hear that we're not alone in most of our concerns, we were alarmed to learn that New York City's law enforcement has come up with ways to harass motorcyclists here that are unheard of anywhere else in the country.  Likewise, government and law enforcement agencies across the nation continue to find clever new ways to harass motorcyclists in other regions.  We were encouraged to learn of other MROs such as ABATE enjoying great success in their endeavors, particularly in mid-western states.  On the other hand, today we learned that Arizona's governor obnoxiously vetoed a lane-sharing bill.

 

NCOM fights discrimination wherever it may find it but discrimination isn't always "us" versus "them".  While we were excited to see representatives of wildly disparate groups shaking hands, we'd like to remind everyone that discrimination is a two-way street.  Don't judge a book by its cover!  Motorcyclists come in all manners of color, nationality, dress, attitude and lifestyles.  We may not hang out in the same places, dress similarly or enjoy all the same things but we do all enjoy the freedoms that motorcycling offers, and we all share common enemies in the people and agencies that seek to deny us our rights.  Fight united with your brethren in the motorcycling community, demand recognition, take back the rights that have been stolen from you and let your elected officials know in no uncertain terms that you won't take anyone's abuse.

 

Please enjoy the photographs below!