Discrimination

Motorcyclists are a minority and in New York, they are not as well represented or organized as most other minorities.  Like most minorities, motorcyclists tend to be the subject of much undesired attention.  In New York that attention comes in the form of discriminatory treatment and abuse from law enforcement, driven by ignorance, in-bred prejudice and movie stereotypes, and pushed along by elected officials attempting to perpetuate their jobs by proposing legislation designed to tug at the heart-strings of easily led constituents.

The abuse comes from so many angles it’s mind-boggling.  Highway police conduct targeted motorcycle -only enforcement campaigns with instructions to stop all motorcyclists and only motorcyclists, often at multiple locations on the same day and even in the same borough, so motorcyclists could be stopped several times a day just for paperwork checks, and those officers treat motorcyclists like criminals before ever having evidence or even justifiable suspicion of any wrongdoing.  Traffic agents make up laws and write tickets on legally parked motorcycles, while the Mayor sets policies that completely ignore the existence of motorcycles and dismisses the needs of motorcyclists entirely.  Precinct cops witness motorists cutting off motorcyclists and pull over the motorcyclists instead of the motorists, and then write tickets merely to justify the stop.

The NYMSTF is here to fight for motorcyclists’ rights to choose their method of travel without encumbrance, to fight for fair treatment from law enforcement, and to fight the ignorance perpetuated by our elected officials and some of their constituents.

If you witness a police checkpoint stopping only motorcycles, we would like you to report the location as quickly as possible using our Checkpoint Alert System.  We encourage all area motorcyclists to subscribe to this free service to receive alerts posted by other motorcyclists.

If you are stopped on your motorcycle and you feel you are being targeted unfairly or otherwise mistreated, we encourage you to file a complaint.