This was sent to the two candidates for Dane County District Atty. by lapsed Bikie subscriber Mike Barrett. Thought others would like to see it.
> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] > From: "Michael D. Barrett" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: bicycling community questionnaire for DA candidates > Cc: dave medaris <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, matt mullins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To the Candidates for Dane County District Attorney, Rick Raemisch and Brian > Blanchard: > If you follow this link-- http://danenet.wicip.org/bcp/moi.html -- you will > find an early description of a long-standing and increasingly unfair legal > situation that the bicycling community has had to face vis-�-vis local law > enforcement officials in Dane County--from deputies, police lieutenants on up > to the DA's office. The linked letter only skims the surface. We know that > under Sheriff Raemisch's tenure, cyclists could not get help when attacked; > if deputies did respond, either nothing happened or the cyclist was charged > with something, regardless of the facts. In the letter above you'll find a > case where the cyclist was charged with the crime of blocking punches with > his face and having his bike smashed by an irate motorist. The DA's office > followed right along. More recently, the DA's office, under Brian > Blanchard's leadership, has acted even more aggressively against cyclists. > It is always the same story. Couple goes for a ride in the country, > pick-up/SUV truck driver runs them off the road, then backs up and beats the > male cyclist. This happened again just last year right here in Dane County. > The cyclist ended up with broken ribs, multiple deep contusions and > lacerations, and wound up in the hospital with no insurance. Independent > witnesses were present. The motorist was charged with disorderly conduct. > Disorderly Conduct! A tiny fine for threatening the lives of two people and > seriously injuring one! Compare that with another incident, right around the > same time where a cyclist was run off the road, sent into a ditch, recovered, > caught up with the motorist and spit on the car. The cyclist was charged and > convicted of disorderly conduct. The murderous motorist got off scot-free > (details at http://www.mail-archive.com/bikies%40danenet.org/msg01895.html). > > I believe that in law, there is a concept of proportionality. Clearly this > is a concept that escapes many law enforcement officials in this county. > > But some grasp it, and more are starting to learn. Take for instance, the > current Sheriff, Gary Hamblin. Sheriff Hamblin was apprised of the bicycling > community's grievances early on, and he acted to rectify the situation. He > met with the bicycling community and we provided at least a partial > solution: Education. Most law enforcement officials in this county are > grossly under-educated when it comes to bicyclists' rights. From the cases > that have been brought over the last several years it is clear that the DA's > office does not understand that bicyclists even belong on the road. Sheriff > Hamblin, on the other hand, agreed that getting deputies ramped up with > courses in Enforcement for Bicycle Safety (EBS) would be a good thing for his > deputies as well as the community at large (he recognizes that more people on > bikes means healthier neighborhoods, healthier individuals, healthier > environment, etc.). EBS is a Wisconsin Department of Justice-approved course > developed in conjunction with Wisconsin Department of Transportation's Bureau > of Transportation Safety and the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin (BFW's point > man on this is a former cop). Lo & behold, in the several years since > deputies began taking this course, there have been no adverse incidents > involving the Sheriff's department (to my knowledge). In fact, one of the > (formerly) most treacherous roads is routinely patrolled in the summer by > bicycling deputies. It is now a much more peaceful place to ride. > > But now we are faced with a situation where small town police departments are > maintaining their ignorance toward road users who are not car drivers. The > recent abusive incidents cited above initiated with the Fitchburg police > department. The Fitchburg police department has long been aware that certain > individuals are purposefully running cyclists off the road on one of the best > bicycling routes out of town, Seminole Highway. Yet they refuse to act even > when called with a complaint and presented with multiple, independent > witnesses. > > We realize that you will both try to provide excuses for your respective > horrendous records of law enforcement vis-�-vis cyclists. But we aren't > interested in excuses for past laxness. Given that neither of you enjoys a > favorable view with Dane County cyclists, we are more interested in what you > will do to lead the DA's office into a new era of equitable treatment for > cyclists according to law. > > Given the current intolerable, life threatening legal situation that cyclists > are faced with will you: > > 1) Send at least one Assistant District Attorney per year to the Enforcement > for Bicycle Safety course until everyone on staff who tries cases involving > cyclists is trained up? > 2) Use your office to push to have at least 10% of all local law enforcement > personnel at all law enforcement agencies--local, county and state--across > the county trained in Enforcement for Bicycle Safety? > > 3) Set a tone of, and enforce fairness toward all road users among your staff? > > Any other comments you'd like to send along to the bicycling community would > be welcome. > > The results of this questionnaire will be posted to several email lists > cyclists across the county, including bikies (~100 members), sasyna > (Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara Neighborhood Ass'n list; ~75 members) , > einpc (East Isthmus Neighborhood Planning Council; ~200 members), WiscLCI's > (cycling instructors; ~100 members), and sustaindane (countywide > environmental list; ~200 members). > > I would appreciate a response by 5 PM Friday, 1 November, 2002. > > Thank you. > > Sincerely, > Michael D. Barrett > 2137 Sommers Avenue > Madison, WI 53704 > (608)245-1059 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
