CIOR, US Defenders Working & Winning In Colorado

By Tim Anderson

Chalk up two for the bikers.

US Defenders-Colorado and the Coalition of Independent Riders (COIR) have notched two victories for biker interests in the past month, only a few weeks after organizing in Colorado. One dealt with a city ordinance, the other with a discrimination issue at an Aurora bar/restaurant.

The US Defenders-Colorado and COIR successfully challenged a Thornton motorcycle handlebar height restriction ordinance. The end result is that the ordinance, which was being enforced by Thornton police, will be officially removed from the books on July 14, 2009.

The ordinance limited handlebar height to not more than 15 inches above the lowest point of the seat. It will be removed from the city codes after the measure’s second reading at the July 14 city council meeting.

“This is the way we want to handle things,” said US Defenders Colorado Commander Bandido Wiz. (US Defenders is the parent organization for COIR). “We pointed out the problem, the city council listened and then evaluated everything, and came to the conclusion that the ordinance was outdated and a potential problem, and they voted to strike the ordinance.”

Wiz said the council initially voted to do away with the ordinance in a work session, and then at the first reading of the action, voted 7-0 to pass the measure. One member of the council was absent for the vote, but has indicated strong support for repealing the ordinance.

“Because it was a 7-0 vote, the issue was placed on what’s called the ‘consent calendar” for the second reading,” Wiz said. “Essentially, that means because there is no dissenting vote, it is expected to pass the second reading and become official at that time. Basically, this is a done deal. We’re comfortable with the status of things, and expect this to pass unanimously on July 14, but you can never be too sure, so we’ll be prepared if things change, but there is no indication of that happening.”

Wiz said this effort was a good learning experience for the US Defenders and COIR.
“This was the first thing we’ve attempted in Colorado, and it was a good learning curve. This experience will help us in the future.” Wiz explained. “We didn’t know if this was going to be a battle or not. We did our preparation and were ready for whatever might happen. Then we spoke with the Mayor and the mayor Pro-Tem, and things moved forward from there. It really has worked out well for everyone.

“Even though we were prepared for whatever eventuality, we’d rather provide information and empirical data to explain out position. That’s a very reasonable approach, and we hope it continues to be the way we get things accomplished. The other option, of course, it to put thousands of letters on the desks of officials within about 72 hours, and then move on to other approaches to addressing a problem. This one was great. Everyone was reasonable and calm, and we accomplished something for the motorcyclists of Colorado.”

The other action US Defenders and COIR tackled was one of a “No Colors” policy at Caledonia’s on Parker Road.

According to Wiz, the establishment introduced a “No Colors” policy about six months ago, and was actively enforcing it this past spring.

“It was brought up at a meeting of the Confederation Of Clubs,” Wiz said. “Members of the Street Solderz went there for dinner and were turned away unless they removed their vests and left them outside. The COC membership then decided to test the policy, and separate groups tried to go to Caledonia’s. They were all turned away. Then the COC voted o boycott Caledonia’s, and spread word of the boycott. All this happened before US Defenders and COIR were in Colorado.”

Word of the boycott apparently reached Caledonia’s, and Wiz said the owner, Mike Plaincarte, and the general manager, Chad Hankins, asked for a meeting with the COC, COIR and US Defenders.

“We met with them, listened to what they had to say, and explained our position,” Wiz said. “It was a very nice meeting…not contentious at all. They agreed that the ‘No Colors’ policy was an error on their part, and put an end to it immediately. Then they asked what they could do for us.”

Wiz said the offer to “do something” came from Caledonia’s management understanding and appreciating what COIR and US Defenders were trying to do, and wanting to be a part of that process.

They have a bikini contest here on Friday nights, and the place is packed,” Wiz said. “We asked them to give us a booth at the event so we can let more people know about COIR and US Defenders. They said yes, so we’re going to take advantage of the offer and be there.”

Wiz said these two actions are great examples of how US defenders and COIR can help the motorcycling community.

“We want to work with different groups,” he said. “We’ll take the time to educate them, and present our position, then work with them to accomplish results for everyone involved. These two actions are great examples of that. We want to be part of the solution to problems with government at all levels, and kind of be partners with businesses to eliminate and avoid situations that will cause a larger problem down the road.”