Atlanta's ATV Problems

INTRO

I am writing this post to clarify my position on the current situation in Atlanta involving the illegal activities of ATV riders on public streets interrupting traffic and creating the potential for harm to both themselves and others. Specifically, I am writing this in response to Atlanta's new policy on "cracking down" on these activities which really only serves to speed up the fast track from elementary to jail for black, low-income youth.

PREFACE

I do not think that these people should be allowed to break the law without penalty. I do not approve of what they are doing and I do not in any way condone their behavior.

I support the police in their new efforts to apply the law in these circumstances and I also support their decision not to jeopardize the lives of these criminals or the lives of innocent bystanders by refusing to pursue these individuals.

What I don't support is the notion that after literally years of tacit acceptance by the cops, suddenly City Council decides that the existing penalties are not harsh enough.

Considering that the majority, not all, but the majority of these riders could not afford the penalties before this new policy, it makes it overkill to increase the penalties.

On one hand, if you want to claim that the reason you are increasing the fines now even though the previous penalties didn't work, you need to ask:

If the existing fines were not effective at eliminating this activity, what evidence do you have that bigger fines could be any more effective?

On the other hand, when you consider that the previous penalties were seldom applied and enforcement of the law was minimal, you need to ask:

 Why don't we try enforcing the original laws first before making them harsher?

The Problems with the Crackdown Approach

The problem that I have with the solution that folks are championing is that it doesn't seem to make logical sense. Not only does it destroy lives and communities, but it also costs innocent citizens more money and puts them at higher risk of being inconvenienced or being harmed.

Sure, it feels good to finally get some good ole fashion karma on these heinous law-breakers riding stolen bikes the wrong way down the street while carrying guns and smoking joints. Hell yeah, they belong in jail. I get that. I can feel that too.

{please note this is hyperbole for effect, I do not mean to imply that everyone who has a different perspective embodies this notion, just that this notion exists}

ACTUAL EFFECTS OF THE CRACKDOWN AT THE VERY MINIMUM:

1. We are not stopping or mitigating the problem. It continues and could even get worse as resentments build.
2. We are now having to pay for everything for these people. By putting them in jail, the citizens have to pay for them through taxes.
3. By cracking down on these folks in neighborhoods that have been doing this for years without terrorizing areas outside of their communities, they have been forced to disband and now the issue affects neighborhoods that weren't affected before.

PROTRACTED AND POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF THE CRACKDOWN

1. Not all of these people are career violaters. Several of them have gotten involved in this group because they preach "peace and love" and consider themselves to be a harmless solution to inner city gun violence.
2. It only takes one ticket to absolutely ruin someone's life regardless of any harm they caused. Jail time for being poor and black because they had the potential to cause harm seems unreasonably harsh.
3. When we imprison people, they don't come out reformed or better citizens, they get exposed to real criminal elements and often will commit the same crime or more crimes again.
4. Lots of these people have huge national followings in social media. Putting them in prison will lead to more police-citizen conflicts. It will turn these traffic offenders into martyrs.

So it's easy, at least for me, to see that this "crackdown" is not only terribly ineffective at reaching our goal of stopping these actions, but it is highly effective at creating more problems in more areas for more people.

Realistic Solution Limitations

Is there a solution to this problem that will provide 100% relief...ABSOLUTELY NOT. There will always be people who willfully break the law and who do it for the thrill. My belief is that these people are by far the minority within the ATV rider communities.

Will building a park ensure that this no longer happens, NO IT ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT.

This is a tricky situation and I am not saying that I have a better solution or a better understanding of what will work than anyone else. So, please don't get me wrong.

WHAT CAN BE DONE

We should take two approaches to solving this problem:

THE PROACTIVE SOLUTION:

By working with private funding to generate the first INNER CITY ATV CENTER, we can create a way to siphon off the riders who don't thrive on animosity and the risks of breaking the law. We get the kids and adults who want to ride ATVS off the streets and we provide a venue for them to learn new tricks, to show off for friends, to race, etc.
We encourage the surrounding communities to participate in the Center where we train people to ride responsibly. We train them to become mechanics and we focus on the leaders of these groups to provide a rich social media library of positive and informative videos that celebrate this form of recreation without violating the law or violating the rights of others.

It should only take a short period of time to sponsor a new cultural attitude towards this sport that can then be distributed to other cities. It worked miracles for skateboarding, we at least can try it for ATVs. And since the only expense the City will incur is a small subsidy for lower-income citizens, we change the relationship between the City and its citizens. Atlanta could become a model for how a city comes together to provide a positive response to a growing problem.

WHILE WE ARE DEVELOPING THE CENTER

We establish a task force to determine the names and identities of the primary violators based on social media and personal interaction. This allows us to assess heavier penalties to leaders of this group that willfully violate the law and encourage this behavior in others.

We should break these crimes into their components and assess fines and penalties that are appropriate for the level of infraction, but which serve to stop the activities without just throwing everyone in jail.

If someone is involved in an accident or infraction that results in bodily or property harm to another person or persons, that should be a different crime and should carry a stiffer penalty.

If someone is running red lights and popping wheelies in the street, they should have less of a penalty and they should not be at risk of going to jail for inconveniencing others when no material harm was done.

If someone is simply riding an ATV on the streets, obeying traffic, and for all intents and purposes, behaving...they should be fined the least

In all cases, we should check for weapons, drugs, intoxication, licenses, and verify ownership or right to use the vehicle in violation. These are separate crimes and should be handled according to established laws for these crimes.

We should also consider a diversion program (that can be handled by the ATV Center in the future) that involves education and encourages community service as a first violation.

WILL LIVES STILL BE DESTROYED?

Some of these riders will be in violation of multiple laws and though I hate it for them, they knew the risks well in advance and they chose to violate multiple laws willfully.

WILL LIVES BE SAVED?

This is the important thing for me. What this different approach could do is it could save the person who got caught up in the excitement of this fun new adventure and finds themselves riding down the street with their friends, unaware that this simple act could ruin their entire lives. They haven't hurt anyone or caused any harm, but they will never get a good job, they will lose the job they have, they will lose their families...this one lapse in judgment will ruin their life because of this unfair "CRACKDOWN"

DISCLAIMER: Please disregard my tone if I sound arrogant or if it appears that I think I am smarter or more righteous than anyone. I am simply a citizen that wants to help build our communities without throwing people in jail, causing harm or inconvenience to others. These are my ideas and opinions and as such, they are liable to change for any reason at any time. Thanks for reading and please reply at your convenience.