Tension with the family? His girlfriend yells at him? He starts his engine. Joseph Wilkinson first experienced street riding at 8, and since then, it has become therapy. Most of the machines lack basic safety features such as headlights or turn signals. law prohibits ATVs or dirt bike riding on any public land in the city - streets, sidewalks or trails. He said he couldn’t afford to get out of the city to find a legal trail.ĭ.C. Don Whitaker has not ridden since June, when he said the back tire of his 110 cc SSR burst when he was hit by an unmarked cruiser. Many of his friends around Barnaby Terrace SE remain grounded, too. Jacquan said he fell and bruised his leg, then ran home, never to see his bike again. During a ride in September, he said, a police cruiser turned into his back tire. “I’m trying to be on TV, basically, making some money riding these bikes,” the lean, dreadlocked teenager said.įirst, he needs a new bike.
DREAMS FACE PROFESSIONAL
First would be trick-riding fame on YouTube and Instagram en route to becoming a professional rider. Sixteen year-old Jacquan Brown had big plans for himself and his 100 cc Suzuki. But when we’re riding, everybody gets along.” “Man, I’ll be out riding with guys that if you were at a party something might pop off. “It’s a get-out-of-trouble device,” Cain said. Riders say they find camaraderie in biking, which eases tension between neighborhood groups when they roll the streets in packs. police, alleging the illegal use of excessive force in attempts to shut down the joy rides and confiscate machines. In the District this summer, the tension reached a new dimension as a group of riders filed a lawsuit against D.C. “It’s a defiant thing for youth, similar to skateboarding or graffiti.” “But I think the clash with police becomes a game in and of itself,” he said. Lotfy Nathan, who spent three years filming hundreds of riders in Baltimore for a new documentary, said riding was “more wholesome” than other paths. Riders say they simply are seeking speed and attention, a flashy way to meet the ladies and have fun. In many ways, the conflict with police has been playing out for generations, fought by greasers in the ’50s and beyond and celebrated in iconic roles played by James Dean and a young Marlon Brando. Riders complain that police unfairly harass them for activity they see as a harmless alternative to the drugs and violence often present in their neighborhoods. Instead, Hoey said, they snap pictures of riders, identify them and apply for warrants, then appear at riders’ homes to make arrests and seize bikes or all-terrain vehicles that had been reported stolen. Police policy doesn’t allow officers to give chase. This video posted to YouTube of a group called DC Glory Boyz shows dirt bikes in action. Robin Hoey of the 7th Police District, which has deployed new tactics this year to stop it. They are doing all kinds of insane stuff,” said Cmdr.
These guys on ATVs would ride on two wheels. police say the high speeds, tricks and jumps are a dangerous, even deadly, neighborhood nuisance, especially when packs of 20 or more roar through communities. The stunts, often inspired by video and pictures on social media sites, are playing out in urban neighborhoods across the nation.ĭ.C. They perform risky stunts that typically are reserved for open fields or trails in outlying counties. law.Ī growing number of thrill-seeking young people are taking to the streets in off-road bikes and ATVs, usually out of the sight of federal Washington.
DREAMS FACE FREE
And Terry Cain finds brotherhood when a pack of riders falls in line, suddenly free from the petty beefs of neighborhood rivalries.Īll of them have a problem - the rides they love violate D.C. Joseph Wilkinson cruises for stress relief. Riding a dirt bike on city streets creates dreams of YouTube glory for 16-year-old Jacquan Brown.
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