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Baltimore Twitter getting upset about dirt bikers is pathetic
There are obvious solutions if one believes we need to get dirt bikers out of the street (a park is supported by every dirt biker I have ever spoken to) but otherwise fairly sensible ppl go full NextDoor maniac discussing the issue
This is of course true of a lot of things in Baltimore: people who use drugs (Safe consumption sites), people who experience homelessness (we have a city full of vacants) and it's always kinda shocking to see which issue makes fairly sensible ppl lose their minds
Here is what dirt bikers are up against: a police unit devoted solely to going after them and arresting them https://www.baltimoresun.com/citypaper/bcp-102715-feature-dirtbikes-20151027-story.html
and those going after dirt bikers in Baltimore included federally indicted Baltimore Police officers as I reported here https://theappeal.org/murder-every-day-but-the-spotlight-on-bike-life-amid-343-homicides-baltimore-police-crackdown-88c0be86277d/
Last thought here is it's so weird debating dirtbikes in Baltimore because what you're arguing against is perception. If you discuss say changing policing or safe consumption sites, often you're running into things that people experienced that you need to be mindful/respectful of
For example, to discuss these issues you need to understand why ppl who live in places where there's a lot of crime (and have often been victims of that crime) are worried about defunding police or why people who had loved ones using drugs are essentially triggered by SCS
And that's important to hear out and try to unpack why these "controversial" solutions help fix those problems. But with dirt bikes it is almost entirely perception—someone being like "this could happen" or "this almost happened" or general, "they make me nervous."
And as often as perception of public safety is invoked, perception even separate from safety comes up (it's loud, it makes the city looks bad, it signifies something or other about Baltimore). That's not worth hearing out. That's a change the ppl complaining need to come to.
People hate young people (who have nowhere in the city to dirt bike or have any fun without being policed), people hate people who use drugs (who have nowhere to use drugs), people hate people experiencing homelessness (who have nowhere to go).
If you're someone who has issues with "these people" but don't hate them or want them locked up well make sure you walk into the conversation with a lot of respect and sensitivity to their situation or else you look like a big nerd and a fucking fascist
