This
has to go down as one of the most idiotic comparisons of all time. On Sunday, Reuters posted a story trying to link the Texas biker gang shootings to the peaceful patriotic bikers making their way to the Rolling Thunder event held in Washington D.C., as they have done each Memorial Day weekend since 1988.
The story headline reads, “Thousands of bikers gather in Washington to honor vets.” Sounds innocent enough, right? Wrong. Check out the opening paragraph:
“One week after a gathering of biker gangs in Texas that resulted in nine deaths and 170 arrests, thousands of motorcycle riders roared into the nation's capital Sunday to honor military veterans, prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action.”
They also made sure to include that several other biker events were being held across the country with heightened security.
And as if the first paragraph weren’t bad enough, they ended the story focusing AGAIN on the Texas biker gang shooting:
“Last Sunday, 170 people were arrested in connection with the shootout among rival bikers that left nine dead and 18 wounded and turned a Waco, Texas restaurant into a blood-soaked crime scene.”
What Reuters failed to mention is that last Sunday’s biker shooting was between two motorcycle groups - the Bandidos and the Cossacks. The violence stemmed from both groups with petty disputes like failing to pay respect, money, and territorial issues. To compare these two violent biker gangs to those who make the trek each year to Rolling Thunder is ridiculous.
To date, there have been no violence or shootings at the Rolling Thunder event that brings together more than a million patriotic bikers and onlookers, making it “the largest one-day motorcycle gathering in the world,” according to Nancy Regg, a Rolling Thunder spokesperson. She also stated: "They're not here to party and get drunk...No fights. No attitudes."
Another stark difference is that the streets are filled with people cheering as bikers make their way – many even bringing their children to witness such a patriotic gesture of remembrance and thanks to those who fought and died for our country.
It’s sad that Reuters would take a violent event between biker gangs and try to link it to the bikers of Rolling Thunder. The fact is, throughout the 27 years of Rolling Thunder’s existence, there has never been a story about violence, rival gangs, shootings or arrests. The story Reuters wrote on Sunday would make you think otherwise.
