Law Enforcement and Hells Angeles

“Beware the Ides of March!”

Julius Caesar failed to heed that prophetic warning and died on March 15--so did a little of our freedom down on Ventura’s Main Street.

The Hells Angels rode into town like an outlaw gang and were met by a massive posse of local, county and national lawmen. I thought I was watching “High Noon” but Gary Cooper was nowhere in sight. And nowhere on Main Street could an Angel or any other rider on two wheels tie up his or her mount because of the posting of dozens of “No Motorcycle Parking--Tow-Away Zone” signs, which went up in the early-morning hours like some poisonous loco weed. So much for the Wild West similes.

The fear, anger, shame and embarrassment generated by the actions of the Ventura Police Department in calling out the reserves and calling in out-of-town assistance cannot be overstated.

I don’t care what you think of the Hells Angels. Personally, I don’t send Christmas cards or attend Lakers games with them. But until they, as an organization or as individuals, break any laws the members of the Hells Angels are citizens of the United States of America and deserve the full protection of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.

If this is not a civil rights issue then what is? The Klan can march in Skokie. The Nazis can post pages on the Internet. The Communist Party can nominate presidential candidates. But the Hells Angels can’t park on Main Street. This is how freedom is lost; not with the roar of motorcycle engines, but by the silence of its leaders.

KEITH BURNS

Ventura