Parks, Not Punishment, For Dirt Bikers

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT by ILIANA PUJOLS & BRANDON SCOTT | AUGUST 21, 2020

THOMAS BREEN PHOTO

Why are we so obsessed with punishment?

Whenever we are presented with a problem, a mild inconvenience, or an issue where people don’t see eye-to-eye, our first instinct is always to address it with punitive measures.

Earlier this month, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker and Police Chief Otoniel Reyes announced a plan to address the “problem” of dirt bike and ATV riders around the city. Elicker and Reyes presented the plan as a creative solution that would act as a deterrent so as not to “criminalize behavior.”

While that sentiment sounds promising, the plan they announced includes fines that start at $1,000 for a first offense and aggressively increase to $2,000—an amount that no average person could afford to pay, let alone the young people you’re mostly likely to find out on a ride.

So let’s make this simple to understand: When you make a policy that means a person can end up in the system for not being able to pay a fine, you can’t claim you don’t want to “criminalize behavior” when you know poverty will do that for you.

This issue is not new, and yet it’s baffling that the Elicker administration would make this a priority in the face of the mounting problems impacting our city.  And ultimately, his timing could not be worse.

This pandemic has been traumatizing for so many people. Too many have faced loss and sickness. Too many are struggling to pay rent and afford food. The threat of a $2,000 fine in the middle of an economic crisis, for an activity that is annoying at worst, is out of touch and will only further hurt some of the people most impacted by this crisis.

Part of the problem is that Elicker doesn’t understand the love that community members have for bike riding.

If you’ve never been on a dirt bike or ATV, let’s make one thing clear - no one rides to bother someone else. They ride because it’s fun. For many members of New Haven’s Black and brown neighborhoods, riding together builds bonds within and between communities, brings joy, provides an escape, a sense of freedom, a way to let off steam, and a way to cope with trauma.

In the middle of this pandemic and economic crisis, our leaders should be doing all they can to increase access to safe, free or low-cost, socially distant outdoor activities.

Right now, there are almost no options for people to safely and legally ride their bike or ATVs across the state. Of those few options, distance or cost make them inaccessible or completely out of reach for many riders. Instead of a policy that will only create division, harm livelihoods, and criminalize normal teen behavior, Elicker should focus on proactive solutions that make riding safe and accessible.

The West Rock Park system is an incredibly large and completely underutilized resource in New Haven and is in a convenient location for many New Haven neighborhoods. Instead of raking in money from people who are already marginalized and underserved, we can resolve this non-issue by creating free and accessible spaces for people to use their dirt bikes and ATVs.

In addition to creating easily accessible spaces for people to ride, the city should host events that create opportunities for riders to come together. Pre-Covid, the city routinely closed streets for parades, festivals, and other outdoor events like the New Haven Grand Prix.

It is well within the city’s capacity to coordinate similar events that create opportunities for people to enjoy a community ride on dirt bikes and ATVs. After creating those opportunities, we must adopt policies that allow these vehicles on city streets - anything less is classist and preys on already underserved communities. 

Instead of investing in plainclothes stings, and tired, old policies that have been tried and failed before, Elicker and Reyes need to start turning to the community for solutions. At this moment, as New Haven joins the nationwide call for an end to police violence and the over policing of Black and brown communities, this policy is a step backwards from leaders who claim they want to build relationships between community and police.

Owning a dirt bike is not illegal. But without access to spaces to enjoy them, and with this predatory policy, the Elicker administration is setting working class people, youth, and hundreds of New Haven residents up for inevitable fines and arrest.

It shouldn’t have to be stated, but he’s supposed to serve these community members too.

Iliana Pujols is a New Haven native and Director of Community Connections for the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance. Brandon Scott is an East Haven native and ATV enthusiast.