A few weeks ago I wrote an article regarding a 31-year-old neighborhood dude that was tearing ass around my community all summer on a dirt bike, going down one-way streets the wrong way, weaving in and out of traffic, and generally creating havoc. However, while attempting to pop a wheelie through an intersection he did a header into the side of a delivery truck and dispatched himself to that great dirt bike racetrack in the sky.
Gone, but not forgotten. But what if he’d had a safer place to ride his bike? But more on that later.
As someone who’s been riding motorcycles on and off for close to 55 years, I understand the attraction — and more importantly, the dangers — of two-wheeled motor sports. The potential danger is part of what makes riding so exciting and appealing. I’m never more alive — with all of my senses engaged — than when I’m on my Harley. The reason is simple: my life and well-being depend on it. A false or bad move can cost you dearly — skinned knees and elbows, broken bones and even your life.
There’s a saying among motorcycling enthusiasts: “Keep the shiny side up, and the rubber side down.” And I’ve managed to do that, except for on three occasions when I took minor spills, two of them I was not responsible for, but I nonetheless was still the one limping around for a week or two.
But I still shake my head in disbelief as I watch groups of five or ten youngsters (sometimes even more) zipping around city streets on dirt bikes, breaking all the rules of safe motorcycling while endangering themselves, motorists and pedestrians in the process. All they’re concerned about is having fun.
And, to be honest, having somewhat dangerous fun is innate in human beings; it’s part of the human condition, especially among younger folk. Of course the older we get, the more cautious we get.
But young people across the world like to engage in dirt bike racing, hang gliding, bungee jumping, skydiving, rock climbing and various other types of risky behaviors that sends chills down my spine just watching them on TV. Uh, no thank you, I’m not that brave.
But inner city black kids don’t have the wherewithal to engage in these relatively expensive forms of daredevil behaviors. That’s why they’re zipping around city streets on their dirt bikes … and, I sincerely believe, it’s part of the reason why they engage in the risky behavior of gunplay.
Yes, I think that the innate sense of love of danger that’s found in all human beings, if not properly vented, turns inwards and becomes destructive. While white kids get to skydive for thrills, black kids get to shoot at each other for the same reason.
Please, just think about that for a moment before dismissing it.
That’s why I’m proposing that a dirt bike track be built along the Opportunity Corridor, with all of the hills, valleys and dangerous curves found on such tracks that are usually located 50 or more miles away from Cleveland. The majority of our inner city kids can’t visit those facilities — and might not be welcomed if they could — but that doesn’t mean they should be denied the right to strap on the pads, put on a helmet and try to kill their damn-fool selves … just like white kids.
Who knows, with a constructive outlet for their thrill-seeking proclivities — again, emotions that are all too human — they just might stop bustin’ as many caps in each other’s asses with seeming alacrity. Now, admittedly, I’m just guessing here (I’m certainly not a trained behaviorist or clinician), but I nonetheless think it’s worth a try.
Sure, there would be all sorts of hoops to jump through: Insurance, waivers, behavior control and probably a dozen other roadblocks that folks who really don’t care all that much about the welfare of black youth will come up with to derail such a project. But in the end, how much does it really cost to take a bulldozer and pile up some dirt and turn it in into hills?
From Cool Cleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available again in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author by visiting http://NeighborhoodSolutionsInc.com.
One Response to “MANSFIELD: Risky Behaviors”
Angie Schmitt
This is a good idea, I think.