I-Team gets backstory on illegal dirt bikes in Durham
DURHAM, North Carolina (WTVD) -- Remember our story earlier this week on dozens of dirt bikes and ATVs being ridden roughshod on the streets of Durham? They were running reds and causing general havoc on city streets. You can see some of the video in this short clip.
Turns out, a lot of those riders belong to "Bikes Up, Guns Down," a loose grouping of people in Durham who work (and play) on motorcycles with the purported idea of "getting kids off the street."
Supporters told the I-Team it was successful and "living up to all of their goals;" namely, giving kids with not many options something to do so they don't turn to violence.
But for many, that excuse may not cut it. Paul Seifert lives on one of the streets where he said Muhammad's group would often ride and said, "We've got families here. Kids here, here, and there," he said pointing to houses nearby. "Got kids up the road as well. I think it's very dangerous. Anybody could get hurt."
Seifert said he understands the point but doesn't think the end justifies the means.
"It may be a great way of doing something different other than using guns and fists and all but, if they're going to do it, they need to do it somewhere else where there ain't any traffic and kids around at all. Because I'm afraid that one of these kids here is going to get hit. If not, they're going to hit that hump," he said, pointing to a speed hump just up the road, "and they're going to flip and that's just going to be the end of it.
"It's their fun," Seifert added. "But it's a dangerous kind of fun that I wouldn't even do."
Durham police have their hands tied to some degree because of their chase policy, which prevents them from pursuing motorcycles.
Many local agencies and the Highway Patrol have similar policies in place, but folks concerned with the swarms of illegal bikes on the road say they should be doing more.
A spokesperson for DPD said their investigators are reviewing our video. Seifert says if police aren't going to chase the riders, they should try to track them down at home.
But one supporter of the Bikes Up, Guns Down initiative says police should be out riding with the group instead of trying to track them down.
