Bikers say Modesto police harass them

Motorcycle club members tell council they're harassed by Modesto police officers

By ADAM ASHTON
aashton@modbee.com

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About 100 bikers from several motorcycle clubs packed a Modesto City Council meeting Tuesday night, complaining that police have harassed them over the past year and a half.

Members of Modesto's "Most Envied" club carried the grievance, contending that police have followed them in an attempt to make a case that they belong to a criminal gang.

Tony Hernandez, the club's vice president, said that assumption is wrong. He described "Most Envied" as a group of family men who ride motorcycles and contribute to community events.

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MODESTO COUNCIL WATCH

The Modesto City Council on Wednesday unanimously voted to:
- Hire Sunworld, a Sacramento company, to build Pamela Monterosso Park at Scenic Drive and Coffee Road. Sunworld can earn up to $480,100 for its work. The council rejected a bid in July from Sunworld to build the park because its estimate of $454,100 was deemed too expensive. The city must move on the project to meet a deadline attached to state funding.
- Adjust the Public Works Department's budget to hire a senior civil engineer and an associate civil engineer. The department wants to fill the positions to reflect its changing workload. Most Public Works money comes from utility fees and is separate from the strapped general fund the council cut last week.
- Award a $271,500 contract to Davis-based West Yost Associates to develop a preliminary design report for an expansion of Modesto's water treatment plant.
- Upgrade the Modesto Police Department's digital evidence system at a cost of $125,000.
- In addition, the council met in closed session to discuss its negotiations with the Modesto City Employees Association and its recruitment of a new city manager. It was the last regular meeting for Councilman Bob Dunbar, who did not seek re-election. Dunbar had the last word at the session, saying, "I'd like to express my gratitude to staff -- it's a hardworking group -- and to my colleagues for the support we give each other."
  The Modesto City Council is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the basement chamber of Tenth Street Place, 1010 10th St. -- Adam Ashton

"We feel we are being slandered and our families fear for us," he said. "All we want to do is do good for the community and ride."

Two leaders of Stanislaus County's National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter spoke up for the motorcycle club and asked the council to schedule a discussion to weigh the complaints in public. The council didn't commit to the request.

NAACP member John Mataka leveled one of the most serious charges. He said the Police Department was conducting racial profiling by following members of the "Most Envied" club after celebrations for Mexican holidays.

The NAACP is investigating those accusations. It documented a list of examples of officers reportedly pulling over members of the club for reasons the bikers felt were inconsequential or unwarranted.

Police Chief Roy Wasden rebutted the club's arguments in general.

"If they follow the law, they won't have any problems with the Modesto Police Department," he said after the meeting. "Just because you're in a motorcycle club doesn't mean we're going to look the other way."

The presence of the motorcycle clubs made for a rare scene in the City Council chambers.

City employees and residents who regularly attend the meetings sit on the right side of the chambers. They took their seats, then members of the clubs filled the left half of the chamber, spilling into a standing-room-only area behind the chairs.

About a dozen uniformed police officers also sat in the meeting. They followed the bikers in and out of the room.

Usually, one officer watches from the back of the chambers. Sometimes more officers attend, but only to make presentations to the council.

At least six motorcycle clubs attended the meeting, all wearing black jackets identifying their affiliations. They came in part because of rumors that law enforcement officers were encouraging clubs to tear off patches from "Most Envied" jackets, an act that could escalate tensions between groups.

"There's not going to be a war," a member from one of the other clubs shouted after the meeting when the bikers gathered outside the council chambers in City Hall.

Hernandez, 30, and "Most Envied" founder Luis Vera, 37, encouraged the bikers to be careful when they drove away from downtown parking lots, and told the riders to write down the names of officers who pull them over.

Several of them did just that after the meeting when members of the "Most Envied" club gathered for dinner at El Marisquero restaurant on Coldwell Avenue.

One member, David Puckett, was arrested on Coffee Road on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm. Puckett, 30, reportedly clipped a law enforcement officer with his motorcycle. The officer was standing at a traffic stop, sheriff's deputy Royjindar Singh said. The officer was not injured.

Puckett was being held in lieu of $20,000 bail at the Stanislaus County Jail.

Another "Most Envied" member said he was roughed up by Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department deputies near Modesto Junior College.

Officers seized Vera's video camera when they arrested Puckett, Vera said. Vera used the camera to record the club's visit to the council meeting.

"This is the police acting against the people to intimidate them," said James Anderson, 25.

Bee staff writer Adam Ashton can be reached at aashton@modbee.com or 578-2366.