Bikers, lawmakers rally at courthouse
Members of the Alliance of Bikers Aimed Toward Education (ABATE) stood together on the steps of the Fayette County Courthouse on Friday in a “display of dedication to support our personal freedoms,” said county chapter president Ziggy Garbutt. About a dozen ABATE members, joined by state Rep. Pete Daley (D-California) and state Rep. Larry Roberts (D-South Union), urged voters who care about motorcycling issues such as helmet laws to vote for lawmakers who support them.
Daley and Roberts, who both said they ride motorcycles, did not ride theirs to the courthouse, but both voiced support for ABATE and their campaign to preserve their personal rights. “We’ll always be there for you as long as I’m in the General Assembly,” Daley said.
Roberts told the group that he works with its lobbyists in Harrisburg and is pleased to count himself among ABATE’s supporters.
“You’re adults. You have the right to decide what you’re going to do, and we’re going to help support you,” Roberts said.
Garbutt said the reason for the gathering was not specifically to protest helmet laws, but it was necessary to come together to educate voters about their representatives.
“Unless we, as voters, voice our opinions, they don’t know how to vote,” said Garbutt.