Normally I would have overlooked such a story, but something caught my eye this time. It was a Sunday morning and I was looking through the newspaper when I spotted the article on lowriders. Lowriders......those lowered cars and trucks that we see bouncing along occasionally showering sparks as some low hanging piece of metal meets concrete.

The article started out by briefly describing what lowriders are and some of the contests and activities surrounding the hobby. Competitions are held to display the latest trends in customizing and the musical art of car dancing.......that is, a freestyle contest where owners show off their latest jumping and movement techniques via remote cables, from outside the car.

One aspect that interested me was the description of the camaraderie and sense of family present in the hobby. Several generations of family would sometimes participate by helping one another build vehicles and participate in competitions.

Cruising is also a vital part of the lowrider hobby. However, the article went on to explain that the city council was considering banning all lowrider cruising on city streets because the council felt that any criminal element that MIGHT be associated with the lowriders could be banished from the streets by banning all lowrider cruising.

Starting to sound a little familiar now?

This is just another example of a group of people trying to exercise control over another, or take away other's rights to public access (streets) to stem the bad acts of a small portion of the public.

The city council was willing to squash the rights of honest citizens in order to curb the abuses of a few bad ones. The same tactics are often used to facilitate land closures on public lands. Rather than punish those that abuse their privileges, those in control of the lands would rather use the abuse as a blanket reason for shutting everyone out.

So, in essence, the plight of the lowriders and those of fourwheelers are very similar. Both are fighting for use of their public facilities and both support a tight knit group of friends and family that participate together, helping one another along the way.

I don't particularly care to participate in the lowrider world, but I have come to respect their desire to customize their vehicles for a specialized purpose. I also admire their strong support and participation of friends and family, and their desire to use our public resources responsibly.

See ya on the trail.......I'll be in the lifted truck..........