Police officers in Perth Amboy, New Jersey are under fire after video clips of them appearing to molest a small group of black teenagers riding their bikes around town went viral. Perth Amboy has a law that requires a bicycle license plate, but the teens say they live in Edison and have just ridden home.
At one point six police cars were involved. The officers ordered teenagers to get off bicycles, confiscated at least one, and arrested a youth who argued they shouldn’t have to give up their bikes.
We can’t even ride bikes right now … I’m not surprised. I’m just mad pic.twitter.com/xcAR8zmnuP
– idKid (@deep_dab) April 19, 2021
Later, at the police station, an officer told the teenager that he was lucky to get his bike back and asked if he had the receipt for the bike and if he was registered with them. The official also says the teenagers were told to stay on the sidewalk, but they should also stay on the street and drive in traffic. She says they did all of this for their own safety.
Here is a statement from a Perth Amboy police officer: pic.twitter.com/8T48DMEgoA
– Philip Lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 20, 2021
Part of the Perth Amboy Comprehensive Bicycle Act reads: “An application for a license to own and operate a bicycle must be made in writing to the Chief of Police on a form approved by the City Council. After an application has been approved, the police chief will provide a proper license plate at the city’s expense, which will be affixed to a considerable extent to the frame of the bicycle. Removal of such a tag, except by the competent authority, is a violation of this chapter. A license fee of fifty cents (US $ 0.50) per year is charged for each bicycle. This license is issued from the calendar year and is valid for this period. “
It also prohibits “Fancy Riding”:
“The rider of a bicycle must not allow it to ride by inertia on a road with his feet away from the pedals, nor take both hands off the handlebars while riding, nor do tricks or fancy rides on or off a road Practice street carry another person on the bike. “
Many are outraged:
In Perth Amboy https://t.co/0v6znJ4SkO, cycling in black is a crime
– Warning obligation 🔉 (@ uty2warn) April 20, 2021
This is Perth Amboy, NJ. Do the police really arrest children for bike registrations? Do so many officials really have to deal with the situation at hand? The police cannot continue to be our answer to EVERYTHING. https://t.co/fcrPfJNKBI
– Amol Sinha (AmolSinha), April 20, 2021
I rode my bike around Perth Amboy, NJ last year. Nobody asked me for my bike license. I wonder why. pic.twitter.com/VRsHggDxbv
– Charlie O’Donnell (@ceonyc) April 20, 2021
Municipal bicycle licenses are just registration stickers. And they can be a powerful tool for arresting wheelie kids.
Anyone driving in or through Perth Amboy should be outraged. #bikingwhileblack https://t.co/513vdYQBnX
– BCGP Biking The Region (@BikingTheRegion) April 20, 2021
Police in Perth Amboy, New Jersey arrest a black teenager for no reason. They released him later in the day and returned all the bikes because they knew what it would be like. pic.twitter.com/AQ8FXgCjs4
– Fifty shades of whey (@ davenewworld_2) April 20, 2021
Let’s take a short second. These guys claim they are from Edison, NJ. No license / registration is required for a bike. But in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, there is … So this is just a police profile with a classic failure to communicate or listen. #ACAB #BIKE #Cycles https://t.co/x7bGP3UR1P
– Serotonless Graves (@Nopeamine) April 20, 2021
Then she says she could be a real asshole and confiscate the other teenagers’ bikes that are not registered. Perth Amboy requires you to be registered. But, unlike their first indictment, they also prohibit driving on sidewalks in many places in the city, so … https://t.co/SJohgEibZx pic.twitter.com/FCWphZgR7d
– sahra (@sahrasulaiman) April 20, 2021
Imagine being a wretched police force like the one in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, whose latest claim to fame is: trending because you’re idiotic about confiscating bikes and detaining (just the black) boys because no 50- Cent registration that proves possession … # HowItStarts https://t.co/sxxADzeImM
– Gerald Hampton (@VaTechPhiDelt) April 20, 2021
Perth Amboy NJ has a regulation that all bikes must be licensed. Here’s what happens if you live in neighboring Edison NJ and want to drive through Perth Amboy. This is deja vu by Robert Moses, who builds low bridges on the highways to prevent bus traffic. # FTP #ACAB https://t.co/qbrXsow1Gd
– #DefundThePolice @ (@ Tom4CongressNY6) April 20, 2021
Do you need an annual license to ride a bike as a fucking kid in Perth Amboy, New Jersey? But we cannot figure out how to require a license and reasonable legislation for firearms. America! https://t.co/Kk1oDXgLKd
– Stephen G. Friend (@StephenGFriend) April 20, 2021
I looked it up, bloody wild. You have to register your bike with the police. They can steal your bike for ANY violation and throw you in jail for up to ten days. This is such an obvious bullshit law targeting black kids: //t.co/8KCuzvQmtg
– Nick is still wearing his mask 😷 (@NickKramarev) April 20, 2021
50 cents a year to license your bike in Perth Amboy, New Jersey – this is nothing more than an excuse to harass
(This is not an archaic law – dated 2011) pic.twitter.com/XFpMny8Tjf
– Brian (@FinallySock) April 20, 2021
I broke that law last summer when I stopped at Amboy’s waterfront ice cream parlor in Perth on my way back from New Brunswick
1. Bicycle laws shouldn’t change from one city to the next
2. Cops apparently only apply this law to people who are black. @ NJGov, fix this. Both count. https://t.co/5aKU89wSVX
– Brian Hedden (@BriHedden) April 20, 2021
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