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Mellow Johnny's cancels APD purchasing contract due to left hourly employees complaints


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16 hours ago, Seths Pool said:

lol I wonder who they will call once one of these tent-castle bums or someone else breaks into their shop and jacks a bunch of bikes. 

 

They would call the APD and they will do their jobs free of personal bias to uphold the law which is what WE pay them to do. 

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7 hours ago, mack_turtle said:

Someone please answer this: Trek has suspended the sale of their Police bikes. What is MJ's supposed to sell APD per their contract? Is APD just going to buy a bunch of Marlins and slap "police" stickers on them?

The other side of this is that Trek seems to have screwed some bike shops who had contracts with PDs. What's the resolution to that?

Mack you're responding with facts, sources and the ability to put them into logical conclusion....stop it already you're triggering the APD fangirls.

Edited by WayneBT
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On 8/5/2020 at 8:12 AM, JMR said:

Businesses should be able to reserve the right to refuse service for whatever reason they see fit. It's their business. If they don't want to sell bikes to APD, they shouldn't. Just like if someone didn't wanna bake a cake for someone, they shouldn't. If profit drops off, they'll have to live with it. If I get refused service somewhere, I'll gladly take my money elsewhere. Just my 2 cents.

the bake a cake is a protected class. They could deny for reasons not related to the protected class, but not because of the protected class.

 

 

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On 8/5/2020 at 9:28 AM, Teamsloan said:

Of all the bloated budget that APD has, I don’t see this as the most impactful place to want to cut or “defund” them. I thought we liked bikes here.

Let’s look elsewhere in the budget…like maybe…armored military vehicles and UAVs?

The term is “defund” not “un-fund” the police. Just because something is affiliated with APD, that doesn’t mean we need to throw it out.


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defund the police is actually about taking away many of the jobs that armed combat trained officers arent best for and moving those to another agency. It isnt about throwing things out but moving them to another agency where the culture is different

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20 hours ago, RidingAgain said:

And the downward... Sideways... Other sideways... Upward... Downward... Sideways... Downward... Upward... Downward confusion continues.

The seemingly normal confusion of these days aside...

I now have something like 20+ bikes in my garage to work on for people. It's like they see me outside my garage working on a bicycle and BAM... "Could you help me with my bicycle?"

you might be a hoarder.. however crappy 90s bikes are listing for $200 so you should take this chance to clear out some bikes. Get as many working as possible and start to sell. If you sell 10 of them you can buy a really nice modern bike.

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2 hours ago, crazyt said:

the bake a cake is a protected class. They could deny for reasons not related to the protected class, but not because of the protected class.

 

 

As far as I’m concerned, a business can deny service to whomever they want. They don’t have to give a reason. Like: we all know that one “friend” that you tried to help at some point, and that friend just kept taking advantage of your courtesy. So, you decide not to help the friend anymore. You don’t have to give a reason. You just don’t help. No matter what class he’s in. You gotta set boundaries somewhere.

Now, I’m not saying I agree with MJ or APD. I’ve never had an experience with either. 

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I didn't know where the police got their bikes before, and I didn't care. I don't care where they will get them in the future.

I didn't shop at MJ's before, and I still won't. (It's a bad location for me, I have personal relationships with other shops, etc.)

If they were smart, IMHO, they would have used this to pander to both sides. "We are proud to support the APD with the least aggressive, zero emission form of transportation available."

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2 hours ago, crazyt said:

defund the police is actually about taking away many of the jobs that armed combat trained officers arent best for and moving those to another agency. It isnt about throwing things out but moving them to another agency where the culture is different

It all sounds like a good idea, but does it work in real life?

It would be great to have a doctorate of psychology on staff to diffuse domestic violence situations. But when my angry wife has a knife to my throat and I have Alexa dial the police, I don't want them saying, "Our staff psychologist will be out Tuesday to help you."

So maybe more funding is needed to cross train the police on the streets. Those police that are already in patrol cars that can respond to calls about anything in short order. Not by Tuesday.

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14 minutes ago, The Tip said:

It all sounds like a good idea, but does it work in real life?

It would be great to have a doctorate of psychology on staff to diffuse domestic violence situations. But when my angry wife has a knife to my throat and I have Alexa dial the police, I don't want them saying, "Our staff psychologist will be out Tuesday to help you."

So maybe more funding is needed to cross train the police on the streets. Those police that are already in patrol cars that can respond to calls about anything in short order. Not by Tuesday.

I highly recommend watching Ernie & Joe on HBO to show two awesome cops do things right, and try to change how things are done. In there you will also see the attitudes by the older cops that they are fighting against, but you also see the new crop be a bit more open minded.

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As i recall the guys at Tsunami were also maintaining some of the police fleet, and had shifted that to the Buda Bikes location once tsunami closed. I'm going off of nothing other than what the owner/manager told me when I stopped in a ways back.

Read MJ's statement on why they made the decision, and it seems reasonable. In the end, it's their decision. IMHO, my only criticism is they should have gotten in front of all this before it exploded into the social media hellscape.

 

Edited by ATXZJ
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loaded thread topic. could also read "Mellow Johnny's listens to concerns of hourly employees instead of treating them the same way City Council treats Austin residents."

 

No one has answered my question yet, and I'd like to know why MJ's didn't say anything about it: their contract calls for MJ's to sell APD certain bicycles. MJ's can't acquire those bikes any more. what are they supposed to sell APD in place of those police-specific bikes?

since when did police become a protected class that deserves only obeisance and groveling? since when is it acceptable to suggest that public servants to only provide tax-payer funded services to people who suck up to them? are we talking about APD, or are we going to apologize for APD behaving like deputies of the Sheriff of Nottingham Forest or Al Capone's hired goons?

Edited by mack_turtle
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4 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

loaded thread topic. could also read "Mellow Johnny's listens to concerns of hourly employees instead of treating them the same way City Council treats Austin residents."

But, having *left* in it generates those clicks...and we all need the clicks.

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I think this bootlicking posture toward police is mostly an American phenomenon. short of the Stasi and law enforcement in the Philippines, few societies has such a reverence and fear for a class of people who are just doing their job that they bend over backwards at every opportunity to make excuses for their abuses of power and public trust. some of you watch too much TV and think cops are superheros. they are just people doing a job and we worship them and ignore their every flaw, then hand them buckets of cash.

1012548959_copmoney.thumb.png.73468c38617bd4a14839762a6a6ea9b3.png

 

I'm waiting for the posture to suddenly change when cops start busting y'all for drinking beer in the parking lot after rides, arresting trespassers in unmentionable trails, and tackling old white people for not wearing masks at Walmart.

Edited by mack_turtle
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1 hour ago, The Tip said:

So maybe more funding is needed to cross train the police on the streets. Those police that are already in patrol cars that can respond to calls about anything in short order. Not by Tuesday.

I agree with this, but cops are human. you're talking about a multi-tool of a cop that does everything well. that's not realistic. We could have a few savant cops that could handle many situations well, but not a whole force. we need to hire and deploy the right tool for the job. writing traffic tickets, de-escalating domestic disputes, helping a person in the middle of a mental health crisis, chasing down a machete massacre suspect, and chasing skateboarders out of a ditch are not toolsets that neatly fit into one person. the detailed critiques and plans that have worked in some communities involve having specialists. some times, you need a tough guy with a gun to take out a bad guy, and that's why you have some of those kind of cops. but that approach does not work out in the public's best interest in most situations. specifically in Austin, we don't live in a hellscape of madmen with swords beheading residents with chainsaws several times a day. sometimes I think that would be an appropriate scenario on MOPAC traffic.

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ill add my crap 2c

I have friends who are cops, from patrolmen to detectives. I also have friends that are protesters. There's definitely a disconnect in humanity between the two and it sucks. Modern day police are stretched further in their job description than ever, for more hours and shittier pay and benefits. A lot of small town/suburban cops have side jobs. I know one that mows lawns to supplement income. Most are far from getting piles of cash. I also know a few sheriffs dept swat guys that love nothing more than slamming redbulls and kicking down doors. Some cops are also sociopaths (takes one to catch one right?). I know some that are lazy good for nothings that get "promoted" to SROs and basically do nothing all day long. I also know some that are just good people trying to earn a living. Point is, they are just like us and a reflection of our society.

Problem is, the cops have a monopoly on violence, and they are the stick the state uses to beat us with. In the end, it's the lawmakers who are truly fucking us and should be receiving the public's ire. They are shorting cops, schools, fire depts anything that serves the public is getting cut. Now the bloated police budgets need to be dealt with just like the military budgets. Just because we spend "X" dollars on a department doesn't mean the people on the ground see much or any improvement in their lives. Military is full of poor motherfuckers, yet 60c of every tax dollar collected goes to our mercenary military. Same with the police. The fact that it has become so militarized is the main issue for me. Storm troopers dressed in all black with armor doing driveby policework. 1033 was a total recipe for disaster that shifted the arms race internally when the USSR collapsed, and needs to end. 

People are angry, scared and really desperate right now. Understandably so. Their leaders have failed them by refusing to stand for anything leaving them no alternative other than to march. They are also flawed, just like the cops. My biggest concern is the lack of central leadership from both sides coming to the table and having real open discussion on how we got where we are, and what we're going to do moving forward. This leaves a vacuum for people who want to stir things up and go buck wild until the state drops the fist on all of us. Those guys snatching people and throwing them into enterprise rental caravans are downright scary. Yet, the mayors and governors are not activating the state police to stop them because the cops are pissed at the protesters as well. It's a big fucking mess, just like everything else we are doing right now.

How anyone knowing what lance has done in his past, will now draw a hard line on this, is beyond me. Outraged snowflakes for the sake of being outraged.

Edited by ATXZJ
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48 minutes ago, ATXZJ said:

iIn the end, it's the lawmakers who are truly fucking us and should be receiving the public's ire.

I appreciated that rant, I could identify a good bit with it.  But this right here is the true nugget in your comment.  All of the politicians suck.  But now that we've all been successfully divided into tribalism with Red on one side and Blue on the other.....then its always 'the other guys [team] fault".

-CJB

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On 8/5/2020 at 6:19 AM, mack_turtle said:

Good for MJs. They are an independent business who can make principaled decisions not to sell equipment that will be abused to a corrupt agency with a bloated budget.

I thought Trek stopped selling those cops bikes anyway.

I’ve got a problem with you throwing all cops into the corrupt agency pool. How many LE people do you know? How many stories have you heard first hand about the way the public abuses them? What have your experiences been with LE? How do you feel when people put all mountain bikers in the dope smoking, reckless riding, rude category? I’m married to someone in LE. Another recently lived with us. Needless to say, we have many friends in LE and I’m gonna tell you that these are good people that went into law enforcement for ALL THE RIGHT REASONS. We’re fucked without law enforcement. Prove me wrong. 

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1 hour ago, CBaron said:

I appreciated that rant, I could identify a good bit with it.  But this right here is the true nugget in your comment.  All of the politicians suck.  But now that we've all been successfully divided into tribalism with Red on one side and Blue on the other.....then its always 'the other guys [team] fault".

-CJB

Very happy, right down the middle Libertarian here. Both sides suck balls.

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