Mesa Police Department Unfairly Denies Diversity Motorcycle Benefit.

Ernest Hickman of the Forty-Eight Foundation is trying to reach out to the press to correct what is being alleged as race related and an unfair denial of a special events permit. The Forty-Eight Foundation-a 501c (3) non-profit applied for a liquor license for a fundraising event with Desert Winds Harley Davidson. The event would feature beer, wine and spirits along and food, such as a fish fry, hamburgers, and hot dogs. However, on March 19th Arizona Liquor informed the Forty-Eight Foundation that the Mesa Police Department would recommend that the event be cancelled.

“The City of Mesa preemptively shut down an annual event hosted by Arizona Soul Brothers, the Phoenix-based motorcycle club that was involved in a deadly shooting last year the two-night event was scheduled to take place at Desert Wind Harley -Davidson near Country Club Drive and 10th Avenue.  A flyer promoting the event stated that it was the 44th annual event hosted by the club,” is what was published about the event in an Arizona newspaper. However, there is more than what meets the eye.

“This year in 2018 we reached out to Desert Winds Harley Davidson who worked with us to use their facility to have a function March 30th and 31st, 2018. We had an approval with Desert Winds Harley Davidson which is located at 922 S Country Club Drive, Mesa Arizona, and with the help of their event Coordinator. Plus, the incident that occurred last year had nothing to do with the Forty-Eight Foundation and the Phoenix Police Department has already made an arrest in this case. There was never a real reason other than to think the city and the police took an issue with the diversity of our club,” said Hickman.

The deadly shooting being shopped by the press to put a negative light on the event and all involved is nothing more than a smoke and mirrors PR move by the local police and city. “It’s a cheap way to substantiate a stigma, really a stereotype. It’s getting very frustrating because there was no basis and it feels like a culture of a witch hunt,” said Ernest Hickman, CEO of Forty- Eight Foundation. 

Mr. Hickman and the Forty-Eight Foundation states that they will protest the unfair setback in regard to this event. They are seeking a positive resolution by sitting down with city officials, under the help of any civil rights attorney willing to help, in order to explore what rights may have been violated and how the situation can be resolved to the satisfaction for all parties involved.

Currently the Forty- Eight Foundation doesn't have a civil rights attorney but are currently interviewing several. We are attempting to try, and recoup lost revenue by continuing to do our fund raising, and if we find an attorney and find out that possibly our civil rights were violated in some way we will explore that avenue as well by way of civil ligation or whatever means necessary, said Mr. Hickman.