[QUOTE=cerealkilla';2854393]The most important product of this event is the revelation of what lies behind the image. Anti-Mtb folks have consistently sought to frame bikers as irresponsible and destructive dregs of society with no respect for culture, nature, or higher social sensibilities.
This has been countered at every turn with Olympic athletes showing up at Town Council, with MTB associations doing trail work and charitable work, with families out riding bikes, and so forth. Simply put, we are just people that enjoy riding bikes, and it is a task to defend ourselves from the moral entrepreneurs that seek to establish themselves as the legitimate authority over nature.
Yet here we have a 64 year old woman, the consummate demographic of what comprises niceness, decency, and conservative values in our society. I'm talking Peak Freans (ones with the jam in the middle) and tea, hand-knit shawls, nature clubs, and giving someone your seat on the bus. This is the face that has been pitched against the adrenaline-addled, frog-crushing, reckless, nature-destroyers of the MTB world.
But now the veil is lifted. This kindly semi-senior citizen facade of North-Vancouver colonial dignity and decorum is revealed for what it is; a cheap plastic mask over an angry selfish and self-righteous zealot, who thinks only of her own pathetic designs of what is an acceptable way to live, regardless of her impacts on other human beings. Rest assured, this person (if we agree to ascribe her the same personhood status as we confer to those that do not engage in sabotage), this person likely justified her actions to herself over and over again, convincing herself that what she did was right. These justifications will likely be twisted into some new pathetic excuse during the defence process, as the perpetrator seeks to reclaim the victim status that she sought to hide behind during her past efforts to paint MTBers as the enemy.
Watch now this wretch of a human squirm in their snare, and try to wriggle wriggle out of the light that has exposed them as a menace to society. If convicted, yes, it will likely be little more than a suspended sentence, conditional sentence, maybe house arrest, and hopefully a trail ban.
Those most directly affected by these acts should prepare themselves to deliver victim-impact statements on how these actions affected them. This can include statements about how the acts of sabotage affected their mental well-being and interfered with their ability to enjoy the trails (as they have a right to do), and perhaps even physical suffering (or bike damage, hey carbon fiber damage!$$$$$) for anyone who actually crashed as a result of her stupidity. It may be high time to seek out all those affected, and ensure they contribute their piece to the investigation in the form of corroborating evidence that documents the extent of this woman's crimes.
Well spoken, cereal. :beer: