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Location:
sunny coast, qld
Registered:
October 2002
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Hoons & Goons article
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Sat, 09 October 2004 05:52
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*stolen from another site*
I thought this was a great read and it is good to see someone looking at the whole situation.
HOONS & GOONS
At many locations around the state, young car enthusiasts meet to talk about their cars and show their many modifications with pride. these cars can be nissan skylines, pulsars, hondas, mitsubishi FTOs, subarus, toyota supras, soarers and dozens of others which appeal to our younger generation for both their looks and performance.
Two of the locations, well known to me, are the broadwater car park on the gold coast and the reserve at wellington point on brisbane's bayside. Many of the enthusiasts also occasionally gather at various Mcdonalds carparks to buy a burger and indulge in car adoration and discussion. The majority of these drivers are in the 17-29 year old age group and love their cars. There are of course a few "idiots" who crank up their stereos too loud and like to perform doughnuts in the area. These few give the majority a bad name but are in the minority.
As parents of teenagers, we support their right to gather in a public place and to discuss and enjoy their hobby: ie. their car. While our younger generation are meeting as motoring enthusiasts, they are not drinking, they are not putting graffiti on buildings, they are not brawling or taking drugs or breaking into homes and businesses. So, it has our support as "oldies".
There are some elements who view the activities scornfully and complain to law enforcement authorities about the gathering of "young hoons". This has resulted in some bizarre behaviour from local police, who demonstrate their complete ineptness in dealing with a few disruptive young drivers. Rather than resolve problems with some intuitive and intelligent thinking, they choose to react in their normal seemly heavy-handed fashion: "let's barricade the area and defect every vehicle leaving - even for the most minor infringement!"
Things like, no water in windshield washer bottle, exaust pipe too low, fluorescent lights decorating the car, chipped windscreens and other similar offences. Now the police are not just warning these guys, they are issuing tickets for $75 an offence! The police are singling out this group as trouble-makers and seem intent on targeting them with bullying and stand-over tactics.
Now in defence of our law enforcement officers, who often have an uneviable job to do, they will be quick to tell me that if every kid's car was 100% compliant they couldn't be fined for anything. TRUE! well, why don't they target other groups, like senior citizens, mothers dropping children at schools or their own private cars and see if they are 100% compliant! Some of these young people spend a fortune on their tyres, wheels, exausts and suspention and represent no threat to anyone's safety.
So, while highly trained, loyal and brave law enforcement officers are fining these kids (some earn their money part-time at Mcdonalds and Dominos Pizza on low hourly rates), they are incurring public penalty rates and overtime fulfilling this wonderfull service; meanwhile, shopkeepers complain that they cannot get any police response to thieves when they report crimes because police are too overworked. This was just the scenario at wellington point two thursday nights ago when numerous police barracaded the entrance to the point public carpark and subjected every car to police scrutiny. Many cars were defected and many fines were issued.
Now i do not support "hoons" who risk their lives and the lives of others with unsafe driving and unsafe cars. I am appalled by the over-representation of young people in death and injury accident statistics, but i strongly defend the right of our younger generation to meet, interact and love their cars. It is every free person's right to meet in a public place, provided they are not harming other people or themselves. If a few younger drivers are obviously flouting the law and risking lives, then every supports punitive action against them.
How much harm to police public relations is being done by these needless act of bullying by police? Are not these kids the police officers of the future and do we want our kids to think our law enforcement officers are scum bags? Maybe a little bit of inteligent thought could develop solutions which allows kids to meet and enjoy their cars without harassment and police officers regain their place, in their eyes, as respected people in the community.
~Ron McCann
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Location:
Potts Point, Sydney
Registered:
October 2003
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Re: Hoons & Goons article
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Sat, 09 October 2004 06:07
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That's awesome...whoever wrote that should be given a medal 
Where did u get it off?
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Location:
sunny coast, qld
Registered:
October 2002
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Re: Hoons & Goons article
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Sat, 09 October 2004 06:30
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QLD street car
A fella typed the whole thing up. Good effort I reckon 
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Location:
Newcastle
Registered:
August 2003
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Re: Hoons & Goons article
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Sat, 09 October 2004 07:12
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Very well worded and full of common sense, such an article should be broderline don page 2 or 3 along with the usual flipsideof the story we hear.
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
July 2002
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Re: Hoons & Goons article
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Sat, 09 October 2004 07:21
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Vote 1 Ron McCann for Prime Minister
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Location:
sunny coast, qld
Registered:
October 2002
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Re: Hoons & Goons article
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Sat, 09 October 2004 07:24
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It was in a Wheels & Deals magazine which is an auto trader.
BTW sort of on topic.
I just did the viewer feedback form on the today tonight website regarding the hoon story and asked them if they would like to do a story on the inappropriate behaviour of police towards car enthusiasts.
Wonder what the answer will be? 
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
July 2002
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Re: Hoons & Goons article
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Sat, 09 October 2004 07:39
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| Chris Davey wrote on Sat, 09 October 2004 17:24 |
It was in a Wheels & Deals magazine which is an auto trader.
BTW sort of on topic.
I just did the viewer feedback form on the today tonight website regarding the hoon story and asked them if they would like to do a story on the inappropriate behaviour of police towards car enthusiasts.
Wonder what the answer will be?
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link us all up so we can too
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Location:
Baulko Hillo
Registered:
April 2004
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Re: Hoons & Goons article
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Sat, 09 October 2004 11:46
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| Jag7799 wrote on Sat, 09 October 2004 17:39 |
link us all up so we can too
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w0rd....
And here here!
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Toymods member
I supported Toymods
Location:
Rydalmere, NSW
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Hoons & Goons article
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Sun, 10 October 2004 23:16
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Excellent article. Great to see an evenly-weighted and unbiased opinion of "how it is".
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Location:
Melbourne
Registered:
November 2003
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Re: Hoons & Goons article
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Mon, 11 October 2004 03:10
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Good article, some good points.
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Location:
sunny coast, qld
Registered:
October 2002
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Re: Hoons & Goons article
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Mon, 11 October 2004 08:15
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here you go guys
http://seven.com.au/todaytonight/contact_feedback
this is what I wrote
Hi,
In response to your recent Hoon's story. I was wondering if you would like to do a story on the inappropriate behaviour of many police (ie. the hoon squad) towards car enthusiasts. We know that there are a minority of idiots ruining it for the rest of us genuine enthusiasts but it seems that your program has failed to show this in your stories. Why is this??? Does this not make good viewing?
So we agree that there are some people which do illegal stuff on the roads and I think we will agree that it is not only people in modified cars who do this. You only have to look at how much revenue that Government is making from speed cameras to work that out. So how is it fair to have police officers only searching modified cars for defects and not "soccer mums" or old people's cars or half of the other cars which couldn't pass a roadworthy?
Seems strange to me? Anyway, I can't see you doing anything about this as I am sure that it wouldn't pull the ratings like a good old hoon bashing
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Toymods member
I supported Toymods
Location:
Rydalmere, NSW
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Hoons & Goons article
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Mon, 11 October 2004 09:32
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I somehow think that last sentence you added wouldn't have greased the reels too much with the reporters of TodayTonight. 
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Location:
sunny coast, qld
Registered:
October 2002
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Re: Hoons & Goons article
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Mon, 11 October 2004 12:32
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no it wasn't exactly a "nice" letter I know
Oh well, they probably won't even read it
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