Bad vibes

An under-the-radar campaign is going on in Reno to arouse sentiment against the organizers of Street Vibrations events.

“Street Vibrations and downtown businesses are taking in a lot of money from motorcyclists, but are treating motorcycle club members like 2nd class citizens,” reads a flier being posted on community bulletin boards around the valley. “By declaring Street Vibes a ‘No Colors' event while holding it on public property, we believe they are violating the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the Nevada Constitution and Nevada Revised Statute title 54 section 651.”

Street Vibrations is staged by Roadshows Inc.

The flier is headed “DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF CLOTHING OR CLUB MEMBERSHIP IS ILLEGAL Why is Downtown Reno no longer a part of America?”

However, neither federal or state civil rights laws recognize discrimination based on clothing or freedom to associate as grounds for a cause of action. Federal law addresses only race, color, religion, gender or national origin. In July, the U.S. Senate approved a freedom of association measure, but it deals specifically with discrimination in hiring.

And the section of Nevada Revised Statutes named in the flier provides only “race, color, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity or expression” as grounds for discrimination claims, not clothing or freedom to associate.

Roadshows, which stages motorcycle events in at least four states, is incorporated in Nevada.