DENVER, Colo. -- When more than 500 sport bike riders blocked Denver streets Sunday during their ‘Kill Da Streetz’ ride, they certainly got some attention from other motorists.
The riders at one point stopped traffic on I-25 near University so they could perform tricks in the middle of the interstate.
Denver7 received several calls and emails Monday from people who are upset about the motorcyclists' actions, and curious as to why Denver Police didn’t do anything to stop them from driving erratically on the roads.
A spokesperson for Denver Police said they were never able to catch the large group doing anything illegal.
"Obviously stopping traffic and how you do that, someone else can be hurt, they could be injured, you could be injured yourself so that’s always a concern of ours," said Sonny Jackson, spokesperson for the Denver Police Department.
According to Jackson, police had no prior knowledge of the event. He said police received several calls, but by the time officers responded the group had cleared.
"This is way to big for them to have missed as far as I’m concerned," said Beverly Swanson, who was stopped on I-25 behind the riders.
On Monday, Denver7 noticed the 'Kill Da Streetz' Facebook page was taken down.
The ride has other motorcyclists across the state upset, saying the riders Sunday are giving all motorcyclists a bad image.
“There's no point in doing that kind of stuff on the road to give everyone a bad name, to make everyone look down on us," said Matt McDermitt, a motorcyclist from Northern Colorado.
Many motorcycle clubs tell us they don’t look down on people who ride different types of bikes, instead remain concerned about the lack of safety measures taken Sunday and disregard for planning.
“They don't condone those behaviors, we have road captains and we communicate to the police where our routes are and where we're going to need support," said Robert Balzli, another motorcycle rider from Northern Colorado.
Members from the group Colorado Bikers said they plan a lot of charity rides throughout the year and always alert police as to where they will be so law enforcement can get involved.
They also say motorcyclists involved in their rides stay in a standard staggered formation for safety -- only taking up just one lane on roadways.
“When that intersection is blocked those drivers in those vehicles may be inconvenienced by a few minutes, you know 10 minutes maybe if it's a big ride, but then they go about their day and there was a police officer there directing traffic," said McDermitt.
While the riders don't support how the ride was conducted Sunday, they said they do support the ‘Kill Da Streetz’ cause, which is to raise awareness how many riders there are on Colorado roads.
They just say it needs to be better organized so bikers all over the state aren’t looked down upon.
“What we're looking at to do here is to get that bad apple, those bad apples separated so that it doesn't spoil the public's view of the rest of us," said Corey Taylor.
‘Kill Da Streetz’ is hoping to attract nearly 1000 riders for next year’s event.
