Group not involved in illegal rally
Ram truck enthusiasts attended separate sanctioned event on Saturday
The Peterborough and Area Rams, a group of Ram truck owners who meet every few weeks, want to make it clear they were not the ones participating in the unsanctioned truck rally outside the Memorial Centre last Saturday, which led to 19 Highway Traffic Act charges and five vehicles being taken off the road by city police. The group of 427 members held a truck meet on Saturday at a different location on approved private property, according to Andrew Wrightly, founder of the Peterborough and Area Rams. “We have a site that is as given to us to use, so we’re not just taking over a parking lot like they did on Saturday,” he said. “That sort of thing doesn’t fly in my group.” To become a member of the group, a local individual must apply through a private Facebook page, he said, and they must also agree to the rules and conditions.
“In the rules of the group, it states that anybody caught doing break burning or other illegal or indecent stuff is kicked out instantly,” Wrightly said.
Wrightly noted their group is connected with other groups in the province including the Durham Rams, Hamilton Rams and Toronto Rams.
“We travel to each other’s group meets, and we support each other as we do toy drives, food drives, and charity drives.
Last fall, I did a clothing drive, and we donated trucks full of clothing to the homeless,” he said. “So that’s what my group is about, having fun and doing charity work.”
The group also led a food drive in Cobourg, collecting more than 10,000 pounds of food and $4,000. “We’re not out to rip and tear up parking lots and streets,” he said.
Wrightly is worried that the actions of this other unidentified group will reflect poorly on Peterborough and Area Rams.
“We’ve had difficulties finding sites, because of the fact that a small car group years ago caused a lot of trouble,” he said.
His other big concern is the group has an upcoming truck show at the Kawartha Chrysler dealership on Lansdowne Street West on June 25.
“We have a meet coming up at one of the major RAM dealers in Peterborough, and I don’t want this incident to interfere with that in any way,” he said. “They’re going to be advertising on the radio and stuff in the near future, and I think five charities are going to benefit from this meet.”
City police has not confirmed whether the truck rally on Saturday is linked to the Freedom Convoy protests. City police spokesperson Sandra Dueck would only say that it was “an unsanctioned gathering/truck rally” and did not provide further details.