Driver who hit Birdman gets community service
Thread started by
champagne at 07.20.10 - 5:13 pm
RT @AlexBCT Selene Mahdavi, the woman who maimed Birdman in a hit and run collision - gets 90 days community service. #JudgeEldonFox
too discouraged to comment! Be careful out there, ridazz....
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n/m assuming its not civil since community service was involved.
oh well, disregard female drivers, acquire mad currency.
_iJunes07.20.10 - 5:21 pm
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That does not seem right for a hit and run. If she hit him by accident and stopped to help then I could understand, but she left the scene. That has to be a felony, she should have her drivers license revoked.
I hope Birdman sues her in a civil suit.
Girl Power07.20.10 - 5:23 pm
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has to be a felony
nothing has to be shit when you have an expensive lawyer that can turn the outcome
_iJunes responding to a
comment by Girl Power
07.20.10 - 5:29 pm
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Cyclist gets hit by a car, so the city makes the driver do hard labor for 720 hours, and for free!
Looks like the city just banked out on one of us being nearly killed.
Graham07.20.10 - 5:33 pm
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i too hope there was/will be a civil case to get some money out of it.
tfunk40807.20.10 - 5:35 pm
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sorry for lack of details in original post -- here's the story from Bikeside LA:
http://tinyurl.com/2ajws3k
champagne07.20.10 - 5:52 pm
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Fucking Bullshit!
From BikeSide:
"Celine Mahdavi hit Louis Deliz so hard that his teeth were embedded in her car, then drove away, Deliz’ body dislodging from her car and landing face down. He lost most of the lower half of his jaw, all his lower teeth, broke both legs, broke nearly all his fingers, broke his hip, and punctured a lung (if memory serves.) Just a few days ago, Louis had a massive seizure, and he is still seeing double from it. To this day he can’t walk right, he can’t talk right, he can’t see right, and he has nightmares and flashbacks. Mahdavi, 18 at the time, was pulled over a half mile from the accident where she tested positive for alcohol."
trickmilla07.20.10 - 6:26 pm
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Nothing like a miscarriage of justice to ruin a perfectly fucking good day.
trickmilla07.20.10 - 6:27 pm
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wait, can louis sue this girl?
didn't she put him through severe emotional trauma? didn't she fucking RUIN his professional cycling career? if louis is having nightmares about this incident and is afraid to ride his bike, doesnt that mean she took away his human rights, to enjoy life?
i say birdman should fucking SUE THE PANTS OFF THIS CUNT.
KiMS107.20.10 - 6:39 pm
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I can’t help but wonder how much Mahdavi’s family paid the judge. Or who in her family works in / is in bed with law enforcement / the judicial system. To be fair, if the driver had been a 40 year old Hispanic man with no money and no legal support, and Mahdavi had been the cyclist, they would have put the driver away for decades.
Regardless, Fox is an absolute disgrace to the American judiciary system. This on the heels of the Oscar Grant case sentencing (only tangentially related but still infuriating). I just don’t know what to do with myself when the courts are protecting those who are willing to kill / try to kill others. Clearly fighting back is out of the question. It only makes it easier to demonize us and we will be crapped on even harder.
"We have to keep on fighting for our rights and educating the public."
Yeah, alright, we do, you're right, but are YOU willing to be one of the next thousand cyclists that need to get hit with impunity before we start to see tangible changes in these kinds of cases?
WTF man?
outerspace07.20.10 - 6:46 pm
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This is complete fucking bullshit.. I have absolutley no trust in the system. I hope some fucking awful shit happens to her entire family line..... fuck the system
Debut21307.20.10 - 7:14 pm
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How the hell?
I'm just trying to imagine what argument her lawyers could have made that would have justified such a light sentence. I've got nothing. I hope Louis gets some justice in a civil suit, at least.
nathansnider07.20.10 - 7:35 pm
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This is bullshit. Probation is nothing to the wealthy. the concept of probation for someone who caused physical harm to another human being and it coming to fruition is dumbfounding.
so much money and and just the right strings were pulled for this to happen.
mechazawa07.20.10 - 7:53 pm
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This is some bullshit! This judge needs to be exposed! We should protest outside his home!
Boogey100Fires07.20.10 - 8:18 pm
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One dui always leads to another dui
next time she will kill someone
this is bullshit
defective_tampon07.20.10 - 9:07 pm
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I wish I could say something productive towards the cause.
I'll be sending good/healing vibes towards your way B-Man!!!
Stay strong brotha.
Alfredo responding to a
comment by defective_tampon
07.20.10 - 9:15 pm
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To put this into perspective, what would her punishment have been if it was the mayor and not Birdman she hit?
There is no justice.
Creative Thing responding to a
comment by TheDude
07.20.10 - 9:56 pm
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WACK!!!!! that shouldve 90 days of jail at least.
Huey55507.20.10 - 10:00 pm
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Protest ride, indeed. But also shouldn't we be complaining to the Mayor & to the Governator about the crap hit & run laws? I'm assuming the crap hit & run laws should be thrown at the feet of our CA reps??
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Los Angeles Office
300 South Spring Street
Suite 16701
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Phone: 213-897-0322
Fax: 213-897-0319
champagne07.20.10 - 10:03 pm
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Judge fox could have easily given her some jail time , so protesting the judges decision is one option. protesting the lack of legislation that protect cyclist is important and making it so that judges can't be lenient in important
mechazawa responding to a
comment by champagne
07.20.10 - 10:36 pm
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it was a felony case.
many of us pleaded that she serve time. even the detective spoke about how little compassion she showed. our pleas fell on deaf ears. at least she was ordered to pay his medical bills should she ever get a job.
justice is a luxury for the very wealthy.
tortuga_veloce responding to a
comment by mechazawa
07.21.10 - 4:58 am
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What did you really expect? Did some girl kill a guy a few years back because she was messing with her cell phone and got 6 months? Expect nothing, assume that you're a target and that you will not be treated fairly. I'ts just more of the same.
rev106 responding to a
comment by tortuga_veloce
07.21.10 - 8:27 am
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This calls for a protest ride. Maybe LACM should swing by City Hall.
jericho1ne07.21.10 - 9:54 am
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You guys want to do something about this? How about a protest ride to the city hall that holds jurisdiction over this case. Is it west LA?
I'm angry as hell.
I say we show up with movie blood and get CRANK MOB with it. Cover ourselves in blood and make public comment after public comment with blood all over the place. Talk till their fucking eyes glaze over. We get messy for F.U.N. Let's get messy for a statement!
Roadblock07.21.10 - 9:57 am
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what? is it too much to ask people to orchestrate a "blood in"?
Roadblock07.21.10 - 10:39 am
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we should be dragging a pile of lifesize dummies into council chambers that represent all the bike riders hit and left for dead over the past year or two as well.
Roadblock07.21.10 - 10:41 am
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This can not stand.
I agree that there must be some kind of response, and it must be smart, effective, and media savvy.
Letz do thizz!
trickmilla07.21.10 - 10:48 am
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This is a very disturbing aspect of the justice system. It is not fair that there is this clear gap in sentencing, which tend to easily fall along financial lines.
I saw bikesides' article last night, and I read this thread a bit before I rode to work this morning. I was dwelling on it and as usually, while I needed to navigate through and predict traffic. Questions arise: What if I got hit and had to go to trial to present my case? Would I be frustrated by the outcome? What would the outcome be? what would I WANT the outcome to be?
And the two questions that kept pressing me (though not for the first time):
1. What is justice?
2. What "kind" of punishment would be deserving if I got hit by an 18 year old who was intoxicated?
Again, this is not the first time I've thought about these questions, since as a regular commuter, you encounter so many close calls that you have to wonder sometimes: will one of these rides be my last?
There are two parties involved: A. Driver and B. Cyclist.
The driver is guilty of something. And the cyclist is deserving of "justice", as many state.
Without playing into too many abstract arguments and such, I just feel equally uneasy about the call for "justice" in this case.
Do we really have a clear idea what a fair punishments is?
Do we agree with this punishment on principle or are we only concerned with an apples to apples sentencing?
Do these same advocates of jail time, believe that this person belongs in jail?
How many advocates of jail time have actually spent a significant portion of their life in jail?
What is justice in this case? Or what do we want to see happen?
I couldn't answer this on my way to work, but I felt troubled over the ease to put someone in jail. I was equally troubled by the ease in which the justice system seemed to treat the incident. Luis was treated unfairly and with a sense of indifference, and as many have noted -- it could have been any of us.
md207.21.10 - 10:57 am
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Hit and Run needs to be TWICE the penalty of drunk driving collision.
minimum 1 year in prison. nothing less. revocation of DL for 10 years and no exceptions for work.
if the victim dies or sustains permanent injury then minimum 4 years time and revocation of DL for LIFE.
if the collision was proven to be intentional then hate crime laws apply along with above
Roadblock responding to a
comment by md2
07.21.10 - 11:10 am
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Treating it the same as an "assault with a deadly weapon" crime, lifetime revocation of driving privileges, and their personal vehicle destroyed in any number of humiliatingly destructive fashions(ie.,crushed by industrial pile driver, direct hit by a 155mm artillery shell, chewed up by TruckZilla., etc).
All of this in addition to any mandatory prison sentencing they'll be put through for such a charge.
Essentially, they'll be scarred in some form or fashion after a triple blow punishment like this that they'll either go mad with blind rage and die of a heart-attack, or fade into the darkness and slice the vein.
In other words, a severe-enough, enforceable punishment will act as a form of deterrent.
bentstrider responding to a
comment by md2
07.21.10 - 11:11 am
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awesome. check the BLOOD IN thread. seriously. if we get enough people out we can really make a gory statement. I want them to have to clean our mess off the steps of city hall.
Roadblock responding to a
comment by Troya_13
07.21.10 - 12:23 pm
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She got 720 hours of community service
Birdman got 1000+ hours in the hospital alone.
trickmilla07.21.10 - 1:53 pm
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Yes, I believe she belongs in jail. No, I have not spent time in jail.
So how do I justify putting her in jail if I have never been in jail?
Well, how can you ask yourself whether jail time is too harsh a punishment to mete out for someone who has never been to jail themselves, if the person meting out judgment has never killed, stolen, hit-and-run, raped, etc? I have never been to jail because I do not commit crimes.
People who commit crimes - serious crimes - knowingly and willingly, are EXACTLY the people I believe should be in jail. That is what jail is for. No hesitation. Lock her up.
IF
she was sober and
IF
she hit someone by accident (NOT negligence) and
IF
she stopped because she knew she did something wrong and was concerned
THEN
I would say she didn't deserve jail time.
BUT she
DID
drive drunk
DID
hit someone due to gross negligence and
DID NOT
give half a damn whether she had hit / injured / killed anyone.
Do I believe she belongs in jail? I believe she deserves hospital time equal to what she did to Birdman. Jail is not enough / teaches the wrong lesson. She needs to EXPERIENCE what she has caused. Eye for eye justice doesn't work in this case, but this contemptible filth clearly considers herself above the offering of human decency to others, and thus is below the receipt of human decency in turn. Off with her head. God damnit.
outerspace responding to a
comment by md2
07.21.10 - 2:24 pm
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I'd rather do jail time then go through what Birdman went through.
Roadblock responding to a
comment by outerspace
07.21.10 - 2:28 pm
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So what charge was she given? Did she get convicted of a DUI?
buckchin07.21.10 - 2:30 pm
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the whole point of jail time is to act a deterrent. fine, maybe she doesn't belong in jail but is 90 days community service going to discourage the next drunk hit and run driver?
Roadblock07.21.10 - 2:30 pm
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I'm not 100% sure how to go about this, but bringing this to light to the ALCU may be a step into the right direction. I'm not sure what reservations you guys may have against that organization but having them on your side is better than not.
In addition, media attention is what is necessary as well. True, the trial is over, but it doesnt mean you cant keep fighting. As gruesome as it seems, the media has very bad taste. Writing to every single news outlet and sending pictures of yourself in the hospital/accident/damage/etc with a letter explaining your injuries as well as the final verdict would be sure to get instant attention.
Nothing will get done unless you wedge yourself in. It's a hassle, its time consuming, but don't give up Birdman! ♥
Gizzard07.21.10 - 2:59 pm
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So how do I justify putting her in jail if I have never been in jail?
Not really what I was getting at, but more or less, I wonder how many pro jail time people have actually being in jail (experienced life in jail). It wasn't meant to justify anything.
I think your response and others just highlights my general worry, which is that "justice" means something different to most people (though not surprising). It's just that we are rightly upset about the verdict, but i really believe we don't have a grasp on what it fair, but more importantly "right", yet we're ready to take the streets and make sure someone gets what they deserve.
So as we protest and call for justice, it really seems like we're fighting for something that has some similar elements, but nothing that is as concrete as say: 90 days community service.
It would just be good to have a clearer stance, not just this is unfair because others get worse, or because it doesn't match an arbitrary relation to the harm the victim received.
to be clear: I think the punishment should be worse, but I do not think jail time does anyone any good. It is rarely a deterrent. I'm not the victim, so he may have some justified stance on this, I just would like to protest with a firmer sense of what avenues we can pursue.
md2 responding to a
comment by outerspace
07.21.10 - 3:51 pm
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her life should be fucked.
just because her family paid off the judges/court system doesn't mean she should only walk away with 90 days and still be able to drive. That just seems like a joke to me
if not jail time, she sould have to wear an alcohol motoring braclette seeing as she is only 18, have her license revoked for 1-2 years, and serve 300 hours of HARD community service.
Thegirlinglass07.21.10 - 4:25 pm
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How about never allowing her dumb ass to drive again? That's better than jail time. She should still get jail time though, I don't give a shit how young she is.
Also, how about community service AT A DIY BIKE COOP??
jericho1ne responding to a
comment by md2
07.21.10 - 4:25 pm
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take that bad.. license revoke for 3 years... 3,000 hours of community service.. sounds excessive.. but if you heard or saw what Louis went though.. youd beg for more. She deserves jail time.
She honestly NEEDS to be thrown in jail and be screwed over for life.
Thegirlinglass07.21.10 - 4:28 pm
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Perhaps a semi will pull out in front of her and ruin her day for good.
Not all of us are complete angels, but letting demons like this walk isn't doing anything to encourage righteous behavior either.
bentstrider responding to a
comment by outerspace
07.21.10 - 6:55 pm
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louis is serving a life sentence of seizures, physical therapy and constant pain. he has lost his freedom to ride a bike, to race and to live a normal life.
celine mahdavi spent ONE NIGHT in jail. she will do community service for ninety days and give up a small part of her earnings for the rest of her life while secretly living off her rich parents.
there is no justice.
tortuga_veloce responding to a
comment by Thegirlinglass
07.21.10 - 7:10 pm
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Um, really sorry about all of this, I imagine it sucks the most for Louis. Sorry to hear that she got a slap on the wrist. So, sorry for the injustice for all cyclists. When I read the bikeside article my heart sank, I hope you feel better and can't wait to see you zip by some night!
MAXX07.21.10 - 11:47 pm
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