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Thread started by Alex Thompson at 04.24.09 - 3:31 pm
Post on Westside Bikeside about the Hummer incident, though it's nothing you can't learn here, it's a good place to point people unfamiliar with the forums. Check out the pic. Pretty rad pic despite the fact that professional photojournalist Stilline apparently can't take a good cell phone pic to save his life.
The current plan of action is to take LACM to either City Hall or Parker Center after visiting the memorial ghost bike.
Then on Tuesday at 9am we'll visit the Police Commission, a smaller group. Afterward we'll witnesses and victims will walk over to the Office of the Inspector General to file a formal complaint against Officer Cho et al.
On Friday - get time off work, be there - we will STORM the Bastille - visiting LA City Council in chambers. This is your opportunity to join in a mass sharing of our dissatisfaction with the way LAPD treats us - whether it be failing to protect bikers or hassling them.
10 am, try to make it. We'll be posting updates and what have you here, on Facebook, and on Twitter (westsidazz, SoapBoxLA, stilline)
If you guys want, we can try and mirror using the bikeoven.com and flyingpigeon-la.com servers. Anyone at West Side Bike Side know what I'm talking about, hit me up: ubrayj02@yahoo.com
I was thinking of calling whoever's council distruct this occured in (Jan Perry?) and asking their legistlative director or PR flack if they could get the LAPD to report on the matter and alow the public to find out what the hell is wrong with this city.
It would be a tiny bit more effective than us showing up and publicly commenting and then being told "Thanks for coming, Brown Act means we can't do anything for you." Not that they'd do anything anyway.
The mayor's office should be alerted to this too.
But I will just go ride. To work, then home, then work, then home, etc. Fuck it.
That officer needs a reality check. Those cyclist's were in a nutshell, f#%*ed over by some self righteous criminals. I know those people who were riding bikes and they are safe and aware of their place on the road as a vehicle. And I'm taking that to City Council.
I agree Josef, this needs to be addressed. Just exactly how are we going to deliver this to them?
Between Digg and the Twitters, WestsideBikeside hit some ridiculous traffic spike, and my host shut me down until I install a caching plugin. I'm waiting to hear from them right now so I can get started. DAMMIT.
LA's City Council will be meeting in the VAN NUYS City Hall on Friday.
6262 Van Nuys Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 91401
We're still Storming the Bastille.
We're still meeting at RedQuarters (Santa Monica & Vermont)
We'll jump on the Red Line to NoHo and ride out to Van Nuys.
Valley riders still meet at NoHo Red Line Station.
Get there early, get there on time, just get there!
1) Hummer vs. Cyclists Incident. We expect the LAPD to support the rights of cyclists.
2) Aggressive policing of cyclists. We fully expect the LAPD to support cycling, not crush it.
3) City Leadership. "What's it going to take for the largest City in the most populated State in the most powerful Country in the world to step up and make public safety on our streets a priority?"
Does anyone know how we can track the progress and action of the City Council (besides waiting to see results on the street) without going to all the city council meetings and asking directly?
We can't just have a big boost of support every time someone gets hit. We need to keep the pressure on. Email, write letters, call. Keep the reminders flowing to keep it at the center of their attention. This stuff CAN get pushed through the bureaucracy, and it will do so faster if we press hard. long and hard...
I believe the Bike Oven is starting up a night of letter writing a brain storming that will happen once a month. Watch for it, like minded will be flocking together.
I haven't yet read a description of the Hummer driver and the passengers. Can someone fill that part in of the story? And who was it, if anyone, that stated they had a gun? Or something to that affect.
LAPD showed up in City Council yesterday and gave their report on the Hummer vs. Cyclists incident. Their creative approach is to call it "vandalism against the Hummer!"
i'm sure there were three independent witnesses in dtla in the middle of the night that all happened to be looking out their windows at the exact moment the collision between the hummer and cyclist took place.
.. and by the way he is delivering his lines you can see that he nervous and trying to stay on point. someone came down on them hard - but not because of how LAPD reacted, because they need to hush-hush this incident. so by them asking to see the report - it's prolonging the hush-hush - how do we keep this from being slid under the table???
We've already got people hooked up with lawyers to get damages, but maybe a lawyer to sue the LAPD?
The people actually involved would have to file the suit, though. I'm willing to act as a go-between to find the lawyer and all. Someone should get ahold of Bob Mionske.
He totally kept trying to use his authority to sweep the entire issue aside by saying the LAPD backed the conclusion of the investigation, as though their opinion is THE only one that matters. Sometimes, SOME officers of the LAPD make me want to vomit.
You know how LAPD does it, if they are found out to be wrong on one thing (like the bike license incident) they use their position of authority to get revenge. It's pretty shameful they way they do that, but I still have hope that the truth with come out and justice will be served.
Some Ridazz that I have met before came down from thei apartment after the incident and said to me that they had seen the incident from start to finish. They lloked out their window as we were going down Los Angeles. They could hear the riders calling out turns. They did in fact see the incident. I don't think they are the one this office is talking about
Hair was one of the riders ho saw it from his window and the police refused to take his witness statement.
A good example of real criminals are usually heavily armed, drug-runners who hide amongst migrants in the deserts of here, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
What I would give to be a lightly armed, CBP agent tracking these guys on horseback.
Now that's real law-enforcement.
This municipal-policing is beginning to look more sissier everyday as far as a lifelong career goes.
All I'm saying is that many, police departments in general tend to have this code-of-silence, honor, or some bullshit that doesn't make them really different from a high school football team.
If one goes down, then they all go down.
Good examples would be the cases where up here, two sheriffs deputies were fired from the department for calling out the mistakes of fellow deputies.
so whats up everyone? they want us to come back and meet with the council, I assume that means public comment.... when are we going to follow up and go back? time for another Storm the Bastille....
Yo, I think we need to have a means of getting the LAPD to get the training that departments like the SFPD get - bike law and bike sensitivity.
The LAPD dude's line about how "Slow traffic must move to the right" and how "Bicyclists that want to shut the road down with numbers" shows his mindset, and that of law enforcement.
CARS SHUT THE ROADS DOWN IN NUMBERS ever day of the week, yet when we get together on a Saturday night and do it, we're a bunch a lawless assholes. Give me a f'n break. We need to have some PD corking to prevent crashes. The City spends $4 million to have LADOT traffic guards stand in the middle of intersections and direct trafic in heavily car-congested areas. How much do they spend making sure bike riders are safe on the streets?
when cars shut down the streets its ok but when bikes do it it's a nuisance.
can we have a bike oven meeting and prepare some comments to take to city hall? not trying to tell people what to say but rather get our arguments and comments and practice them in front of each other...
Looks like these motions (Hummer incident & bike plan) are going back to committee - I assume that means Transportation Committee - so obviously we need to be at that meeting. When? The idea of a practice/brainstorming/strategy session is a good one.
It looks like we have at least a couple of council members who are skeptical of the LAPD version of the Hummer incident. They need to be encouraged. There's also talk of a meeting with the LAPD.
Yes, I can see that we are going to be spending the rest of our lives in meetings.
Now that Midnight Ridazz has been mentioned (by everything but name) in the chambers of the City Council, what's next? Obviously the LAPD wants to portray this as the latest chapter of "Wild in the Streets" but I seriously think that it's in our best interest to try to get off the street when we come to stops and not obstruct the streets unnecessarily. To be clear, I'm not talking about when we are riding.
well the good news is that if the meetings lead to nowhere, people will still be runnin WILD IN THE STREETS! hahaha cause, if they dont find a way to normalize the role of bicycles in society, then the WILD IN THE STREETS crowd will use it for their own fun. it's a win win!
"CARS SHUT THE ROADS DOWN IN NUMBERS ever day of the week, yet when we get together on a Saturday night and do it, we're a bunch a lawless assholes. Give me a f'n break."
EXACTLY. Reverend Dak and I were just discussing that last night. I'm going to go hang out on Sunset Blvd. before a Dodger Game and dial 911 because a swarm of cars is shutting down the city streets.
it's the duty of a (civilized) city to facilitate community activities like parades, baseball games, festivals, block parties, and bicycle rides. 1000 people in the streets! it's ancient. it's human. we need a more human community oriented government and especially police force. I'm sick of these social conservatives running the police department.
what if official LAPD crowd dispersal was to form a CONGA LINE! there is no reason for the cops to get violent!
I think we need to find ways to emphasize the positive aspects of MR and the group rides because the LAPD (at least) is going to try to make us look like a bunch of "lawless" hooligans.
Most of us know that these rides have done a service in getting people out on their bikes, loving their city, making friends, building community, and showing them an alternative to stale, spoon-fed culture.
Hey all, a friend of mine who is just getting into cycling up in SF (Yay! Another convert!) wanted to know why this incident hasn't received more like, "mainstream" coverage?
That's actually a pretty good idea. I'd feel bad about tying up 911 lines, but I think that calling Central Dispatch, en masse, to say that cars have taken over the street and are preventing us from lawfully using the roads (since we'd be faster traffic, and they'd be slower - thus they'd all have to pull over to the right to allow us to pass).
Slam their phone lines at their division front desks and their central dispatch with calls to complain about a rowdy bunch of lawless motorists.
When is the next Dodger game, and do any of you think this will work?
"Most of us know that these rides have done a service in getting people out on their bikes, loving their city, making friends, building community, and showing them an alternative to stale, spoon-fed culture."
GREAT POINT
hey and I would to add in somewhere in a comment that in fact on the night of the mass ride for which allegedly 15 calls were made, people on the ride actually apprehended the suspect. GOOD WORK RICHIE!!!
"When is the next Dodger game, and do any of you think this will work?"
hahaha I dont know if we should go that far as to call in, but to bring it up to city council would def get a vote from me... but it would be a hell of a statement!
I'm pretty sure the officer is saying that any time the bikes are on the streets we're tying up traffic. Not on those rare occasions where we stop and stay in the middle of the street.
Is there a special meeting set for cyclists & city council? Or are we going to attend the city council meeting next week? Can we go on Friday again? I think more people will be able to attend.
it means most of the people attending would have to wake up at the ungodly freeking hour you had to wake up last time to be with us in the valley...... actually.... even if its in san pedro we can still comment downtown or in the valley via video.....
Stephen and I are still ruminating on what we want to do. Council is in daily battles over the budget crisis right now - every day is another political war. This week it was cutting the NC's budgets and LAFD funding. Now it's LAPD funding. There are political titans going head to head right now, so bicycling will probably take a back seat for a while.
It's probably best to go when the item is agendized, which would likely be the next Transportation or Public Safety Committee meeting.
I disagree, I think right now we have momentum on our side, and it's fresh on the CC's minds and plus its just plain WRONG how it could get swept under the proverbial rug if THEY dont choose to agendize it... in fact the fact is that it was NOT on the agenda when we went last time and through our actions they made it an agenda item for the next meeting!
It doesnt even have to be a huge turnout. it just need to rebutt what that cop said - which was ridiculous. plus when the hell are they ever gonna stop bickering about how BROKE the govt is....
The motion will be agendized. At the end of the discussion on Wednesday they decided to kick it out to committee - Rosendahl, Hahn, Reyes and LaBonge all supported it.
The Council is fighting like cats and dogs to make up a $500 million shortfall on a $7 billion dollar budget. The spend maybe $10 million on bikes each year - you're not going to be able to bend any ears right now. In a private email with Rosendahl's deputy he told me almost exactly that. I mean shit, Councilmen Parks and Smith just basically ended their political futures by trying to break the backs of the Neighborhood Council. We're getting more significant, but politically we're nothing in this environment.
Also, it's not like running in guns blazing all aimed at Albanese, who commands 1500 LAPD, is necessarily the most healthy thing for Ridazz staying off the radar.
hahaha I'm pragmatically calling you all wimps! do we want a big turnout? studies have shown that any even that requires waking up before 8am dramatically reduces participation....
I refuse to be scared of some high ranking policeman. that's not how this city is supposed to work that's not how I work. I'm generally interested in keeping things very cool with the cops and def talking to them in a respectful way but I'm not scared to talk to anyone.
the CC in the video was asking that we come back to comment. well, I;m down to stand up for myself and comment and bascially make it their business. I'm tired of waiting for committee meetings that produce more committee meetings!
when is the next transpo meeting anyway? if it's in less than a month than fine. but other than that, how powerful would it have seemed if we were in there TODAY making comments. we would look like some on top of it mother effers.
You refuse to be scared of a high ranking policeman because that's not how it's supposed to work? THAT IS HOW IT WORKS. It's not gonna matter how it's supposed to work when he puts his boot on Ridazz' neck. He has a reputation.
Council has the ability to limit your comments to 15 minutes. When we went to Van Nuys, they allowed us to go over by 45. If you go anytime in the next week, I will guarantee that they limit you to 15 because of THE BUDGET.
They want you to come back . . . when it's agendized. The last Trans Commt meeting was canceled - it was scheduled for Wednesday but it was canceled because of
ok ok ok..... PC.... just cause you made me feel like a lazy bum I will be at the San Pedro city hall next friday if indeed the council meets there. Happy?
so what the deal are we all on board with next Friday?
AT man I love you but you really killing the mood here. now, do I EVER go over to your blog and naysay any of the times YOU decide to go to these meetings? no. I support your efforts to the fullest and still do. now why are you on here naysaying plans that we're trying to make? I know we made peace after your last naysay tirade but the whole point was for bicycle unity remember? FUCK THE BUDGET they were arguing about the budget LAST TIME. the CC wants to hear from us I think we should show them WE MEAN BUSINESS.
you know what fuck it. we dont need a big ole turnout to address what this cop said. I'll just go down there and address them by myself cause I got something to say. the hummer people should too. this is urgent shit but if ya dont feel it then dont... if anyone want to join then do it... maybe I'm just hungry and crabby but I think we should be vigilant and just be heard what do I know about city politics - nothin.
This ain't yo blog. I'm not naysaying, I'm just trying to make sure you load your gun and aim it - and if you're gonna go after a grizzly, make sure you got the firepower. Albanese is a grizzly - he's spent 30 years climbing the ranks, and he's nearly at the top, and he's combative as all get out, and I would make my plans carefully. That's how you defeat iJunes!
Go eat some food. Pizza is good - that's what I had. Then call up Stephen and ask his opinion, K? I haven't talked to him since 5, so it'll be a surprise.
I've been reduced to web-foot-soldier in most of these bike-rights fights, but I think that Alex is not correct and neither is Roadblock.
We've been led here by Stephen Box, and I for one have no idea what to do next. The man has made the right phone calls and arranged the right rides - but I'm not sure what the end game is with this other than yet another (and larger) cycle of outrage and voicing of that outrage.
Every time we go through these, our movement has grown more in numbers and in our ability to have a voice in the way the city is run. We all seem to share a great many goals for bicycles, and it is obvious that council people would do what we want if the politics worked out. I think think that most of this is actually just us laying the groundwork for our own grassroots movement.
The changes we are collectively working towards are literally paid for in blood and lives, as every time we get up in arms it is because someone has been killed or injured and we have no recourse to justice or a better bicycling infrastructure.
I think that we can follow up at these bullshit city council meetings in smaller numbers and have an impact in the next go-round. Stephen made a big case with me for pursuing the the Inspector General's office desire to have the LAPD get some appropriate training and funding for said training. We could also use an LAPD policy of non-confrontation with bike rides - the way SFPD does it.
Those are real goals that we can achieve, and as we spiral upwards with our power and coordination (and resources) we'll start seeing lanes in the ground and policies that work to our benefit.
I was next to andreas when this happened. We were approaching the red light, werent doing anymore than 10 mph, the hummer on the other hand mightve been going 25+.
use the airtime for every speaker to close their individual comments with the same three bullet points or a particular document/action plan endorsement "And because of this I urge the general county and this council to support _________ (i.e. cyclist bill of rights, xyz non-confrontation training policy, sharrows painting/bike master plan)"
"The insurance company folded and the motorist settled for a handsome amount. I was most proud of the fact that the gruff Escalade driver was forced (as a part of the settlement in open court) to apologize face to face with the cyclist."
I have formally asked for it three times. My next step is to call the LA County Attorney's office and report the violation. I asked Rosendahl when I interviewed him for Streetsblog if they've seen it, and they haven't yet either.
"The insurance company folded and the motorist settled for a handsome amount. I was most proud of the fact that the gruff Escalade driver was forced (as a part of the settlement in open court) to apologize face to face with the cyclist."
^^that just made my day =)^^
andres84 responding to a comment by gregb
09.16.09 - 6:21 pm
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Ridazz Roulette!
Fricking retired Armadillo. He goes to sleep so early.
hummers are special, too
He totally kept trying to use his authority to sweep the entire issue aside by saying the LAPD backed the conclusion of the investigation, as though their opinion is THE only one that matters. Sometimes, SOME officers of the LAPD make me want to vomit.