NYPD will facilitate your death and make sure it goes unpunished
Now it is personal.
In October, I posted about some of the efforts made by the James Caldwell, the 77th NYPD Precinct and the cycling community here in Brooklyn in the wake of Jasmine Herron's death.
I have not put too much info out here as these various efforts take shape, as it is not really within the scope or tone of this joke of a blog. However, at the moment circumstances have occurred which illustrate the nature of the battle pedestrians and cyclists are fighting here on the streets of New York City. So I am touching on this politically sensitive matter.
Last night, a close personal friend of mine was hit by a reckless, speeding cab while on his bicycle. His account, with [my edits and clarifications] in brackets...
So...
Due to circumstances, I rode out in the middle of the night, ... left around 1 AM, making my way [on] Bedford heading south. I heard/saw a car heading east on St. Marks Ave, so I stopped in the [crosswalk] and waited. A taxi rounded the corner really sharp, entering the lane where cars would normally be stopped [DOT "stop bar"] if it wasn't a frozen ghost town. In the few seconds I had left, I started to move out of the way, but he kept coming, despite my reflective bands and lights. I ended up being hit at an angle, and luckily he stopped before running me over. I was in shock for a second, before anger set in and I started demanding the driver's number and info. He just stared at me from behind his closed window... so bizarre. No emotion in his face, just staring. The passengers in the back seat rolled their window down and asked if i was injured, which I just started to be aware of. I had a slight pain in my left leg just below the knee, nothing serious. I kept demanding info from the driver, who was yet to offer any words or a response. I began to photograph him and the cab, and finally he started saying he did not hit me, and that nothing happened. His weak Jedi skillz were no match for mine, for I knew that indeed I had been hit, my leg was hurt, and my front wheel no longer spun properly. As soon as I put the phone to my head to call 911, he drove off.
It wasn't long before a firetruck, an ambulance, and a cop car arrived on the scene. About 5 firemen hopped out of the long truck, asking me if I was ok, etc. One of them started commenting on my black clothes, almost immediately placing the blame on me, telling me that a little light on my bag (a five LED flashing red light), and a single bright pulsing white LED in front was no good. They drove off, leaving me with the cop and the EMT's. I gave the cops my ID and explained to them what happened, then entered the warm ambulance for further analysis. Nothing much could be done, as it was a mild contusion that only rest and time can heal. After about 15 minutes the cop knocked on the door and explained to me how the case was basically open and shut, and that the cabbies rent the vehicles so there is not a sure way of tracking who was driving, which I translated as mostly unbelievable. He then started glut me on bicycle safety, how cyclists don't respect vehicles, and the other way around, but mostly the former. One thing that really shocked me was his mentioning Jasmine's death. He said that it was her fault, and when I defensively stated that she had been doored, he said that if she had a light on her bike she may have made it. Who knows if she was lit up or not, or if that mattered at all in her case; it was just super sad to see that a member of the precinct we are/were building bicycle safety upon had such a one sided view. After some adjustments I rode on, wobbly-wheeled into South Brooklyn. I'm sure there's more to come on this one, personally and throughout the borough.
Just another story in the never-ending battle of bicycles and gas guzzlers. Ride safe and ride on.
How can we get the police to drop the "blame-the-victim" mentality? We have had several people killed by cars already this week. NO CRIMINALITY. And the victim gets the blame.
My friend attached this picture of Jasmine Herron. May she rest in peace. May she never be forgotten. And may her death not be used as another opportunity for politicians to pay lip-service to cyclists safety while we die due to the negligent brutality of the state.
You better believe I will be raising hell at tomorrow's city council meeting on bicycle "opportunities and challenges," Brooklyn Critical Mass (will the 78th find criminality in automotive murder?), Monday night's 77th Precinct Meeting, and Wednesday's 77th Committee on Bicycle Safety Meeting.
A big Fuck You to Ray Kelly and Michael Bloomberg, and the scum in Albany that killed congestion pricing, and Dubya, for politicizing Critial Mass in '04, etc etc so on and so forth until they peel me off the pavement.
PLEASE RIDE SAFE. I LOVE YOU TOO MUCH.
xoxo
Mellow Yellow
PS I am soliciting ideas for NYPD bicycle awareness/sensitivity training that the CBS 77th is putting together. Please let me know: WHAT 3 THINGS WOULD YOU TELL A NYPD COP SHE/HE MUST KNOW TO RESPECT AND PROTECT CYCLISTS?
In October, I posted about some of the efforts made by the James Caldwell, the 77th NYPD Precinct and the cycling community here in Brooklyn in the wake of Jasmine Herron's death.
I have not put too much info out here as these various efforts take shape, as it is not really within the scope or tone of this joke of a blog. However, at the moment circumstances have occurred which illustrate the nature of the battle pedestrians and cyclists are fighting here on the streets of New York City. So I am touching on this politically sensitive matter.
Last night, a close personal friend of mine was hit by a reckless, speeding cab while on his bicycle. His account, with [my edits and clarifications] in brackets...
So...
Due to circumstances, I rode out in the middle of the night, ... left around 1 AM, making my way [on] Bedford heading south. I heard/saw a car heading east on St. Marks Ave, so I stopped in the [crosswalk] and waited. A taxi rounded the corner really sharp, entering the lane where cars would normally be stopped [DOT "stop bar"] if it wasn't a frozen ghost town. In the few seconds I had left, I started to move out of the way, but he kept coming, despite my reflective bands and lights. I ended up being hit at an angle, and luckily he stopped before running me over. I was in shock for a second, before anger set in and I started demanding the driver's number and info. He just stared at me from behind his closed window... so bizarre. No emotion in his face, just staring. The passengers in the back seat rolled their window down and asked if i was injured, which I just started to be aware of. I had a slight pain in my left leg just below the knee, nothing serious. I kept demanding info from the driver, who was yet to offer any words or a response. I began to photograph him and the cab, and finally he started saying he did not hit me, and that nothing happened. His weak Jedi skillz were no match for mine, for I knew that indeed I had been hit, my leg was hurt, and my front wheel no longer spun properly. As soon as I put the phone to my head to call 911, he drove off.
It wasn't long before a firetruck, an ambulance, and a cop car arrived on the scene. About 5 firemen hopped out of the long truck, asking me if I was ok, etc. One of them started commenting on my black clothes, almost immediately placing the blame on me, telling me that a little light on my bag (a five LED flashing red light), and a single bright pulsing white LED in front was no good. They drove off, leaving me with the cop and the EMT's. I gave the cops my ID and explained to them what happened, then entered the warm ambulance for further analysis. Nothing much could be done, as it was a mild contusion that only rest and time can heal. After about 15 minutes the cop knocked on the door and explained to me how the case was basically open and shut, and that the cabbies rent the vehicles so there is not a sure way of tracking who was driving, which I translated as mostly unbelievable. He then started glut me on bicycle safety, how cyclists don't respect vehicles, and the other way around, but mostly the former. One thing that really shocked me was his mentioning Jasmine's death. He said that it was her fault, and when I defensively stated that she had been doored, he said that if she had a light on her bike she may have made it. Who knows if she was lit up or not, or if that mattered at all in her case; it was just super sad to see that a member of the precinct we are/were building bicycle safety upon had such a one sided view. After some adjustments I rode on, wobbly-wheeled into South Brooklyn. I'm sure there's more to come on this one, personally and throughout the borough.
Just another story in the never-ending battle of bicycles and gas guzzlers. Ride safe and ride on.
How can we get the police to drop the "blame-the-victim" mentality? We have had several people killed by cars already this week. NO CRIMINALITY. And the victim gets the blame.
My friend attached this picture of Jasmine Herron. May she rest in peace. May she never be forgotten. And may her death not be used as another opportunity for politicians to pay lip-service to cyclists safety while we die due to the negligent brutality of the state.
You better believe I will be raising hell at tomorrow's city council meeting on bicycle "opportunities and challenges," Brooklyn Critical Mass (will the 78th find criminality in automotive murder?), Monday night's 77th Precinct Meeting, and Wednesday's 77th Committee on Bicycle Safety Meeting.
A big Fuck You to Ray Kelly and Michael Bloomberg, and the scum in Albany that killed congestion pricing, and Dubya, for politicizing Critial Mass in '04, etc etc so on and so forth until they peel me off the pavement.
PLEASE RIDE SAFE. I LOVE YOU TOO MUCH.
xoxo
Mellow Yellow
PS I am soliciting ideas for NYPD bicycle awareness/sensitivity training that the CBS 77th is putting together. Please let me know: WHAT 3 THINGS WOULD YOU TELL A NYPD COP SHE/HE MUST KNOW TO RESPECT AND PROTECT CYCLISTS?
in august 2009 i was struck entering the intersection of boerum and bushwick ave. the driver was a silver-rimmed, tinted-window BMW who had jumped ahead of the red light through the parking lane to get ahead of an SUV in the driving lane. the SUV blocked his view.
ReplyDeleteneedless to say, i suffered multiple injuries after being thrown from the hood of his car. i lost skin and hair on my head; i severed my right ring finger; i had multiple stitches in my arms; i tore a muscle in my back; i developed major scarring all over my knees; i broke another finger and a toe...
the police took all of my information but when i went to the precinct to receive the report to file a lawsuit the file didn't exist. they told me to get the report from state offices in albany. it didn't exist there.
the cops never filed the report.
tristan, what a horrible story on all angles, except two perhaps, 1) you are still around with us 2) and biking still? bc
ReplyDeleteyah. i had a similar incident close to city hall... i can't wait to have all of NYPD patrolling on bikes...
ReplyDeletehell yeah biking still! can't keep me down. still we ride!
ReplyDelete