Bicycle Civil Liberties Union
Justice for Berkeley Critical Mass
BCLU VIDEO REPORT:
LETTER TO CITY COUNCIL
This sad incident is a testimony to how difficult relationships are
on the streets in the United States.
Unfortunately, no mediated public debate has been possible and no just
resolution has occurred. The driver, who by numerous witness accounts
initiated the attack with hostility and violent intent, has not
fulfilled his reported commitment to negotiate with the demonstrators.
The Police Review Commission has terminated the complaint due to
technicalities and scheduling difficulties in a time when the Berkeley
Police are suing them to suppress citizen review (this has already
cost the City over $1,000,000).
At this time, no charges have been filed against the driver,
or against the person who broke the window subsequent to the
car driving into the crowd, crushing bicycles, and causing
injury.
The police misconduct has gone unpunished, the city council has
taken no action, the press has not issued corrections for
misrepresentation, numerous media entities have profited
(with automobile advertising the chief source of broadcast
media revenue), and the misfortune of the peaceful
demonstrators has been used as a means of increasing
the conflicts bicyclists suffer on the roads.
One Berkeley graduate student reports that she was harassed
by a driver who attributed that anger to believing the story
(misinformation) that bicyclists had attacked "old people."
Another bicyclist reports that a driver saw her and deliberately
opened his door in her way deliberately and admitted it when another
driver called him on it, saying he didn't care what happened to
bicyclists. These are but a few recent anecdotes.
The BCLU realizes that this incident spun out of control
in a way we have never experienced before, and apologizes
to the public for not anticipating this level of hatred,
distortion, and bias, even as it is our mission to
uproot and resolve the endemic injustice which people
who get around without driving, including the young
and the old, the poor, people with disabilities, and
those with the principles of saints, face daily.
We also apologize to the cult following of this incident
for being unable to serve your needs. There is much more
to be made of this incident. There is humor to be found,
there are details to analyze and insights to deduce.
There is surely missing evidence and witnesses to be found.
There is compassionate understanding to be found as well.
Good luck in your search for truth.
For the record, a list of BCLU perspectives is still available
to counter and hopefully debunk the misinformation campaign.
Even if you cannot understand why someone would ride a bicycle
instead of drive, cannot understand what it is like to be
that person, and cannot understand how unjust and hostile
the situation already is, and how much better it could be
for all, we encourage you to appreciate that a free and
enlightened society must continue to grow and evolve.
IMAGES:
The attacker. He barelled across a large intersection into the demonstration,
which was proceeding in an orderly fashion after passing through a green light.
These poor children, who had been traveling in a bicycle trailer, were
traumatized by the attack, which was a terrifying assault against the group.
Earlier, the demonstration traveled without incident through Berkeley.
This ongoing event is now in its 15th year of monthly rides.
Email: jmeggs account @ site bclu.org