Back to Top

Memorials for Slain Bikers

June 15, 2005

The recent deaths of two young bikers, 21-year old Brandie Bailey and 28-year old Liz Padilla have sent shockwaves through the NYC biking community. Both women were commuters riding on busy streets with no bike lanes; both were killed by drivers who acted irresponsibly and claimed they never saw them, and neither death has resulted in any charges.
These tragedies have brought together a coalition of bike advocates to honor those killed and argue for safer conditions for the rest of us. (As Mother Jones said, “Mourn for the dead and fight like hell for the living.”)
Bikers in Brooklyn held a memorial for Liz Padilla last Friday, and Time’s Up has restarted their memorial stencil project — marking the crime scenes the police ignore.
Now, FreeWheels is calling for a ride tomorrow morning (6/16) from Park Slope to City Hall. From the press release:

At 8 am on Thursday, June 16 cyclists representing an alliance of New York City bicycle groups will embark on a Vigil Ride from 5th Avenue and Warren Street in Brooklyn to the steps of City Hall, at 9 am, to memorialize Elizabeth Padilla, Brandie Bailey, Jerome Allen and the 201 other NYC bicyclists killed since 1995….
At City Hall at 9 am the alliance will lay down flowers in memory of the 204 fallen cyclists and ask Mayor Bloomberg to convene a multi-agency task force to develop — in cooperation with the NYC cycling community — an action plan to prevent further deaths and injuries….
“It’s time for the NYPD to stop coddling drivers who infringe on cyclists’ lawful right to the road,” says Charles Komanoff, co-ordinator of the traffic-safety group Right Of Way. “State and city traffic law are full of provisions intended to protect safe cycling, yet virtually none of them are ever enforced,” Komanoff says.
An alliance of Transportation Alternatives, Time’s Up!, Right Of Way, the New York City Bicycle Messenger Association, and FreeWheels ask Mayor Bloomberg to convene a task force of the Departments of Transportation, Health, Police, City Planning and Parks to develop an action plan to prevent further deaths and injuries to bicyclists.

Visual Resistance will be making our own contribution to the memorial project in the next few days. Between the city’s scapegoating of Critical Mass and the lack of infrastructure for bikers in NYC, bikers are being forced into dangerous situations every day. It seems like an especially critical time to speak out for our rights and safety. These efforts and the nascent coalitions being formed around them are a great start.

Subjects

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More from the Blog

Seattle’s International Working Women’s Day for Palestine and Beyond

Seattle’s International Working Women’s Day for Palestine and Beyond

March 12, 2024

“We stand in solidarity with our Palestinian siblings in Gaza and those among our community who are directly and indirectly affected by the current war and genocide by the Israeli settler-colonial regime. Passive observation of the horrors of bombings, genocide, and prolonged apartheid is not our way. We must rise and firmly proclaim that Palestinian Liberation is a Feminist Imperative.” – Feminists for Jina Seattle

More from the Shop