Join us Sunday, 11 am – 2pm at the Bikeside Stage, located between Spring and Main on 1st St.

Coffee + Politics + Bikerowave + 1000 watts of sound = Trouble.  Good thing we’re on LAPD HQ’s front lawn!

We’ll have streetside pro-cycling political stumping that hasn’t been seen since preachers on milk crates.  Don’t miss your chance to engage with the LA’s bike friendly candidates.  Or get your bike tuned up for free by Bikerowave’s best mechanics.  Don’t miss:

• Austin Beutner, Candidate for LA Mayor
• Kevin James, Candidate for LA Mayor
• Cary Brazeman, Candidate for LA City Controller
• The candidates of LA City Council District 15: Rebecca Chambliss, Justin Brimmer, Frank Pereyda, Gordon Teuber, John Delgado, and Candice Graham.
• Get LAPD’s take on cycling at the LAPD tent
• Free tune-ups at Bikerowave
• Free bike valet at Bikerowave
• $3 coffee via the mobile coffee gurus of Fortnight Coffee
• and sign up with Sustainable Streets for cycling skills classes!

110317 Cyclist LAPD Task Force Agenda screen shot

Last Thursday, the Cyclist LAPD Task Force met once again (agenda, pdf) to discuss law enforcement and biking in Los Angeles. The Cyclist LAPD Task Force was created last January by Chief Beck and bike activists as a way to begin collaborating, after years of boisterous and acrimonious conflict. So far the Task Force has taken on issues like Critical Mass, training of LAPD officers in the rules of the road for cyclists (and those around them), and hand cuffing, with a degree of success.

At the top of the agenda was a report on LAPD’s 2nd round of Officer Training. You may recall that LAPD previously trained it’s officers in the rudiments of the law re bicycling with a slide show and quiz, last year. This time around, the training went deeper. Sgt Krumer dropped a hint that Bikeside had not posted the new Officer training, so here it is:

(hint taken Sgt Krumer!)

The big news perhaps for Bikeside followers is that LAPD has begun to upgrade enforcement along the Backbone Bikeway Network, which was added – at some personal cost to this activist! – to the final 2010 Bike Plan (and approved.) The department will begin by asking it’s four Traffic Divisions – Valley, West, Central, and South – to report collision statistics along the Backbone.

In a similar vein, LAPD will be reorganizing how they handle bike related incidents. Previously, any bike involved incident would be sent to the appropriate Traffic Division (the four mentioned above) if it was a traffic collision or citation. However, if it was a crime, then it would be handled by the appropriate geographic division – of which there are 21, such as Rampart, Hollywood, and West LA. Now all reports, regardless of whether they are crimes, collisions, or citations, will go to the traffic divisions. While this may seem arcane and irrelevant, it will help us to keep LAPD accountable, by reducing the responsible parties from 25 divisions to just 4.

LAPD also shared that Valley Traffic Division will be putting motorcycle cops on duty on Wilbur Avenue in the road dieted section. At last Tuesday’s community meeting on Wilbur Ave’s reconfiguration (or, as the vote turned out, non-reconfiguration), numerous community members reported that motorists are driving in the bike lanes. Hence, Valley Traffic will work to restore a measure of respect for the bike lane lines. While we’re on Wilbur, Sgt Krumer reiterated that Valley Traffic believes there are fewer collisions on Wilbur since the implementation of the road diet.

A number of other items came up, here’s a quick run down:

• LAPD took a field trip to USC with the LA Bicycle Advisory Committee’s Jeff Jacobberger and Sustainable Street’s Ron Durgin to study safety issues there.
• A short discussion took place regarding how many LAPD officers will staff CicLAvia.
• Stings on unsafe driving around cyclists are stalled. When the topic was raised I suggested that it was important to get it moving, and that, to avoid political blowback, and to be fair, LAPD ought to run stings on cycling behavior at the same time and place as it runs stings unsafe driving.
• Although LAPD will not be changing it’s handcuffing policy, it will clarify how that handcuffing policy applies with respect to cyclists. My hope is that this will give us some leverage to move forward the discussion about the ridiculously frequent cuffings of cyclists.

Present at the meeting were myself (Bikeside), Stephen Box (Bikeside, Bike Writers Collective), Enci Box (Bikeside, Bike Writers Collective), Jeremy Grant (Bikeside), Ron Durgin (Bikeside, Sustainable Streets), Glenn Bailey (LA Bicycle Advisory Committee), Bobby Gadda (LACBC), Commander Jorge Villegas, Sergeant David Krumer, Officer Jeff Kievet, and two officers who I regrettably forgot the names and ranks of (AT fail!)

P.S. – howabout the music in that LAPD training vid?  Rockin!

According to the Los Angeles Times,

“(Shawn Fields’s car) threw the boy and his bike across the intersection”.

LA Times readers’ comments on that short article are quite representative of the lack of compassion and common sense in this town. Heartless motorists at their finest.

Shawn Fields posted the 10% required out of the $100,000 bail and was out by the next day, before a full 15 hours elapsed.

His next court date is on Wednesday, October 27th, 8:30am at the San Fernando Courthouse (900 Third St, San Fernando, CA).

If you ride a bike and you are not there, packing that courthouse, then you must not care enough for your own life. Sticking your head in the sand will not save you. Daniel was one of us, and your ass could be next.

Skip work and go there to raise hell, protest, whatever. My life is more important than my job, so I know where I’ll that morning.

We lost a young soul on the night of October 1st. Sincere condoleances to all those that knew Daniel.
—————
UPDATE
Show your support for Daniel’s family and friends – come out to the Funky Friday ride at 5:00pm Oct 15th, at United Threads in San Fernando.
—————

That’s what you get for riding bikes Chris.

“When I got to the scene I jumped off and asked why my friend was being detained. I asked twice more and the officer told me to come over and then hand cuffed me and put me against the wall.” – Justin

That’s what you get for mouthing off Justin.

Chris's ticket. Note the "PED". Ignore the $ signs - someone used a scanner running on a software trial.

In the early morning of July 7th two men were cuffed and searched at 8th & Main in Downtown Los Angeles – detained for more than half an hour by the rank and file of LAPD Central Traffic. When all was said and done they were released with tickets for “no front light”, citations issued by Officer Townsend. A “no front light” citation is correctable – if you put a front light on your bike and present it to a officer of the California Highway Patrol, he or she can sign off on it, at which point the fine drops from about $100 to $10. It’s a fix-it ticket!

So why were these two detained for the better part of the hour and released with slap on the wrist tickets? Put another way, why were two officers and a police cruiser preoccupied for half an hour by such a triviality?  Is that an reasonable use of police resources?

Don’t ask that of Officer Townsend. It wasn’t her, but her partner Officer Sanchez who initiated the detention, and insisted on citing Justin and Chris. It was Sanchez who told witnesses that they didn’t have a right to know why he cuffed Justin and Chris, because “they weren’t the ones arrested.” It was Sanchez who allegedly turned off the front light mounted clearly on Justin’s handle bars. It was Sanchez who told Chris that he was ticketing him for running a red light, in contradiction to the citation Chris received.

Sanchez might say that Justin was argumentative – it’s remarkable how often reasonable inquiry is construed as argumentative (and what is cite worthy about argumentative?) by overzealous officers.  Even so, even if Justin was, why did Sanchez cuff Chris before Justin even arrived, particularly when by all accounts Chris was quiet and the picture of compliance?

On the other hand, it’s Townsend who could use a refresher on California law. In both citations Townsend wrote “PED” in the vehicle information field, indicating that the recipients were not motorists, but pedestrians. As you might know, pedestrians are not required to have front headlights. So you could question why Townsend wrote citations which apply to cyclists to pedestrians. The citations are, to borrow a phrase of Stephen Box, self contradicting!

Justin's ticket. Note the "PED". Ignore the $ signs - someone used a scanner running on a software trial.

This happens again and again. It happened to Paul ages ago in Hollywood.  It happened to me, and three others last March.  It happened and then some at LA Critical Mass in May.  It happens countless times when we don’t know or hear about it.  And I mean “countless”; LAPD does not record handcuffings, so we have no sense for how often they occur, or who gets cuffed.

Every person who is cuffed by LAPD becomes a detractor for life of the department. If they’re cuffed for thirty minutes and released with a petty fix-it ticket, that’s an detractor for life who has a convincing story to tell their peers. If they’re cuffed for thirty minutes and released with a petty fix-it ticket which involves potential police misconduct – Officer Sanchez turning off Justin’s light – that’s a detractor life with a convincing story, one that might eventually be told to a jury.

This is all alarming. It all detracts from real police work. And all of it convinces me that it is past time for LAPD to address when cuffing is appropriate.

Lindsay Lohan will likely serve 14 days of the 90 day sentence in County jail she began today.  She violated the terms of her probation on DUI charges.

The same day that Lohan turned herself in to the Beverly Hills Courthouse, the case against Celine Mahdavi was scheduled for a pretrial hearing on the 3rd floor.  I know because I walked through the gauntlet of photographers so I could surrender my tools and my camera to security to go upstairs and observe.

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.

A few hours after Lohan began her 90 days in jail, Judge Elden S. Fox sentenced Mahdavi to 90 days of community service – 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, to be done in a 180 day period.  Most likely Mahdavi will be picking up trash with CalTrans or taking part in graffiti removal.

Fox also ordered that Mahdavi should pay full restitution to Deliz, serve 36 months probation, take part in alcohol counseling, participate in the Hospitals and Morgue program.

"She shouldn't drive unless she has a valid driver's license" - Judge Eldon S. Fox to hit and run perpetrator Celine Mahdavi, who permanently disabled Louis Deliz

The prosecution offered Mahdavi a plea of 1 year in jail and 5 years probation.  Instead, Mahdavi’s defense submitted a memorandum of disposition, effectively falling on the mercy of the court, and allowing the judge to sentence Mahdavi without trial.  Fox offered the far lesser sentence, with a variety of self contradictory justification.  Sometimes calling the collision an “accident” – implying that there was no intent without explanation – Fox explained how he considered a 1 year, 6 month, then a 4 month, and finally a 90 day sentence in County jail.  Finally, he explained, he settled on no jail time at all (or 1 day for each count, but 1 day also credited for each count.)

Fox talked tough to Mahdavi saying “I do not believe for one minute that you did not realize you were in a collision for a cyclist” and went on to specify that she should have known that he injured someone.  He explained to Deliz’ family that he found it hard to look at the photographs and evidence.  “My heart goes out to you”, Fox said.

Fox told Mahdavi that she cannot carry any deadly weapons during the 3 years of her probation, listing guns and knives as examples of deadly weapons.  Fox did not list cars as deadly weapons, only ordering that Mahdavi should not drive “unless she has a valid driver’s license.”

Know this cyclists – no one will defend you.  If you are hit it is unlikely the police will care.  If they do care, it is unlikely it will go to court.  If it does go to court, it is unlikely the judge will care.  You are on your own.  If you don’t have a big family like Louis does – one that will step in and step up to take care of you – then you can’t get hit.  You can’t get hit because you won’t get treated fairly.  I know getting hit isn’t under your control, just understand that no one that matters cares about you, and the “justice” system will not take care of you.

There is basically no reason not to hit cyclists and pedestrians – it’s open season.

(edited for correct spelling of “Celine” – thanks commenter Rach Stevo)

(Edit: Celine Mahdavi’s license is currently suspended it is my understanding, as a result of her not responding to inquiries from the DMV re this incident.  Lawyers at the hearing seemed to agree that she will be able to apply for removal of the suspension early next year.  What’s absurd to me is that she would be allowed to obtain a license at all, that her license is suspended and not revoked, and that the judge would leave this decision to the DMV, rather than ordering it suspended.

So, no Mahdavi on the streets (at least legally speaking) now, but possibly early next year.)

Alec & Red show the world how tall bikes solve problems.

Tonight, while executives and lawyers and lobbyists and assistants wined and dined and worked the room, while producers and directors and agents and actors made war and contracts with blackberries and iPhones, while all of them struggled mightily to meet in the middle, two men from two worlds crossed the gap to shake hands and take turns riding a bike in the most surpassing act of diplomacy I have ever witnessed.

Alec the cyclist and Red the officer formed a friendship and affirmed for all that the tone of cyclist & LAPD relations will no longer be one of antagonism or antipathy, nor even one of collaboration and cooperation, but simply a relationship of friendship and support.

Red was among approximately 60 officers mustered tonight for LAPD’s response to LA Critical Mass (LACM). With so many head cracking batons arrayed, cyclist gathering for Critical Mass kept their distance, restrained by memories of yelling, sirens, cuffs and searches. But the atmosphere of doom and gloom was disrupted by the relaxed and smiling demeanor of LAPD. The rumor mill suggested that LAPD had positive intentions toward LACM. It was unnerving . . . it almost felt like things might be OK.

So perhaps that is what prompted Alec to walk with his bizarre tall bike into the throng of cops and ask if anyone wanted to try it. Alec is positively mischievous, in the sense that his mischief leads to positive outcomes. He brings sidewalk chalk to parties and jump ropes to festivals, and he dupes you into having fun. Since I have known him he has relentlessly enabled full grown adults to engage in the fun of child’s play. He is not so much revered in the bike community, as he is loved and cherished by any and all who meet him.

Alec’s bike is different story. It is twice as tall as a normal bike, so that when you ride it, you are 9 feet tall. He rides it hundreds of miles weekly from his home in El Segundo to West LA or even Downtown. The problem is – twice as tall means twice the fall. For me, as an uncoordinated clod, all attempts to ride tall bikes have ended in ankle damage. Alec’s invitation to ride was a quiet dare for the tough guys in uniform.

Red stepped up. Red told me later that he used to ride bike patrol . . . 10 years ago. “They called me up and asked me to ride tonight”, he said. Now he drives a cruiser in Sylmar, answering patrol calls. “This (riding LACM) is way better” he told me with a grin, book ending that moderately serious remark with wise cracks. Simply put, this is a guy who likes to ride.

Alec gave Red some tips and instructions on riding his tall bike, and then Red jumped on that thing and rode it around the plaza, to the hoots and hollers and laughs and cheers of bike patrol and critical mass riders. Then Captain Blake and LACM icons Roadblock and Bike Bike Dan, gave tips and instructions to the crowd on riding LACM safely, and we all jumped on our bikes, and hooted and hollered and laughed and cheered as LAPD and LACM rode together through the mean streets of LA. LACM barreled through LA, safely, respectfully, as one mass, with only a smattering of incidents – to be expected when 600 people ride a cumulative 12,000 miles – and a good time was had by all.

Red rides tall

LAPD and cyclists, Alec and Red took different paths to reach this moment. Alec is the artist who changes hearts and minds by riding a bizarro bike all over creation. Red is out there responding to tense situations – domestic abuse and car accidents – with confidence and a disarming sense of humor. Cyclists, throughout LA, struggle for recognition and respect, while LAPD is working hard to better engage the community and improve its reputation with citizens. All four of them took courageous steps today with the best of intentions – Alec stepped into a ring of 60 armed men and women, Red jumped on a contraption that guaranteed injury, cyclists and LAPD reached out to former antagonists and found new common ground. Somehow, they all came together at one place, at one time, and it’s all a little weird.

In Hamlet, Bill Shakespeare wrote of death as the undiscovered country:

The undiscovered country from whose bourn
No traveler returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?

We prefer the present and the known, even in the ways that they are bad, because we know them; we fear the undiscovered because, even if it might be better, it is unknown.

I feel a little uneasy with what happened tonight – it’s hard for me to believe that such a positive relationship can persist. But today I believe that I witnessed the death of antagonism between two great powers in Los Angeles, the two gutsiest powers in LA’s streets – cyclists and LAPD. I look forward to, with courage and clear purpose, exploring this new and undiscovered country of friendship and support.

(A special recognition is due to Chief Charlie Beck and newly minted US citizen Stephen M Box, the two big men who cut such an intimidating presence to us smaller folk, for standing toe to toe, eye to eye, and with courage and a handshake, forging a new relationship that led to the growing rapport between LAPD and cyclists today.)

Sgt David Krumer of LAPD, liason to the cycling community

Stephen M Box interviews Commander Villegas, who is directs LAPD's end of the Cyclist LAPD Task Force

Big Bike Dan

Glenn Bailey, Chairman of the Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee

Roadblock makes announcements to the crowd about the ride

Joe Borfo in his fish costume - he rode the whole ride in it.

Jennifer Beatty steals my style with the star sunglasses

This is what happens when a cat walks through a spider web. What? "That's not bike related" you say? I beg to differ - this is my blog and I do what I want! Cats are an important aspect of biking.

Critical Mass riders at the BP gas station on Robertson Blvd, protesting the gulf oil spill. (Photo: formalplay on Flickr)

Los Angeles Police Protective League

For Immediate Release

Contact: Eric Rose (805) 624-0572 or Paul Haney (626) 755-4759

Hollywood bike incident statement

LOS ANGELES, May 29, 2010 Today the Los Angeles Police Department notified the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) of an incident that occurred in Hollywood on May 28, 2010 involving LAPD officers and a few bicyclists who were involved in a protest of British Petroleum. In response to a video tape that has surfaced, the LAPD has launched a comprehensive investigation to determine the facts surrounding the events. In response to the incident, LAPPL President Paul M. Weber released the following statement.

The Police Protective League generally withholds comment on actions by police officers until we know all the facts. We only ask that the community refrain from a rush to judgment. It is always important to remember that home video, shot from a distance, from one angle and in the dark, and not at the beginning of the incident seldom tells the whole story.

About the LAPPL Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department.

The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education.

The LAPPL can be found on the Web at www.LAPD.com

Los Angeles Police Protective League
1308 West Eighth Street
Los Angeles, California 90017
phone: (213) 251-4554

On May 28, 2010 around 9:30 PM, LAPD Hollywood Area bike unit officers were patrolling the Entertainment District in Hollywood, at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard, just east
of Highland Avenue, when a group of bicyclists numbering approximately 400 traveled eastbound on Hollywood Boulevard.

As part of enforcement efforts, LAPD Officers were watching for red light violations, and issuing citations. As Officers attempted to detain several bicyclists, a reported use of force was captured on video.

“In response to what we learned, we immediately launched a full-scale investigation to determine the facts surrounding the events,” said LAPD Assistant Chief Earl Pay singer. “The Departments Professional Standards Bureau has taken the lead in the inquiry and the Police Commission’s Inspector General has also been made fully aware of the matter.”

Since November 2009, the LAPD Office of Operations has worked closely with representatives of the biking community to improve relations, make the streets safer for bicyclists and discuss and identify issues involving bicyclists that are problematic for the motoring public.

“Our Department takes seriously its obligations and commitment to all members of the community. The Chief of Police and I pledged our strong support to work closely with the bike community and that promise has not wavered. It’s our hope that the relationship we’ve developed with the biking community over the past months will be strengthened even more as we continue to work together to find solutions to difficult circumstances such as these.”

LAPD Internal Affairs Group is investigating this reported use of force incident.