Last night the bicycle advocacy group I belong to agreed to give $500 to a cyclist who'd been charged with assault for allegedly spitting on the driver who tried (with some alleged success) to mow him down. We have a (very tiny) budget for cyclists who we feel have been wrongly charged. $500 goes doesn't do much to defray legal costs (minimum $2000 in this case) and lost wages (the guy is a courier and he lost 3 weeks of work). But it doesn't hurt. Maybe more importantly, the guy walked into a room full of people who know that cyclists are regularly getting the shit end of the legal stick. Once you've seen a bunch of your friends get treated like low-life by cops, you start to let go of the stigma that's normally attached to getting arrested.
just found out the guy got off with a peace bond. very good news.
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Last night the bicycle advocacy group I belong to agreed to give $500 to a cyclist who'd been charged with assault for allegedly spitting on the driver who tried (with some alleged success) to mow him down. We have a (very tiny) budget for cyclists who we feel have been wrongly charged. $500 goes doesn't do much to defray legal costs (minimum $2000 in this case) and lost wages (the guy is a courier and he lost 3 weeks of work). But it doesn't hurt. Maybe more importantly, the guy walked into a room full of people who know that cyclists are regularly getting the shit end of the legal stick. Once you've seen a bunch of your friends get treated like low-life by cops, you start to let go of the stigma that's normally attached to getting arrested.
- sally mckay 1-23-2004 8:56 am
just found out the guy got off with a peace bond. very good news.
- sally mckay 1-25-2004 10:14 am