N. Interstate and Greeley.
(Photo © Jonathan Maus)
Nearly a month passed since we lost Brett Jarolimek, but signs of his life and actions spurred by his passing continue.
The Bike Gallery (where Brett worked) has established a memorial fund in his honor. The fund will,
“support the cause of bicycle safety through strategic partnerships and direct support of projects intended to 1) enhance motorist awareness and education, 2) enhance the awareness, visibility and education of bicyclists, and 3) enable bicycle safety infrastructure projects on a selected basis. This will include funding of grassroots projects initiated by individuals in the community.”
The Bike Gallery plans to match first-year donations to the fund up to $10,000. Learn about how to submit your project for consideration on the fund’s web page.
At the intersection of Brett’s collision, a memorial has sprung up. A life-sized stencil of Brett riding has been painted on the wall of the underpass alongside a metal, bike-riding sculpture.
Brett had many friends in the OBRA community. They’ve honored his passing with a Brett Jarolimek tribute page on their website. The page features a photo of Brett along with a poem by his good friend Matt Hall. Matt read this poem at Brett’s memorial. It was personal, funny, and poignant. It reads in part,
“You will own the hole-shot.
You won’t trip on barriers.
We will cheer for you on every run-up.
You will never be over-geared.
You won’t get poison oak.
And no one will stare at your ankles.
Those rain pants you made……
will be the right size.”
Read the full poem here.
In light of not just Brett’s crash, but those of Tracey Sparling and Siobhan Doyle as well, River City Bicycles has devoted their ad in the Willamette Week to an important safety message: “Please check your blind spot.”
Thanks for reading.
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I just sent my check to the memorial fund. Thanks to the BG for doubling it!
Hey Johnathan,
Can you put up a graphic of how much of the initial $10K goal has been achieved? This will often help to encourage people to help get the figure \”over the top\” and keep the fundraising current.
Hey, River City, here\’s MY ad: MAKE \’EM SEE YA. STAY AWAY FROM BLIND SPOT.
Jonathan:
Re comment #3, can you give me a one-time waiver from the no personal insults policy?
Sure, chief. For you, NO prob. But, NO personal insults INTENDED. 😛
Hey Paul:
If I walk up to you in the street, but wear an eye patch, can I put my fist where your face is? Because, if I didn\’t see you, then I didn\’t really hit you, did I? You sort of ran into my fist.
Oops. WRONG read. INSULT away, peejay! Ha! I\’m in TULSA, Oklahoma, where the general motoring public, cops, and City Hall really don\’t CARE about bikes!
Paul Tay, @#3: That was the most classless post I have ever seen on bikeportland, and I\’ve seen lots. Go troll biketulsa, please.
Well, peejay, first of all, I would have AVOIDED the blind spot, i.e. eye patch, in the first place. I don\’t do Pirates of the Carribean impersonations. Most likely, but, you might catch sight of some UNIDENTIFIED bicycling object FAT guy in red, that usually burglarizes houses by sliding down the chimney during Christmas, rolling a bicycle in the middle of the Broken Arrow EXPRESSWAY, in Tulsa \”Piece o\’Crapola\” Oklahoma. Can\’t miss it, dude. Give it a shot.
Chris, there is NO biketulsa! Only killSantaTulsa dot org.
Paul and peejay, please show some consideration for the topic of the post.
let\’s not turn this into a personal back-and-forth. really. come on.
thanks.
Yep. I\’m DUN. R.I.P. Brett.
Sorry Jonathan, but that was the rudest comment I\’ve ever seen posted here, and my anger got the best of me. I\’ll try not to feed the trolls anymore.
wow! how odd….. I bought \”chain girl\” (the statue made of a bike and reclaimed lumber chain fashioned into a girl on a bike) from Matt Cartwright a few years ago. I ended up giving it to a friend named Charles and he in turn gave Chain Girl to a girl. It appears she has shown up at this intersection as a memorial. how neat…
What a beautiful, beautiful poem by Matt Hall. Thank you for sharing it, Matt; I am so terribly sorry for the loss of your dear friend. Thank you for posting the poem, Jonathan, for those who did not hear it at Brett\’s local memorial service.
To anyone interested in honoring Brett and recognizing the tragedy of his loss via group ride, there will be a memorial gathering at the site prior to Saturday\’s \”We are ALL Traffic\” community assembly, followed by a safe procession to the downtown event. Similar gatherings will occur at other \”ghost bikes\” or road fatality sites, and those who attend each will ride/walk/skate/travel together to convene with the large group of concerned citizens on the waterfront by 11:45.
Please join in raising awareness about the urgent need for safer roads and mentalities.