Welcome to the week.
Here are the most noteworthy items our community came across in the past seven days…
Vehicular violence: A man drove his car into protestors in Seattle last night in what is just the latest in a worrying rise of vehicular violence across the country.
Safe streets for whom?: Anthropologist and planner Destiny Thomas says transportation and urban planning, “Must no longer exist in service of white comfort, with no regard for the bodies that carry the burden of protest when Black lives are lost in the streets.”
Path rage: A 60-year-old white man riding on a popular bike path in Washington D.C. assaulted several teens who were putting up posters related to the killing of George Floyd. After a video of the incident went viral he was found and arrested.
Stranded: Whether to suspend transit service during a major protest is a much more difficult decision than you might think.
Bikes in Africa: This photo gallery of Zambian women farmers who use bicycles to cart their products to market will brighten your day.
Police reform now: In a massive development that illustrates the power of protest, Minneapolis city council is poised to dismantle their existing police force.
Open streets: Shabazz Stuart argues in Streetsblog that streets play a vital role as gathering spaces during demonstrations and governments should not impinge our right to march on them.
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Police bikes: As police nationwide use their bicycles as weapons against protestors, the parent company of Fuji Bikes announced they’d end sales to law enforcement agencies. Fuji now says they’re in talks with police leaders about the issue.
Transportation and racism: “There is not one issue, problem or system that we work on in social justice/civil rights or in policymaking that does not encompass ending racism,” says Dara Baldwin in this persuasive essay aimed at transportation reform advocates.
Shut it down: People who live on the North Portland Peninsula shut down the St. Johns Bridge Sunday, and used the carfree space to dance and chant against racism and police brutality.
Cycling’s big moment: “Turning cities like London or New York into so many Copenhagens will be less of a sprint, more several Tours de France,” says The Economist in this story about the pandemic-fueled global bike boom.
Thread of the Week: Some local and well-known transportation planners weighed in on this question posted by planner and researcher Charles Brown about white silence.
Serious question: Why are some White allies (individuals & organizations) who work in urban planning comfortable speaking out against injustices while others aren’t? Please weigh in… #equity #nofilterneeded
— Charles T. Brown, MPA, CPD (@ctbrown1911) June 1, 2020
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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