Mayor Villaraigosa Needs to Respond to Last Friday's LAPD Brutality Against Bicyclists

June 4, 2010 at 1:45 pm | Posted in Bike News | 3 Comments
Tags: Antonio Villaraigosa, CicLAvia, Critical Mass, LACBC, LADOT, Manny Gallegos, Midnight Ridazz

We just dropped off a letter to Mayor Villaraigosa asking him to address the City of Los Angeles’ “discriminatory treatment of bicyclists…that extends beyond just the police department.” While making sure that the LAPD investigation into last week’s excessive use of force by officers in Hollywood is carried out in full, and that the department continues to train officers in the fair , responsible, and safe treatment of bicyclists, we’re calling for the Mayor to respond to the root causes of the problem bicyclists face.

1. We urge the Mayor to work with the LAPD to actively support the bicycling community by partnering to sponsor bicycle events, including the street opening event CicLAvia.
2. We urge the Mayor to work with the LADOT to immediately implement multiple high-profile bicycle lane projects already approved in the city’s 1996 Bicycle Master Plan and the 2009 Downtown Street Standards.
3. We urge the Mayor to step forward and publicly voice City support for bicycling as a valid means of transportation in the City of Los Angeles.

Read the full length of our letter to the Mayor.

Finally, we got word that Manny Gallegos, who took the video of last week’s incident of LAPD brutality against bicyclists and was tackled by officers for doing nothing more than filming, filed a civil rights  lawsuit against the LAPD. A press conference was held Downtown today at 2pm and we will keep updating  as the case progresses.

About these ads