LAist: Councilman Back Pedals on Bicycle Meeting

take2la

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:56:51 -0800

Re-posted but still applies It isn't Hatfields & McCoys. If its a feud, its more Blue & Grey than hillbillys. There is a innocence, or at least an ineffectual comedic quality associated to the hillbilly fable. I ain't laughing. This Family Feud is way beyond Richard Dawson & Al Roker. Sure, there are plenty of other places cycl-ists could go other than any of the canyons BUT WHY SHOULD WE. To say there are places some people "can" go & others can't is "Transpo" discrimination. Would you stand for it for yourself? Would you tolerate it in others? And yes, this is a defining question. Position defining. Blue or Grey? Or perhaps, better yet, Erin Brokovich or PG&E?

jrb

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:45:41 -0800

"Everything is possible in LA." L.A. hell, if this were taking place in Oklahoma, this judge might order it. http://www.courttv.com/trials/thompson_donald/092305_background_ctv.html

Enci

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:17:34 -0800

Hahaha! Well, you never know :-) Everything is possible in LA.

jrb

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:17:57 -0800

Exactly! A court of law is open to the public unless the judge specifies otherwise, and obviously they aren't going to tell you to remove your clothes.

Enci

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:34:51 -0800

Now that's a great idea then! Thanks for the tip! I can wear a t-shirt with a message and still wear my heels ;-)

jrb

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:21:42 -0800

"I disagree with wearing riding attire..." If you want to appear a group. In other words if you want to get around the no placards rule. When we went as med mj advocates we knew we weren't going to be able to bring signs or placards, so we had t-shirts made up with a big marijuana leaf inside a red cross that said "DEMAND SAFE ACCESS". This was how showed ourselves as supporters with out getting kicked out for carrying signs.

Enci

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:47:10 -0800

Great suggestions, however I disagree with wearing riding attire or something that identifies me as a cyclists. I ride in heels and my everyday clothing. We are people first and foremost and cycists are also motorists at times. We should be safe on our streets regardless of what clothes we wear with our choice of transportation. The bigger should always yield to the smaller and we should be safe on our streets regardless of creed, color, race, sexual orientation or mode of transportation.

jrb

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:15:23 -0800

A few suggestions to anyone going to the LAX court house; No placards or signs, or you will not be admitted. Remember that you will have to go through a metal detector, so don't carry anything in your back pack or on your person that could be preceived as a weapon. If you want to appear as a group I would suggest showing up in riding attire, or wear some article of clothing, (t-shirt, etc), that will identify you as a bicycle advocate. Don't be loud or disruptful. Remember, this is a court of law, be respectful or expect to get arrested. I've been to the LAX courthouse for a trial with a group of med mj advocates. These are suggestions that were given to us by the defense atty. when he found out we would be there.

MandevilleNative

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:28:33 -0800

Great idea, Adam. What time is the arraignment?

Adam_Rakunas

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:13:50 -0800

Forget showing up at this guy's house. He's getting arraigned at the LAX courthouse on August 1; better to have every cyclist in the city ride there and take advantage of our right to assemble. Your canyon - everyone's streets.

misterbee

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:13:02 -0800

councilmanrosendahl@lacity.org Councilman Rosendahl, I am writing because I read that you have cancelled the Town Hall meeting that you had scheduled to address the Mandeville Canyon incident with the cyclists. I understand your reasoning that the meeting might not be as productive as a task force, and that might be true. But I feel that by not addressing the public at large, you are missing a very teachable moment. An opportunity to make sure that everyone understands that all the roads belong to all the users, and that abuse of the driving privilege will not be ignored. The task force may be able to work out the issues that face Mandeville Canyon, and that's a valuable thing to do, but it addresses only the needs of the homeowners and cyclists in that area. It will not help the increasing number of new cyclists who must now commute to work by bike because they can no longer afford to drive. These folks may or may not know how to best handle their bike on the road, and drivers need to learn to share the road with the growing cycling population. I understand that you have put the Cyclists Bill of Rights forward to the City Council. That's a great idea. Please find a way to put some teeth in it. Please find a way to involve the L. A. County Bike Coalition, as well as the Bicycle Writer's Collective, who authored the original Cyclists Bill of Rights. These groups know how to do outreach, and outreach and education is what it's going to take to make the streets safe for all of us. Thank you for your efforts, and please keep up the good work, Warren Bowman

SoapBoxLA

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 11:39:39 -0800

In the Meantime: Storm the Bastille is on! On Monday, July 14, we ride from REDquarters (Santa Monica & Vermont Red Line Station) @ 11 to the South Lawn of City Hall for a noon rally. We've got a Bastillion ideas on ways to make this a GREAT City but we're gonna start with the Cyclists' Bill of Rights and we're gonna call on our City Leadership to join us in making this a GREAT City with GREAT Streets! (6500 miles of roadway, all of it ridable!) See you on the Streets!

GarySe7en

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:51:02 -0800

By: As has been talked to death in numerous forums and comment threads, attempts to bring the conflict to his residence specifically would be irresponsible and could hurt the riders chances in the civil trial by adding sympathy to the Doctor. I'd love to show him a piece of my mind too, and this whole incident enrages me to no end, but I do not want to jeopardize things for the riders in the process. They need to win that civil trail to make up for the damages and extended period of suffering and unemployment this attack has caused them.

lagirl65

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:47:12 -0800

Hey poster #3. That kind of thing shuts down the comments section. It's also stalkerish...and creepy. He's out of town anyway.

MandevilleNative

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:32:34 -0800

Since Rosendahl cancelled the Monday meeting,so why not have the meeting outside Dr Thompson's house at [address redacted]. (thank you, propertyshark.com)This guy needs to go to jail and then move.

schellter

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:00:01 -0800

The bikes in the photo above are very nice. Are they owned by a list member?

angle

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 03:39:17 -0800

My question is this: if it was Mr. Rosendahl's intention to address the Mandeville Canyon issue specifically, why did he propose a public meeting in the first place? Did he not realize the scope of bicycle/car conflicts on our city streets? While it was sure to be a contentious event, canceling this meeting is going to have repercussions. At the very least, it will give the impression that city policy decisions regarding bicycles get made by elite cadres and special-interest groups who are not interested in making the process transparent and accessible to the public. Which is, in my experience, pretty accurate.