Part of the League of Michigan Bicyclists’ new vision is: “Our streets and trails are safe and accessible to people of every age, race, gender, ability, and economic status.”
But some Michigan bicyclists find our streets unsafe for reasons that are entirely different from distracted drivers or badly designed infrastructure but no less deadly.
Some have been on the receiving end of unjust transportation policies for decades.
Have you ever been stopped by police when riding a bike?
Perhaps you slow-rolled a stop sign. Perhaps you were pulled over for “impeding traffic” or harassed without cause. Perhaps you were riding legally, but the officer thought you weren’t. You can probably imagine that experience, whether it’s happened to you or not.
That experience – even the idea of that experience – hits some Michigan bicyclists harder than others. Some might fear for their safety, based on the color of their skin. Police brutality is something that really happens… and it happens to some people more than others.
Always but especially now, we see and believe that this burden falls with a terrible and heavy weight on Black bicyclists. We cannot accept a world where this remains true. Black lives matter. And when those charged with the duty to protect and serve forget this, it’s our duty to stand up and say it.
The League of Michigan Bicyclists stands in solidarity with those lifting their voices in protest against the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and too many others. We commit ourselves to the work of anti-racism in all our efforts to make Michigan bicycling better, including our training programs for law enforcement. And we pray that we never have to mourn the death of a Michigan bicyclist at the hands of police.
Racism exists everywhere in America, even on a bicycle.
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