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Justice Campaign for SF Bicyclist
actually i dont ride a bike, but i wish i did! always support bicyclists!
In case you aren't familiar, Chris Robertson, a fellow critical masser, was run down by a truck driver (who had already been convicted of killing someone in the past). The truck driver threw a brick of wood at him first.
<br><br>
Robertson was participating in a funeral ride for a bicycle messenger in San Francisco. Activists have followed this closely and were very frustrated that the murderer is being treated so lightly, evidently because he used a motor vehicle rather than a gun or knife, etc., to kill.
<br><br>
Nearly a year has passed since a truck driver hit and killed Chris Robertson, a much-loved bicyclist and member of the SFBC. And what has happened since? The original felony charges against the driver were lowered to measly misdemeanor charges that will land him -- at most -- two months in jail if convicted! But it's not too late to help bring justice in this case. The District Attorney's Office has the opportunity to appeal the Judge's ruling to lower the charges and to re-introduce felony charges. The District Attorney has publicly pledged, in the past, that he will be tough on vehicular crimes against bikes and pedestrians and treat them as the violent crimes they are. Let's remind him of that pledge!
<br><br>
*** 3 Things You Can Do:<br>
PLEASE take a few minutes to call and urge the D.A. to appeal the lowering of the charges in the Chris Robertson case and to re-introduce the appropriate felony charges. Remind the D.A. that this case sends a strong message to the public about what driving behavior is tolerated in S.F. The D.A. needs to hear that it is NOT O.K. to let people off the hook for driving recklessly and killing others.
<br><br>
-- Call the D.A.'s Public Information Office:<br>
415-553-9530<br><br>
-- Call or email the Mayor: damayor [at] ci.sf.ca.us<br>
415-554-6141<br><br>
-- Call or email your District Supervisor and alert him/her to this issue. See contact info. at
http://www.sfbike.org/campaigns/instant_activist/contact_your_leaders.html
<br><br>
To find out more about Chris Robertson, see http://www.scorcher.org/crobertson/chris.html
<br><br>
Robertson was participating in a funeral ride for a bicycle messenger in San Francisco. Activists have followed this closely and were very frustrated that the murderer is being treated so lightly, evidently because he used a motor vehicle rather than a gun or knife, etc., to kill.
<br><br>
Nearly a year has passed since a truck driver hit and killed Chris Robertson, a much-loved bicyclist and member of the SFBC. And what has happened since? The original felony charges against the driver were lowered to measly misdemeanor charges that will land him -- at most -- two months in jail if convicted! But it's not too late to help bring justice in this case. The District Attorney's Office has the opportunity to appeal the Judge's ruling to lower the charges and to re-introduce felony charges. The District Attorney has publicly pledged, in the past, that he will be tough on vehicular crimes against bikes and pedestrians and treat them as the violent crimes they are. Let's remind him of that pledge!
<br><br>
*** 3 Things You Can Do:<br>
PLEASE take a few minutes to call and urge the D.A. to appeal the lowering of the charges in the Chris Robertson case and to re-introduce the appropriate felony charges. Remind the D.A. that this case sends a strong message to the public about what driving behavior is tolerated in S.F. The D.A. needs to hear that it is NOT O.K. to let people off the hook for driving recklessly and killing others.
<br><br>
-- Call the D.A.'s Public Information Office:<br>
415-553-9530<br><br>
-- Call or email the Mayor: damayor [at] ci.sf.ca.us<br>
415-554-6141<br><br>
-- Call or email your District Supervisor and alert him/her to this issue. See contact info. at
http://www.sfbike.org/campaigns/instant_activist/contact_your_leaders.html
<br><br>
To find out more about Chris Robertson, see http://www.scorcher.org/crobertson/chris.html
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This is just not the case. The meeting at the DA's office included friends of Chris Robertson, as well as the SF Bike Messengers, and the SF Bicycle Advisory Committee. All of us supported refiling charges, and some of us could wish that the SFBC had gotten in on this sooner and not waited until a week before the start of the trial to get on board. We could also wish that the DA's office had been more informative about what our options were in this case, instead of summarily deciding that there was no other course but to continue with misdemeanor charges.
The SF Bike Community is many-faceted and not all of us feel fully represented by the SF Bike Coalition. Nor do we appreciate them being credited with every improvement to bike facilities that comes about in San Francisco. We all need to work together to make all members of the bike community recognised for their contributions instead of having a "winner takes all" attitude that disenfranchises the rest of us. Keep up the good work SFBC. But remember to recognise the rest of us, and bring us along with you. That's what a "coalition" does.