KTOWN PRESS CONFERENCE
Thread started by
Roadblock at 06.29.11 - 1:00 pm
Tomorrow at 11AM City Hall Steps @ Spring Street
BE THERE TO SUPPORT. IN YOUR SUNDAY BEST.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS CONFERENCE SCHEDULED
THURSDAY, JUNE 30 2011, 11AM
LOCATION: LA CITY HALL STEPS @ 200 SPRING STREET ENTRANCE
CONTACT: INFO@MIDNIGHTRIDAZZ.COM
L.A. CYCLISTS AND VICTIMS SPEAK ABOUT DUI vs CYCLIST INCIDENT ON JEFFERSON BLVD.
In light of the recent tragic collision in Culver City involving an allegedly intoxicated driver who sped through a group of cyclists, sending 11 to the hospital, LA county cycling groups have come together to make a joint statement about the incident and the LAPD’s initial investigation. They are demanding that the Culver City Police Department conduct a thorough and unbiased investigation and urging the LA County District Attorney to press charges and vigorously prosecute this case.
SPEAKERS INCLUDE: Witness Jesus Lizama, Victim Dora Guerra, President Bikeside LA Alex Thompson, Bicycle Lawyer Ross Hirsch, Bicycle Lawyer Danny Jimenez, Midnight Ridazz representative Roadblock, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition representative Alexis Lantz .
These groups collectively question the process by which the LAPD's preliminary investigation concluded the cyclists were at fault, when the driver was found to be under the influence of alcohol.
Alex Thompson, president of BikesideLA states “LAPD fumbled this one, they know it, and it's on them to set this right and not blame the victims.”
Jennifer Klausner, executive director of the LACBC states “Bicyclist safety is public safety. Our rights on the roadways are applicable 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Drunk and or distracted driving is never acceptable.“
A coalition of bicycling groups will present hundreds of petitions signed by cyclists throughout the area to Los Angeles civic leaders in demonstration of their widespread support at Thursday's press conference.
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I'll be there. Will there be a chance for people to sign the petition beforehand?
mr rollers06.29.11 - 2:24 pm
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They are demanding that the Culver City Police Department conduct a thorough and unbiased investigation and urging the LA County District Attorney to press charges and vigorously prosecute this case
...if charges and prosecution are warranted. Right? Otherwise, you're saying "make a thorough and unbiased investigation and then reach the conclusion we want you to reach." That wouldn't look too good. I hope that petition hasn't made it to the printer's yet. :)
PC responding to a
comment by mr rollers
06.29.11 - 2:28 pm
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yeah that is not worded so well. fortunately it's not from the petition statement.... we were trying to keep the statement word of mouth so that the media would show up but here is part of it.
Every Angeleno deserves safe streets free from drunk drivers, and all drunk driving cases should be pros- ecuted fully. For this reason we strongly urge the LA County District Attorney’s office to consider bringing any and all appropriate charges for each individual injured, including felony DUI. The DA’s prosecution of Dr. Christopher Thompson for road rage and assault in Mandeville Canyon is an excellent example of how such incidents should be treated. We hope and expect that the DA will charge and prosecute Ms. Dahab with the same vigor and diligence.
Roadblock responding to a
comment by PC
06.29.11 - 4:24 pm
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the big complaint, is that the LAPD reached their "preliminary" conclusion that the cause of the crash is "pedestrians in the roadway." The point is that the primary cause should be driving under the influence. So we are asking for the CCPD to change that.
Roadblock responding to a
comment by PC
06.29.11 - 5:00 pm
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There will hopefully be sign making supplies on hand if you want to make a sign get there by 10a bring sign making supplies if you have them.
trickmilla06.29.11 - 5:37 pm
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And dress sharp. Remember the press portrayed the ride with condoms and drugs and beer. Dress the part muthaf**ka!
alexdc06.29.11 - 5:41 pm
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I hope to be there with my kid. Wear your helmets, eh?
gado_gado06.29.11 - 6:44 pm
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I'll try to be there. As for "dress sharp," I'll leave that to you guys who live a mile from City Hall and like to pretend you live in Copenhagen anyway. I'm going to dress the part of somebody who is riding a bicycle twentysomething miles in Los Angeles on a summer day...hope that's not a problem. See you there!
PC06.30.11 - 12:19 am
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"I'll leave that to you guys who live a mile from City Hall and like to pretend you live in Copenhagen anyway."
+1
sack or crack you choose responding to a
comment by PC
06.30.11 - 10:13 am
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I'll be there in spirit only I'm afraid. Good luck to you all.
rev10606.30.11 - 10:23 am
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I think this one kinda missed some of the key points:
http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-cyclists-struck-culver-city,0,247774.story
DOWNTOWN (KTLA) -- Dozens of cyclists have taken to the streets to protest the investigation into a crash earlier this month involving an alleged drunk driver who hit eleven riders.
Cyclers from groups throughout the region called upon legislators at City Hall Thursday seeking safer streets and justice for those injured in the crash.
"Over 30,000 people die each year as a result of car crashes on our roads," protester and attorney Ross Hirsch said.
Protesters claim that improving street conditions would help prevent accidents like this from happening in the future.
"We need to build our streets in a way that lets everybody know that cyclists, pedestrians, transit users and drivers are all legitimate users of the road and that we all need to share," Joe Linton of CicLAvia said.
Eleven cyclists were injured in the early hours of June 16 when a drunk driver veered into the parking lane along Jefferson Boulevard at Hetzler Road in Baldwin Village.
A group of about 100 bicyclists had just visited Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook when some stopped in the bike path along Jefferson Boulevard to wait for fellow cyclists to catch up to them.
That's when group members say a Honda Civic came speeding down the roadway and plowed into the bicyclists.
The driver, identified as 27-year old Christine Dahab, revved her engine, hopped a curb and "just took everybody out," Alex, a cyclist, said.
Witnesses say one cyclist was dragged by the car.
The cyclists, part of Midnight Ridazz, ride in a large group every Wednesday night and say they've never seen anything like this happen.
Dahab was booked on suspicion of felony DUI. There are reports that she may also have been texting.
DJwheels06.30.11 - 1:58 pm
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http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/06/christine_dahab_drunk_driver_midnight_ridazz_misdemeanor.php
One thing we've learned from living in L.A.: Don't mess with bikers. (We don't mean biker bikers -- we know those greasy, ear-splitting "fags" are really just big softies beneath all that passive-aggressive lane changing.) No, we're talking cyclists: Critical Mass, known by night as the Midnight Ridazz. Sometimes naked, always pumped.
They may be outnumbered by soccer moms in minivans (or, in this case, drunk chicks in sedans), but L.A. cyclists make their presence known. We've never seen a group of lobbyists win over the City Council as completely they did back in March, securing 1,680 miles of new bike lanes by about 2020.
Now, they're telling 27-year-old DUI convict Christine Dahab:
You plowed through the wrong group of Ridazz.
The cyclists were on the return trip of their weekly Koreatown Wednesday excursion when the crash occurred around 2 a.m. A few had stopped at the corner of West Jefferson and Rodeo Road in Culver City to wait for laggers -- when Dahab "crashed into the group at about 60 miles per hour," according to City News Service.
From witness descriptions of the crash, it's pretty miraculous she didn't kill anybody.
"We were waiting for everyone to make their way down from Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook as this shit happened," one person wrote on the Midnight Ridazz forum. "I saw a car speeding towards us and thought doesn't the driver see us, NO.... Drunk bitch took out the whole ride. some of us got out of the way just in time but many took the brunt force of the hit."
After Dahab underwent alcohol and drug testing at the LAPD station, she was booked for a misdemeanor DUI and quickly posted $15,000 bail.
Since then, the case has been deferred to Culver City police, as the crash technically occurred in their district. City News reports that so far, no charges have been filed against her.
"The LAPD said the primary cause of the accident was pedestrians standing next to their bikes,'' said Alex Thompson, of cycling group Bikeside L.A., at a demonstration outside City Hall today. Activists are asking that she be charged with six counts of felony DUI.
Here's some additional followup from Thompson's Bikeside L.A. blog:
• Dahab blew .08 in an initial test, and later blew a .07 at the station. • Dahab, according to LAPD, has pristine driving record • Witnesses have said that Dahab tried to run. Captain Mulldorfer said that the collision did not qualify as a hit and run, and that Dahab indicated she drove some distance from the collision because she felt "the crowd was hostile." Makes sense, they had every right to be hostile.
Of 11 cyclists who rushed to the hospital that night, one broke both legs, and one remains hospitalized. Thank god there were no deaths. But it's crazy how much difference a fatality can make in a drunk driver's ultimate punishment.
We've contacted Culver City police for comment.
[@simone_electra/swilson@laweekly.com]
DJwheels06.30.11 - 9:13 pm
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"We've contacted Culver City police for comment. "
So is LAPD chop liver or something? Nobody wants their comment? I think they screwed this investigation up more than CCPD did. Hell it was just dropped in CCPD lap, on the other hand the LAPD went out their way to make the riders look bad. I guess you can say they had an active roll in looking like crap. Do I need to highlight all the points?
Couple of things on the articles I'm wondering about. It states above, "some stopped in the bike path along Jefferson Boulevard". In all the google maps I've looked, I never seen a bike path, that goes for all the videos on this too. Anyone got a pic of the bike path? Also the article is saying it was a "parking lane" that she veered into. It looks like a turning lane before the entrance to Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook. It's a parking lane after the turn, and some of the riders were probably out of the traveling lane and in this area when they got hit. So not sure how LAPD determined that the cyclists were at fault. Would be interesting to hear that one!
DArK ENERgY06.30.11 - 10:25 pm
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any others? I can't seem to find much else.
markd responding to a
comment by gado_gado
06.30.11 - 11:13 pm
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Wait, what did Culver City PD have to say? I wasn't there for when she came back! :(
Neurorob responding to a
comment by gado_gado
06.30.11 - 11:37 pm
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Something good must come from this. There are so many reasons for the City to prove they actually give a shit....
FIXMYLIFE07.1.11 - 9:04 am
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LAPD won't comment on any investigation they handed off.
CCPD won't comment on an ongoing investigation other than vague stuff.
daymen responding to a
comment by DArK ENERgY
07.1.11 - 10:08 pm
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"THAT'S HOW WE ROLL!"
FBI responding to a
comment by daymen
07.1.11 - 10:20 pm
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glad someone thinks they're tops,
I think they're flops!
no wonder no one from the KTown crew trust them.
DArK ENERgY07.2.11 - 12:32 am
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Hello All and Happy 4th of July!
I have read the articles and comments on bikesidela, streetsblog, bikinginla as well as some other sources. Several items have been pointed out that are very valid and deserving of futher explaination. It is my hope that in the near future the concerns raised are answered appropriately...but if not I would encourage you to continue advocating for those changes and continue to provide feedback to the LAPD so that your voices are heard.
Please keep in mind that while this particular incident may impact your perception of the LAPD, I sincerely hope that it does not define our relationship. There are many positive developments that we have mutually worked on to the betterment of all involved. While your anger and frustration are understandable, I hope it does not close you off to the possibilities of continued cooperation and community building.
David
Sgt. David Krumer07.4.11 - 2:50 pm
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your department purposely botched an investigation from the start, quite possibly with ulterior motives, and you want people to continue to support your department even if our concerns are brushed aside? why? our brothers and sisters were standing in the roadway and deserved to be maimed because we're good for nothing, condom wielding, pot smoking, drunk cyclists... remember?
coldcut07.4.11 - 4:14 pm
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Hi Coldcut.
No I do not expect you to support the Department simply because we ask. I expect that when the Department is deserving of your condemnation that you express that rage and dissatisfaction (in a non-violent and constructive way i.e. the press conferance).
And when the Department does right by the cycling community that it is likewise acknowledged. There are going to be issues that come up from time to time but the lines of communication should always be open and hopefully amicable.
It would just be a shame if this incident closed you off to all future attempts to build bridges.
Sgt. David Krumer responding to a
comment by coldcut
07.4.11 - 4:45 pm
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I for one want to keep as good as possible a relationship going with the LAPD and all police agencies. Cyclists are getting killed, maimed and left for dead on the streets every month and we need the police on our side very very badly.
Yup. Their bias shows in these investigations. Not just against cyclists but pedestrians as well. Everytime a pedestrian is killed in a crosswalk and the police do not cite the driver they miss an opportunity to make our streets safer and to hold drivers accountable. They miss an opportunity to teach respect for all road users and to change the culture of traffic in this town. Its infuriating as hell.
But its not going to change by dissing the police. Its going to change by engaging the police and the politicians. We all have to get political and vocal. It has been working. The glacier is moving. The city is listening. We cant give up.
Sgt. Krumer, at the lapd bike task force meeting actually gave us an important tool to reference in this ktown case that the detectives on the scene didnt. The CVC code that clearly states drivers need to excercise due care not to hit pedestrians in the street. (forgot the cvc #.) Its hard sometimes to believe in the good side of LAPD but we have to praise the good if we want to see more of it.
Roadblock responding to a
comment by Sgt. David Krumer
07.4.11 - 8:38 pm
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Fat chance on that David, at least with me and the few friends I ride with. I haven't been around as long as some and also of some of the my friends. So I'm just getting bits and pieces of the passed history of the LAPD and the bicycling community. But the more I do learn, the less I like of you guys. And instead of just brushing by any specifics, let me list the glaring and outrageous violations done to the community at the hands of your fellow officers.
Fabricated evidence in a bike vs hummer incident in DTLA. This was before my time here, but you can go ahead and correct me (I bet you don't) on what I list here. LAPD stated that the hummer didn't have a license plate, but photos showed there was. And they stated that an accident report was going to be generated, but there never was. Even though bikes were destroyed and there was an injury. I hope someone can fill in on this one, I got a feeling there's a lot of issues left out.
Next one is LAPD beating up a bicyclist for the god awful infraction of recording an arrest on a LACM ride. Well known video that I'm sure you've seen.
And finally this last incident. Blind curve and bicyclists on the side of the road is more of an violation than than driving while intoxicated, speeding and texting.
Really I think you're around to infiltrate us and disband us. I really don't see very much good the LAPD have done for the whole community, not just MR. Yeah sure you guys gave out some helmets. I betcha we in MR could have done more and cheaper if we were given that tax money. Man just think how many miles of bike lanes we could have had with all that money being paid on the CM ride!
So yea you got some that want to be BFF with the LAPD, but I'm pretty much in the FTP camp, and I haven't seen anything that would make me move!
DArK ENERgY responding to a
comment by Sgt. David Krumer
07.6.11 - 11:14 pm
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Ridazz Roulette!
