It looks like there won’t be any justice for Dijon Kizzee, after all.
The Los Angeles County DA’s office announced that a pair of sheriff’s deputies won’t be charged for killing 29-year old Dijon Kizzee in South LA in 2020, in what began as a traffic stop for the crime of riding salmon on his lowrider bike.
Kizzee attempted to flee on foot, and was shot 16 times in the front and back as he ran away after picking up a gun he had dropped, suggesting the firing continued long after he was on the ground.
Never mind that Kizzee never pointed the gun at the deputies, or attempted to confront them with it.
His death came during the protests over the killing of George Floyd, which may have contributed to his decision to flee when the deputies tried to stop him.
His family has filed a $35 million claim against the county, which is a required precursor to filing a lawsuit. His family’s attorneys have called it a case of “biking while Black” in the largely Black and Hispanic neighborhood, where riding against traffic is a common response to dangerous streets.
Meanwhile, Knock LA insists there’s no evidence to support crucial details of the deputies stories.
Kizee’s shooting was just one of a number of questionable shootings by LA County sheriff’s deputies, which led to weeks of protests in the local community.
And like the other cases, no action by Los Angeles Count District Attorney George Gascón, who ran on a platform of holding police accountable for their actions.
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The trial of 28-year old alleged drunk driver Victor Manuel Romero has gone to the jury for a verdict, three years after the hit-and-run crash that killed 33-year-old Raymond MacDonald in Huntington Beach.
Romero was over twice the legal alcohol limit during a series of hit-and-runs, starting with crashing into the car belonging to the bar owner where he’d been drinking, and ending when he fled on foot after slamming his car into a tree.
Sandwiched between was MacDonald’s death as he rode his bike in a crosswalk on Beach Blvd at Adams Ave.
Romero’s public defender had bizarrely claimed that he wasn’t responsible for his actions, blaming a head injury sustained in a fight in the bar parking lot for his actions.
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People responded to yesterday’s call to turn out to oppose plans to remove bulb outs on Fair Oaks Ave in South Pasadena, would would make the street even more dangerous for anyone not in a motor vehicle.
A thousand shouts to @streetsforall and @runolgarun for driving so much engagement. Staff and commissioners were definitely shocked. Also to @JalbyMD for connecting us and bringing attention to this issue, and @bikinginla and so many others for amplifying.
— Kris B Miller (@krisbmiller) November 16, 2022
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Orange County continues to make slow but steady progress on building new bike facilities, including new bike lanes in Buena Park.
https://twitter.com/mikeocbike/status/1592743683195305985
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UC Davis grad student Megan Lynch continues to question why the campus enjoys its newly renewed status as a Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly University.
Particularly after a bike-riding student was killed by the driver of a university truck, in a crash that still hasn’t been adequately explained.
https://twitter.com/may_gun/status/1592732758497198081
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Yet another ebike rebate program is kicking in before dysfunctional California can get its fully funded ebike rebate act together.
This time in Austin, Texas.
People with low incomes who participate in Austin Energy's Customer Assistance Program (which provides utility bill discounts) can get even bigger rebates. The details are in this memo. https://t.co/rU3jAKdSSd pic.twitter.com/owbVbdQXPk
— Nathan Bernier (@KUTnathan) November 14, 2022
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It’s the opposite of road rage, as a bike rider in the UK apologizes for crash into a van, and the driver says “don’t worry about it.”
@norfolkdashcam The Van Driver was fine about the situation. No dramas. #Accident #Cyclist #Cycle #Van #Norfolk #NorfolkDashCam #UKRoads #DashCamFootage #DashCam #UKDashCam #CaughtOnCamera #Fail #CyclistsOfTiktok
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Now that’s what I call an endorsement.
Averaging almost 14 mph for 34 hours on a heavy three-speed roadie isn’t bad, either.
Valda Unthank set numerous long-distance records in Australia, including the Adelaide-Melbourne ride in October 1938. pic.twitter.com/AVCklitdeb
— Cool Bike Art (@CoolBikeArt1) November 15, 2022
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‘Tis the season.
Over 300 Odessa, Texas second graders got matching new bikes and helmets thanks to Occidental Petroleum and bike charity Wish for Wheels.
Kansas City’s first bicycle collective is celebrating 15 years of turning junk into transportation for the city’s most vulnerable residents.
A team of 200 volunteers are working to prepare 400 “gently used” bicycles to give to Atlanta kids in need this holiday season.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
A Hoboken, New Jersey city councilmember says he was the victim of a road-raging driver, who intentionally plowed into his bikeshare bike.
A London man was lucky to get out of the way when an SUV driver accelerated at him as he attempted to block the vehicle with his bicycle, destroying his bike.
A neighbor shared this with me earlier – very dangerous behaviour by the driver. I know police were called. #RoadRage #suv #cycling #usingcarasclub @LifeInKilburn @MPSQueensPark pic.twitter.com/nM12rVQjEs
— Birgir Magnússon (@BMagnsson) November 13, 2022
London bicyclists are subjected to “dehumanizing language” and abuse on social media, and fear that anger could translate to attacks on the roads.
No bias here. A leading Swiss economist says that people on bicycles can be up to four times more damaging to the environment than cars, accusing officials of using “creative accounting” and “official tricks” to hide the damage done by bikes — apparently because he somehow thinks all bike riders refuel with beef, and drivers evidently don’t.
But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
Police in New York are looking for a man on an ebike who shot and killed a promising 21-year old basketball player.
Hampshire, England police are on the lookout for a man on a bicycle who threatened and shoved a man riding a mobility scooter after he moved his scooter over to let the bike rider pass.
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Local
No surprise here, as the woman whose home was destroyed by actress Anne Heche in a drunken crash last August has filed a $2 million lawsuit against Heche’s estate; Heche later died from her injuries after falling into a coma once she was finally extracted from the fiery crash.
State
He gets it. A Rancho Bernardo author says we must “recognize and respect that walkers and bicyclists have the right to safety on our roads.” And we can’t use the fact that there are “bad actors in every mode as an excuse to not address the reality of these tragic incidents.”
San Diego has announced the three finalists in a contest to name the city’s new mini electric street sweeper, designed to remove trash from bike lanes and other narrow spots, even as San Diego reduces the frequency of street sweeping in large swaths of the city.
Bakersfield officials held a public workshop to develop a package of traffic calming tools that can be used to tame the city’s notoriously deadly streets.
National
Bicycling rates the best early Black Friday ebike sales available right now. As usual, read it on Yahoo if the magazine blocks you.
Channing Tatum is one of us, as his relationship with Zoë Kravitz went public last year when a New York paparazzo spotted Tatum giving Kravitz a ride to her writing partner’s house on the back of his BMX bike.
A new accessible mountain bike trail built on the site of a former New Jersey wild animal park is designed to accommodate bike riders of all abilities
A local weekly ranks the top ten Philly bikeways for your next visit to the City of Brotherly Love.
International
Canadian Cycling Magazine goes riding on dirt roads through the interior of Mexico from Puerto Vallarta to Mexico City.
Bike shops holding out for big Black Friday sales may be disappointed, as new research shows UK shoppers are holding onto their money.
The Jerusalem Post says riding a bike is a great way to get to know your city better.
Hanoi, Vietnam is considering a one-year bikeshare pilot program with 1,000 bikes — including 500 ebikes — available at 94 docking stations throughout the city
Competitive Cycling
After a pair of top ten finishes in the Giro Donne and Tour de France Femmes, Italian classics specialist Silvia Persico thinks she has a real shot at winning the women’s Tour.
Some of the top pros are hanging up their bike shoes and pulling on running shoes to keep in shape during the off season.
Finally…
Your next bike seat could be made of environmentally friendly cork. Now you, too, can build your own DIY bike made entirely of nuts.
No, not the kind you eat.
And shockingly, painted stripes and car-tickler plastic bendy posts are no match for bigass trucks.
Could we have some kerbs on CS7 please @willnorman? The wands are helpful but aren't very good at deflecting HGVs.
(CC @JoRigby_Balham) pic.twitter.com/jcMENIqdCe— Bill Hulley (@billhulley) November 13, 2022
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin, too.
