— You may think that the pave in France just naturally sucks. But no. It has help, and it would suck even more without that help.
The linked article is surprisingly interesting.
It’s another example of how we rarely understand that there are real people who struggle and sweat invisibly behind the scenes to provide a lot of the things we take for granted.
[/soapbox]
— A little insight into Paris – Roubaix.
— Attention Bikezilla’s NY city based readers!
By now you guys have heard the sick story of police brutality and abuse of power surrounding cyclist, Christina Thede.
Christina was assaulted and humiliated by Central Park District plain clothes police officer “Sgt. Santiago”, who failed to ever identify himself as a police officer.
Several bystanders caught the exchange on video.
If you’re one of them, please contact Christina Thede, here: nycgreenbike@gmail.com
The number and savagery of these stories about NYC cops harassing, assaulting, sexually assaulting and humiliating cyclists at will and without cause, increases every day.
The stories reach the mainstream press, and yet not a single action is taken against the offending, power abusing officers.
Let me speculate on a few things, here.
1. I speculate that Sgt Santiago is a chronic and habitual abuser of both his power and of women. How many other women has Sgt Santiago assaulted? How many times has he made a bogus arrest to cover up his violence and his violent nature? What about his wife? Does she live in constant terror of him? For the sake or her safety and the safety of their children, this issue must be investigated.
Abusers don’t abuse just a single person. It’s who and what they are, it’s the pattern of their lives, it’s the need that drives them to control and hurt and humiliate. It is their drug and their addiction.
2. Sgt Santiago is a trained observer. Learning to observe, to notice things, all the time and in detail, is a huge portion of the training that police officers go through.
So, I speculate that Sgt Santiago was entirely aware that Mz Thede was approaching his vehicle, which would mean that opening the door as Thede was passing his car was no accident and that his intention was to “door” her, to force her to run into his door and to intentionally cause her bodily harm, including the possibility of death.
Thankfully, Thede rocked the bike handling skills.
3. I also speculate Sgt Santiago was parked exactly where he was with the intent of awaiting and ambushing an unsuspecting cyclist, that his attack upon Mz Thede was premeditated.
Ok, so I lied. I wasn’t quite done with my soapbox. Whatev.
— Finally:
Bikezilla 