Streetsblog Los Angeles

Screen grab from a google map shows LAPD patting down a young man.

(This is the second part in a series on how police actions can make people feel unsafe in their own communities.  After all, if one can’t be outside in their own space without fear of harassment, be it from the police or gangs, then how can a street be Livable?  Read part one, here. – DN)

If you spot Sammy Carrera riding his bike in Boyle Heights, you won’t think much of it. At 5’5, bald and wearing a baggy shirt and jeans, and an amiable smile hidden behind his glasses, Carrera can’t go down the street without running into a familiar face. Always one to stop for a moment to say ‘wad up,’ he’s know in the community as a member of Corazon del Pueblo and all around swell guy. Yet at the same time, he can’t go down the same street without fear of being stopped and questioned by LAPD officers from the Hollenbeck Division because of the same baldhead and baggy clothes that help him stand out.

On November 2nd, 2011 Carrera was making his way to the Annual Self Help Graphics Day of the Dead Celebrations. He never could imagine that he’d end up beat up and in jail. On that night, Los Angeles Police officers from Hollenbeck Division stopped to question him after he was mistaken for an unidentified gang-banger, whom officers were looking for that same night.

He cooperated with officers and their orders, but as Carrera asked and pressed as to why he was being stopped and searched, the officers got more and more aggressive. “Shut the fuck up, you don’t know who the fuck we are man, we’re the LAPD, when we tell you what to do, you do that shit our way,” are just some of the comments Carrera claims officers made during the stop.

Sammy after his stop.

Due to his profile, shaved head and baggy clothes, officers mistook him for the unidentified suspect they were looking for that night. What followed resulted with Carrera having a swollen eye and other injuries from the arresting officers. “Everything that they asked me to do, I complied, all while asking them, ‘what the fuck is going on?’ I was really shocked, especially at the way they came at me,” says Carrera.

The line between serving and harassing the community is one that officers have abused in the past, but is still commonplace in working class communities of color such as Boyle Heights. While police cause pause for people walking down the street, the violent history, and it’s current state in the community, still impact community members that are caught in the cross fire.

Protection from Harassment or Harassment from Over Protection    Read more…

Avid Streetsblog reader Simon Hartigan is tired of drivers driving down the Spring Street Green Buffered Bike Lanes. After catching drivers using the bike lane as bypass, he sent the video to Streetsblog. This raises the question of what should the city’s next step to protect the bike lane be? Is it time for grade separation, or would a little LAPD enforcement be the best effort?

A portion of Hartigan’s email that accompanied the above video is below. Added emphasis is mine:

Bike lane or bypass lane? I was filming before and caught many culprits using the Spring Street bike lane as a bypass lane. The average might be as high as 1 per minute or two. I even took a phone call before while on the lane just hanging out for a bit not blocking any bike traffic, and got yelled and screamed at by motorists for blocking their bypass lane, so the car drivers also feel entitled to it as their space. This happens every time there’s heavy traffic on Spring Street…

Schick posing with friends before the "L.A. Marathon crash race." Photo: Used with permission from Schick's Facebook

(Friends of Susana’s have set up a ChipIn account to collect funds to help with medical bills.  You can donate, here.)

From the people that brought you “Andres Tena backed into a hummer and was propelled over his handlebars” and “a woman who plowed into a group of thirty cyclists committed no crime” comes another soon to be classic, “(Susanna Schick) fell down on her bicycle.”

Despite widespread media reports that Susanna Schick was attacked by the driver of a white Lexus on Friday night and that the LAPD didn’t even file a report until three days later; the LAPD is fighting back against perceptions that they bungled the case by attacking the victim implying both that she was the agressor in the incident and that she is an incompetent cyclist.  As we’ve seen before, they also accidentally admitted they don’t really understand traffic safety laws.

The crux of the LAPD’s argument is that there was no contact between the white Lexus that Schick claims hit her on Friday night, therefor there was no crime.  Lt. Paul Vernon tells Blog Downtown, “There is no crime here.  She fell off her bike.”  LAPD spokeswoman Wendy Reyes was even more vague, telling NBC 4, “They obviously determined it wasn’t a hit-and-run. She might have fallen off the bike on her own.”

“They” is a pair of LAPD officers who witnessed the entire incident.  According the officers, Schick was bicycling down Spring Street in the green buffered bike lane when a car pulled out of a garage, swung wide and swerved into the bike lane.  The car did not hit Schick.  At a light, Schick rolled up to the car, and pounded on the side view mirror causing the car occupants to roll up their windows.  When the light turned green, the car sped ahead and eventually turned right.  Then Schick just fell over.  The officers then called the paramedics and after Schick was safely in the hospital they returned the bicycle to her residence.

While anything is possible, the idea that Schick just fell off her bike is about as far-fetched as her being forced off her bike by lightning bolt or fear of green paint.  Schick, who goes by Pinkyracer on the Internet and racing forums, has been traveling by two wheels pretty much her entire life.  Her personal website is devoted to two wheeled travel, be it on bike, motor bike or scooter and she’s even a motor bike racer.  The odds that she just happened to fall off her bike and it just coincidently happened after an altercation with a car is statistically insignificant.

Even in the LAPD’s weird version of events, one which is designed to cast the victim as the aggressor to the poor drivers who were rolling up their windows, there are laws broken.  A car that “pulls out of a garage, swings wide and swerves into a bike lane” has a driver that has just broken a traffic law.  California Vehicle Code 21209 clearly states that no motorized vehicles can enter a bike lane unless they are within 200 feet of an intersection where they are going to make a turn.   Read more…

Susanna Schick (left) poses with a friend at CicLAvia. Schick, a resident of Downtown Los Angeles, first became interested in cycling by the open street festival. Photo: Used with permission from Schick's Facebook

(Friends of Susana’s have set up a ChipIn account to collect funds to help with medical bills.  You can donate, here.)

By now you’ve probably heard the story.

Susanna Schick was bicycling down Spring Street in the green buffered bike lane on Friday night, when she was harassed by the driver of a white Lexus.  After exchanging words, the car ran her down from behind, and left Schick lying in the street with broken ribs and a broken body.

Eventually, paramedics showed up and took her to the hospital and took her bike back to her house.  Following a post by the intrepid Ted Rogers on Biking In L.A. that went viral, the media picked up the story.  Schick’s friend, Midnight Rida Jennifer Beatty, became a sort of spokesperson for family and friends controlling media access to Schick (except for one “intrepid” reporter for CBS2 that snuck past) and re-telling the story.

Sometime Monday morning, a reporter called the LAPD to get a statement.  The police had no idea what they were talking about.  Either the police were never called about the crash or didn’t respond and the paperwork was lost.  With Sgt. David Krumer, the LAPD’s official liaison to the bike community on a vacation for Easter Weekend, there was nobody checking bicycling message boards or social media to learn about the crash.

This morning, again from Biking In L.A., comes word that the LAPD is treating this dangerous assault as a solo crash and not treating it as a potential felony crime.  Rogers fumes that, “We may all be a lot less safe on the streets than we thought.”  Meanwhile, Don “Roadblock” Ward leads another group of cyclists to the Police Commission that oversees LAPD to make the case for safe streets, again.

Meanwhile, Schick remains in the hospital.  According to Beatty and Ward, she’ll be there for another couple of months, although her doctors are avoiding surgery if they can.  She’s coherent and talkative.  Angry but controlled.  Determined to see some good come of her tragedy.

Every time there’s a high-profile crash, an agressive cyclist community has earned some sort of concession from the city.  This time the city has a lot to make up for, and since the crash has become a sort of cause celeb, they would be best served to start making up now.

At the minimum, the LAPD should work with emergency responders to make certain their own response isn’t hampered as badly as it was in this case and needs to rethink the way it handles bike crashes. Read more…

This picture was taken blocks from Tuesday's tragic crash. Where oh where would students get the idea that it is ok to walk in the street? Photos: Stephen Box Captions:Damien Newton

This past Tuesday, early in the afternoon, 11-year-old twin sisters Sydney and Alexis left Walter Reed Middle School and began to walk home, a trip that ended at Colfax Avenue and Moorpark Street when they were hit by a car as they attempted to cross the street.

By all rights, it was a tragic afternoon for everybody.

For the young girls, it was a tragedy that began when they were violently propelled into the air, hit so hard they were knocked out of their shoes. They landed in a bone breaking heap, one unconscious and the other screaming in pain, and were quickly transported to Children’s Hospital where one still lies in critical condition.

For the 82-year-old motorist, it was a tragedy that will forever haunt her, regardless of rules of the road or outcome of the LAPD investigation, forever lingering as “that moment” when time stood still. This motorist will be haunted by the image of two young girls flying through the air and lying broken in the street.

For the school children who witnessed the collision, it was a tragedy that required instant intervention from parents and school administrators. Their lives were disrupted, they were confronted with mortality, they were shocked by the fragility of life, and they were confronted by the primacy of motor vehicles.

For the parents of local school children, it was a tragedy that destroyed their hopes and dreams of living in a walkable, livable community. It was confirmation that their children aren’t safe on the streets in the immediate vicinity of their local middle school.

For the Firemen who raced to the scene, it was a tragedy that is all too common, picking up bodies from the streets of Los Angeles after a traffic collision. It must eat at their soul and the Daily News picture from the scene of a policeman consoling a fireman is evidence of the toll traffic takes on our First Responders. Read more…

Photo: Carlos Morales

Two weeks ago, while researching a story on LAPD “bike lane stings” for Streetsblog, Carlos Morales came upon a television film crew blocking a bike lane.  When Streetsblog posted pictures and commentary, some readers were angry at the crew for “Ringer” and others were annoyed that Streetsblog was wasteing time writing about something that “real Angelenos” have learned to accept.

But as more details came out, the story got worse.  In the comments section, LAPD Sgt. David Krumer noted that the film crew did not have a permit and that the LAPD talked to Film L.A. about the need to get proper permits.  The crew told Morales that LADOT told them they don’t give out permits to close bike lanes which is a) untrue and b) an admission of guilt.  Last I checked, if I fail to get a permit to do what I want to do, that doesn’t give me permission to do whatever it is I wanted the permit for.  Quite the opposite in fact.

How hard is it to get a permit to shut down a travel lane, bike or car?  LADOT makes it sound pretty easy.  Spokesman Bruce Gillman writes, “When filming occurs, as with any special event or construction project, and a lane closure (bike or automobile) needs to occur to accommodate the special event, construction project, maintenance, or filming activity; DOT staff will work with the company on a proper lane closure procedure to be sure bicyclists and motorists are aware that the bicycle and/or travel lane is temporarily closed properly with signage, etc.  This is not really anything new.  The City has been closing lanes (bike and car) for years to accommodate special needs on the roadways. This should only occur when the closure is necessary at the immediate location to facilitate the immediate film activity, not to close the bike lane just to provide parking for the cast and crew.”

In fact, the LADOT even has a manual posted to their website detailing what needs to be done for a lane closure to occur.  As long as you’re not planning to close a travel lane in rush hour, it doesn’t seem to be that hard.  If a crew requires a one-way one lane closure as pictured above and it’s not scheduled for rush hour, a simple request to the Bureau of Public Works will get them what they need.  If the permit is more complicated, than the LADOT will need to be involved. Read more…

LAPD and Downtown BID Bike Patrol go for a ride. All Pics: Carlos Morales All captions: Damien Newton

On Thursday, March 1, 2012, the LAPD Central Traffic Division deployed eight motorcycle officers to Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) in what was called a “Bike Lane Sting.”  The LAPD’s mission was to educate and issue traffic citations to motorist, cyclist and pedestrians whose actions infringed on the rules of the road.   The focus was on bike lanes violations.  The task force deployed along both the green striped bike lane on Spring Street and soon to be striped Main Street.

I road my bike to DTLA to report on the bike sting.  Within minutes of my arrival, I come across the sting in action.  This post will report on four incidents that I thought were worth noting.

Really, she didn't know what the big green lanes with the bike painted in it was for?

The first incident: A traffic officer pulled over a driver for driving a block and a half in the bike lane.  The motor officer stated, “At first I thought the motorist was going to make a right turn at the intersection and had merged into the bike lane 200′ prior to the intersection.  There was no cyclist in the lane, I was going to let her go.  But when she proceeded through the intersection and continued to drive in the bike lane, I pulled her over to let her know what she did wrong and issued her a citation.  She said she was not aware of what these green lanes meant.” Read more…

Photo: Mikey Walley/Flickr

“There is no such thing as a collision that isn’t serious when a bicycle is involved.”

“Try going for a bike ride down Wilshire Boulevard at 8 in the morning, and then at 8 at night and then go and advocate for faster speed limits.”

“It really scares the heck out of me…I get breezed by cars going sixty five miles per hour every day.”

A team of cyclists and pedestrian safety advocates descended on the Los Angeles Police Department Police Commission, the appointed body which regulates and oversees the LAPD, to press the case for safer streets.  Safety organizations were well represented including Rye Baerg with the Safe Routes to Schools National Partnership, Bobby Gadda and Ted Rogers with the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, Don Ward and Patrick Miller with Midnight Ridazz and the Northridge West Neighborhood Council and Deborah Murphy with Los Angeles Walks.  However, the testimony that caught the attention of the Commission and Chief Charlie Beck was the appeal from riders telling their stories and asking for safer streets.

The story that attracted the most attention was told by a young woman who told the story of being hit by a passing car while bicycling in West L.A. on a residential street.  The car honked and flashed his lights at her before clipping her from behind adn  speeding away.  When she managed to get to the Pacific Division headquarters of the LAPD, she found her story discounted and even dismissed.  Apparently, if she was able to get herself and her bicycle to the headquarters, the local LAPD officers had trouble seeing the seriousness of the crash.

Both Chief Bech and Commission Chair Richard Drooyan promised follow-up and further investigation into the West L.A. incident, but what the cyclists and walkers were really asking for was a larger change in how the LAPD handles and investigates traffic crashes and other incidents when vulnerable users are involved. Read more…

Following last week’s controversy about whether or not film crews can block bike lanes, specifically the green buffered bike lane in Downtown Los Angeles, you would think the film industry would have paid enough attention to try to actually follow the law.  You would be wrong.

Photo: Carlos Morales

Streetsblog contributor Carlos Morales snapped this picture earlier this morning at Spring and 6th Street. While he was shooting, film crew security asked him what he was doing. When he told them, they stationed LAPD officers assigned to the shoot to stand in front of their film set up to direct cyclists in to the buffered zone.

(Update: With more LAPD showing up, along with L.A. Times reporters, and representatives of Film L.A. on the scene, it looks like discussions are beginning on a longer term resolution.  We’ll update this piece as more information comes in.)

(Note: Carlos did the photographing and research, Damien did the editorializing.)

The car in question looks like this. The license plate is 6EGY041

Streetsblog received the following email from LAPD Sgt. David Krumer:

The victim of a hit and run (car vs bicycle) on December 13, 2011 (case #110 718 955) as riding southbound on Curson crossing Pico with a fully green light. He was hit by a car traveling westbound on Pico at 40 to 50 miles an hour. He was thrown across the intersection and suffered broken bones in the hand and wrist as well as a fractured tibia and a torn PCL in the knee. The driver never braked or turned away. The injuries sustained are life changing and have confined the victim to a wheelchair for at least a few more months.

SUSPECT VEHICLE: 2007 Mercedes CL 550, 2Dr, CP
LICENSE PLATE: 6EGY041
SUSPECT: Male Black, Short Black Hair, late 20′s

Anyone having information about the driver of suspect vehicle, or was a witness to the accident is asked to contact the Los Angeles Police Department West Traffic Division, Investigator Fischer at:
4849 W. Venice Blvd. LA 90019, Phone number (213) 473-0229 or
West Traffic Division Watch Commander, Phone No. (213) 473-0222

You’re probably wondering how the LAPD can have the license plate and not have the owner already in custody. Streetsblog has been assured that there are a lot of possible reasons, but that revealing which one could hamper the investigation.