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Clitoral Mass

Reclaiming Public Space for Marginalized Communities: Bikes Don’t Fix Everything, But They Can Help

The next generation of riders takes to the streets of South L.A. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
The next generation of riders takes to the streets of South L.A. as part of a Unity ride on Sunday. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
The next generation of riders takes to the streets of South L.A. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA

The recent tragic events in Ferguson, Missouri, and here at home in South L.A. have served to underscore just how hostile the public space can be to people of color, particularly those of lesser means.

For those that live that reality day in and day out in Los Angeles, that is not news.

I've documented their frustration with law enforcement officers that would rather harass and arrest than protect and serve in a number of dedicated stories (here, here, here, here). More often, however, concerns about officer misbehavior are interwoven in stories on a wide range of topics simply because they are that much of a constant in the lives of the communities I cover (see here, here, or here).

And while some advocates might question the relevance of such concerns to the Livable Streets movement, I would argue that equal access to streets is a cornerstone of livability. There is no earthly reason that men of color should feel that the act of walking or riding a bicycle down the street is akin to extending an embossed invitation to police to stop, question, and frisk them, hand them bogus tickets (for not having bike lights in the day time, for example), or worse.

A young man is separated from his friends and questioned by Public Safety for skateboarding near USC. (photo courtesy of the young man in question)
A young man is separated from his friends, told to put his hands behind his back and face the fence, and questioned by Public Safety for skateboarding near USC. (Photo courtesy of the young man in question. His face was blurred because he feared retaliation for speaking up.)
A young man is separated from his friends and questioned by Public Safety for skateboarding near USC. (photo courtesy of the young man in question)

Unfortunately, there is no simple solution to the problem.

Among many other things, the abuses of power by the police are facilitated by the de facto segregation of communities by race and/or class, narratives that criminalize members of marginalized communities, the effective disenfranchisement of those communities, and the years of neglect of the health and well-being of those populations.

The entrenched nature of these problems have forced activists to take matters into their own hands in order to chip away at the structures and narratives that have long been used against them.

In South L.A., for example, social justice non-profit Community Coalition worked to put an end to willful defiance suspensions in schools, just finished its third Freedom School summer program, and will host the third annual South L.A. Powerfest this Sept. 6th. In Boyle Heights, the non-profit visual arts center Self-Help Graphics has cultivated Latino and Chicano consciousness and creativity through its programming for 40 years, and just completed a summer session aimed at empowering youth to express their visions for their communities through art.

Other activists have taken to the streets.

At right, Pauletta Pierce and Maryann Aguirre, organizers of and ride marshals for the event, lead women up San Fernando Rd. in Lincoln Heights. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
At right, Pauletta Pierce and Maryann Aguirre, organizers of and ride marshals for the event, make the Ovas' signature hand sign while leading women up San Fernando Rd. in Cypress Park. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
At right, Pauletta Pierce and Maryann Aguirre, organizers of and ride marshals for the event, lead women up San Fernando Rd. in Lincoln Heights. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA

This weekend, I had the privilege of riding with two sets of groups whose brand of activism involves using bikes to reclaim public space for marginalized communities.

On Saturday, the Ovarian Psyco-Cycles (above) -- a "womyn of color bicycle brigade, cycling for the purpose of healing our communities, physically, emotionally, and spiritually" -- took over one hundred riders on a ten-hour odyssey around Los Angeles in the quest to carve out a safe space for women and those who identify as women.

On Sunday, members of groups from Central and South L.A that work to empower their communities (below), including Los Ryderz, the East Side Riders, Multicultural Communities for Mobility, TRUST South L.A., Community Health Councils, the Southeast Bicycle Alliance, and the Asian and Pacific Islander Obesity Prevention Alliance, came together to promote health and unity on a ride from Little Tokyo to Watts and back.

The unity riders take a break at the Watts Towers. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
The unity riders take a break at the Watts Towers. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
The unity riders take a break at the Watts Towers. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA

While bikes might not seem like the most effective way to tackle social justice, rides through Boyle Heights or South L.A. with these groups are never solely about riding bikes.

Because activists from these communities do not take unfettered mobility for granted, the rides offer an opportunity to discuss injustices, raise concerns about environmental issues, set an example for collaboration across racial boundaries, promote health, explore neighborhoods where public space is contested and recreational riding is practically non-existent, celebrate their own communities as destinations, and inspire greater civic engagement. And for groups which are heavily youth-centric, like Los Ryderz, the rides and related club activities are key to motivating at-risk youth to stay in school, building their self-esteem, giving them a surrogate family/positive group to belong to, and helping them see there is an entire world beyond their neighborhood.

To those ends, the organizers of the Ovas' ride made time for a discussion of gentrification and the damage done by gang injunctions in Echo Park and fighting environmental racism at Communities for a Better Environment in Huntington Park. Similarly, the Unity riders explored Japanese and African-American history, stopping at the Dunbar Hotel, the African-American Fire Fighter Museum, the Civil Rights Museum at the Watts Labor Community Action Committee, and the Nisei Week closing celebrations in Little Tokyo.

Members of the L.A. Real Rydas roll out from the Watts Towers. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Members of the L.A. Real Rydas roll out from the Watts Towers. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Members of the L.A. Real Rydas roll out from the Watts Towers. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA

Watching such diverse groups come together, share ideas and experiences, and receive such a positive response from the communities they passed through made for an exhilarating weekend.

And while these kinds of events are in no way a direct fix for either the kinds of injustices that resulted in the deaths of two young men of color or the other long-standing challenges that plague some of the more marginalized areas, they do have a role to play. When done conscientiously, they can empower participants to see that more active engagement in the public space can help rewrite the narratives about their communities. And if done regularly, they might even inspire observers in these communities to believe that they, too, will one day feel more at home in the public space.

For more on the groups, visit the FB pages for the Ovarian Psyco-Cycles, Los Ryderz, the East Side Riders, Multicultural Communities for Mobility, TRUST South L.A., Community Health Councils, the Southeast Bicycle Alliance, and the Asian and Pacific Islander Obesity Prevention Alliance.

Photos from this Saturday's 3rd Annual Clitoral Mass with the Ovarian Psyco-Cycles are below.

People's Yoga teachers lead a stretch session in Grand Park at the launch of Clitoral Mass. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
People's Yoga teachers lead a stretch session in Grand Park at the launch of Clitoral Mass. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
People's Yoga teachers lead a stretch session in Grand Park at the launch of Clitoral Mass. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Riders head up to the street to start the ride. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Riders head up to the street to start the ride. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Riders head up to the street to start the ride. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Supporters Miguel Ramos (of MCM) and Erick Huerta (of MCM and occasional Streetsblog writer) served as bike mechanics for the day. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Supporters Miguel Ramos (of MCM) and Erick Huerta (of MCM and occasional Streetsblog writer) served as bike mechanics for the day. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Supporters Miguel Ramos (of MCM) and Erick Huerta (of MCM and occasional Streetsblog writer) served as bike mechanics for the day. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Riders make their way towards Glendale. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Riders make their way towards Glendale. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Riders make their way towards Glendale. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
IMGP3932
A pit stop at Cerritos Park in Glendale included dancing to the beats of Buyepongo. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Buyepongo plays while riders and park-goers cool off under the water buckets. A pit stop at Cerritos Park in Glendale included dancing to the beats of Buyepongo. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Buyepongo plays while riders and park-goers cool off under the water buckets. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Buyepongo plays while riders and park-goers cool off under the water buckets. A pit stop at Cerritos Park in Glendale included dancing to the beats of Buyepongo. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Riders rest in Glendale. A pit stop at Cerritos Park in Glendale included dancing to the beats of Buyepongo. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Riders rest in Glendale. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Riders rest in Glendale. A pit stop at Cerritos Park in Glendale included dancing to the beats of Buyepongo. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Riders head towards Silver Lake along Glendale Blvd. A pit stop at Cerritos Park in Glendale included dancing to the beats of Buyepongo. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Riders head towards Silver Lake along Glendale Blvd. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Riders head towards Silver Lake along Glendale Blvd. A pit stop at Cerritos Park in Glendale included dancing to the beats of Buyepongo. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Cooks from the Bicycle Kitchen talk about the importance of community and safe spaces for women and those who identify as women. A pit stop at Cerritos Park in Glendale included dancing to the beats of Buyepongo. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Cooks from the Bicycle Kitchen talk about the importance of community and safe spaces for women and those who identify as women. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Cooks from the Bicycle Kitchen talk about the importance of community and safe spaces for women and those who identify as women. A pit stop at Cerritos Park in Glendale included dancing to the beats of Buyepongo. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Leaving the Bicycle Kitchen. A pit stop at Cerritos Park in Glendale included dancing to the beats of Buyepongo. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Leaving the Bicycle Kitchen. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Leaving the Bicycle Kitchen. A pit stop at Cerritos Park in Glendale included dancing to the beats of Buyepongo. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
We don't need no stinkin' car wash. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
We don't need no stinkin' car wash. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
We don't need no stinkin' car wash. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Share the road. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Share the road. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Share the road. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Riders stop for burritos provided by Comida no Bombas and talk about gentrification and gang injunctions in Echo Park. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Riders stop for burritos provided by Comida no Bombas and talk about gentrification and gang injunctions in Echo Park. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Riders stop for burritos provided by Comida no Bombas and talk about gentrification and gang injunctions in Echo Park. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Burritos! Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Burritos! Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Burritos! Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Welcome Riders. The group arrives at Communities for a Better Environment in Huntington Park. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Welcome Riders. The group arrives at Communities for a Better Environment in Huntington Park. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA
Welcome Riders. The group arrives at Communities for a Better Environment in Huntington Park. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog LA

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