Trolls on the bridge.
Late at night as I was crossing on the north side of the Lake street bridge, two young punks, one with a gun, tried to pull me off of my bicycle.
I was aware of something amiss before they approached and managed to quickly turn around and head the other way to call the police.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on
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Good Question, there is no bicycle lane on that portion of Lake street, so I usually take the wide open sidewalk since many late night drivers on that stretch drive like the Blues Brothers on the weekends.
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Permalink Reply by Fuegofan on
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Some years ago, a guy pushed me into the grass just north of the 4300 South pedestrian bridge on the Lakefront Path. That evening (approx. 6:30 in summer--I still can't figure how it was desolate there at that hour) I was riding home on my speedy bike, which has the shoes that clip onto the pedals (and is the answer to your question, Douglas). So when he tried to grab the bike and pull it away from between my legs, I was still attached to the bike. When a jogger appeared, the mugger ran away over the bridge.
Douglas Iverson said:I wonder if there is a safe and/or practicle way to secure one's self to one's bike? That shure would thwart a potential bikejacker. Let's face it, cops are basically worthless.
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Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on
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Can we have the site moderator set up a sticky tag for us? Knowledge is power, and I'd like to think we have the ability to use this site for our benefit (e.g. awareness of risky places and times and setting up group rides), in the same way that some people use networking sites for their nefarious purposes. We already have a sticky tag for stolen bicycles, surely personal safety trumps that. And yeah, thank g-d you're ok.
h' 1.0 said:Sorry to hear-- glad you're safe and still have your bike!
But glad to know it happened... I have wished for years that there was a site to record attacks on cyclists, but don't have the ability to set it up myself.
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Permalink Reply by yai danche on
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I completely agree. I understand OP's wariness. You should be suspicious of everyone which I believe is his point in posting his story. What comes to mind are those two teenage girls (14 and 15) who kidnapped that elderly woman and locked her in the trunk of her car for 2 days. You can't trust anyone! But yeah let's face it, even if he doesn't give out a description, just like the news coverage of the flash mobs doesn't give out a description, we can all guess what they look like.
Everyone should be wary of people who are just a little too interested in watching you ride by. Every time I've rode past pedestrians on the lakefront trail, they give you a fleeting glance and register that you are there and that's it. People don't usually stop and stare, they are walking to enjoy the scenery. So OP's observation that they looked like they were lying in wait made sense and his prediction came true. Very glad he is okay and it's unfortunate that the offenders were not caught.
Bob Kastigar said:Now we're even afraid of leaving a description, for fear of being called 'racist' and having 'stereotype.'
Socially, this is just as scarey.
Juan 2-8 mi. said:11:00pm abouts.
A description is not neccessary since it would come off as racist and stereotypical.
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Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on
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h' commented in the other thread about a characterization of a neighborhood that could be seen as offensive. IMHO that is different from a factual description of people who threatened the OP and who had a weapon. Factual descriptions include race, height, eye and hair color, clothing, and anything else that would allow identification of an individual rather than general characterizations that are not of any assistance.
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Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on
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Juan 2-8 mi. said:
11:00pm abouts.
A description is not neccessary since it would come off as racist and stereotypical.
How is giving an accurate description of the assailants considered racist?It's officially spring in Chicago when the flash-mobs/muggings start up again… Glad you're okay, though!
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Permalink Reply by Tricolor on
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Three weeks ago it was the red wing blackbirds returning. Two weeks ago it was Navy Pier renting out the quadracycles. And last week it was the return of homeless camping along the lakefront. Haven't had any problems, yet, though other than getting around the fair weather fitness types and avoiding the Tour de France time trialing wannabees.
On days when I don't ride I usually walk to the top of Michigan Avenue and have noticed a pair of officers hanging out every two blocks or so. Maybe they're taking this flash-mob stuff seriously.
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Permalink Reply by David P. on
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We can? Why not just tell us what your guess is. I guess you mean 'non-white' but in Chicago can just as easily mean either mestizo or African-American. I don't think code language of this kind has a good place in discussion here. Such code language often shows up in the form of phrases like, "a certain demographic" or, in this case, "we can all guess what they look like." Yes, we can all guess, but only the almost-victim knows and it almost inevitably carries the suggestion along the lines of "all those people (fill in minority group implicated) are suspicious." There are certain situations where descriptions such as those that Lisa Curcio gives are necessary - e.g. you were assaulted and are giving a report to the police - but in simply relating something to a group it may be harmless in itself ("I was attacked by a 4'11" Samoan-looking dude with a prosthesis") but it's hard to argue that it's necessary unless there is a one-armed-short-Samoan gang out there on the rampage.
You're on much better ground in your second graf. I think you're wrong in the first graf - I don't think it does serve people well in most situations to be suspicious of everyone. Rather, it is more effective to be suspicious of those (even when they're white!) who display behaviors that show a high likelihood of their posing a risk to you. This can be illustrated in another context in the difference between US airport security (patting down toddlers, confiscating water bottles, etc.) and Israeli airport security (much more emphasis on intelligence, and passenger profiling for risk factors.) This is how the OP evaluated the situation he came across on the bridge, and I suspect he did not describe the peoples' apparent race or ethnic background because it was not relevant.
yai danche said:I completely agree. I understand OP's wariness. You should be suspicious of everyone which I believe is his point in posting his story. What comes to mind are those two teenage girls (14 and 15) who kidnapped that elderly woman and locked her in the trunk of her car for 2 days. You can't trust anyone! But yeah let's face it, even if he doesn't give out a description, just like the news coverage of the flash mobs doesn't give out a description, we can all guess what they look like.
Everyone should be wary of people who are just a little too interested in watching you ride by. Every time I've rode past pedestrians on the lakefront trail, they give you a fleeting glance and register that you are there and that's it. People don't usually stop and stare, they are walking to enjoy the scenery. So OP's observation that they looked like they were lying in wait made sense and his prediction came true. Very glad he is okay and it's unfortunate that the offenders were not caught.
Bob Kastigar said:Now we're even afraid of leaving a description, for fear of being called 'racist' and having 'stereotype.'
Socially, this is just as scarey.
Juan 2-8 mi. said:11:00pm abouts.
A description is not neccessary since it would come off as racist and stereotypical.
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For the OP to assume that if he states that the assailants were black, and that everyone who reads it will suddenly avoid all black people, is ridiculous.
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It happens. A few years ago (quite a few now that I think about it) I was riding down to Hyde Park at night on the LFP. A couple of people were walking near the path and suddenly one of them reached out and tried to shove me off the bicycle. Luckily for me a bicycle going at 18 mph or so has a strong gyroscopic reaction. i kept my balance, kept going forward and put on an extra burst of speed. That being said pedestrians at night everywhere are viewed with some degree of concern as are unlit bicycles... particularly on the LFP or the North Branch trail.
Fuegofan said:Some years ago, a guy pushed me into the grass just north of the 4300 South pedestrian bridge on the Lakefront Path. That evening (approx. 6:30 in summer--I still can't figure how it was desolate there at that hour) I was riding home on my speedy bike, which has the shoes that clip onto the pedals (and is the answer to your question, Douglas). So when he tried to grab the bike and pull it away from between my legs, I was still attached to the bike. When a jogger appeared, the mugger ran away over the bridge.
Douglas Iverson said:I wonder if there is a safe and/or practicle way to secure one's self to one's bike? That shure would thwart a potential bikejacker. Let's face it, cops are basically worthless.
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Most of these problems can be mitigated with increased police presence. The Chicago Police Department is woefully understaffed.
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