Driver Attacks Cyclist in Chicago After Driving in Bike Lane

This happened on the Madison Street bike land and luckily, the incident was captured by the cyclist's Go-Pro. Looks like they have the license plate and the driver.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/03/02/bicyclist-attacked-after-cal...

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Permalink Reply by curt(is) locke on March 3, 2016 at 7:12pm

No, it's not really "victim-blaming" -- the kid DID taunt the a$$hole once the driver got aggressive (not that I haven't done exactly the same countless times over the years.) However, the fact is the cyclist WAS contributing to the dynamic at this point.

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on March 4, 2016 at 2:28am

He was getting chased after he just quietly said, "in the bike lane, bro". He didn't taunt right away. Once he became really scared from being chased, he started shouting as an emotional reaction. He since regrets shouting without thinking and realizes what he said put him in more danger. I do worry about blaming the victim. We all feel emotional when a car cuts us off and puts our lives in danger. That's no reason to beat someone up.

That said, of course, as cyclists, we really need to be careful and try to keep our emotions in check as best we can so that we don't put ourselves in harm's way. I have seen people get very angry very quickly because they don't want to wait or give way to the cyclist. If I said something to them, they'd just get even more worked up and possibly dangerous. Unfortunately, you have to assume that is a possibility. 

Permalink Reply by ReinaG on March 3, 2016 at 2:50pm

He's 19 years old and I think its safe to say he was using his words (though not wisely chosen) as a first line of defense. 

Permalink Reply by curt(is) locke on March 3, 2016 at 7:28pm

"I dare you" is not much of a "defense" -- it's more of an invitation or taunt.

Permalink Reply by ReinaG on March 4, 2016 at 8:55am

I agree with V W in that it was an attempt to put on a brave face.  I don't think in any way he was "asking for it" and really what a 19 year old says after someone drives him off the road is not the issue.  I think that's been clearly stated in all the other comments in this thread. 

Permalink Reply by curt(is) locke on March 4, 2016 at 6:41pm

Well, it WAS an "issue" to the raging motorist (not that he was justified in the least for his assault of the cyclist.) The cyclist contributed to the dynamic -- I did not say he was "asking for it." I am not "blaming the victim."

Permalink Reply by curt(is) locke on March 5, 2016 at 12:42pm

I'm not speaking to when Colton said,"You're in the bike lane, bro." I am referring to the "I dare you to **** with me..." THAT'S contributing to the dynamic, throwing gasoline onto the flame. And I am not making any equivalences, false or otherwise. Colton, the 19 year-old, was demonstrating his own agency at this point.

As for the motorist, "enraged" is more like it. "Depraved" is a bit of a stretch.  Or do you know him personally?

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on March 3, 2016 at 12:03pm

Here's the DNAinfo article. I don't recommend reading the comments. The usual trolls are out. 

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160303/austin/cyclist-attacked-af...

Permalink Reply by curt(is) locke on March 3, 2016 at 7:23pm

As the kids like to say -- I see what you did there, George. You twisted this incident into some half-baked "critique" of the mayor and the City of Chicago.

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on March 4, 2016 at 2:39am

I do think that putting bike lanes in is just doing half the work. Enforcement of bike lanes, enforcement in cases of doorings and dangerous motorist behavior e.g. assault, maintenance of bike lanes, etc. are also a part of the equation. I think it is short-sighted for people in our city government to think that installing bike lanes is enough. Other cities have taken it further to have public campaigns about giving way to cyclists, treating us as humans, etc. Ideally, all of these aspects would be part of the planning equation. Other cities do this so it's not unreasonable to expect Chicago to do the same. If it isn't socially acceptable to verbally or physically abuse cyclists, it will happen less. In the time I've been riding, I've been verbally assaulted by a policeman, read about other similar incidents on Chainlink, and read columns and articles in the local papers that have contributed to the anger and hostility. The policeman that yelled at me was trying to bait me into arguing with him. It was awful. I just kept very quiet, apologized, and tried not to make him more angry as he yelled at me.

Permalink Reply by Mike Keating on March 4, 2016 at 3:12am
The police are supposed to serve and protect the citizenry. When they fail to do that, it is a violation of our civil rights. While obviously verbal abuse and intimidation are a far cry from the extreme violence that some suffer from at the hands of the police, it is still a civil rights violation. Just because it isn't a physical assault or homicide doesn't mean that it is ok.

Serve and Protect. That is the only mission.
Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on March 4, 2016 at 5:19am

Unfortunately, there is still a lot of ingrained ignorance in CPD culture. I've done a lot to educate my husband and other officers I know about bike issues. I've often been amazed and appalled at the level of ignorance I see out there.

I'm grateful every day for the bike officers I see out there. They're our best (and often only) hope for traffic enforcement in the Loop anymore.

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