Writing testimony for tomorrow's hearing is on my to-do list and it's the hardest thing because I'm too mad to string words together.
Here's a thing that's continually fucking with me: I've been in the occupation of getting people to contact their electeds for things for a long time. For advocacy groups, this means: action alert page + click-to-send email, plus shoeleathery inducement of personal testimonies.
Often, we hear from said electeds that they don't like "form letters," especially for things that don't fit the dominant narrative (bike lanes, not building in floodplains). You know what's hard? Writing literally anything. My job is to write things, and I think writing is hard.
I guess, generally, you're expected to deliver painstakingly crafted custom content to prove you deserve dedicated infrastructure so that you don't die. I've asked admins what, exactly, they need or want for the political cover to do the right thing. They don't often tell me.
That "the bike people" are really noisy and submit a ton of comments is a common refrain behind-the-scenes. So, fucking great: The city doesn't do shit to protect people; says they're annoying when they speak up; and shrugs when people die.
I've been pretty negative on the actual capacity of grassroots organizing lately, and this is why. I don't know what to tell you. I think it's a moral imperative that people drive less in D.C. But if I tell someone to bike or walk, I'm telling them to risk their life.
And clearly, the fact that tons and tons and tons of people walk in D.C., in every neighborhood, and deserve to do so safely, doesn't matter as a constituency. So I also can't tell you that your voice will be taken seriously, and that you will be respected, if you speak up.
Biking in D.C. has all the hallmarks of something that *should* easily move from a fringe to a more dominant narrative in part *because* the people who speak up for it to be relatively wealthy, better-educated, and better-resourced.
Every critique of how biking for transpo presents as homogenous/privileged is valid and right, but don't kid yourself about who elected officials listen to. I am not sure presenting a Benetton ad of biking and walking advocates would move the needle here. Feeling that way blows.
I, literally, do not know what to tell you. I want to tell you to vote them the hell out. But Bowser doesn't have a challenger. No advocacy mentor or higher-level resource that I can access has helped me understand how to move this needle given existing conditions.
There are more people moving to D.C. and to the region. More people are going to do things that aren't driving. That means more potential for conflict between road users. More people are going to get hurt in the coming years, and more people are going to die.
And I bet in about a week or two, yet another person is going to imply that we shouldn't send in form letters asking for, idk, basic dignity.
