Thread by @theycallmeOboi

Peace Folks, Time to have that convo again. You know, the one about inequity at the @Chicago_Police. Let's ride...

Shortly after co-founding @SlowRollChicago and organizing rides all over the Southside and Westside of Chicago, I started hearing from Black and Brown folks in our neighborhoods that CPD was targeting POC cyclists. Folks told me this was one of the reasons they did not ride much.

I shared these accounts publicly and privately. Many people, especially the mainstream bicycle advocacy community here in Chicago, doubted me. They said I must be mistaken, racial profiling is illegal and CPD would not do such a thing.

And, then, this past March @chicagotribune reporter @marywizchicago delivered a wake up call to the City, an article entitled "'Biking while black': Chicago minority areas see the most bike tickets":
chicagotribune.com/news/local/bre…

In plain language, using data to make the case, Mary confirmed what many had already told me: they felt targeted by CPD when they rode bicycles in our neighborhoods. Mary brought this to light.

Fast forward to this past Summer, @ChicagosMayor Rahm Emanuel and @ChicagoDOT are ready to roll out Vision Zero Chicago:
visionzerochicago.org

They developed the Vision Zero Chicago Action Plan, a 3-year plan to achieve zero traffic deaths and serious injuries in ten years:
visionzerochicago.org/wp-content/upl…

From the very beginning, the VZ Chi plan was inequitable, paternalistic, biased and dismissive of concerns Black and Brown folks have for the risks associated with us engaging with CPD. The plan was written from start to finish by the City.

This is relevant because the VZ Chi action plan, explicitly targets mostly LMI POC neighborhoods with a police enforcement strategy (see pages 44-49), in addition to other strategies, such as engineering and education. And, our neighborhoods weren't engaged in developing the plan

Myself, @AmaraEnyia @RonnieMHarris @KofiAdemola and many others, established an advocacy coalition, publicly calling for the Mayor to remove police enforcement from Vision Zero Chicago:
slowrollchicago.org/blog/the-momen…

We met with The Mayors Office and CDOT this past September, to formally call for the removal of a police enforcement strategy from VZ Chi, as well as discuss in detail the inequity inherent in the City's VZ plan. We shared with them this "VZ Asks" doc:
dropbox.com/s/jgmfvbs8jbgr…

While they were open to discussion, the City flat out said no to removing police enforcement from VZ Chi. They also said no to transferring ownership of VZ from CDOT to one community org on Westside and one community org on Southside, along with the necessary resources.

They were willing to explore how to create more ownership and investment in VZ Chi in our neighborhoods. And, they were willing to find common ground on our other 7 "VZ Asks". However, from the City's perspective police enforcement will remain in VZ Chi.

In that first meeting with the City, we talked openly about Mary's "Biking While Black" article as clear evidence of inequity, bias and racial profiling at CPD. The City assured us they were caught off guard by the article and had no idea CPD was targeting POC cyclists.

They assured us this had been resolved and the practice was ended. Now, fast forward to this past Mon, Mary publishes a follow up article, nearly a year later, to her original "Biking While Black" article.

The new article is entitled, "Black neighborhoods still see most bike tickets, police data show":
chicagotribune.com/news/columnist…

Let's be clear... Nearly a year after Mary's first article and months after our meeting with the Mayor's Office where we were assured this inequity had been corrected, CPD was caught red-handed continuing to racially profile Black and Brown cyclists on the Southside and Westside.

Let's also be clear... There is racism at CPD and the Mayor and CPD Chief admitted it publicly on video...

Mayor: chicagotribune.com/news/local/pol…

CPD Chief: chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/01/21/sup…

There's rampant civil rights abuses at CPD, the USDOJ confirmed:
justice.gov/opa/pr/justice…

And, @nytimes :
nytimes.com/2017/01/13/us/…

There's entrenched corruption at CPD, confirmed by @theintercept :
theintercept.com/series/code-of…

And, @TheAtlantic :
theatlantic.com/politics/archi…

And, now we have evidence of continued inequities at CPD. Yet, the Mayor insists on including a police enforcement strategy in VZ Chi. We call this structural, systemic, institutional racism. We call this paternalism, bias and inequity. We call it disrespect and dismissiveness.

Our @equiticity racial equity movement will not rest until police enforcement is removed from VZ Chi. We ride for Freedom.

"And, if I gotta be sacrificed for the greater good.
Then that's what it gotta be."

- Kendrick Lamar, Pray For Me, Black Panther: The Album

The End.