(PM.) San Francisco crime has skyrocketed since 2020 and bike theft has grown into an epidemic in the Golden City. In response the San Francisco Bike Coalition wrote on their “considerations” section of their website that victims of bike theft should reconsider calling the police as “Black and brown” people could be harmed from the interaction.
One Twitter user responded, “San Francisco Bicycle Coalition @sfbike acknowledges that ‘Black and Brown people’ (sic) are way overrepresented as bike thieves, but says not to report them, because filing theft reports leads to them being ‘impacted’ by police. You can’t even make this up.”
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition @sfbike acknowledges that “Black and Brown people” (sic) are way overrepresented as bike thieves, but says not to report them, because filing theft reports leads to them being “impacted” by police. You can’t even make this up. 🤭 pic.twitter.com/vwe8XS9KA0
— The California Rifleman (@CaliforniaRifle) September 11, 2022
Stanley Roberts posted a screenshot of the original message which read, “Black and brown people are often deeply harmed or even killed by interactions with the police, and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition decided in 2020 to end any formal relationship with SFPD.”
Wait! What? pic.twitter.com/Pf6aMAU5MM
— Stanley Roberts (@StanleyRoberts) September 11, 2022
The organization recommended “minimal contact with the police” and encouraged “everyone to consider the potential impact to human life of involving the police in any situation.”
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition wrote of their dedication to anti-racism in 2020 saying: “Our streets will not be safe until black people can use them without fear. We stand in solidarity with those protesting the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Tony McDade, and Breonna Taylor and the continued police violence against black lives. We are committed to being an antiracist organization, and as a majority-white organization, we know we have more learning and growth to do.”
We are committed to being an antiracist organization, and as a majority-white organization, we know we have more learning and growth to do. Anyone, regardless of their race, should be able to get around freely and feel safe. We are committed to fighting to achieve this goal.
— SF Bicycle Coalition (@sfbike) June 1, 2020
