Now what?
Colin Leath
I leave Thursday morning. . . if anyone knows anyone who wants to buy the following bike:
https://bikeindex.org/bikes/41102
Please let me know. Otherwise I may just leave it at the airport with a little sign on it!
Some parting thoughts:
--consider checking ebay for bikes sold from honolulu as well as craigslist.
--I apologize for saying "how optimistic" when that committee member said "I hope we can all speak with one mind". I'd rather have said nothing. What I meant was "How normative." I don't like groupthink. But I can see how when interacting with the HPD it could be good to be clear on what we'd like.
What will happen next in my imaginary scenario?
--the movement (bike culture) will tap into the energy of the Sexy Civics movement. Oahu Surfrider has been a leader of it here. Here are some links:
http://www.ted.com/talks/eric_liu_why_ordinary_people_need_to_understand_power?language=en
https://oahu.surfrider.org/civics-is-sexy-surfrider-oahu-rap-legslative-bills-of-importance/
And the students of sustainable UH too: http://www.sustainableuh.org/
--There will be another bike kitchen started at some point? (We could benefit from some anarchist organizers who bike. Many of the ones I've met here at Occupy Honolulu/food not bombs drive. But not all!)
--There will be more group bike rides?
--the following law will be changed at some point:
Seizure and sale of nonregistered vehicles (§249-15)
Any bicycle having no decal as described in the previous section is subject to impoundment by City officials. The owner has ten (10) days in which to recover the vehicle by paying the tax due and a $1.00 penalty. Unclaimed bikes will be sold at public auction [on the mainland?] after a five-day public notice is given through advertising in a newspaper or posted notices in at least three public places [On the mainland?]. Upon the sale of a bike, any money received beyond the tax and fees due plus the cost of advertising will be given to the vehicle's owner, if the owner is known. If the owner cannot be located in ninety (90) days, the money will be kept by the City.
(In the rack in the parking garage of the Fasi building today, the majority of bikes did not have stickers, and two had defaced ones (Cycle Manoa bikes perhaps). A law like this that would let police take more than half the bikes parked in the rack of the Frank C Fasi government building. . . is a sign of something. Almost makes me wish I was a lawyer. )
--To get information about where the bike fund money goes: maybe send an FOIA (freedom of information act) request to Budget and Fiscal Services. Also, most nonprofits are transparent about their finances. Perhaps you could ask HBL.
S&S, here's that inspiring person I mentioned:
From http://www.bikewalkalliance.org/blog/581-biking-a-walking-roundup-april-fools :
Sam Ollinger of BikeSD shares her story of becoming a bike blogger, cross-country cyclist, and advocate with the Washington Bikes Summit.
http://wabikes.org/2015/04/01/bicycling-connects-communities/
Why did she decide to start an entirely new organization in a city where there already was a bike coalition? I'm curious about how she came to do that. Here's the old org http://sdbikecoalition.org/. Here's Sam's: bikesd.org
She used to write a blog http://www.google.com/m?q=brown+girl+in+the+lane I can't really find it though. Guess I have to ask her or read old bikesd posts. But I have a hunch why too.
And Here's some more inspiration:
http://www.google.com/m?q=Portland+bike+theft+summit
This has been a good project to work on. Thanks!
Oh yeah, and there's no reason, regardless of what city and state do, people couldn't go around and get bike stores to partner with bike index or project529 (automatically registering bikes sold there in those systems)
And, like Edward does, no reason not for us to go straight to governor and mayor with our concerns. And helpful legislators. Chris Lee will be in room 414 of the capitol building tomorrow at noon with Sen Gabbard explaining /exploring how Hawaii can achieve 100% renewable energy. Maybe see you there!
Colin