An Urgent Call to Action from Ride Bikes Austin (Deadline 4PM, 4/17/23)

[Russell E Taylor]

I'm forwarding this from the organizers of Ride Bikes Austin, a community social cycling group that often partners with other civic groups for organized bike rides around town. Their monthly Critical Mass Austin ride was disrupted and riders made to feel unsafe by other  cyclists. Since we're all riders active in the community, I thought I'd share it here in case y'all want to participate as individuals. Given our focus on policy, I'm not sure if this is the sort of thing we'd be interested in co-signing, but if there's interest, I'd be pleased to see it as an agenda item. Nona, of of the organizers, plans to speak during the public comment period on Tuesday if there are any questions.

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Hello,

Please review the attached "RBA-Call-to-Action" and then submit feedback or agreement to be included in our initial list of allies by Monday 4/17/23 at 4:00 PM.

Nona and I continue to feel immense gratitude for the opportunities to support our favorite non-profits through volunteerism, creation of tabling opportunities, and promotion on social media to the organically targeted audiences we share. We are offering this first round opportunity for the non-profit organizations, grassroots collaborations, and local businesses we support the most to answer our call to action in a pivotal moment for us as organizers of Ride Bikes Austin and Critical Mass Austin.

We experienced threats to public safety, the impact of oppression, and harassment at Critical Mass Austin #21-3/31/23.

At a high level we are seeking commitment to demonstrate solidarity with RBA by publicly declaring agreement with a proclamation and ensuring representation at the Critical Mass Austin Call to Action ride scheduled for 6/30/23.

The Proclamation

We denounce threats to public safety, oppressive attempts to force the vastly different cultural norms of one group on another, and all forms of harassment. Critical Mass Austin TX (CMATx) organizers and riders engaged in all three activities on 3/31/23 when they invaded the CMA all wheels welcome event organized by RBA.

The Call to Action Ride

The June Critical Mass Austin ride will be a call to action against threats to public safety and a celebration demonstrating support for Austin's continued focus on creating infrastructure improvements that increase safety for all road users.  Scheduled for 6/30/23 at 7:58 PM, the ride will begin and end near the Rodolfo "Rudy" Mendez Recreation Center located at 2407 Canterbury St, Austin, TX 78702. There will be an identified ride leader, volunteer ride marshals helping the group navigate intersections, and a pre-tested 8-mile route. The route is optimized for people using different types of micromobility including bicycles, electric unicycles, skates, onewheels, skateboards, and other electric devices.  The ride will end with an after party that includes over 100 pairs of free-to-borrow skates and music by The Underground Atx. Additionally, the non-profit organizations that table at CMA events every few quarters will be invited to share information about their missions.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

For urgent requests/feedback call/text Nona at 678-4858675 or Raquel at 646-574-5128.

We are excited about this opportunity for the cycling community to move forward in positivity and collaboration.

Respectfully,

Raquel Ortega & Nona Allen

on behalf of Ride Bike Austin

and Critical Mass Austin