Cyclists Lives Count Protest Ride
Bruce Geffen
Cyclists Lives Count Protest Ride...Well fellow cyclists and all, the judge has caught wind of our event and I don't believe he is too happy about it at all! He wants to avoid a media spectacle that will put his decision to give this man "probation" for killing someone under the microscope. For this reason, he has moved up sentencing to 10:30am on Thursday, April 13th, and he may even try to move it up sooner. We expected this behavior, and are monitoring the situation as it is public information. For this reason, we are forced to move up our meet up to 8:30am to be safe. Again, we will be leaving from Monument Park in Dexter with a police escort. We want to make sure that we don't let the judge pull the rug out from under us. This behavior by the judge should anger you even more and reinforce your decision to join us for justice! Keep in mind, we want our protest to be peaceful and law-abiding. We have been told that no signs or clothing with statements of protest will be allowed in the courtroom. That is fine. Your presence and statement is what is priceless here.
Please spread the word on the change, and adjust your status to attend appropriately. Again, apologies for the time change, but it is out of our hands. I know some of you will be traveling from far off to join us. Hopefully, you still can! Let's double our attendance in response to the judge's move!
Bruce Geffen
On March 6th, in an audacious act of disrespect for the lives of cyclists, prosecutors decided to charge Lacroix with a simple moving violation misdemeanor, instead of charging him with manslaughter. Lacroix pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor and is set for sentencing Thursday, April 13th at 10:30am at 14-A3 District Court in Downtown Chelsea.
The goal of this ride is to protest the incredibly light charges against Lacroix and to also ensure that he is given the maximum possible sentence for his "moving violation resulting in death" misdemeanor.
WE WANT NUMBERS!! We realize that April 13th is a work day and a Thursday before Easter weekend, but if you are a cyclist in Michigan, WE NEED YOUR PRESENCE AT THIS RIDE. Our GOAL is to get 1,000 RIDERS!
The ride will be for fast and slow, young and old and is an at-will, non-sponsored mass group ride. We will congregate in Downtown Dexter at and around Monument Park around 8:30am, with a ride leaving promptly at 8:45am. We will then ride the 8 mile Dexter-Chelsea Road, legally and en masse from Dexter to the 14-A3 District Courthouse in Downtown Chelsea where we will congregate outside the court just prior to Lacroix's 10:30am sentencing.
We will be distributing several hundred Cyclists' Lives Count placards and will try to get as many riders as we can to sit in the public gallery of the courtroom, in silent protest, holding up the placards.
In order for our protest to work, we need you to show up and ride with us! This is about justice for Karen. This is about justice for cyclists. This is about YOU making a positive impact for YOUR future safety as a cyclist. Please do whatever you can to join us - road biker, mountain biker, casual cyclist, professional racer - YOUR VOICE COUNTS!