From the Gothamist, April 28:
Community Activist Harry Wieder Killed by Taxi
Harry Wieder, an LGBT rights, transportation, and disabilities advocate, was run down and killed by a taxi last night in the LES [Lower East Side]. Weider, 57, described himself on his Facebook page as a “disabled, gay, Jewish, leftist, middle aged dwarf who ambulates with crutches.” He was crossing Essex Street after leaving a Community Board 3 monthly meeting at P.S. 20 when he was struck by the cab. Many colleagues witnessed the accident and accompanied him to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
From The Brooklyn Paper, April 29:
Dead biker’s mom joins call for Flatbush bike lane
The grieving mother of a bicyclist run down on Flatbush Avenue has vowed to not let her son die in vain, joining a nascent campaign by cycling advocates for a bike lane on the chaotic thoroughfare where her son was killed.“I don’t see how anyone could object [to a bike lane],” Laraine McDonough said, just days after she and her family held a memorial service for her son, Jake McDonough, who was on his way to class at Brooklyn College on April 14 when he was struck by an impatient motorist who ran a red light at the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Beverly Road.
Motorist Michael Oxley, 29, was arrested and charged with criminally negligent homicide for allegedly zipping around a slower car before striking McDonough, who was dragged several blocks and died at the scene.
Laraine McDonough said her son biked all over the city, even though she often feared for his safety.
“[Bike riding] is dangerous in this city,” she said. “I didn’t want my son riding a bike, but he was 18 and able to make his own decisions. He told me that he was going to be safe, but you can’t guarantee what others are going to do.”
That’s why “bike advocates should be listened to,” she said. “Bicyclists need a lot more considerations.”
Amen.
See more reasons WHY WE FIGHT.
