Harassment

Harassment, intentional bodily harm, hit and runs, and attempted homicides

Contrary to what the JSO chooses to indicate in their records, these incidents are not “accidents”. I do not see how one can accidentally roll down their window, extend their arm out of it, clutching with sweat-slick fist a foot long piece of rusty rebar, and directly hurl it with relentless force at another fellow human being.

To send us your stories, contact us at jaxbikecoalition@gmail.com. Eventually this site, and all your stories, will be revealed to the mayor himself.

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11/11 – Jack Broddrick – “I recently was struck by a Dodge 150 doing a roll stop. I nor my bike were injured but holy shit that is a scary feeling. Of course he did not stop so I followed. So happens he lives around the corner. I speak from a distance asking him to please watch for cyclist. His response: you shouldn’t be in the road. Regardless of this I said you shouldn’t run stop signs and all I am asking is that you pay more attention. He then started to walk towards me in a violent manner so I left.”

9/28/11 – Bill Davis – “Dear night drivers. Please stop flashing your brights at me when I am jogging at night. Sure, I may be wearing colors so garrish as to make Michelle Bachman’s husband blush, but I am doing that so you can SEE ME. There is no need for you to start going all Studio 54 with the headlamps. As for the two tons of rolling death barrelling down on me? Yeah. I (…) see it. Please feel free to go back to your regularly scheduled hurling of insults and/or beer cans from your speeding auto.”

9/23/11 – Garren Parkman, Todd Proudfoot, and Claire Cowart – Riding College street from King to Willow Branch and were almost side swiped by a speeding large white van FL license tag J24 1NR. I was following Todd and Garren in my vehicle.

9/18/11 – Todd Proudfoot – Riding on St. Johns Ave. With a 15 year old kid heading to the convenience store near the flower shop. Truck comes up behind them, honks twice, then when the cyclists didn’t move ( They were about a foot away from the rows of parking spots. Riding right next to parked cars and within parking spots has proven to be dangerous due to the opening of car doors. ) he accelerates quickly, passes them, then the passenger opens the door and yells out something like “get out of the road you fucking asshole”. Then he sped off. The driver startled and shook up the kid who was riding with Todd who wasn’t even in the road and was riding through the parking spots. Had both front and rear lights on.

9/17/11 – John Shannon – “Riding around 11 PM down Eastbound on Atlantic Blvd back to my home when a man in a black VW Jetta pulled up behind me, turned on his high beams, and then honked his horn for about 15 seconds before pulling up beside me and giving me the middle finger for no apparent reason. Female passenger also screamed obscenities and gave the middle finger.”

9/17/11 – Claire Cowart with two other adult riders and one 9 year old – On Saturday, September 17, Olivia (age 9), Todd, Heather and I were riding on St. Johns Avenue from Avondale and were passed closely and aggressively by a white compact car. A few minutes later at the intersection of McDuff, College and Post we pulled behind a vehicle prior to crossing the railroad tracks. While crossing, Olivia’s chain came off, we pulled to the right to get out of the intersection and fix the chain. The vehicle we had been behind (awaiting the light change) started yelling at us. When I approached the vehicle I could make out his words- we were told to get off the road and that we were breaking the law since no one was wearing a reflective shirt. We all have front and rear lights, reflectors and Olivia never rides without a helmet. We use the legal hand signals, stop at stop signs and traffic lights and had not once been in front of said vehicle.

9/10/11 – Todd Proudfoot – Riding to Avondale on Herschel. Car pulls up beside the cyclist and yells “you better get some fuckin bumpers on your back”, and speeds off. Had both front and rear lights on.

9/3/11 – Claire Cowart and a large group on family event ride – A group of about 15 -20 riders on RAM ride – Saturday, September 3- approaching the RAM. 5 of us were about 20 yards behind the main group and signaled to get into the left lane so we could turn into RAM. There was a white van coming two-three blocks behind so we were clear. The group to the right was riding single file and had not yet started to move left to turn in. The white van came up behind our group (including a 4 year old and a 9 year old), blew her horn, yelled at us to get out of the road (including expletives) then roared through the middle of the two groups taking up the middle of both lanes – there was room to pass on the right. When I approached the vehicle where the police officers stop traffic to allow both pedestrians and cyclists to cross Riverside Avenue, she commenced to curse me, yell that we were breaking the law and berate me. She was driving a city parks and recreation vehicle #8872 and had at least two passengers. Neither of the police officers would get involved and told me I could report it, so I did.

Judging by the driver’s decision to illegally take both lanes and speed through a group that included young children, this was a potential homicide.

8/20/11 – Corey Callahan – Man in silver Cadillac speeding hazardously down St. Johns basically forcing Corey and other cyclists into the other lane. Cory said, “Hey man slow down I am not trying to die out here”. He said “Well then get off the road!” He also yelled his address at them. Sounded drunk and sounded like he wanted to fight. Given the man was drunk while driving, speeding towards a group of law abiding cyclists, and enraged, I label this incident potential homicide, as any one of those cyclists could have very easily been hit and killed.

8/18/11 – In the News – Possible accident, or possible hit-and-run – Identity of driver not yet released –   As written from News4Jax, http://www.news4jax.com/news/28901832/detail.html: “A bicyclist was hit by an SUV on Thursday morning near the entrance of Mandarin High School on Greenland Road early Thursday morning. The crash occurred about 6:30 a.m. The person on the bicycle, who police have not identified, was taken to a hospital by ground ambulance. The victim’s condition was not released, but the homicide detectives were sent to investigate.Witness told Channel 4 that the victim was a 15-year-old cross country runner who was riding to Mandarin High School. That witness said the boy turned into traffic to cross Greenland Road to get to the school. The eastbound lanes of Greenland are closed while police investigate the incident.This story will be updated as more information becomes available. No word on whether the driver of the SUV will face any charges. Police say the investigation is ongoing.”

Comment from JBC blog reader: “A witness said the light was blinking. Was it blinking red? On the morning news it was blinking red in the background. Over the summer it had been blinking yellow. If it was red then the driver was supposed to treat that red blinking light as a 4 way stop sign which would mean the boy had the right of way. Hmmm…I wonder if the walk/don’t walk would have been on “walk.” And really, would it matter? When you see a kid on a bike near a school the driver should always drive with caution.”

Update as of 8/22/11: “Right now, they are weaning him (Sam Bellett) off the ventilator to let him breathe on his own,” Sluder said Thursday night. Sluder tells Action News his grandson is still in a medically induced coma.”

8/10/11 – Harley Michael Henry – During the daylight hours on College Street, lady in a black SUV Chevy Suburban purposely swerved in from of Harley going about forty miles an hour right before she had to abruptly stop at a stop sign. There were no other vehicles in the way. Possible license plate number: 411 2LM.

8/8/11 – Harley Michael Henry – Riding over the Acosta Bridge with Garren Parkman, late afternoon. Approached from behind by a large white truck going approximately 50 mph. A man threw a foot long piece of rebar at the cyclists, attempting to strike Harley atop the bridge and only barely missing him. No apparent reason for this attempt to harm the cyclist. Judging by the weapon used, the speed of the truck, and velocity of the weapon hurling through the air, as well as Harley’s position atop and on the right-most side of the bridge, I label this incident attempted homicide.

8/7/11 – Ronald Clark – Riding southbound over the Main street bridge in the 11am hour on the sidewalk with no pedestrians and in no way blocking flow of traffic. A black Chevorlet Surburban slowed down next to Ron, rolled down the window yelling profanity directed towards him for no apparent reason. After about 20 seconds of this the driver then gave Ron “the finger” and sped off towards Hendricks avenue exit.

8/6/11 – Jenny Kubicki – Riding alone during the day at the north end of San Marco Blvd. Stayed on the right most part of the lane. Approached from behind by a mentally unstable driver who honked several times for no apparent reason as there was plenty of room to pass me. I looked back at them to acknowledge them. Looked ahead and continued to ride on. The driver then laid on the horn continuously for approximately a minute and stayed close behind me, still having ample room to pass me. At first I was determined to stay on the road and not allow myself to be bullied off. As his horn continued, I became frightened for my safety and had to run a red light to escape him.

8/5/11 – Brandon Morse – Group ride to Ortega at night. Riding within a neighborhood, close to our destination. The group was approached from behind by a barreling old and very large, gas-guzzling, junker of a car, the driver revving the engine and riding close behind Harley Henry and Garren Parkman in a menacing way. Garren and Harley yelled at us a cry of warning we are being approached by a road-raging driver. The driver illegally passed us on the left going around a sharp corner on a double line. They threw a drink at Brandon Morse for no apparent reason.

5/11 – Hayley Zeller – “Last May at approximately 0700 while riding southbound on US-17 Roosevelt Blvd on my way to work, I passed through the intersection with Rt 103 traveling approximately a foot to the left of the right curb in the far right lane. After cleaning the intersection, I looked over my left shoulder to see a sedan also traveling south and rapidly changing lanes into my far right hand lane, headed directly towards me. I quickly looked forward to ensure my own lane placement was correct. The sedan pulled up to my rear wheel and laid on his horn in an effort to startle me, moved alongside and squeezed me up against the curb until my wheels were pushed into the gutter. He then veered past me most likely exceeding the speed limit, and quickly moved back into the middle lane. In short, he changed lanes INTO my lane in order to threaten me with his vehicle. I memorized his license plate, and called the JSO once I arrived to work on NAS Jacksonville. The JSO did come out and take a report, and looked up the license plate. I asked what would happen, and the officer said that since he knew who the driver was that they would go to his residence and talk to him, but he also admitted that there is “nothing we can do until he actually hits you.” I asked the JSO officer if the driver had waved a gun at me in a general threat, but not pointed it at me, what the result would be. He admitted in that he the driver would be arrested. I asked how threatening with a firearm is different under the law than threatening with a car, and the officer wasn’t able to answer my question. I was never contacted by the JSO with any results.”

In this case, the cyclist could have easily been hit, fallen off her bike, and possibly could have gotten injured if not had her life taken completely. Judging by the intention of the motorist, I label this incident attempted homicide.

5/11 – Charlene Hewitt – Charlene and her husband were riding a 2 seater Worksman trike leaving Delicomb and heading down to the beach. They were riding along the curb and an old lady revved up on their tail. Charlene and her husband stopped to let her go around but she refused to go around. They started peddling again and the driver got right back up on their tail. The cyclists were towing their infant in a babybjorn. They had to turn around and yell at the motorist to drive with an appropriate amount of distance between them for her safety and the safety of her husband and baby. No apparent reason for the motorist to be so menacing to this family.

5/1/11 – Troy J. Sharpe – Riding in the morning on 118th St., Troy was purposely forced into a ditch by a guy driving a tow truck with a car in tow. Troy had to dive out of the way in order to save his own life. The driver quickly sped off. The driver used a tow truck as a weapon to harm a cyclist. This incident has potential for fatality. I label this incident attempted homicide.

5/1/11 – Troy J. Sharpe, Garren Parkman, & Nicole Clark – Riding in the morning down Wesconnett Blvd., a P.T. Cruiser with two men came barreling up behind Troy, Nicole Clark, and Garren Parkman. The cyclists were using the bike lane provided, one of the few that actually exists here in Jacksonville. Garren Parkman was side-swiped and Nicole Clark was thrown to the curb and injured. The two men in the car yelled profanities at the injured cyclists and sped off afterward. The driver used their car as a weapon to harm the cyclists and succeeded in doing so. This incident has potential for fatality. I label this incident attempted homicide.

2/10 – Arthur Alexander – Riding on the service road on Southside Blvd on the way to Publix to buy groceries. The cyclists assessed the narrowness of the lane and decided they would have to take the full lane for the purposes of safety and to remain visible. The speed limit was low and they were able to ride pretty close to the posted speed so as not to impede traffic. A black Impala comes up very close behind and honks, yelling at them to get out of the road. The driver then passes and throws a 32 oz cup of soda at the cyclist succeeding in hitting him. The driver then pulls into the next subdivision to try to wave them down in an attempt to inflict bodily harm.

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