This reminds me of an incident that happened to me two or three years ago.

I was walking up Rhode Island Ave, NW at 6th Street. It was around 7 o'clock on a beautiful warm, spring day (it was the first day of daylight savings time).

A group of teenagers ran across RI Ave. and surrounded me in a circle. Then two or three got in my face, and one of them clocked my in the eyesocket. As I stumbled around (I was out on my feet) the kids walked away down Rhode Island.

I cop drove by soon thereafter. I flagged him down and we went looking for the kids. We didn't have to go far (7th and Marion) until we found another guy who had a run-in with the same kids. He had a bloody nose.

We found the kids hanging at a nearby playground.

As I was talking to the cops, they mentioned that this was probably a gang intiation thing, and that they see a lot of it around this time of year.

Yeah -- I'm afraid I don't see the connection, Saccharin. Also, it's worth noting that, as mentioned in another recent thread, DC cyclists are perfectly within their rights to ride on the sidewalk provided that they do so in a safe manner.

The one suck thing about spring is the appearance of packs of miscreants going around bending car antennas, pulling up flowers, throwing rocks at cats in windows...and beating up cyclists and peds. I recall a wave of such crap around Adams Morgan a few years ago. God forbid you do anything to them, 'cos then you're in all kinds of trouble as a child abuser (even if some of the fuckers are 6'1") and (dare I say it?!?) a racist.

Three blocks from there (at 8th and R) I witnessed a group of about 10 kids harassing and throwing eggs at cyclists that went by on R, and then starting fights with anyone who stopped after getting hit by an egg. They had congregated outside the apartment complex across from the Shaw Metro station, the Westmoreland II I think it is.

The kids were openly talking about how they were only harrassing white people, so I called the police and reported it, and stated it would appear to be a hate crime as well. Unfortunately, the Police reaction seemed to be something like 'yeah, right. ok. sure.'

All bikes should be banned in DC! Bike riders are rude, aggressive, with no regard for passengers. If you live in the city, you should take a cab or ride the Metro. There's no reason to plow everyone down with your bike.

why u take a picture of 22nd street and talk about logan circle

I walk to work and ride a bike to the gym so I understand the concerns of both sides. I hate when bikers ride on the sidewalk at a fast speed and even try to push you out of the way with the bike itself. Also, a lot of bikers love to go in and out of traffic which causes many problems for cars and people at the crosswalk.

With that said, I think cars and walkers do some stupid things to bikers as well. First, I have experienced people who just walk right out in front of me while I am riding down the street. They do this not at a crosswalk but they middle of the street. ALso, people will stand in the street at the crosswalk and block the passage for me to turn down the other street. Also, cars seem to think they can pass a bike and make a quick turn whenever they want. A few times I had to break really fast and turn into the sidewalk (with people right there) or face ramming into the car who just cut me off (no I wasn't going fast prob. 15 mph). Despite all of these problems (being a walker, biker, and car driver) I know this is part of being in a city. Nothing really can be done about it except some common sense on everyone's part but I doubt that will happen anytime soon.

For all of you bike bashers - I see car drivers doing the same and worse things every day.

They speed, turn while pedestrians have the right of way and cause far more accidents. Should they be banned from the road too?

Guess what - there are asshats everywhere. Walkers, bike riders, motorcyclists and car drviers most of all.

Don't generalize! Learn the rules of the road and when you obey every law fully - then you can complain.

Walkers cross when they shouldn't
Cars run lights and drive recklessly
Motorcyclists ride in between cars and speed
Bikers don't always follow the rules

But you're perfect right?

While I agree that your average city biker is on the whole harmless, I can't stand those tools who get WAY too into biking. You know the ones I'm talking about. They get into groups of 3-10, they all buy the same matching "sponsored" outfits, and they act as if they were indeed racing on the Champs-Elysee for the final stage of the Tour de France. They take themselves WAY too seriously. I'm a runner myself, and it warms my heart that when runners get together in groups you end up with goofiness like the hashers rather than ten pricks who think they're Roger Bannister.

Reid: you are aware that there are a number of semi-pro cycling teams here in the greater DC area, right? So they might actually be a local racing club. And while I agree that many could practise slightly more considerate riding styles while on high-traffic streets, they're in training - something that can't be replicated in a gym or pool.

But that's still no excuse for quite a few cyclists - the folks in team kits, the basic commuters, and the bike couriers alike - ignoring basic traffic rules and regs. As soon as the bike tires hit the street pavement, they fall under the same rules as cars. So stop signs apply, proper signaling of turns and stops is warranted, etc.

And while it's perfectly legal to ride on the sidewalk outside of the CBD, I don't think it's necessarily recommended. Most roads in DC are perfectly safe for cyclists to ride on. They should ride with the direction of traffic (those who ride against, even in bike lanes, are asking for trouble and breaking the law, to boot), obey posted signs, etc. It's just a matter of being mindful, keeping an open eye and ear to surroundings (i.e. no iPods or yakking on the cell phone), and riding defensively.

With regard to the packs of thugs: what they're doing is wrong and I don't condone their behavior, but I wonder if the cyclist was "riding aware." Was this cyclist plugged into an iPod or MP3 player, with headphones in both ears (which is a violation of traffic laws - operating a vehicle while wearing headphones)? Was this person talking on a cell phone?

I bring this up because there could've been a lack of common sense on the part of the cyclist. Unlike folks in cars, cyclists don't have the benefit of a cushy cage (with locks) in which to ride. If the person had been aware of the surrounding area, he likely could've spotted trouble and upped his pace. The thing is that there are a lot of cyclists out there who think that bad things can't happen to them, and they drop their guard.

And another thing is to be prepared, as a cyclist often carries a few deterrent measures on his bike. Things like frame pumps and water bottles can be used to fend off attackers, and while not foolproof, they can buy just enough time to get the heck out of Dodge.

This cyclist is in a no win situation, and I think that's why it makes many of us who may find themselves in the same position so angry about it. If you do nothing, you end up hurt and without (what is probably) a prized possession and tool. If you strike back, well, you just beat the shit out of a kid. A real hero, eh? It's a problem that can only be addressed by the community, and it seems like the community is completely absent, here. My own reaction is to be even more aware than usual, and work on sprints . . .

...and then sit around quibbling about rules of the road. Totally agree, Audax. Good post.

Audax: thanks for the story. It's the unfortunate side of the gentrification move, and I'm sorry that you got caught in the crossfire.

Unfortunately, given the rather non-existent reaction on the part of the DCPD to any of these attcks, it seems that this situation is only going to get worse. In fact, it'll probably require the death of a cyclist or runner (and likely the death of one with connections to wealth) in order for the DCPD to lift one finger to actually do something.

And to MB: if somebody tries to seal my stuff, while it may just be stuff (though in the case of a bicycle, it is often a person's only form of mechanical transport - a "tool," as you state), it's a person's prerogative to fight back. As soon as the kid attempts the theft, his "kid" status means nothing to many - they just want to hold onto their stuff, thief be damned.

Calling this form of violence "racism" is not entirely accurate, in my opinion. I would gather that it is more about class conflict using race as a marker. It's not entirely different than Audax's reaction to seeing the "thugs" on the street ahead of him. Their appearance (both skin color and clothes) told him they were poor and potentially agressive, and in his mind, prone to lash out at him for carrying the markers of being (at least relative to them) rich. I'm not suggesting moral equivilance between their violence and his own defensive strategy, I'm just suggesting that going down the blame racism route is obscuring what this is really about, class resentment and conflict with easily identifiable markers. (For the record I don't think this makes this violence any less objectionable and unnacceptable).

Since this dying thread is clearly about to be hijacked straight into an angry-white-man ditch....

How clear is it that many newcomers to this city don't have even half the skills or common sense necessary to thrive here?

How does one show one's face to their roommate/friends/dog if they run away from these weak little confrontations? And can you feel your balls shrink as it happens?

Just curious.

It's funny how I've lived for seven years in the center of the three locations discussed recently and have never had any of these experiences and I ride everywhere every fucking day. Of course, I don't wear fear on my face like a little bitch either.

And riding on the sidewalk *snort* - shit might be allowed, but so is wearing a diaper - little kids are allowed to do a lot of things for their safety, doesn't mean I'm going to ape them.

If you can't handle New York Avenue might I recommend Falls Church - I hear they have lots of nice safe bike paths.

It's not a playground, it's a city and it's not yours just because you bought an overpriced condo in the Ellington.

When are people going to realize that it looks fucking pathetic to be whining for the city to change all the time instead of toughening themselves up? The suburbs have made you very, very weak.

Stop fucking snitching and learn how to fight for yourself. 10 black thugs with pebbles! Oh no, I just pooped in my pants! Better call the cops to help me wipe my bottom!

Wow, Dave - you are just a piece of work.

I don't think getting hit in the face with rocks makes someone a crybaby. It's wrong - end of story.

You are fortunate thus far that nothing happened to you - I ride frequently and nothing has happened to me, but that can change in an instant.

Your holier than though attitude and suggestion that people fight their attackers sucks and it's people like you that make any city unattractive.

Actually Audax, rather than taking the politically correct/spineless route, I think that diminishing the "blame racism" tactic makes it all the more easy to condemn the violence. Once you start saying they're attacking whites just because they're white, then you open this never ending pandora's box of history, culture, etc. If, however, you recognize that it's more about class resentment, you remove a lot of the potential excuses for the violence like the ones that university faculties have churned out for the past forty years.

There'll always be someone who will come forward and defend an oppressed minority for lashing out at his oppressor. There's probably a lot less people who will defend someone who just can't stand those with more money than him.

I have a couple friends who have been attacked by groups of twelve year olds while riding bikes. This is not a new thing, and they are not just throwing rocks. This is also not just happening to people on bikes, I have a friend who was walking home from work and got jumped by a group of kids, last summer. A broken arm, broken rib and black eye later, he started carrying a knife. So for all you assholes saying that people need to toughen up, I hope you're next. And I'd like to see how guilty you feel when you're forced to kick some little kids ass so he won't hit you with a pipe. These things happen, and apparently more frequently. so just be aware, walker and bikers alike.

Bike attacks are new here?

Back in the 90s, when I used to come here for military duty, someone was littering the mall with tacks of some sort that were puncturing bike tires and running shoes of joggers.

I seem to remember many people being attacked, on or off bikes, back then.

Since we're (sort of) on the topic, can anyone point me to active DC cycling boards/listservs? There used to be a great integrated usenet/listserv group, but that seems to have died. Gracias.

MB - If you like mountain biking there is http://www.more-mtb.org/index.php?styleid=8 .

Doesn't race come into play somewhat because the assailants often at least claim to choose their victims because of race? Everyone who has thrown things at me has indicated their disgust at my race while doing so. Each time I was on foot.

Yes they were kids. The first time they threw rocks at me (and completely smashed a car window) I almost walked over the alley to give them a talking to, and then thought better of it. But if they are kids doing this, then the race issue plays a little differently. They are grabbing ahold of it as a rationale, but really they probably just want to do some damage somewhere and work out the "pent up rage" of youth. Maybe if they had more money to spend on music they could vent their rage elsewhere and with less nasty consequences.

Perhaps, if they are all juveniles, we need to look at DC's juvenile justice system and whether it is doing an adequate job. (My guess is, that like most juvenile justice systems across the country, they're struggling. They probably end up putting kids with severe mental health conditions in the lock ups, and put the kids who need to go through corrections at the dentention centers back on the street because they don't have a enough space. It's fairly typical. But then again, I will tell you that every problem can be linked to inadequate mental health services)

I remember years ago their was a problem is the itty bitty down where I grew up of someone lobbing concrete bricks over interstate overpasses. There was a death toll. They caught the person through good old fashion police work, if you can imagine that.

I don't think you will find such luck here. If you want to reduce this, the best thing to do is to try to get involved with some of the youth in the city. Tutor, mentor, volunteer in the schools. Bike to tutoring and tell them you are doing so. Best case scenario, these kids have more hope and are less likely to commit such crimes. Worse case, they remember a cyclist being nice to them and are less likely to want to throw rocks at them.

c'mon, some more solution-oriented thinking here folks! Everyone but the car v bikes people have it in them.!

This is all purely guessing, but I would imagine that the cyclists who obey traffic laws are the ones getting attacked. They appear so docile and predictable. My guess is that they are not attacking bike messengers, because they know that they might turn around and smash their head with a u-lock.

To the previous poster-

You act as if DC is the ONLY city with crime and poverty...and as if your little romanticized notion of NYC does not. Gimme a break!

The fact that you mention internships is a dead giveaway that you are a 19 year old pimply faced brat who has never lived in a city and has been sheltered from the problems of urban America.

These incidents need to be stopped. REAL residents of DC (interns excluded) need to continue to pressure the MPD to be a viable force in our neighborhoods.

We also need to remind ourselves that we live in a major urban city and bike riding through rough neighborhoods may not be the smartest choice.

And, once again, to the intern above...go home!