Enforcement in Bike Advocacy

Jul 14

SVBC is an organization with the mission to create a healthy community, environment, and economy for all purposes and all people. To do this, we must serve all people by addressing the needs and concerns of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) who bike and use the streets as well as other groups that are not usually considered in transportation decisions. Once we do that, we will create a safer community for all.

In this moment, we are reflecting on the ways our organization perpetuates structural racism. One of those ways is the inclusion of enforcement as a strategy to address safety for people walking and biking. Though it has not been SVBC's primary strategy, SVBC will not be encouraging enforcement as a solution and will examine alternatives to traditional types of traffic enforcement until there is a means to achieve equitable enforcement. This decision was vetted through SVBC's Policy Committee and subsequently approved by the Board of Directors. It is also in line with many partner organizations, like the Safe Routes Partnership, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, many of whose statements are linked below.

There is a history of racial profiling in police stops - not just “somewhere else”, but locally too. According to the 2017 San Jose Police Department Traffic and Pedestrian Stop Study, Black citizens were 9 times more likely and LatinX citizens were 3.4 times more likely to experience a field interview following a vehicle stop compared to White citizens. Also those same demographics were two times more likely to be issued a criminal citation, all things being equal. The statistics in Silicon Valley prove that racism in law enforcement is alive and well. (It is worth noting this is not unique to policing as racism is alive and well in all of society’s institutions. So, we’re not just pointing the finger at cops here. Other government agencies as well as individuals, like each of us, are the ones who perpetuate these systems.)

We suspect these three paragraphs may cause some of SVBC’s membership to be upset. Afterall, who amongst us has not had a close call with a driver? If only there were more police to catch and punish bad drivers, we think, as the car goes racing by! But In a world where we know that justice is served unequally to BIPOC communities, is that really what we want? If you knew that the White driver would get a fine for buzzing you and the Black driver would get three years in prison, would you really choose law enforcement as your go-to solution? If you knew the increased presence of law enforcement also led to the daily demoralization and oppression of certain demographics over time, would that be your go-to solution?

SVBC believes it is not appropriate to elevate a solution that perpetuates oppression, even if it means OUR problem will be solved. This is the same type of conundrum we’ve raised before when the SVBC membership says that it’s afraid to ride the trails due to the presence of homeless individuals. It’s the same tension when faced with removing on-street parking in working class neighborhoods, a neighborhood where multiple poor people live in a house and need to park their cars on the street. In all three instances, we could opt to solve the problems of the bike community at the expense of people who are oppressed and less well off. But we try not to do that. We look first for solutions that benefit us all and in particular, people who don’t have all the privilege that others do.

The mission of Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition is to improve the community, economy and environment through the everyday use of the bicycle. We believe that mission is rooted in understanding broader community needs and how we can use our power and influence to solve societal ills while paving the way for us all to live life joyfully through the bicycle. In this case, until our system for enforcing the law is fair, enforcement will not be SVBC’s go-to solution.

Going forward, you will be hearing more and more from us on this topic. In the meantime, we invite you to learn from the links below.

Links to other organizations’ statements about this issue: