Earlier this afternoon, BikeLoud Chair Kiel Johnson led about two dozen advocates to the Multnomah County Courthouse to drop off their lawsuit against the City of Portland.
The ride began on SE 26th and Powell at the memorial to Sarah Pliner, a woman who was struck by a driver and killed while bicycling last month, where Johnson spoke about why BikeLoud is suing the City.
Johnson said BikeLoud is aiming to create a Portland where there are no more ghost bikes or memorials to people who die while biking or walking.
“Wherever you want to ride your bike, to the grocery store, to the park, to wherever you need to go, you feel safe and comfortable and able to do that: that’s the mission that BikeLoud is working for,” Johnson said. “We’ve taken on this job to do it. We are doing this to make our streets safer, so you can walk and roll and ride your bike where you need to go safely.”
BikeLoud board member Cathy Tuttle set up a string of 129 flowers at the Pliner memorial — one for each person who was killed in a traffic collision in Portland over the last two years. These acknowledgments of the real death toll inadequate bike infrastructure has set the tone for the ride. The plaintiffs want people to know their lawsuits aren’t frivolous: people’s lives are on the line.
When we made it to the courthouse, Forum Law Group attorney Scott Kocher, who is representing BikeLoud in the lawsuit, encouraged people to keep up the hype.
“This is not the kind of case where we have to really be super low-key. You’ll hear people talking about it,” Kocher said. “I’m really grateful to everybody for your advocacy.”
Stay tuned next week for an interview with Kocher on our podcast.
Taylor has been BikePortland’s staff writer since November 2021. She has also written for Street Roots and Eugene Weekly. Contact her at taylorgriggswriter@gmail.com