Cycling Forums - View Single Post - Two cyclists attacked and beaten in Portland

01-15-2007, 01:07 PM

Ken C. M. wrote:
:: Gooserider wrote:
::: Wow. And that's a bike friendly city. I hope the assailants are
::: caught and sent to prison.
:::
::: http://www.katu.com/news/5184291.html
:::
::: PORTLAND, Ore. - Two cyclists said they were attacked by three
::: teenagers near a north Portland bus stop on Wednesday.
:::
::: The women, Ashley Gorman and her co-worker Heather Moles, were
::: riding their bikes home from work when the attack occurred near
::: Legacy Emanuel Hospital.
:::
::: The cyclists said the teen girls were standing in the bike lane
::: waiting for the bus and they had to steer their bikes around the
::: group. The teens may have thought the cyclists rode too closely.
:::
::: The next thing she knew, one of the teens kicked out Moles' tire,
::: causing her to fall.
:::
::: "I felt the thud, and then the tire went, and I went skidding into
::: the road," Moles said.
:::
::: That's when the beating began. Three teens punched both cyclists in
::: the head and dislocated Moles' shoulder.
:::
::: Jonathan Corey was passing by and helped break up the fight,
::: pulling the teens off the cyclists.
:::
::: "It became obvious who was the aggressor in the whole equation," he
::: said.
:::
::: Corey added that the assailants were ruthless.
:::
::: "I felt like I almost didn't use enough force in retrospect as I
::: might have wanted to to make the thing stop," he said.
:::
::: One witness heard a racial slur aimed at the cyclists, who said
::: they didn't hear it. The teens were black while the cyclists were
::: white.
:::
::: The cyclists wonder whether race had anything to do with the
::: attack. They can't understand what caused it.
:::
::: "I could imagine if we had said something but nothing was said,"
::: Gorman said.
:::
::: Gorman suffered the worst beating. She went to the emergency room
::: but has no insurance to pay for it.
:::
::: "I got bruised up pretty good," Gorman said. "I got my behind
::: handed to me."
:::
::: A fourth teenager with the group apparently stood by during the
::: attack but then apologized afterward just before everybody
::: scattered and police arrived.
:::
:::
::
:: And I thought Portland was generally regarded as very cyclist
:: friendly! If thats friendly I would hate to see hostile.

Surely you don't judge an entire city by the acts of a few stupid teens....

Strange (or
:: maybe not) that race was mentioned in the article. I wonder if it
:: was a predominately black (African American or whatever) part of
:: town.

Maybe it was just a random occurence. Who knows. Geez, people.

01-15-2007, 01:07 PM	#13 (permalink)
Roger Zoul Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Two cyclists attacked and beaten in Portland Ken C. M. wrote: :: Gooserider wrote: ::: Wow. And that's a bike friendly city. I hope the assailants are ::: caught and sent to prison. ::: ::: http://www.katu.com/news/5184291.html ::: ::: PORTLAND, Ore. - Two cyclists said they were attacked by three ::: teenagers near a north Portland bus stop on Wednesday. ::: ::: The women, Ashley Gorman and her co-worker Heather Moles, were ::: riding their bikes home from work when the attack occurred near ::: Legacy Emanuel Hospital. ::: ::: The cyclists said the teen girls were standing in the bike lane ::: waiting for the bus and they had to steer their bikes around the ::: group. The teens may have thought the cyclists rode too closely. ::: ::: The next thing she knew, one of the teens kicked out Moles' tire, ::: causing her to fall. ::: ::: "I felt the thud, and then the tire went, and I went skidding into ::: the road," Moles said. ::: ::: That's when the beating began. Three teens punched both cyclists in ::: the head and dislocated Moles' shoulder. ::: ::: Jonathan Corey was passing by and helped break up the fight, ::: pulling the teens off the cyclists. ::: ::: "It became obvious who was the aggressor in the whole equation," he ::: said. ::: ::: Corey added that the assailants were ruthless. ::: ::: "I felt like I almost didn't use enough force in retrospect as I ::: might have wanted to to make the thing stop," he said. ::: ::: One witness heard a racial slur aimed at the cyclists, who said ::: they didn't hear it. The teens were black while the cyclists were ::: white. ::: ::: The cyclists wonder whether race had anything to do with the ::: attack. They can't understand what caused it. ::: ::: "I could imagine if we had said something but nothing was said," ::: Gorman said. ::: ::: Gorman suffered the worst beating. She went to the emergency room ::: but has no insurance to pay for it. ::: ::: "I got bruised up pretty good," Gorman said. "I got my behind ::: handed to me." ::: ::: A fourth teenager with the group apparently stood by during the ::: attack but then apologized afterward just before everybody ::: scattered and police arrived. ::: ::: :: :: And I thought Portland was generally regarded as very cyclist :: friendly! If thats friendly I would hate to see hostile. Surely you don't judge an entire city by the acts of a few stupid teens.... Strange (or :: maybe not) that race was mentioned in the article. I wonder if it :: was a predominately black (African American or whatever) part of :: town. Maybe it was just a random occurence. Who knows. Geez, people.