| Re: Cyclist Payback???
>tap@venturi.cfr.washington.edu (Trent Piepho)
wrote in part:
> Removing skewers is like cutting the brake lines on a
>car. The perpetrator is sabotaging the vehicle intending to cause serious
>injury or death to the user. A felony done to a person in a car, beneath
>notice if done to someone on a bicycle.
>
>And before you say people don't do this, >I've found my brakes undone and a
>co-worker has discovered his front skewer was missing.
>
Why do you think I'd say people don't do that? It's not common but they do. I'd
disagree with your interpretation of intent because most people don't believe
that a bike crash at less than 5 mph is "life-threatening" and that's the
expected result of such sabotage.
In any event, IIRC murderous intention was not what the discussion was about.
It was about theft and criminal damage to property. In either case though-
criminal damage or murderous intent- the law treats the *victims* if not the
mode of transportation exactly the same. When they are victims motor vehicle
operators and cyclists are treated equally shabbily in our criminal justice
system. Any attempt to make a *real* change in that regard is usually met by a
howl from the defense bar-
"[Insert proposed change here] will result in an unfair prejudice against the
accused".
Regards,
Bob Hunt
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