TRIAL UPDATE
Posted 11/27/2011
The criminal trial of the truck driver who killed Sylvia over 26 months ago in Cleveland has finally concluded. Herschel Roberts was convicted Monday 11/21 of "aggravated vehicular homicide" due to recklessness. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison and had his driver's license revoked for life.
Various articles and TV news clips can be found by googling "herschel roberts cleveland." We were wonderfully supported by Sylvia's friends and the Cleveland biking community throughout the trial. We were unhappy that evidence of the use of drugs by the driver (16 times the legal limit) was 'suppressed' (not admitted) by the judge in the bench trial (no jury, at the defendant's request) but he nonetheless concluded that Roberts had to have seen Sylvia in his side mirrors had he looked before turning sharply right. His failure to exercise care was deemed recklessness.
Several legal issues which are important for the biking community in Ohio arose during the two-year legal proceedings which Steve will be addressing as part of his work on the Sylvia Bingham Fund (SBF) when he reduces his work time at Bay Area Legal Aid to 20% in January. Expect to hear from us as we strive to raise more funds to underwrite the Fund's donations to grass-roots organizations whose work corresponds to the SBF mission. If you would like to claim a 2011 tax deduction, we encourage donations at this time to the Peace Development Fund. Click here for details on how to make donations. In January, the items regarding legal proceedings will be moved to an inside page as the website evolves into the SBF's central communications medium.
A new community-oriented store Sylvia would have been very proud of !
Posted 7/12/2011
On a happier note, our last visit to Cleveland in June coincided with the opening day of the Joy Machines Bike Shop, an exciting community-oriented startup in Ohio City, jointly owned and operated by Alex Nosse, who was Sylvia's boyfriend, and his friend Renato Pereira-Castillo. The concept for the shop was born in the winter of 2010 and only six months later they're open for business. These guys are amazing! Beside repairing bicycles and selling new ones, Alex and Renato are interested in doing outreach and education in low-income communities. See their website at http://www.joymachinesbikeshop.comClick here to see pictures taken at their store on opening day >>
FUND PURPOSE
The Sylvia Bingham Fund will support two categories of primarily grassroots organizations:• Those that support efforts to improve “street safety” such as (1) educating drivers of motor vehicles to be safe around bicyclists; (2) educating cyclists to be more conscious of the inherent danger of cycling and steps that can be taken to minimize the danger; and (3) working with government transportation agencies, urban planners and legislators to adopt street safety measures.
• Those that engage in work that reflects the values that Sylvia had developed in her all-too-short life, such as the organizations that she worked for: City Seed in New Haven and Hard-Hatted Women in Cleveland. Sylvia loved good, healthy food – growing it, cooking it, eating it. She was aware of the disconnect between much of the “food movement” and low-income communities. An example of an organization that she would have loved to support is the Oakland-based organization Love Cultivating Schoolyards. Sylvia’s social justice activism went beyond food issues – forming a social justice club at her high school with the help of Next Generation, opposing military recruiting on high school campuses and demonstrating for a just peace throughout the Middle East.
THE GHOST BIKE
The Ohio City Bike Co-Op has placed a Ghost Bike on the corner of the tragic accident. You can participate by locating an area where an actual bicycle accident took place or is likely to happen. Paint an old, worn-out bicycle entirely gloss white. Add a placard with the information of the accident and lock it to a suitable object near the scene of the accident, preferably with the approval of local authorities. Please do not position the ghost bike in a way that increases the risk of future accidents. The ghost bike idea seems to have originated with a project by San Francisco artist Jo Slota.Ghost Bike Wiki >>
Photos of Sylvia's Ghost Bike >>