I'm halfway through a fifty-mile ride as I write this. I think I'll swing into Cato and grab a tea dress.
I'm told I have great legs (but my antler is even better). Moose On Jun 13, 2011 3:20 PM, "Jonathan Ashley" <[email protected]> wrote: > *Saudi Arabia on the Hudson: NYPD Officer Stopped Cyclist For Wearing Skirt* > by Noah Kazis on June 10, 2011 > > When Jasmijn Rijcken, the general manager of the VANMOOF bicycle > company, traveled from Amsterdam to New York in late April, she was > excited to see what she'd heard described as a city that had embraced > bicycling. It wasn't NYC's new protected bike lanes that defined her > ride through the city, however, but the New York Police Department, > currently in the midst of a major crackdown against cyclists. > > Jasmijn Rijcken was stopped and almost ticketed by an NYPD officer for > biking in this outfit. Her skirt, the officer said, was too distracting > for drivers. > > Rijcken was in town for the New Amsterdam Bike Show on April 30. After > she had dismounted on Broadway in SoHo, an NYPD officer stopped, > berated, and threatened to ticket Rijcken for wearing a skirt while > cycling, which, it must be noted, is entirely legal and common. Rijcken > says the officer told her that her skirt was dangerous because she would > distract drivers and potentially cause them to crash. > > "I was standing there next to my bike, looking at my map, and then this > police guy stops and starts telling me about my skirt," reported > Rijcken. "At first I thought he was making a joke or maybe even a > compliment, but then I found out he was serious because he got really mad." > > The officer got out of his car and threatened to ticket her, said > Rijcken, even though, it bears repeating, there is no law against biking > in a skirt. The justification for a potential ticket was the danger her > exposed skin posed to everyone on the street. "That was the bottom line, > that I was very dangerous," said Rijcken. "I think every woman, even > when walking in a skirt, would be dangerous then." > > According to Rijcken, the cop's words were not merely an empty threat. > He took her ID and only began to back down when he saw that she was > Dutch. She hurriedly explained that in Amsterdam, it's common for women > to bike in skirts. In the end, the officer told her she should change > into pants and let her go. > > At the time, Rijcken said, she wasn't sure that she hadn't broken the > law. "If you're by yourself in a different country and a police guy > comes really angrily at you, you get scared," she said. > > This is not the first time an NYPD officer has stopped cyclists for > completely frivolous non-offenses. In April, a private school > administrator received a ticket for biking with a tote bag on her > handlebars. The police have not responded to a Streetsblog inquiry about > Rijcken's allegations. > > Her harassment at the hands of the police has colored Rijcken's > perception of not only New York City but the United States. "I was > shocked," she said. "In Holland, people refer to America as the country > of freedom." > > -- > > > Freedom is always illegal! > > When we ask for freedom, we have already failed. It is only when we > declare freedom for ourselves and refuse to accept any less, that we > have any possibility of being free. -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
