People are taking to the streets all around the country to push for reform—on feet and wheels. After George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis on May 25th, protests against police brutality and systemic racism rose around the country. Cities like Memphis, Atlanta, Portland, New York City, and Los Angeles, among many others, showed overwhelming support for the Black Lives Matter movement and continue to demand justice with weekly, often daily peaceful demonstrations.
While marching remains one of the most historically recognized way to protest, many in the above cities, and others, have taken to two wheels to spread the message of love and demand for justice farther, and wider. By covering more ground while more easily observing social distancing practices, the bike protests have proved increasingly popular and effective at uniting neighborhoods and cities against prevalent racism in America.
Groups as large as 10,000 have ridden through the streets of New York, and continue to do so on a weekly basis.
As unity is key to the message and function of protest, even bike protests aren't exclusively for cyclists. “The protest groups are open to everyone, whether you have a bike or not,” Juny Francois, co-founder of Riders for Black Lives, says. “Anyone on wheels: bike, skates, skateboards, scooters, young, old, children, and families. That’s the beauty of it—seeing the diversity in the community.”
