“While I am not the final decision-maker in this situation, I will use this email to urge Coalition leadership to summarily deny all requests outlined by the Council of Clubs to subvert the democratic processes of the Coalition“
-Jacob Mendel, Advocacy Chair, San Diego County Bicycle Coalition
First, some urgent housekeeping.
The motivations of a few “leading“ the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition are clear: they wish to deceive Normal People into believing they’re promoting diversity when in reality they are trying to build an self-serving echo-chamber to serve themselves. If successful, the organization will be another one of the hundreds of organizations taken over and captured by dishonest neo-racists.
YOU, however can change this!
Become a member of the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition for free. After becoming a member, be sure to register by July 25th for the July 27th vote which will occur at 6:30 PDT via Xoom.
If you don’t register by July 25th, then you will not receive the invitation for Wednesday’s vote!
Vote “NO” to send a message that the San Diego County Bike Coalition will not fall to neoracist insurrectionalists.
Turns out, not everybody is a fan, of a certain someone’s childish desperate prejudiced plea.
Jacob - I am in shock after reading the email you wrote and sent to BikeSD. A copy of your email is attached. Such vitriol, negativity and untruths coming from leadership is appalling and counterproductive to maintaining a good working relationship with coalition members. By generalizing and demonizing a large group of coalition members, you have succeeded in alienating not only those members who have views different from yours on how to create safe bicycle infrastructure in San Diego but also coalition members who agree with you on many issues. The attitude you have expressed is a big part of the problem existing in the coalition today, and it is not coming from the old white guys you believe are bullying you and holding you hostage. Having been a member of the coalition, on the coalition board and a member of the committee that rewrote the bylaws two years ago, I disagree with your facts and your portrayal of experienced, dedicated cyclists who have spent many volunteer hours advocating for safe cycling infrastructure in San Diego. I am also appalled by your lack of respect for others, your generalizations, and your inflammatory language. As a part of the leadership team, your behavior is unacceptable.
Below are some specific comments I would like to share with you, Jacob:
1. The club members I know are not against protected bikeways. They want SAFE bikeways. They also want to retain the right to ride on the road if they consider it safer to do so.
2. Held hostage? That has NOT been my perception of what has taken place in the last 3-4 years. It is also very inflammatory language from someone who says he wants to work with all coalition members.
3. Mostly older, white men? Well, we all know what stereotype you are referring to when you say that. All old white men are sexist, racist, against diversity, against change etc. etc. You would not put up with others making such broad generalizations about another group of people because it is called PREJUDICE, Jacob. That holds true for ALL groups. Your comment is ageist, sexist, AND racist. Practice what you preach, Jacob!
3. Bullying? Again, Jacob, not a good way to work with others who disagree with you. What I have seen is individual cyclists who have decades of cycling experience trying to make sure that the infrastructure that gets built in San Diego is safe.
4.Pushing young progressive cyclists out of the coalition? You make this statement without any supporting facts. People leave the coalition for many reasons. I left the coalition Board because the leadership failed to realize that the COALITION SHOULD INCLUDE ALL CYCLISTS. The coalition leadership's solution to those who disagree with them has been to create a caricature of clubs and club members so they would have a way to get others to support their efforts to oust the club reps on the Board, I could not continue to listen to all the fighting, mostly initiated by the leadership team. If there is bullying, leadership should establish and ENFORCE rules of conduct, not try to get rid of members who hold some views different from theirs. ALL members should feel like they are being respected and heard. Right now it appears that nobody feels like they are being respected and heard. Sounds like weak leadership to me.
When you became a Board member, Jacob, you signed an agreement to work with and be respectful of all coalition members. Your email is clearly a breach of the agreement you signed. In addition, your email was sent to others outside of the coalition. As an SDCBC Board member and Chair of the Advocacy Committee, the disrespectful views and prejudices included in your email are a negative reflection on the entire coalition.
It is clear to me, Jacob, that a NO vote on the bylaws is needed. The proposed changes would lead to less diversity, disenfranchisement of a huge number of coalition members and lower standards for safe bikeways. I would suggest that a better course of action at this time would be to concentrate on building trust and mending the rift and animosity that you have intensified through the email you sent out to hundreds, if not thousands of cyclists who all want the same thing... safe cycling routes for all who ride.
[Name Removed]