Critical Mass Ride for Shiloh Skalka

Heat. Heat. Heat. in the right place. Yes. going. >> Oh, I don't think so. So, are you in the planning stages now? >> Yes. Never seen that again. I have some tape if you want to tape the bottom. Tape it down. Thank you. Hey, >> train him. Really? Wow. What's this all about? Who are you? Why are you here? Um, I'm a resident of the South End and I'm also a planning commissioner with the city of Burlington and I'm here today um to commemorate Shiloh um and everyone here today um is here to um make ourselves seen and our message known that u bikes deserve safety um on the streets of Burlington and we want to come together to mourn. Um, a life cut short. I've seen you out there. >> I got him. Now I just >> CCTV I'm too Oh, do you need your Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. doesn't happen. >> Uh, I mean, >> yeah, we miss you here. Retired, too. No, no, no. Don't worry. I'm worried about that. >> I know. Honestly, I >> think Well, that's great. >> Yes. >> Yeah. That's my new route. Now that I have now that I have the extens I can say a couple words if that's okay. >> I I can read a couple words. All right. >> Let me know when it's ready. >> Okay, you're on. >> Hey there. My name is John Williams. I'm with the Green Mountain Bike Club and also the Richard Tom Foundation. So sad to see the loss of Shiloh right here. Um, it reminds me of Richard Tom who we lost in 2015 during daylight in Hinesburg. He was hit by a car. The driver died and Richard Tom died. So days like this are uh very very difficult and we wish the best for Shiloh's family. >> Thank you. >> Okay. >> My name is Brian Howard. I'm from the Green Mountain Bike Club as well. And um sorry I have to be here under these circumstances. Um Shiloh was definitely taken too early in her life and hard to believe that it happened during daylight hours. I really feel sorry for her family. I I know they're going to miss her very much. So I'm glad to be here in in memoriam for her ride. So thank you. No >> anything for >> CCTV. >> What would you ask? >> Why are you here? >> Yeah. >> What do you think of the event? >> Sure. Yeah, I'm here because I um am deeply moved by this accident, this tragic death. U my daughter was a close friend of Shiloh's and although I didn't know her in person, everything I hear, I just confirms that we lost an amazing member of our community and the ripple effects are tremendous. So, I'm really happy to be part of this community event of uh people power through pedaling and uh just reminding all of our community that bikes are out here and bicyclists are vulnerable and we need to be responsible, but we also need the accountability of drivers and everybody to just remember that safe streets streets are essential for bicyclists, pedestrians, and drivers. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. CCTV. >> Yeah. >> Talking about safe streets. Is that okay? >> Yeah. >> Hi, my name is uh Breck Bowen and I'm a volunteer with AERP. Um, we are interested in making our community better and safer for all, in particular, making our streets safer for everyone to to ride. And so, we're very much supportive of this uh of this event and hope that no other tra tragic events like this occur in the future. Well, sorry. I'm recording myself actually. Yeah. Thomas. >> Okay. I asked I don't know anything about this. I wasn't conscious. >> You want to say something? I'm surprised that there's no um coverage last night for um the primary. I got spoiled by >> I'm guessing maybe 17 never carried the primaries. I don't know. >> Would you like to say something about this event? >> Okay, here. Hold this. >> Would you like to say something about this event? >> Not really. Um, thank you though. Um, >> obviously beyond tra tragic, I think that it points a finger at the poor planning for um the Champlain Parkway. You know, this is just my bias. Um, you know, as a community, we've known for years that protected bike lanes are critical and we'll see if we make any progress there. Okay, Sarah, >> I know your route, too. cucumber salad. I guess we >> sounded very chilly. >> I'm like probably You want? Yeah, it's okay. >> You want to say something? I guess I don't really >> look at this. >> Would you like to stand in front of the camera and say something? have the bus to >> Berlin. Usually I don't Well, a lot of people are saying public safety. Most of the people I've gotten. >> Yes. >> Reverse in my house. My favorite I I would say though kind of strangely one of my favorite local um local public I think that's a great >> I totally Oh yeah. >> Well, whatever. >> All right, we'll see you later. Uh Burlington, thank you for being here. I will certainly do that for you. push down a little bit into the grass here if we can standing right now. It's not an NPA meeting, but it's fun. You guys sure? >> I'm here today because bike safety is very important and drivers need to learn to share the road. I drive. I bike. Bikers need to follow the rules of the road and drivers need to share. >> Thank you. >> Yeah, it's going to be on TV CCTV. CCTV on YouTube. Okay. it. >> Yes, I'll be able to find here and talk that way. You want to hold it like >> Yeah. But you know Yeah. And ideally you have like out the insurance. >> Yeah, there is there is one thing that's like >> I will talk to you if you want. You >> ready? >> Okay. >> Good evening. >> Except maybe not. >> Am I audible for all this? >> Mama. >> Okay. No, >> if you're over there and you can't hear me, just you'll have to pack in. >> Uh, my name is Jack Evans. I'm a neighbor of this. I'm a cyclist who rides past this intersection every day. I'm an advocate of locomotion. mostly right now. I'm just heartbroken. So, thank you all, all of you for being here. Despite the weather, though, rain at times like these feels more fitting. Tonight, we will have a critical mass ride in honor of Shiloh. We will ride as one through the streets, our streets, for two reasons. The first is morning. July 16th, less than a month ago now. Shiloh Shulka Scala, sorry, was riding a bicycle when she was hit and killed by a car. She died because we live in a world that lets drivers forget their responsibility. a car requires them to have that enables them to be distracted, reckless, and negligent without consequence. No life should be cut short because our streets, our culture, our communities prioritize cars over the fundamental safety of a human life. For all of us, even those who never knew Shiloh, this loss has been devastating in a way that feels confusing and terrifying and enraging. It's a grief that feels inseparable from the feeling that we can see ourselves in her. We can see our children in her. It could be any one of us. It's an anger that one death is too many and that it should not be like this. and that what many of us are feeling tonight, what we are carrying is only a fraction of what her family, her friends, her classmates, her community have been forced to endure senselessly. Above all else, we are here for them and to honor the parts of Shiloh that they carry with them every day. So, let's take a moment of silence for Shiloh to remember her now and remember her every time we get on our bikes and get in the streets. Thank you. The second reason we're here is to be together. Take a moment. Look around you. There's more bicyclists than I've seen in one place in my whole life. You might have come with someone. You might have come alone. Right now, you are not alone. We are all here to mourn and show up for one another, even when it feels the hardest, when it's raining, when the ride is not about joy, but grief. that we are resilient as a community and that we come together when we need it most. There are two ways beyond tonight to keep Shiloh's memory alive and keep showing up for her family and the people she's left behind. The family has established a memorial fund for Shiloh which will carry on her spirit of creativity, compassion, and community. If you have the means to give even a little, please do so. You can find information on the prayer cards that are being passed around and on the ride link for tonight. The second way is to continue to demand justice. The driver, Doug Knap, is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, August 27th, 8:30 a.m. at 32 Cherry Street, Sweet 300. We are asking everyone able to show up that morning to show up in support of justice and to show the courts that the community is watching and demanding resolution. Tonight when we ride, we ride as one. and our grief and our right to these streets will be undeniable because Shiloh's death is not an anomaly. It is not a statistic. It is an unacceptable tragedy that we cannot let repeat and she should be here. I'm going to step aside now and let Christian speak. So first of all, thank you everyone. everyone for uh coming today to remember Shiloh, especially uh in this rain. Many of you knew her and what a shining light she was. And for those of you who didn't, I can assure you she was beautiful and righteous. And she loved to ride her bike and see the world go by. and she lived her life in a spirit of empathy and community. And so this is a really fitting way to honor her. I also want to acknowledge that we're gathered today to speak out not just for Shiloh, but for all riders and walkers in our town and state whose safety is too often devalued. The criminal charge was made in Shiloh's case establishes unequivocally that she did nothing wrong, was a blameless victim, that the person who killed her still has their driver's license, presumably is still driving, and the charge is a misdemeanor. In the absence of any facts, police or from the state's attorney, I can't yet say whether This is right. But today's demonstration of solidarity says loudly and clearly to our social and legal infrastructures that lawful riders and walkers have a right to the streets and a legal and moral right to safety and protection and defense. In this spirit of solidarity, I'd like to ask everyone to join me in a moment of power. On the count of three, please chant Shiloh's name with me eight times, once for each two years of her beautiful life. So on the count of three, everybody ready? >> One, two, three. Shiloh. Shiloh. Shiloh. Shiloh. Shiloh. Shiloh. Shiloh. Shiloh. Thank you. Hi everyone. Uh just through this ride. This is a really huge group and we just want to make sure everyone is as safe as possible. So um we've got two ride leaders. That's me and that's Val who's waving their hand over there. Um we are going to be taking the lane. So, we won't be on the shared use path and we'll be heading this way towards Main Street. We've got some corkers who will block traffic for us so we can all safely exit the shared use path. Um, please do not ride ahead of the ride leaders. That's me and Val. And please do not ride behind our sweep, which is the blue truck. Um, and that truck uh is going to be keeping us safe today. Um, so just keep an eye out for each other, be safe, but we've got safety and numbers as well. And this will be a pretty short ride. It's about 2 miles, about 20 minutes. Um, and we'll head back there under our lightning and you feel unsafe, definitely feel free to get off. Okay, thanks everyone. And we'll be hanging out in a minute. Heat. Heat. Heat. Bike up ahead. Been cut off. Heat. Heat. Heat. I tell you again. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Thank you, Charlie. Okay. >> No, you're not. No, you're not. Okay. You got it. Oh yeah. >> Wow. >> Hard for silence. firearm. Hey We're saying hi to a friend. >> I'll see y'all. Thank you. >> Sorry. Charlie get back on track. I go up. What's going on? I didn't even know you had very I know. I I We're going to have to go down the bank. [music] Go around behind this guy. You're right. Yeah. Well, hold on. Let's hear over here. What we made it >> for? Oh my god. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> It's I love everything about it. I'm going to spend an >> hour. I see your daughter's on campus. Say hi. I would No, I was That's the way 45 balls. All right. Coming back. >> Oh my god, that I don't know. I'm still doing my whole jump off. >> Um, do you Like, is that better? First time I did that like Let's go to my mom. My mother has some black. usually like 40 or 50 people there. miles on this 3930. Yeah. So it's like all right still about miles. You are say hi to Yeah, I work from home all the on a Wednesday. >> Oh, yeah. Yeah. Compared to what I would do, they're way. It's great to see this much more just there. It's just sometimes, you know, hard to judge that negative people over all the people who want Do you want me to just keep the bike with me or How close do I need to be here? >> It's good. >> You into the camera. >> So, why are you here today? I came out today because I heard the news about Shiloh uh the day it happened and I would my my chest immediately dropped. I uh I I cycle every day all year round and I know that this could be any any one of us. My my partner also bikes around and it's something I think about all the time. It's why I wear the camera that's on top of my helmet um just in case something were to happen. Uh these things happen so fast in the blink of an eye. Um, and it's a scary thing that we all have to deal with all the time. And when it's it's a it's almost a shared trauma, um, so to speak. Um, and it kind of makes us all feel like a like a family. And when somebody hurts one of us, they hurt all of us. Um, and and they really do. It it really affects you in your in your spirit. And um uh and when you see these headlines, it's like it's like the one thing you're there's a few, but it's one of several things that um you you really just you really hope you don't see come up on the news and and when they do um yeah, so I I came out to support the family um both Shiloh's blood family and and and the cycling pedestrian community here in Burlington just to stick together and um see other people all in the same place and um just remind that, you know, um we also love each other and support one another. Um and we know what each other's going through. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. Thanks. >> What's the >> So this is where Charlie the one that goes like all the meetings lot to do this wonderful service it really makes a lot of Thank you very much. >> Thank you. Thanks for coming here. >> I'm okay. Bye. >> Thank you. Um I mean when I left here I feel like we all were happy. So >> yeah, I don't know how much it is.