Bikes & Bikeshare -- Tools of Protest

Here on World Bicycle Day, it's interesting to recognize how the humble bicycle is used as a tool for protest. Protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement that are combating acts of police and vigilante violence are rocking my city of Washington, D.C. and many more around the world.

The bicycle provides a healthy and safe mode of transport to reach the protest, especially in this time of COVID-19 when transit usage is undesirable.

The bicycle allows protestors easy access to the protest without the need to find motor vehicle parking and the nimbleness to walk through the gathered. And yes, the bicycle also provides a quick way to exit should things devolve and become violent, as has happened here this week due to the poor leadership of a heartless, brainless, and soulless dictator who has another 153 days in office.

It is good seeing the D.C. region's Capital Bikeshare being used by many protestors to proudly express their right of free speech.

Present times also remind me of past uses of the bicycle for protest, such as the women's liberation movement in the U.S. and the Provo movement in The Netherlands, which gave rise to bikeshare.