Ever taken an evening stroll down York Blvd and find yourself in the midst of a herd of bikers? Perhaps on the second Friday of the month? If so you may have encountered the Midnight Ridazz on their bike route. In 2004 a few bike riders and skate boarders in Echo Park took an impromptu bike tour of the fountains in downtown Los Angeles leading to what would become a city wide phenomenon. The idea of late night bike riding with a punk flare became popular and a year later the small group found that they had over a hundred riders joining them on the second Friday of every month. Soon the group grew too large and the Bike Ridazz decided to host multiple rides a month to encourage greater participation but in smaller groups. Today, there are midnight rides almost every day of the week including Taco Tuesdays, Wednesday Night Drink Some Ride Some and themed weekend rides.
The Midnight Ridazz have worked to support and even create the LA bike culture but as the group’s numbers continue to swell, public opinion of the group has begun to vary. Supporting all levels of bicyclists, the midnight rides provide an alternative atmosphere for riders to enjoy themselves and get to know fellow bikers in their community. But the rides have also experienced safety problems as the number of bike riders continues to grow. Though the Midnight Ridazz emphasize bike safety and proper riding protocol, the group has experienced serious safety issues due to the sheer volume of riders and the fact that many of the group members are intoxicated while riding. The LAPD has picked up on this biking trend and will often go to different locations along the cycling routes to cite bikers for traffic violations. Though many of these problems are to be expected with a rowdy group of bike riders, one incident was especially disturbing not only to the Bike Ridazz but to the biking community as a whole.
On July 10th 2009, as hundreds of cyclists made their way down Avenue 52 in Highland Park during a “Neverland” themed ride, the riders were attacked by a group of men at a house party. One biker was shot in the back but later recovered in the hospital. Though the Highland Park area has a higher rate of violence and gang activity than other areas in LA, the incidence reveals the vulnerability of these riders and the need to respect the communities they ride through not only for their own safety but for the safety of those they share the road with.
So are the Midnight Ridazz a group providing a way to promote sustainability and alternative transport in Los Angeles? A punk drinking team with a cycling problem? A cycling team suffering from insomnia? Take a ride and find out!
To find a ride near you visit the Midnight Ridazz website http://www.midnightridazz.com/ and look at the ride calendar. For more information on the July 10th shooting and other occurances in the Highland Park area take a look at the 90042 blog http://highlandpark.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/avenue-craziness/.
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