Advocacy & Safety - Oh the irony...

Cross posted in the "Living Car-free" forum, but I thought it was relevant here as well...

Tonight, I wanted to go see a free screening of An Inconvenient Truth as part of the Los Angeles Film Festival, and I rode there, bringing only 1 U-lock, thinking that since it was an outdoor screening, I would be able to lock my bike up somewhere within viewing distance. Well, I was wrong.

As soon as I got to the outdoor plaza where they were screening the film, the security guards/police confronted me, and said I had to lock my bike outside of the premises. Of course, I didn't want to do this, as I only brought 1 U-lock, and it was a bad part of downtown. They wouldn't budge. So, I rode back home, pretty pissed off.

Does anyone else see the irony in this picture? How can a screening of this movie in particular be so bike-unfriendly? Unfortunately, being in LA, I think I was the only one who rode there, and I had no voice.

I just couldn't believe my ears...

Thats freaken halarious!

Yeah, I guess it's funny now that I look at it...also sad. At the time, I was freakin pissed off.

They did the same thing to me when I tried to see Breaking Away and Quicksilver.

Bike security is your responsibility, not theirs, be prepared or learn to deal with it, expectng the world to change or bend to your rules is silly.

No 'rules' were spoken of......
just a commentary on society.
Thats why the word 'irony' was used in the title.

^^I understand that, but anyone who has spent any time riding much in a city cant help but have to deal with locking up a bike and being prepared to do so ! There's some irony for you, OP wasnt prepared LOL. Sorry, just one of my pet peeves, people expecting special treatment for them and their bikes, bit absurd in my book. Ya, the movie was environment related, so what happens if most of the people show up on bikes and they ALL expect to be able to bring their bikes inside?

^^I understand that, but anyone who has spent any time riding much in a city cant help but have to deal with locking up a bike and being prepared to do so ! There's some irony for you, OP wasnt prepared LOL. Sorry, just one of my pet peeves, people expecting special treatment for them and their bikes, bit absurd in my book. Ya, the movie was environment related, so what happens if most of the people show up on bikes and they ALL expect to be able to bring their bikes inside?

Not sure what you're getting at. There is no harm in letting someone take their bike into an outdoor area, and lock it up to a pole. It's a stupid pointless rule. I'm sure they allow the handicap to bring in their chairs.

Not sure what you're getting at. There is no harm in letting someone take their bike into an outdoor area, and lock it up to a pole. It's a stupid pointless rule. I'm sure they allow the handicap to bring in their chairs.
Those meanies won't play by your rules? Whaa, Whaa, Whaa. Be glad you can walk, cry baby.

http://www.omba.org/forum/images/smiles/crybaby2.gif

Next time, just in case take more then one lock. Also you could have requested to speak with someone in charge of the event above the guards heads with higher authority. That is what I would have done. If that person or people told you no you would not have liked it but at least you would have had it from a higher authority instead of someone who may have just said no without really knowing the rules on something like that.

How often does these film festivals take place in this area of LA? At the next one take more then 1 lock & ask to speak to someone of higher authority of the guards tell you know. Or get an answer from higher authority prior to attending the festival.

Why were there guards at a FREE film festival anyway? Was there a beer garden or something like that that required monitoring form guards or police? I could understand the need if there was an admission charge or adult beverages served. But if not why were they even there?

Ironic indeed, but be prepared next time if you don't want to be disappointed! I had the opposite happen recently. The TriBeCa film festival had a free outdoor screening. I called to ask if it was possible to lock a bike near the screening. The operators had no idea and I wasn't 100% familiar with the area, so we took the subway. We could have easily locked our bikes (well, one bike, the other, a folder, could have been folded next to me). Bah!

Oh I see the irony of it, but some other members here have a valid point. You have to be prepared for this sort of thing, especially in an area like L.A., where the automobile is worshipped as a god, and very few considerations are made for cyclists.

Still, if Al Gore himself had showed up on a bike, would the police have turned him, and is secret service detail, away?

Does anyone else see the irony in this picture? How can a screening of this movie in particular be so bike-unfriendly? Unfortunately, being in LA, I think I was the only one who rode there, and I had no voice.

Talk about an inconvenient truth.......

Jeeze 0-20 in 5 Sec. How can you think you're environmental if you didn't even see the movie? What are you thinking man? You can't absolve your sins if you don't see the movie. You had a chance for a free indugence and you blew it. My sister had to pay $9.00 ($7.00 matinee) and now she can drive her SUV and be carbon free. I mean what, do you think actually doing something counts? Oh you silly fool.

More irony that supposedly freethinking bicycle riders actually
agree with the pointless overreaching, powertripping actions of useless
authoritarian figure........

:rolleyes:

Oh I see the irony of it, but some other members here have a valid point. You have to be prepared for this sort of thing, especially in an area like L.A., where the automobile is worshipped as a god, and very few considerations are made for cyclists.

What? You mean, they let people drive their cars and park them in there, but they wouldn't let you in with your bike? That's nuts. It should be fair.

It is fair, cars get parked outside, and so do bikes :)

I'm sure they allow the handicap to bring in their chairs.

Yeah, they "allow" it, but don't think for a second that they would go out of their way to make it any easier if it weren't required by law. Many places now are designed to allow handicap access which makes it a non-issue but I have been involved in the politics of several places that pre-dated access laws and which were very up-in-arms about paying up the wazoo to upgrade their facilities . . . they only did so when they saw they would be fined for violating the law, and even then only did the bare minimum to meet the law.

Al Gore is a complete farce. What he does is for public comsumption, not because of any beliefs he holds. You were taken in by the facade he presents. Live and learn.

Trek Al

Al Gore is a complete farce. What he does is for public comsumption, not because of any beliefs he holds. You were taken in by the facade he presents. Live and learn.

Trek Al

We can stop the political commentary right here. If Al Gore doesn't suit one's tastes, just fill in the blank with the public figure of your choice.

Of course, I can imagine the officer's conduct would have been considerably different if the rider had been an attractive blonde, eh?

-Kurt

he should be prez, but bu**** walked! i voted gore, would again (for what it's worth).
i look forward to watching this movie, will wait for it to be on vhs/dvd so i can see it on my own time (no extra bike locks required)!
the truth is out there.....people just need to see/walk it....go green-peace!
tg

This place is like an internet fist fight :p last 3 threads I have read in this forum start with one person on a rant or making a statment then 2 or 3 post later sombody breaks out the e-fist and starts a' swingin.

If there was a spot for him to lock his bike up out of the way why not? I wouldnt call it "special treatment" more of common curtosy.

This place is like an internet fist fight :p last 3 threads I have read in this forum start with one person on a rant or making a statment then 2 or 3 post later sombody breaks out the e-fist and starts a' swingin.

If there was a spot for him to lock his bike up out of the way why not? I wouldnt call it "special treatment" more of common curtosy.
No one is slagging it out in my threads. :p

If you saw another cyclist there locking up, you could have asked him/her if they'd like to share locks with you. After all, you'd be leaving at about the same time so it wouldn't be too inconvenient. I went to a parade this weekend with my boyfriend and together we had two locks to lock up both our bikes, making them more secure than if we'd locked each up individually. Next time, bring a friend in addition to your U-lock!

It's all about liability. They simply don't want to be responsable in any way, shape of form. It's probably cheaper for them. I notice that when I go to regular movies. literally ACRES of parking, and ONE little spot to lock my bike. Surprise, surprise, i'm the only one. That sucks man, especially when it's free...

my point is this:you ride in the city, you lock up your bike outside, quite simple, be prepared, expect NO special treatment, but accept it when its given and be humbly grateful for it, but never ever ever expect it.........part of being a responsible rider is handling a simple lock up and carrying lock(s) with you

has to be one of the most talked about aspects on this forum, seems most think their bike deserves special treament and cant possibly survive wthout constant supervision and care, BS, its a bike, its a tool to get a job done, for many its just an expensive part time thrill maker, at any rate, locking it up and it will live just fine

There is no harm in letting someone take their bike into an outdoor area, and lock it up to a pole. It's a stupid pointless rule. I'm sure they allow the handicap to bring in their chairs.
There is probably no harm in letting you take your bike into that outdoor area. But there might be a reason they disallow bicycles. Sometimes thieves use bikes as getaway vehicles. You might just have gotten barred because of the acts of a few dishonest people.

I'm not saying that refusing to admit bicycles into the viewing area is necessarily wrong but would be skeptical about such a policy. Often such policies (I'm not just talking about bikes, I'm talking about any unjustified, seemingly arbitrary policy) are based on bias and not on any legitimate safety or convenince concern. It might not even have been an official policy. The cop could have just made it up because it seemed right to him.


Sometimes thieves use bikes as getaway vehicles.

I would more readily accept this argument if everyone entering the viewing area was search for weapons. Was the OP searched for weapons?

I had a similar conflict once. I went to see a speech by Michael Moore. I walked to the stadium from school and I was carrying a backpack. It turned out that there was policy of forbidding backpacks in the stadium. This policy did not apply to all bags, just backpacks. It was also not strictly enforced but it was enforced for me. They refused to hold my backpack for me or offer any other reasonable solution. The only solution they offered was that I just leave it under a bush. Really, they were just assuming that everyone had a car nearby that they could leave their stuff in.