[NMCycling] do send letters to Grisham

[Jennifer Buntz]

Y’all are making me laugh, with your sudden political activism, writing
letters to the Governor and such.  Solo or small group outdoor cycling,
from what we know, is a COVID-19 low risk activity (not including cycling
in any high-use areas).  However, even in NM, there are lots of people who
don’t want to wear a mask or socially distance during high risk
activities.  MLG is more than busy enough dealing with them.



Even if MLG received an unlikely one thousand, or two thousand letters
(0.05 to 0.1 % of NMs population), why would she bother with the
difficulties of making a special exemption?   How is it that the general
public is going to perceive an exception for cycling as being fair?  Where
do you draw the line?  People out walking their dogs are getting exercise.
What makes cyclists so special?  Besides that, cyclists have no political
voice, zero political capital.



Over the years, Duke City Wheelmen has offered cyclists many opportunities
to come together and develop a political identity.  But largely those
efforts have brought out very few supporters from this list-serve.  If you
are not sure what I am talking about, think about how many of you
supported, over 5 years, “Can You See Us NOW?” or have ever, since 2011,
come to the Round House on bicycle/motorcycle day during a legislative
session?  How many letters did you write in support of legislation that
would have given a judge the *option* of assessing a penalty more in line
with the crime of killing a cyclist?  (Or maybe you think that a $300.00
fine and/or 90 days jail/probation is enough?)  How many placements of the
45 ghost bikes in New Mexico that DCW is responsible for have you ever come
to?



You can of course now voice your dissatisfaction about having to wear a
mask when cycling outdoors, from your
well-off-enough-to-own-an-expennsive-road-bike-and-have-time-to-ride-durinng-a-pandemic,
white, (mostly) male perch.  Or you might want to use your place of
privilege to set an example, deciding that protecting others is actually
really important.



Remember, some international locations banned outdoor exercise altogether
due to the pandemic (parts of Italy & Spain + areas Paris).  Maybe we
should just be happy with the fact that we can ride outside and are healthy
enough to do so, accepting this measure as our small contribution to the
effort of keeping SARS-CoV-2 from running rampant in our State.   That’s
what I’ll be doing going forward.


Jennifer Buntz











On Fri, Jul 10, 2020 at 2:35 PM John Savickas via Bike-racers <
bike-racers at mailman.swcp.com> wrote:

> Ride in a Group and say you are part of a protest and then masks are not
> required.
>
> Protest can be about not wearing masks while exercising.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bike-racers <bike-racers-bounces at mailman.swcp.com> On Behalf Of
> Heidi
> Snell via Bike-racers
> Sent: Friday, July 10, 2020 2:26 PM
> To: bike-racers at mailman.swcp.com
> Subject: [NMCycling] do send letters to Grisham
>
> Fellow cyclists:
>
> I think MLGrisham needs to hear from many cyclists as to why there needs to
> be an exception the mask rule. The letter can be short and easy, simply
> asking to not wearing a mask when cycling while also keeping a good social
> distance.  Others of you have already written good reasons and those can be
> incorporated into a letter. I don't think she needs a huge list of reasons,
> but she does need to hear from enough people to make time to make a change
> in the ruling.
>
> My thoughts are with the mask law and a fine involved, it seems to me the
> cyclist/police interactions could just get worse. Police could easily pull
> a
> cyclist over as an easy target. Without an exception to the mask ruling, a
> ticket could be a plausible result.
>
> A letter is easy and she just needs to hear from the New Mexicans she is
> trying to protect.  I expect she is willing to make a change with proper
> input.
>
> I certainly would not want to be in her shoes with the massive pressure she
> has trying to keep as many people safe as she can while maintaining a
> functioning state.
>
> cheers,
> heidi
>
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