Driver in Brazil Critical Mass incident claims no intention to kill »
via GoingGoingBike.com:
Its been a couple of months since the events of the critical mass mow down in Brazil when a motorist ploughed into a group of cyclists enjoying a group ride through the streets of the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre.
Though, the driver, Ricardo José Neis, didn’t kill anyone, the story received widespread media coverage, with our own coverage helping to break the story this side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Granted habeas corpus release
So what has happened since that night of February 25. Mr Neis was eventually taken into custody, released after questioning and then rearrested again and put back into custody once he was charged for the offence of attempted murder (on 17 counts).
Despite this, Mr Neis has now been granted a release from custody under Brazilian law. His lawyers applied for habeas corpus (a legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention), arguing that there was no evidence that Mr Neis had threatened witnesses or victims or destroyed evidence. Holding him behind bars would have violated Brazil’s principles of presumption of innocence, they claimed.
…read the full story on GoingGoingBike.com
UPDATE on Brasilian Crit Mass attack: driver has been arrested and charged »
posted to NPR just about 20 minutes ago:
Driver Who Ran Through Crowd Of Bike Riders Arrested
The driver of the car that plowed through a large crowd of people riding bikes during a Critical Mass event in Brazil last week is now under arrest, and may face charges of attempted homicide.
As we reported, the event, which several people captured on video, has caused anger and outrage. There were no deaths reported, but several cyclists are reported to be in the hospital recovering from their injuries.
According to the AP:
A police statement says Ricardo Jose Neis was arrested in th ecity of Porto Alegre after a judge ordered his preventive detention. Prosecutors say they are considering charges ofattempted homicide.
Under Brazilian law, suspects are not charged until police finish their investigation, which could take up to 30 days.
Neis, 47, was driving with his son last Friday, when they encountered a group of more than 100 cyclists riding in the streets of Porto Alegre. Their car then sped up and ran through the crowd — a result, Neis has said, of feeling threatened by the cyclists, who he claims were yelling and striking his car.
Brazilian authorities now say that 40 riders were injured in the incident.
After Neis and his son abandoned their car in a neighborhood, police located and identified the vehicle Saturday.
According to reports out of Brazil, it seems that police arrested Neis in a hospital — and his psychiatrist has recommended that he be kept under care while in police custody.
That’s the story from Brazilian news agency Zero Hora — which, since it ran through a translating program, may be a bit uneven, so apologies in advance if that’s misleading. But those basic details are reported in two separate pages on their web site.
BRAZIL CRITICAL MASS TRAGEDY
WARNING: This video is not for the faint of heart. It shows a driver intentionally plowing down a group of cyclists riding on Critical Mass in Porto Alegre, Brazil last Friday evening.
No matter what your opinion is on Critical Mass rides, it should never ever EVER come down to this. My heart goes out to everyone who was affected by this outrageous act of violence.
Find more details on what happened at The Urban Country.
(via patrickedwardkiefer)
Driver tries to kill cyclists in Critical Mass Porto Alegre, Brazil
This video shows the attack from multiple camera sources.
Follow up from our previous post.
Atropelamento em Massa na Massa Crítica Porto Alegre, Brasil (Mass Attack on Critical Mass Porto Alegre, Brazil)
Last Friday night, February 25th, driver Ricardo José Neis injured several riders participating in Critical Mass in Porto Alegre, Brasil. Media response and cyclist response still developing.
Read more about cyclists’ organized responses on the blog for Porto Alegre’s Critical Mass, Critical Mass POA (Massa Critica POA). Site is in Brasilian Portuguese, you will need to Google translate.
Documentário sobre Ghost Bikes »
article about our film production from Brasilian bike blog + VÁ DE BIKE! +
Ghost Bikes são bicicletas brancas instaladas em locais de acidentes fatais com ciclistas, como um memorial em homenagem a quem perdeu a vida para a pressa de alguém. Também têm o objetivo de lembrar o que aconteceu ali para que a morte não caia no esquecimento e não seja considerada apenas um inconveniente temporário ao trânsito de uma tarde qualquer.
As Ghost Bikes servem como um alerta aos donos de veículos automotores, para que tomem mais cuidado com as vidas que pedalam bicicletas pelas ruas. A ação é realizada em várias cidades de todo o mundo e também no Brasil. Aqui em São Paulo, já foram instaladas quatro Ghost Bikes (veja quadro no final da página). Pude participar da instalação de três delas, uma das quais em homenagem a uma amiga, a Márcia Prado.
Com esse mesmo espírito, uma equipe de Nova Iorque está preparandoum documentário sobre as Bicicletas Brancas ao redor do mundo, para sensibilizar sobre a consequência da falta de infraestrutura e de apoio ao uso da bicicleta nas grandes cidades. A equipe já passou esse ano por São Paulo e pedalou com a Bicicletada daqui. Também coletarão imagens de San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Portland e Londres. Assista ao trailer.
Apoio
Produções independentes como essa, feitas com a cara e a coragem de quem tem um ideal de mundo melhor, costumam ter dificuldade em captar recursos. Por isso, os autores criaram uma página na internetpara arrecadar fundos para pagar os custos com equipamento, equipe e gastos de viagem.
Qualquer pessoa pode colaborar, com um valor mínimo de UM DÓLAR. Basta ter um cartão de crédito internacional. A transação é segura, garantida pela Amazon. Claro que se você doar mais de um dólar eles não vão reclamar. Pelo contrário: doando US$ 5 você tem acesso a uma área restrita do site para acompanhar a produção de perto e ver trechos dos vídeos que serão editados. Com US$15 você recebe uma cópia do documentário por download quando estiver pronto, com US$25 um DVD e, dependendo do valor da doação, pode até aparecer nos créditos do filme. Mas a maior recompensa é, sem dúvida, ter ajudado a divulgar essa mensagem pelo mundo afora.
One Less Car
Bikers bring "ghost bike" to the heart of São Paulo »
via nowpublic.com on January 16, 2009
São Paulo, Brazil - Aproximately 200 bikers gathered tonight (Jan. 16th) at Praça do Ciclista (Bikers Square), on Avenida Paulista, for a silent protest after the death of Márcia Regina de Andrade Prado. On January 14th, Márcia was hit by a bus while she was riding her bike.
The protesters asked for more safety and respect on the streets. In the end of the demonstration, they chained a “ghost bike” near the place where the fatal accident happened.
Márcia was a member of Bicicletada, a group that does advocacy for bikers rights.
sao paulo, brasil
we’ve been shooting in sao paulo, brasil, for the past few days. andressa went to the brasilian critical mass ride on friday night and spoke with members of bicicletada about recent ghost bike installations and other actions to take bake the streets.
from activists in sao paulo, brasil
Ghost Bike Av. Paulista
