Some of you guys may already know this, but late Saturday night in the parking log of my apartment complex I was assaulted by three guys on fixed-gear bikes.
I had to do a four-hour DJ gig that night at a bar in midtown full of young professionals, so I got back to my apartment (sampson street, studio disco, old fourth ward) at maybe 330 or 4am.
As I tried to turn into my parking lot, there were a group of guys drinking and doing trackstands etc. in my parking lot. It took a long minute or two for them to move so that I could get to my parking spot 50ft. away from where they were. Evidently I grazed one of them. I didn't feel anything as I rode by them, but when I parked my car I was surrounded by guys bashing out my windows/headlights/mirror etc. When I got out of the car I was then attacked, and the individuals demanded money from me. At this point I didn't even know I hit anyone- I thought these guys were just robbers. I took a few punches from the guys before realizing what was going on.
Serious props to the guy that HIT ME IN THE HEAD WITH A U-LOCK as I tried to head around the corner of my building.
I mean, I'm 6 ft 130 pounds. Surely you and your friends must have been intimidated by my size and felt you needed to even the playing field by swinging on me with the U-Lock. People are always scared of my immense physical presence.
To the guy I grazed with my ride at 5mph: Seriously- I'm sorry. You may not know this, buddy, but I ride my own bikes multiple times a day here in the city. Done tons of races/alleycats/parties/Critical Masses. I know how it feels when a dumbass dude in a car fucks your shit up. But c'mon bro. I was going like 5mph in my apartment parking lot.
Your bike couldn't have been that messed up because you rode it away from the scene.
If you had just come up to me like a regular human being we could have walked over to my apt door, had a few PBRs and figured something out. But no, you and your bros had to solve your problems like frat boys.
All week I've been waking up with splitting headaches. I can't go to my day job and my car and face is seriously fucked up. Through the help of a few people that were there I've been able to piece together more about this including the identities of some of the people involved (thanks MySpace!)
Again- I'm not mad at cyclists or fixed-gear riders or Atlanta in general...i know too many people involved in the Atlanta bicycle community that are the most amazing folks...this is not me hating here at all.
I just wanted to let everyone on here know about this, and if you have any information feel free to email me on here.
thanks.
kellen crosby aka dj black dominoes
wow
wow
I just want to say hipster on
I just want to say hipster on hipster crime is not cool.
Wow, man. I'm sorry that
Wow, man. I'm sorry that happened. Some people are just jerks whether they're rollin' a fixie or an SUV. If you need help with anything in this matter, please post and we'll do what we can. This is despicable.
::edit:: Get this off of FM and settle this like adults. This is embarrassing for all involved, especially the greater bike community. The two of you sound like a couple of my middle school students. I hope you're both embarrassed and I agree that you all probably should've gone to jail. All this over a fucking bike. Get real. ::edit::
David, way to jump on that
David, way to jump on that bandwagon. Of all the things that have happened in this thread, OP included, yours is the worst. Be consistent at least, okay?
Being able to re-evaluate
Being able to re-evaluate when new information comes to light is more important than being consistent, Mr. President.
attn: Kellan, WHAT REALLY HAPPENED
I dont think you even remember that night. You came into the driveway entrance on the north-west corner of the building, came to a complete stop for a moment while the bikers were leaving. You were so drunk you vomited in your lap and then started moving again. YOU DID NOT GRAZE ANYTHING. You almost ran the guy over and pulled his back wheel under your front wheel, twisting the frame around under the car and then ran your back wheel over the front wheel, frame, crank, and back wheel again. Then you tried to flee the scene while the guy chased you all the way around the building on foot. The only reason he caught up to you was because the other guys ran across to where the driveway comes out on the south-west side and blocked you from entering the street. You then refused their demands to get out of your vehicle. At that point the guy you almost hit started fucking up your car. When they finally got you out, he told you that you ruined his bike and demanded money. You refused. He punched you. Then he asked you again what you would do about it. He even kept telling you he didnt want to hit you again. At one point you told him you had a set of deep-v's in your apartment but when asked to show them to him, you refused. You got hit again. You got pushed into a white Lexus sedan that some thug kids were sitting in and made a dent in it. Then they got out and were pissed at both you and the other guy. While the other guy was trying to apologize for their car and explain what you did, you got in your car and drove around the corner in to another parking lot. Then those thug kids chased you down, ripped you out of your car and threw your head into the pavement so hard it made everyone else cringe, even the guy whose bike you ran over. That is how your head got seriously injured, not from a few punches and NOBODY HIT YOU WITH A U-LOCK. Those thug guys were about to fight the bike kids too, but the cops rolled up just in time. No one enjoyed what happened to you (except maybe the gangstas), but the only other option was to let you dip out and drive drunk around the city some more and never hear from you again. You ruined that kids bike and he had to carry it home. HE DID NOT RIDE AWAY ON HIS BIKE. He doesn't own a car and now has no transportation.
You should be totally embarrassed and ashamed. The fact that you ride a bike to is not an excuse, it makes what you did all the more fucked up. The fact that you posted your story on a bike forum probably means that after piecing together the few bits of memory you have from the incident, you actually think that what you posted is what really happened. Had you actually parked and said, "Oh shit, Im really sorry. What do you want to do about this?" there would have been nothing more than words. Instead you were embarrassed about the puke in your lap and maybe where so drunk you actually didnt feel anything when you ran over the bike. Everyone feels a little bad about what happened, but it was what had to be done under the circumstances. YOU FUCKED UP, KELLAN. Own up and move on.
You should also realize that a jury with a few people who have been hurt by drunk drivers or know some one who has will be sympathetic to a guy who chased down a drunk driver after a hit and run. Not only that but you yourself could face charges of DUI, Fleeing the Scene, Vandalism, and other less serious traffic offenses once the truth comes out.
We are all glad to hear you were not more seriously injured by that smack on the pavement. We were worried the guys in the Lexus might have given you a concussion. It was a shitty night for everyone involved. Be glad you're relatively okay and that you didn't kill any one driving home that night. Don't drink and drive!
Peter: I am only posting what
Peter: I am only posting what I remember from the situation.
I don't remember hitting anyone. I only remember getting out of my car and being accosted by a bunch of white dudes who wanted money. As in the original post, if I hit anyone in my parking lot, i am sorry. that's fucked up. i repeat: i don't remember hitting anyone. i am sorry. that's fucked up.
I live in those apartments. I was not going anywhere other than to put my car in an actual spot.
Whomever i hit--tell them to get in touch with me. I'm not trying to piss anyone off, especially not bike kids.
I'm interested in speaking with anyone who may have been there so i can figure out exactly what went down.
I'm definitely not OK. My head really hurts pretty much every morning.
More importantly: I am concerned with the guy you say i hit. if i really ran over a dude's bike, then yeah, i can understand the vehicle vandalism and dude hitting me.
I am not trying to stir up shit. I am trying to a) find out information and b) own up as you say and help out.
there is no other way.
-kellen
Also Peter: Y'all can
Also Peter:
Y'all can contact me at heavyrecordsdistro@gmail.com.
I am ready to help, and if dude is as you say he is and his bike is wrecked, i am ready to help him.
HAHA
LOL at everyone involved.
h
o
l
y
s
h
i
t
second
second
Oh man, where is the drama
Oh man, where is the drama llama.
Edit - HERE HE IS
.
Honestly, it sounds like everyone involved should have gone to jail.
Seriously, although it's
Seriously, although it's kinda funny listening to everyone try to justify their actions, it's also pathetic. The whole situation is embarrassing for the bike community.
dudes
don't settle this shit over a public message board on the internet. this sounds serious.
+1
for realz. Also to the dude with the head injury, go to the doctor. jeez.
what is that pic?
a penguin?
http://fuckyoupenguin.blogspo
http://fuckyoupenguin.blogspot.com/
Edit - this has nothing to do with the avatar or Chris... just a hilarious web site.
Please don't stop...
BSG doesn't start up again until next month, I needs some drama to hold me over until then.
totally
idiot 20 year olds make this a lot more entertaining sometimes.
hey fixie dudes, what kind of gnar' moves were y'all bustin'?
I heart you Paulson
See Above. EOM.
its a damn shame
make jokes if you wanna. maybe to some of you bikes are just toys that you play with in your spare time. for me, my bike is the only thing i own of any value. its my livelihood, and if it got trashed i dont know what i would do. i would be totally fucked.
.
if you think we're joking about bikes, you're wrong.
we're joking about people saying idiotic and incriminating stuff on a public forum.
Speak for yourself...
I'm making jokes about bikes. Not the riders, just the bikes.
a little sensitivity training would do a lot of you some good
Someone made some bad decisions, someone's bike got fucked up, people were hurt. what about this is so hilarious and what do "gnar moves" have to do with it? CK, if you are out there.... please delete this thread. hideous when people get off on other people's misfortune or stupidity.
the two people "involved"
the two people "involved" here signed up for FM just to post this story, so IMHO it's not worth deleting. If they were regulars that got upset maybe... but yeah. If a lot of people feel strongly one way or the other i'm listening.
+1
+1
I'm sad I was the first to
I'm sad I was the first to post on this. Just embarrassing in general!
I'd say keep it
And I would say the same even if they were "regulars". Both parties stated their side, so that is that. I don't agree with anyone rubbing their noses on whatever decisions they made, which is why I did not join the party. The facts that FM is a forum where people are free to join and that things run reasonably unmoderated are a strong point in the site. Come and think of it, knowing that when one steps into douche territory their comments are preserved for posterity is a good deterrent.
So my vote is not to interfere with the thread.
And anyway, I am sure the interested parties already have a copy of the thread saved and printed anyway.
Let's focus on the positive in this situation:
It's a grim reminder to all of us to not act stupid... and then talk about how stupid we acted on the inter-trucks.
It may be embarassing and a
It may be embarassing and a bit silly for some, but the incident really happened.
I'm not proud of being involved with something like this. I'm sure the other individuals would say the same.
As I stated in the original post, I wrote it and joined the forum to obtain and give out information, as i knew the bike community here in Atlanta is small. I knew my contact info and situation would reach the other people involved.
Before posting I gave my phone number and contact info to numerous people who are personally associated with the other parties. I had not heard anything in return, and decided to post. Yes, it is a public forum, and I knew I would probably get some people who would make fun of me. However, i wanted to at least initiate a dialogue between the other party involved and myself.
To clarify: I am not angry at the other party. I'm not trying to negatively affect them in any way. I'm pretty over it.
I'm trying to move past this and offer them my help if they want it and to apologize, however the hell all that started the other night.
As some forum members have said- I would prefer to do this in person, or over the phone, or at least on some sort of private email. I have not heard from these people, so writing my thoughts on here is the best i can do.
At least i am assured of the other party knowing where i stand on the situation.
Thanks.
Kellen
DELETE ME!
can some one tell me how to delete my profile? or can some one do it for me?
most of the people on here need to get off there computers and go ride their bikes more. this is typical blogger bullshit. i dont think it would have made any difference to you people how this situation had gone down, no matter how the parties involved had decided to handle the situation most of you would have found a way to talk shit about it. the only people on here that sound like their trying to be reasonable are the people who were there.
seriously, im done here.
P.S. Kellen
one more thing real quick for Kellen...
have max get you in touch with his friend lizzie. she was there that night and she will be much more helpful than any one here.
OK, im really done with this place now.
Abbie, if you don't like
Abbie, if you don't like what's going on, just don't post anymore. There's no need to have your account deleted. No one has ever made a point by "leaving" the internet.
.
now now TBK, asking someone to use their brain and exercise self control is simply too much.
what's next? it'll actually be MY fault when I'm late for work?
Meh, I know you're probably
Meh, I know you're probably not going to read this, but you can't take it personally. Seth and Paul (aka "teh black hole" and "paul h") do that to everybody. It means they like you. Also, those two dudes are both daily bike commuters. They each may ride more than you. Assumptions can be dangerous.
Sadly, this misspelled "goodbye, internet" post was itself such "typical blogger bullshit" that it's probably going to draw more ribbing. Two wrongs don't make a right.
Where do I start?
Abbie, please don't leave us. We love you, and Peter, and Kellen too. We want to drink dozens of dozens of PBR's with you guys and then do trackstands only to move the party to our cars to puke on ourselves and then run over bicyclists... THEN WRITE ABOUT THE WHOLE FUCKING THING ON THE GOD DAMN INTERNET IN SOME STRANGE ATTEMPT AT REDEMPTION.
The situation by itself is not of any concern to me... what is, is it unfolding like it did... ON THE INTERNET. All of you might as well gotten together and paid for a full page ad in the NYT (if anybody read rags anymore...) The criticism and ribbing comes from the fact you made this act public for all of us (an act where all parties involved are guilty of crimes...) I sure as hell am not going to cup your balls.
I'm sorry you're leaving the web-blag-o-sphere. It's a brutal, brutal place. Full of shaking bears and jars in dudes asses and what not. You leaving is probably better for everyone.
hey man
you forgot the part about punching people, i heard it's like videogames and money flies out of them if you keep doing it enough hth
ha!
you've taken the embarrassment off of the other guys, congrats.
you got snobbed
You got the Bike Snob NYC Seal of Disapproval!
http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2008/12/fast-and-spurious-acting-tough.html
Hey Hey
This thread went from a Special Olympics track race (fixies, yedda yadda), to a relay (I ain't namin' the team, just a-watchin' the fun) to perhaps about to become THE most watched SO event on FM.
Personally, I think we have had funnier fights, but I guess there is no such thing as bad publicity.
Do continue, y'all. We can't disappoint them New York folk.
Wow.
Wow.
I've never been more proud!
I've never been more proud!
so much fail and so much win
so much fail and so much win.
how do you do it FM? how DO you do it?
happy holidays.
mmm... public drama
It warms my heart to see that the crazy antics of stupid cyclists continue to receive global attention (FM) and professional criticism (BSNYC). I especially think it's cool that FM is now so much the focal point of the urban cycling lifestyle that people specifically join to get their message heard because they know FM's where the cool kids hang. I love it when we're making news on FM rather than reacting to it, even if sometimes it's something as regrettable as this.
Love you guys, happy holidays from (biking in 1 ft. of snow) Seattle.
*edit* 1.5 ft. of snow now...
This is beautiful.
This is beautiful.
http://www.aetv.com/intervent
http://www.aetv.com/intervention/