| Take Action: Support Justice for Mathieu Lefevre | |
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A letter by Juliana Berger, as read November 30, 2011, at the Transportation Alternatives rally in Manhattan, NY
There has been a lot of press coverage about Mat since his death six weeks ago, both nationally in Canada and here in New York. I just wanted to say one thing on behalf of Mat's best friend, Vinh Truong, who complained that the press has repeatedly forgotten to mention that Mathieu Lefevre was the most badass, raddest, funniest dude to ever live on planet earth. We are here today with Transportation Alternatives to present over 2500 letters to Commissioner Kelly, demanding that he stop tolerating dangerous driving. I would like to read my letter for you. Dear Commissioner Kelly, Mat and I met 8 years ago in Montreal, when he was an art student at the University of Quebec at Montreal. He's always been an avid biker. His artwork was quirky and literary. One piece he showed in 2008 at Division Gallery in Montreal was called "My Bike Disguised as Contemporary Art". He took his own bike and literally sculpted a canvas around it. He liked to play games with his art and sometimes they veered toward the morbid. When I was looking through old photos of Mat's work, I stumbled across a photo-shopped tombstone he had made that said, "You win some, you lose some". As chilling as it was to see that image, I can't help thinking that this was a message from him—that we can't lose this one entirely, for his sake. We need the NYPD to acknowledge that they can do better in how they investigate deadly traffic crashes involving cyclists and pedestrians. It was so painful to stand by Mat's family, who came to the city from literally all over the planet (the Rocky Mountains, Australia, the Netherlands and France), and watch them struggle to get any information about his case. They drove from agency to agency trying to find his belongings, trying to get more information about what happened, only to find out from the press that his case had been closed. Mat touched the lives of those he knew in such a profound way. I know he wouldn't want anyone else's friends and family to go through what we've been though. We can't lose this one. Drivers need to be held accountable for their actions. Mat was literally crushed and dragged by a relatively small flatbed truck. Why didn't the driver stop? The ambulance was at the scene of the accident within three minutes. The driver parked less than two blocks away and drove past the scene of the accident in his car shortly after. Why didn't he stop then? Commissioner Kelly, on behalf of Mat's friends, family and his finacée Chieu-Anh, I urge you to: - Conduct more targeted enforcement of motorists' failure to yield, speeding and failure to exercise due care—the violations that most often injure and kill pedestrians and cyclists - Add more resources to the department's Accident Investigation Squad and conduct more thorough investigations of serious and fatal traffic crashes Mat's friends and family are doing everything they can to celebrate his life. There are two major art installations planned on his behalf in Montreal, one through MAP (also know as "Make Art Public") and the other by a well-know street artist, who goes by the moniker Roadsworth. A fund is being set up for young artists in his name. As part of his legacy as a Brooklyn resident, let's win this one for Mat. Commit to a zero tolerance policy on dangerous and lethal driving. Juliana Berger, 30 November 2011 Back to Main Page | |
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Mathieu Lefèvre 13 March 1981 - 18 October 2011 www.mathieulefevre.com |
