PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Cassandra Martinez on E-Bike Regulation
3:07:14
·
130 sec
Cassandra Martinez testifies against Intro 606 and in support of Intro 1131, expressing concerns that the proposed e-bike regulation could lead to discriminatory practices akin to stop-and-frisk. She argues that the bill is more about intimidation and providing opportunities for racial profiling than about safety.
- Martinez, an e-bike user herself, emphasizes that the bill disproportionately affects vulnerable populations who may not be present at the hearing due to work commitments.
- She shares personal experiences of being frequently stopped and fined when living in a poor neighborhood, highlighting the potential for abuse in enforcement.
- Martinez calls for real solutions that safely accommodate all road users: cars, bikes, and pedestrians.
Cassandra Martinez
3:07:14
Hello?
3:07:18
Hello.
3:07:19
Thank you for allowing me to speak.
3:07:21
I am against intro 606, and I support intro 1131.
3:07:29
This is about an opportunity to stop and frisk.
3:07:33
I personally ride an e bike.
3:07:34
I have a car.
3:07:35
I have an e bike that's made by 360, which is a bike company that specializes in bike for seniors and people that are partially mobility impaired.
3:07:46
But I'm against intro 606.
3:07:49
The point of this bill is number 1, to intimidate people to not use micro mobility, and number 2, to provide opportunity for stop and frisk.
3:08:00
The creators of this bill are trying to hide the fact that this is about racism, cultural ethnicity, and class.
3:08:09
The word safety is being used as a wrapper for an opportunity to stop people, create a real solution that gives space to each user safely, the cars, the bikes, and the pedestrians.
3:08:25
Where does a annual license registration get sent when you don't have a traditional apartment lease?
3:08:33
Are you at risk of being guilty of being poor?
3:08:37
The most vulnerable people impacted here aren't here because they're working.
3:08:46
I can tell you myself when I was in my twenties, I lived in neighborhoods that were part of stop and frisk.
3:08:53
And I actually did get stopped and frisked with my car at least once a week.
3:09:00
This is a time when these tickets were a $100 and I made about $750 a week.
3:09:07
So about $400 was going a week to tickets that I was getting stopped.
3:09:15
Why?
3:09:15
Because I was poor and I lived in a poor neighborhood by the airport.
3:09:23
Thank you.
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
3:09:24
Thank you.
