A Prince George’s cycling club rode through downtown Annapolis Friday night to promote inclusion and kindness following what members described as a racist attack during a bike ride through the city earlier this summer.
The late-August event which garnered well over 100 people, according to attendees, was organized in response to an incident the riders say they encountered on the evening of June 28. They were riding through the city and grabbing ice cream when pedestrians began to call them racial slurs and a car full of people attacked them with bear mace and a rock, Push’N Pedals Cycling Club president Josh Jenkins said.
“That was the first time we’ve ever experienced anything like that down there,” Jenkins said, adding the group has been riding annually in that part of Annapolis for about three years. “It was kind of shocking.”
At around 9:30 p.m. Friday, Push’N Pedals and other area cycling group members of DMV Cycling Alliance and Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley rode into downtown Annapolis. It was an event they dubbed the ‘Ride Against Hate.’ Jenkins said the Annapolis Police provided an escort to ensure everyone felt safe. Meanwhile, Kilwins Annapolis provided free ice cream.
It was important for Jenkins, a Crofton area resident, that the group return to Annapolis to convey that the members would not be deterred from riding there because of the June incident.
“I don’t believe that is what Annapolis is about,” Jenkins said, adding the group didn’t want to allow a few individuals to scare them away from enjoying the natural beauty around the capital city.
Buckley said he was glad to see the group return and not “give up on Annapolis.”
“When you try to make your city more inclusive and something like that happens it feels like you’re taking 10 steps backwards,” Buckley said.
The ‘Ride Against Hate,’ however, seemed at least a few steps forward, he said, and even worth adjusting his typical 8:30 p.m. bedtime for.
Since the cyclists didn’t immediately call 911 but did a few days later, the investigation has been slow going. However, Buckley said the city has made progress in determining the specifics of the car involved and is seeking out security footage to find the number on the license plate, which Buckley said one of the riders noted was from Virginia.
Having the event so soon after the incident was key, Buckley added, explaining that the longer the city goes without some form of response the stronger the message that this kind of behavior will be tolerated.
“This is a hope to sort of nip that stuff in the bud,” he said.
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