Streetsblog

Thursday Headlines From Around The Nation

On the streets, police are still brutalizing protestors, committing vehicle-ramming attacks, and denying journalists their constitutional right to do their jobs — plus other news.

By Kea Wilson

12:01 AM EDT on June 4, 2020

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There is a reason highway shutdowns send such a powerful message during protests, City Lab says: because we tore down thousands of black neighborhoods across America to build those roads. (Citylab)
Cities across the country are shutting down bike share programs as a protest suppression tactic. (Grist)
Police are still committing vehicle-ramming attacks against protestors, this time in Portland, with particularly lethal SUVs. (Bike Portland)
Houston Metro apologized for using public buses as police transport for arrested protestors, calling it an “error in the heat of the moment.” (Houston Chronicle)
Police in New York are assaulting journalists for violating curfew, even though the press is an essential service that is exempt from curfews (AP). They are apparently stealing protesters’ bikes, according to the Democratic Socialists.
San Antonio is nixing a plan to expand transit to fund coronavirus recovery. (Express News)
After widespread outrage from transportation organizations (including Streetsblog,) the CDC amended its workplace transportation recommendations, which encouraged employers to give their employees financial incentives for solo car commuting. Now the agency is recommending protective measures for transit commuters. Funnily enough, it isn’t recommending financial incentives for solo biking and walking. (E&E)
Here’s a strong pitch for Universal Basic Services (rather than simply the more widely-known concept of Universal Basic Income) for all Americans — including universal basic transport. (Vox)
The good news: a survey of Massachusetts residents showed they expect to travel less in the future due to the long-term impact of COVID-19. The bad news: they expect to travel more by car and less by transit. (SSTI)
If rich people all leave for the suburbs due to COVID-19, will housing prices drop in urban areas, making more walkable lifestyles a possibility for poorer Americans? This op-ed author thinks the answer is yes. (The Guardian)
Suburbanites are more likely to telecommute — which might effectively mean the end of rush hour if they keep working from home after the pandemic ends. (The Nation)
Little victories: in a whole lot of Seattle, pedestrian signals are switching to fixed signalization, a.k.a walkers won’t need to push a beg button anymore. (The Urbanist)

Kea Wilson

Kea Wilson is Senior Editor for Streetsblog USA. She has more than a dozen years experience as a writer telling emotional, urgent and actionable stories that motivate average Americans to get involved in making their cities better places. She is also a novelist, cyclist, and affordable housing advocate. She lives in St. Louis, MO. For tips, submissions, and general questions, reach out ther at kea@streetsblog.org, on X at @streetsblogkea, or on Bluesky @keawilson.bsky.social.

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