Brooklyn, NY – No bicycle in Williamsburg is safe.
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A longtime neighborhood resident has gotten so frustrated by sidewalks packed with parked bicycles that he has actually begun injecting Krazy Glue into locks as a form of vigilante injustice.
The renegade — whose name has been concealed because of the sensitive nature of this story — has committed the crime a few times, but told us last week that there are plans to broaden the sticky situation.
“If I get the right people together, we will go down Bedford Avenue at 4 am and inject every bike lock on the strip with Krazy Glue,” said the vigilante, whom we’re calling “The Bike Crusader.”
“There is a bike crisis. Every pole in the neighborhood is littered with them. … These Yuppies are running the whole damn city, and I’m left to my own devices.”
The Crusader’s beef rests with the bikers and the city officials who “allow them into the neighborhood.” The city’s move to widen the sidewalks at N. Seventh Street and Bedford Avenue to make way for bike parking, the U-shaped bike racks lining the sidewalks, and the “failure” by cops to remove bikes locked to city-owned signage left the Crusader stewing in a pot of anger.
That resentment eventually drove the Crusader Krazy.
The sidewalk on Bedford Avenue and the surrounding streets is indeed filled with chained-up bikes, especially near train lines like the L at N. Seventh Street. Locking a bike on a city-provided racks is legal, but locking a bike to any other post, like a parking sign or bus stop sign, is not. And that, plus the handful of bikes that appear to be abandoned, has the Crusader railing.
“We need to clear the sidewalk for people in wheelchairs and people getting out of cars,” the Crusader said, adding that the vigilante “never wanted to turn to this,” but “the Yuppies … have turned this beautiful neighborhood into an eyesore. Watch out for your locks.”
Naturally, bike enthusiasts aren’t so enthused by the threats. Activist Baruch Herzfeld — owner of the Traif Bike Gesheft shop in the neighborhood — doesn’t deny that bikes are left outside from time to time, but noted that the removal (or destruction) of loitering bikes is up to the Department of Sanitation.
“We can understand the frustration, but I cannot support destruction — it’s never a positive thing,” Herzfeld said. “How will people get their bikes off the street? This person is making the problem, and the discourse, worse. It’s unfortunate.”
Vandalism is a misdemeanor and punishable by fines or jail time if the offense is deemed severe by a judge. Still, the Bike Crusader claims that the vandalism is an act of enforcement, rather than vigilantism.
“The people in this community are tired of bikes crowding the sidewalks for two, three weeks at a time, blocking the walkways,” the Crusader said. “No bike is safe.”
What this idiot doesn’t understand is that his identity has become known to several people in willy and it will not take much effort to publicly identify him. When this happens he will wish he was never born since the bikers are not as respectful of his physical well being as you might think for an otherwise passive chevrah. Do tshuvah before it is too late. This is not a joke.
what a wonderful idea.
Smart man. I would do the same if I wasn’t scared getting beeten up.the whole damn city is paralized for drivers , because of some stupid bike lovers. Where is bloomys bike parked?
I am not sure what he gains by krazy Gluing the lock since all the glue accomplishes is preventing the bikes from being removed.
I Am Not A Bike Lover I Also Hate These Bikes But What He Is Doing Is Disgrace He Should Be Ashamed Of Himself
I’m afraid that soon he will have his mouth crazy glued. He will one day undoubtedly glue the wrong bike I’m the wrong day. Anyways all this is still far better than all these who park their cars illegally!
Could anyone please post his name here?
I like this owner of the traif bike gesheft. What an original name
This is very stupid.
He’s a simple criminal. When he’s caught he should be jailed for vandalism and conspiracy (since he says he’s organizing people) and sued by everyone in the area with a ruined lock.
#10 its not as simple as you say ,. how many times i park at a meter and cant get out so easyly because there are 2,3 bikes chained to the meter..and even 1 bike creATES A PROBLEM.yes. maybe i should call the police , shomrim everytime, huh? No, my sympathy is 100% with this person. these ‘bike parkers by meters’ are ‘goizel es hurabim’ But since you assume this fellow is a frummer yid so you just spurth your hate vehmon as seen thruout your posts
Fool,now they can never be removed. Ever been to Amsterdam? Bikes everywhere for transport. Much healthier for everyone, less pollution, rain or snow, they all go by bike from miles away. They have a garage as big as a car garage, filled only with bicycles. Soon, NYC will be the same.Get used to it.
#12 just keep dreamin’
#11 it absolutely is that simple. When a car is double-parked – something I’ve never seen outside of New York – someone who smashes the window or slashes the tires is a common criminal. Enforcing the law is the job of the police or the parking patrols, not any random vandal who thinks there’s a problem.
#14 ..see # 11
I dont like cars in my neighborhood? Should i start putting glue in car locks?
“The Bike Xader”, just in case you are reading this:
1. The Gorilla glue is much superior to Krazy. They will have REALLY difficult time with it. Most likely, they will have to pay serious money to cut the lock if they want their bike back. Wal-Mart, Home Depot and many others carry it, Wal-Mart is the cheapest, and you will need a lot, we hope.
2. Good luck in your worthy endeavor, we are rooting for your hatzlacha, and be careful, don’t get caught!
I faced similar problems and resolved it by employing the same means. In my fitness center, the one can use the locker for the time he is using the gym, but a few men were having theirs permanently locked and I got tired observing them come in from outside, unlocking the locker, getting changed for workout and after it, leaving it locked until next time. I did alert the guards, but it had no effect. So, you guessed it: one slow afternoon, I filled a dozen or so locks, with a very strong glue. I admit, I actually enjoyed observing ‘the victims’ getting frustrated and resorting to all sorts of means to liberate their gear. But more importantly, the problem got resolved.
Favish, repeating a lie doesn’t make it true.
He’s a criminal and a vandal. If he doesn’t like bikes he can call the parking patrol or the cops. The moment he destroys someone’s property on a whim he’s a thug.
Suppose I think there are too many shuls. They make noise. I don’t like the crowd they attract. They’re ugly. A lot of them are there illegally and violate building codes. By your logic I have a perfect right to take the law into my hands and break the windows or burn them down.
Maybe I should. I assume that you will defend me.
#19 see # 11..and #18 (another sane person who has his head on the right place).
#19 last line ‘maybe i should’ .i have no doubt you would, but not because of the ‘violations’ but because you hate ehrliche shomer torah yidden as seen thruout your posts, and i definately wont defend you soine yiroel like you should rot in jail.
Ah, now we see the Real Favsih!
If nobody believes your lies repeat them again, but add a little Yiddish. If the law doesn’t do what you personally want, break it. Vandalism, harassment, theft and terror are fine, but only if the victims are people you don’t like. How deep your learning must have been. What a Light unto the Nations.
What a perfect caricature you make for the antisemites.