It would be one thing if you were using the same pseudonym to leave this thread of hate, but you're using different pseudonyms and are saying the same thing over and over again that Darcy was either drunk or high and that you condone the killing of the man.
You're sick and have some deep seeded and negative issues. Please. Stop breathing my air, you useless bag of skin.
Naw man, I'm not the original poster. I'm just making a joke.
Seriously though, how many movies have some caricatured 'bad guy(s)' clinging to a car while the heroes try desperately to shake them off? Those are some juicy storytelling tropes for the legal defense to latch onto.
Without tone being conveyed in blog post comments some people will think you are being serious. Please everyone, try to convey your opinions with respect for your fellow human beings.
My tasteless joke about the media's character assassination and dehumanization of Al Sheppard obviously flopped. I apologize to everyone for my crassness, except to zombies.
Looks like you're condoning the killing of folks under the influence of alcohol and suffering from mental illness... welcome to Toronto. Are you a cop or something? A lawyer? A motorist... you fit the description. What's next - taser angry jet-lagged immigrants at the airport... oh sorry, that's already been done.
It is not all the same person. But as is typical, if you do not have a strong argument and disagree with a point of view, resort to personal attacks and name calling.
Well done Militant
I can assure of one thing, blocking streets and thowing bicycles down, will not cause the public to have postive reaction. Bryant was charged, what more do you need.
I suggest to those that go to the memorial service for Darcy Sheppard, as well as those that can't get there but feel that the Darcy Sheppard is now being victimized for who he was by people in the employ of either Michael Bryant or his supporters advocate that Michael Bryant be also charged with murder as well as the lesser charges he currently faces.
The charges faced by Michael Bryant ( claiming he is innocent in his resignation letter to David Miller) are not sufficient according to the manner in which he killed Darcy Sheppard. The police caved to political pressure and charge him with the lesser offences of criminal negligence and dangerous operation of motor vehicle both causing death. The most appropriate charge of murder was not laid.
Cyclists should not stand for this miscarriage of justice. If Michael Bryant is not charge with murder it will do disservice to Darcy and all cyclists in Toronto. I am sure Michael Bryant would agree with this had he not committed this killing. It is very sad that Sheppard died standing up for his right to ride the road. It is awful that Bryant is proclaiming innocence and paying for Sheppard to be vilified by a public relations firm.
SA, first off, I don't think you know why a person is charged with what he is charged. Please look it up. Second, I don't think Sheppard died for his right to ride the road. From what I know, he was the one who hit the car first with his bike.
Is it possible that Sheppard "took the lane" (the right lane) at the red light at the corner of Bay and Bloor? Sounds in the description by Christy Blatchford in the Globe like Bryant honked, told him to "move it", and he didn't. So it escalated.
Bryant is sure to take advantage of Darcy's silence by hiring a bunch of worm tongued PR liars to help him "smooth over" everything.
No surprise there, Bryant will sit back, shutup and let his Lawyers and PR people handle this while he drinks beers at his buddy's place in Muskoka, I wonder if TPS even bothered to take his license away.
I don't think any solid information about what sparked the incident has been officially released so at this point to talk about a) al "attacking" bryant OR b) bryant running into al in the first place is a little premature... see what the cameras turn up with, if anything...
I've got my own biases informed by my experiences as a cyclist in this city but we're not all angels (I'm most certainly not) - thing is, in our society the punishment for not being an angel isn't death and you'd think a man so well versed in the ways of the justice system would understand that. Let's just pay our respects to the dead, see what comes out in the meantime and see that whatever justice is possible is served.
A man died a horrible and meaningless death - the childish banter that has ensued is embarrassing.
PS Messengers only have jobs due to those of us who drive to work? Motherfucker, get over yourself. I make a good living working behind a computer much like a lot of the white collar schlubbs that make the world go 'round and I ride to work every day and manage not to maim or kill anyone on my way and yet I've been both maimed and nearly killed on my way to work. Fancy that.
In the security footage I've seen, it looks like Sheppard was coming up the left of Bryant's car, which is in the left lane. Bryant hits the gas and the brake and blocks Sheppards way with the nose of the car; no collision, Sheppard veers around and stops in front.
The collision is when Bryant tries to boot away and Al blocks the car with his bike (knocking off the chain).
Bikophobe,
You think I'm going to need my 'courage' as a result of a reasonably benign statement I made about this situation? Come on now. What are we? Six?
I'm a big boy and am more than capable of handling what the dark lord saw fit to bestow upon me - I'm not hard to find, I ain't never scurred.
I was at the memorial. Unfortunately, due to work commitments, I was only able to show up at 6:00 PM. Then I had to leave at about 6:20 to go to City Hall for the Ward 20 Bicycle Meeting. Almost half the people at the meeting had come straight from the memorial.
What I saw was a quiet and respectful gathering on the south side of Bloor Street, east of University Avenue. There were several hundred people there.
Maybe those of us who walk to work every day should go out and hold a protest against cyclists who cut us off on the sidewalk every morning.
Seriously, blocking traffic isn't going to win you any sympathy. It just pisses people off and makes them more inclined to want to run you off the road.
Finally, we should wait until we hear all the details in court before we find Mr. Bryant guilty. I'm not sure why you're making a martyr out of Darcy Sheppard. Sixty-one outstanding arrest warrants for crimes of theft and dishonesty. Causing a drunken scene at his girlfriend's house. Seems like he was looking for trouble that night. He definitely didn't deserve to die, but part of that is his responsibility. The only bright side is that we have one less thief in this world. I have no use for crooks.
Maybe those of us who walk to work every day should go out and hold a protest against cyclists who cut us off on the sidewalk every morning.
What a meritless case. Have bikes dragged anyone down that sidewalk, pummelling them into stationery objects and then leaving them for dead, then while riding away, run over that person with the rear wheel?
Seriously, blocking traffic isn't going to win you any sympathy. It just pisses people off and makes them more inclined to want to run you off the road.
No. That's YOU that YOU are describing. Sane and rational people don't make such assertions.
Finally, we should wait until we hear all the details in court before we find Mr. Bryant guilty.
We have heard them. From witnesses that were there that night. Pedestrians, construction workers and other drivers. Bryant actions were those of a crazy person.
I'm not sure why you're making a martyr out of Darcy Sheppard. Sixty-one outstanding arrest warrants for crimes of theft and dishonesty. Causing a drunken scene at his girlfriend's house.
I see you have been reading the media spin. It's working on you. Bryant's communication firm is doing a good job I see. You're the target audience. You now have sympathy for Bryant and are now supporting him while, at the same time, you loathe Darcy. How's it feel to be a sheep?
Seems like he was looking for trouble that night.
In your mind's eye. You've already passed judgment on Sheppard, but we're all to await the evidence before passing judgment on Bryant. Contradicting yourself, are you? Methinks that you are.
He definitely didn't deserve to die, but part of that is his responsibility.
So you're saying that Sheppard expected to die and should have. Becasue that is what you're saying.
The only bright side is that we have one less thief in this world. I have no use for crooks.
I have no use for thieves either. But first you must be tried and convicted of being one before you can be lablled as such. If you were to know anything, know this, Darcy was never tried and convicted of the 56 criminal warrants for an ALLEGED cheque fraud scheme back in 2002.
Ignorance is bliss. But keep hobbling along, Lenny.
have any comment on the pending court case, and one more time I urge people to follow the law and not to comment. But I will call slagging a man who can't defend himself lower than a snake's belly. If you want to support the defendant in this case, if you want him to get a fair trial, I'd suggest you shut up, because he doesn't need to have people think of him as associated with a truly sleazy smear campaign.
I have been trying to make sense of this for days.How many aggressive squeegee kids or panners have you tried to evade - on bike or in a car? This is a way more volatile situation
Just to be really clear, ask yourself what you would do if you were in a car with your family and someone tried to get in it or stop you? Pretend for a moment that it was not a fellow cyclist, but an asian gang of carjackers, or a bunch of black teenagers, or ,drugged up skinheads...whatever... (insert stereotype here) If you thought your life was in danger would you leave or stick around to call the police? Now imagine if that car was a convertible.
Before anyone continues to criticizes either party just ask yourself that simple question: What would I do if someone attacked my family while i was driving? And while you were trying to get away the attacker held onto your car uttering death threats or had a weapon... if he died while you were trying to getaway you could be charged with his death. I am not saying that is exactly what happened, but I think it important to look at this with some sense of the situation - not the people, because both are easy targets.
I try to put myself ( a bike owner not a car owner) in that position and I think that last thing I would have done is stop to try to talk to a clearly upset, irrational man or make a call to police while my wife is openly exposed. This isn't about these two men - for whom I have such sympathy . This is about looking at the situation with some reality. And this is NOT about drivers and cyclists and that whole debate. This is about two people who made difficult decisions that can only be viewed as tragic and poor after-the-fact
I have been trying to make sense of this for days.How many aggressive squeegee kids or panners have you tried to evade - on bike or in a car? This is a way more volatile situation
Hardly the same thing - bryant hit his bike...that's more like you running over the squeegee kid's dog and trying to drive off.
If you thought your life was in danger would you leave or stick around to call the police?
The operative word here is "leave" - not kill the "attacker". As for the family comment - Sheppard approached the car from the driver's side - he would have had virtually no access to bryant's wife...
I try to put myself ( a bike owner not a car owner) in that position and I think that last thing I would have done is stop to try to talk to a clearly upset, irrational man or make a call to police while my wife is openly exposed.
First off - the car was already stationary so it's not a matter of his stopping - it's a matter of him taking advantage of safety and size advantage afforded to him by his car to completely disregard the valid concerns and the safety of the cyclist had AND evade justice....and as I previously mentioned, all evidence points to the fact that his precious wife was in no immediate danger...
This isn't about these two men - for whom I have such sympathy . This is about looking at the situation with some reality.
How can you possibly present your analysis as rational after that opening? and how can you sympathize with a killer? Oh, no doubt he shit his pants both when he was approached and when he saw what he did - but he's not a child or some frightened small animal - he pretends to be a grown man - that implies a certain amount of self-restraint and rationality
Sorry, your fears are unfounded and artificial, as were Bryant's.
We'll hear all about it in court but in reality there really is no such person(s) you describe as: "an asian gang of carjackers, or a bunch of black teenagers, or ,drugged up skinheads...whatever... (insert stereotype here)". You watch too much TV.
Unless your spouse is runnin' guns and keeping it from you. You're not in danger inside your car from the pedestrians and cyclists that lurk outside your window.
We are talking about a man named Al Sheppard here, a fellow Torontonian. Simply: a cyclist with a temper. Bryant's the one with the bullets.
As an everyday cyclist, I am accosted every day by "panhandlers", and yes some of them very scary. But really... not really. They're actually pretty nice, even the crooks. Just down on their luck.
The black SAAB presbyterian PR force is out, and gaining momentum. Chances are they'll win this battle of public opinion thing.
For those who think that Darcy was at fault, the camera doesn't lie!
DEATH ON BLOOR: BRYANT ENTERS A WORLD BEYOND POLITICAL SPIN (Sept. 3, 2009)
Around 9:45 p.m., security camera footage shows Mr. Sheppard on his bike, pulling up around the driver's side of Mr. Bryant's car on Bloor Street, just east of Avenue Road in front of United Colors of Benetton. The strip of Bloor Street was under construction that night, leaving only one lane in each direction.
Darcy was pulling around on the left to get in front of Bryant's car. Innocent enough.
Mr. Sheppard gestured at the car and got off his bike when THE CAR STRUCK ITS BACK TIRE.
Bryant's aggressive action. NOT Darcy's. This also backs up witness claims that Bryant yelled at Darcy to "hurry up". Bryant's entertainment lawyer wife was aslo with Bryant as the two were out for dinner celebrating their 12th anniversary. Had Bryant been drinking? I'd bet that he certainly had been. But, we'll never be told that.
Witness Raajiv Rajadurai, 23, said the accident didn't look serious, but the cyclist seemed agitated. He saw the cyclist slam his backpack onto the car's hood and then grab the driver's side mirror as the vehicle sped away. The convertible's top was down.
An argument obviously ensued and Bryant tried to flee. Darcy wanted restitution for the damage. Bryant wanted no part of it.
"The driver was going so fast that at one point the biker was holding on to his car and there were sparks coming from the bottom of his shoes," Mr. Rajadurai said, adding Mr. Sheppard wasn't wearing a helmet.
"It seemed like the driver was trying to shake him off because he turned really suddenly, put on the brakes, jetted it one last time and then all your hear is three thumps and then the guy falls on the floor."
The car headed west in the lone eastbound lane, leaving Mr. Sheppard hanging off the driver's side and prone to the poles and trees lining the road as the Saab mounted the curb, witnesses said.
"You could hear hitting, something, bam, bam, bam," one worker said.
Yeah, Darcy's head and/or body
The car continued on, stopping metres away at the Park Hyatt hotel at 4 Avenue Rd. Mr. Bryant and Ms. Abramovitch were inside the car and both called police, sources say. Mr. Bryant was arrested at the hotel, where his car sat under police watch until it was towed away at 5:20 a.m. Police said Mr. Bryant had not been drinking.
Bullshit.
Mr. Sheppard, meanwhile, was bleeding from his mouth and ears, and from several gashes across his face. The workers say he came to briefly, tried to stand up, but was told by paramedics to lie down. He was later taken to St. Michael's Hospital and pronounced dead around 11 p.m.
Thought you promised not to respond anymore and to get off this site.
Read the papers, check the witness. No alcohol on Bryant (interviewed the waitresses and bills)and another witness says Darcy had the steering wheel which explains why Bryant would risk his life.....
Picking only the statements you want, does not make your position stronger.
Thought you promised not to respond anymore and to get off this site.
You're wrongfully misquoting me. And if that's what you think, glad to disappoint you.
Read the papers, check the witness.
I have, and have posted them in this comments section. I suggest you follow your own advice.
No alcohol on Bryant (interviewed the waitresses and bills)
The concern isn't whether it's ON Bryant, the concern is if it's IN Bryant. Spilling his drinks doesn't concern me. How do you interview a bill? Anyway, yes I saw the story about their storybook "date" on Monday night. Here:
and another witness says Darcy had the steering wheel which explains why Bryant would risk his life.....
And the life of his wife? Seems selfish. No one, not even the police are stating that Darcy grabbed the wheel of the vehicle in question. You're speculating and trying to make more suitable, a story position that would best suit yourself.
Picking only the statements you want, does not make your position stronger.
I'm highlighting those items that people such as yourself seem to keep getting wrong. Such as your 'grabbing of the steering wheel' nonsense. As I have already stated many times, the police themselves did NOT state that any part of Darcy's body entered Bryant's car at the press conference Tuesday afternoon and the security camera video shows the same. The only thing Darcy did grab was the side mirror when Bryant took off. If you feel that I'm only "picking statements" for my own purpose, then why do I post links to the whole article?
BTW, there is only one "account" of your steering wheel grabbing story, and just like what you're doing, it's based upon speculation. Funny that it's only appearing in the Edmonton Sun. Want to know what that one line said? Here it is: Some witnesses say they saw Sheppard try to grab the steering wheel or grab Bryant. If you're paying attention, the key word is 'OR'. Meaning they don't know or they're not sure. But you seem to be.
Toronto police are investigating whether a cyclist killed in an altercation with a car driven by former Ontario attorney general Michael Bryant grabbed the driver or the steering wheel.
Police have seized a number of video surveillance tapes from the stretch of Bloor Street where the confrontation occurred and are examining them frame-by-frame to confirm the accuracy of witness accounts that have suggested the cyclist may have been trying to get Bryant into a headlock and that the two may have been wrestling for control of the wheel.
"We're looking at avenues from the point of reaching into the vehicle pointing at the person, reaching in to maybe unlock the door, hanging on, standing there. We're looking at all those angles," Toronto Const. Hugh Smith told CBC News.
So no one know for sure, is my point. But you seem to be so sure that Darcy grabbed the wheel.
Tell you what, I'd be trying to grab the damn wheel to if I were hanging onto the side of a speeding car and it meant my neck. I'd hope that the erratic movement would force the driver to stop. I know, it's tough for you to think that far ahead.
It just shows your bias.
Looks who's talking? What are you backing up your vitriolic diatribes with besides prejudice?
It's apparent you're another that the lamestream media and Bryant's PR firm are working wonders on. And if you possessed half a brain, you'd realize this isn't about taking sides and is clearly about a man who should have known better and shouldn't have taken matters into his own hands by using his car as a weapon against another.
If you disagree with our views around here, perhaps you should find another forum that will support your need to vilify Darcy. You won't find that here or from me.
I attended the Sept.2nd ride in memory of Al Sheppard. There were many hundreds of participants from ALL walks of life, not "dozens". Yes, there were many bicycle couriers in the ride, but there were also bicycle-commuting businessmen in pinstriped suits, mothers with their children, teenagers, grey-haired men and women. The riders represented the diaspora of Toronto'ss cycling community: citizens of ALL AGES brought together by their chosen mode of transport -- the bicycle. The participants attended in memory of Al, to express their shock at the tragic and senseless manner in which he died, and to display their justified concern about the abysmal lack of safe, dedicated bike lanes on Toronto's main thoroughfares. There were approx. 300 people already waiting at Bay and Bloor at the start of the ride at 5pm. This group, of which I was a member, joined a second group as it travelled eastward along Bloor from the accident site. The cyclists then travelled south on Yonge. By the time I reached Dundas, there were cyclists AS FAR AS THE EYE COULD SEE both behind me and in front of me. The ride continued west on Queen, north on University, finally arriving back at the site of the accident on Bloor. It was a solemn, respectful tribute, with one cyclist providing moving musical accompaniment on his trumpet. I'm 48 years old and travelled in from Etobicoke, where 4- and 6-lane suburban arterial roads (with no bike lanes) often see motor vehicles travelling well in excess of the posted speed limits. That, combined with curbside potholes and crumbling asphalt, make road conditions for cyclists extremely unsafe across this city. It's time for City Hall to address the urgent need for protected bike lanes, starting with the city's main east-west thoroughfare: Bloor/Danforth.
Then there are the usual "suspects" who ignorantly spew.....
I can't believe that the city allows this demonstration to take place. It's not going to bring back this man's life- move on already and remember to cycle on the streets of Toronto safely. These streets weren't designed for both cars and bikes, as we already know. Stop protesting about things that can't reverse, move on to making the streets more accessible by all that travel.
There is a subway that runs directly underneath Bloor if you need to sit on your ass and do nothing and need to move about. Some of these people should spend time in Europe and see how things work there with bikes and cars. Sometimes there are no cars. Only bikes. It would make them mental. Ahh, but they've fallen into the American pit of despair where the car is concerned. Shame.
You come on this Board stating that Bryant is a murderer and should be in jail and how can he be out without bail, and what a criminal he is.
Then you have the hypocricy when it comes to your pal to state:
I have no use for thieves either. But first you must be tried and convicted of being one before you can be lablled as such. If you were to know anything, know this, Darcy was never tried and convicted of the 56 criminal warrants for an ALLEGED cheque fraud scheme back in 2002.
How is something that happened in 2002 even relevant?
It's only relevant if you're trying to portray Sheppard in a negative light. This would presumably be done to decrease sympathy to the point where Bryant has more sympathy with the public. Bringing up anything not directly relevant to the situation that happened that night is spin, i.e. PR.
People never see the word ALLEGED and the time frame from then to now and see that it is irrelevant. It's shocking to read that some people are feeling that it is okay for Darcy to have died because he (ALLEGEDLY - not convicted of writing) bad cheques.
People only see what they want see. And it is what the media spin and Bryant's PR firm are all about and are feeding on. It is also why the media are stating that Sheppard MAY have been drinking that night as though that has any bearing.
"He was drunk. He was being an asshole. Let's kill him." Sounds insane doesn't it? Yet that's becoming the underlying tone as the media pulls the attention away from Bryant and reflects only on Sheppard and his past, as well as his 'state of mind'. Since when did the media become mind readers?
Again, the word is MAY. We won't know until toxicology reports are made public. Then again, is it enough reason to kill a man? If Darcy were intoxicated and being belligerent (which I doubt), that is still no reason to drag him down the street to his death and then run over him upon leaving that scene of his death.
I trust nothing from the media that are now the lapdog of Bryant's powerful PR firm. Even the once liberal Toronto Star is opening articles with such phrases as "political rising star".
Excuse me, but when did we start loving politicians? Aren't these the same people who shun the public, vote themselves ridiculous pay raises by percentages not seen in the private sector and book $50,000 weekend junkets to Banff for 10 people and end going skiing?
You come on this Board stating that Bryant is a murderer and should be in jail and how can he be out without bail, and what a criminal he is.
Everything is true except the part that he should be in jail. Never said that. But, now that you bring it up, I find it amazing that he isn't. No bail hearing. No bail set. Just released. 15 hours after killing a man. Amazing.
Then you have the hypocricy when it comes to your pal to state:
I have no use for thieves either. But first you must be tried and convicted of being one before you can be lablled as such. If you were to know anything, know this, Darcy was never tried and convicted of the 56 criminal warrants for an ALLEGED cheque fraud scheme back in 2002.
Funny double standard,
Yup, It is lost on me. Explain the double standard and the hypocricy. I also want to know how/what Bryant did is the SAME as writing bad cheques. Can't wait to read that.
Now address the rest of my response. I'm still waiting on the double standard/hypocrisy thing and how Bryant's actions are the same as allegedly writing bad cheques.
Let's see.....hmm....murder....allegedly writing bad cheques....murder....allegedly writing bad cheques....
Obnoxious bicyclists - squeegee guys - freaked out motorists This is what city living is - the everyday grist sitcom writers twist into laughter - but I can't remember a Seinfeld episode ending in waves of warm laughter rolling over applause as Jerry's Saab drags some guy to his death. Let's try and separate the issues.
It comes down to the moment when the situation went from everyday aggravation event we've all encountered like - who bumped who - who yelled at who – your mother wears combat boots..... No matter who did what or said what - we've all had these situations and the moment is suppose to end with some yelling and a paint scratch - a court appearance and fine for either Michael Bryant or D'Arcy Sheppard. Between that moment and the ambulance arrival is where it gets big. There are hundreds of people including officials on the phone right now trying to steer the outcome. Who are these people and how will their interference affect the outcome?
A lot of "not verified" posts to this site in these threads having to do with the death of Darcy Sheppard.
This is another:
A charge of murder must be laid against Michael Bryant for a court to consider. It will be that court's duty to determine guilt or innocence. But the charge must be laid. I urge those closest to Darcy Sheppard to convey this to the crown.
For any who express doubts about laying a charge of murder, please read the relevant sections of the Criminal Code of Canada.
Please. Don't flatter yourself. You have to set out nothing for me. You offer nothing anyway. You still haven't addressed the hypocrisy/double standard issue yet.
Does Bryant not get the same treatment,
Nope. We all know what he did. You are in denial of it. And what Bryant did is in no way, shape or form, similar to writing cheques to yourself and cashing them as what Mr. Sheppard was accused of SEVEN years ago.
or are you holding him to a different standard
Yes. Especially as someone who used to set policy and law in this province as former AG. His policies and laws that were passed are what we must all abide by today. His feet should be held closer to the flame as one who did set policy and pass those laws. He was supposed to be the example. Instead, he left a dying man on the side of the road after dragging that man down that road with his car.
He could have stopped. He didn't need to start either. He could have yelled for help (top was down - construction workers were nearby - his wife was sitting next to him, she could have called 911). Exit the car and go for help. Anything but what Bryant did that night. And what he did that night was deadly wrong! Plain and simple.
So tell me why this isn't sinking in? Who are you, one of Bryant's campaign cronies? A PR plant? What's your motive? Clearly you're here to defame Sheppard and cyclists in general.
You are quite entertaining. You sit there and say I am 2 seperate people. Then say watch he will deny it Is it surpising that people do not agree with you. No PR.
If you run after someone and jump onto a moving car, is it not foreseeable you could get seriously hurt. Add alcohol to the mix and it impacts his judgement and temperment.
It is his girlfriend who is the one telling the media he was too drunk to ride.
How can that not be obvious to you. If you run into traffic, do we blame the car for hitting you and not stopping.
How is this DON"T JUMP ONTO THE SIDE OF A MOVING CAR, no matter the reason. YOU MAY GET KILLED
What is entertaining is your rants and internal inconsistency.
one of your more recent statements:
"you'd realize this isn't about taking sides and is clearly about a man who should have known better and shouldn't have taken matters into his own hands by...." .....running after and jumping on a moving car threatening the driver.
(How's that for a conclusion to your very same principle
Truly entertaining to see this side of the spin. Oh no wait, it is the system that is against you.
Good luck with that attitude. How far has it gotten you now.
If you run into traffic, do we blame the car for hitting you and not stopping.
Actually, there was a case like that a few years bac k - guess what? the man got 1 year in jail.
How is this DON"T JUMP ONTO THE SIDE OF A MOVING CAR, no matter the reason. YOU MAY GET KILLED
How's this: don't cycle, walk, or drive - you may get killed.
Both are equally valid warnings. But the devil is really in the details - which you don't seem to care to know.
"you'd realize this isn't about taking sides and is clearly about a man who should have known better and shouldn't have taken matters into his own hands by...." .....running after and jumping on a moving car threatening the driver.
How about the fact that the dirver just broke the "tool" Sheppard made his living with? If Sheppard had left it up to the police (even if Bryant didn't have connections) it would have taken ages for him to get the money for his damaged bike back. It is only natural for him to have assumed that Bryant would stop and pay up (they way he shoudl have done in the first place) when it become clear that the only way he could get away would be over Sheppard's dead body....
Sheppard may have endangered himself, but he was left with little choice and it was Bryant who pulled the trigger. I have no idea how that man could have passed any ethics exam...
I think it is ridiculous to speculate about what exactly happened, as the investigation is still far from over. Be patient and let the process run its course.
Sorry Anna, but you are fabricating that the video shows Bryant as an aggressor and the chain falling off. I just watched the National report on the CBC.CA, and there is no video that shows what you want.
Face it, even if a driver hits your bike, you cannot run after a convertible car, jump on the side and hang on and suggest it is safe.
It is reasonably foreseeable that to run down a car, after bing so drunk that your girlfirend is interviewed on tv, stating she was concerned for his safety, that you may get killed.
The author of his death, sadly, was him for running after and jumping on a car.
Again, many are saying Bryant should have not fled and that is what forced him to jump on the car. Nothing justifies it and he took a stupid risk, while drunk and angry, and died.
Sad, but his own doing. Definately not murder.
If Bryant wanted to know him off the car, he would have just driven straight into the construction zone rather than swerve across teh lanes of traffic.
Out of anger, as upsetting to his friends and loved ones at it is, he did a very stupid thing and it cost him his life.
Sorry Anna, but you are fabricating that the video shows Bryant as an aggressor and the chain falling off. I just watched the National report on the CBC.CA, and there is no video that shows what you want.
Want? ROFL. I don't want anything. Bryant's behaviour is still inexcusable regardless of what precipitated the verbal altercation. The video just makes the story complete, motivates Sheppard's actions and further exonerates him...and the online version of the broadcast does have the video at around the 2/3 minute(granted, the resolution is too low to distinguish anything, unlike the live broadcast in which the car hitting the bike was pretty clear)
Face it, even if a driver hits your bike, you cannot run after a convertible car, jump on the side and hang on and suggest it is safe.
obviously it isn't safe. Neither is prostitution - some people still do it because they have no choice.
The author of his death, sadly, was him for running after and jumping on a car.
Was it jumping on the car that sealed his fate? Or deciding to drink? Or deciding to cycle? Or being born?
A whole series of events led up to him being at Bay and Bloor at that particular time and dying - but the choice that was made immediately prior to his death and the one that directly led to it was Bryant's choice not to stop even though his driving was obviously endangering a man's life.
Again, many are saying Bryant should have not fled and that is what forced him to jump on the car. Nothing justifies it and he took a stupid risk, while drunk and angry, and died.
Nothing justifies Bryant's choice to continue driving, you mean.
Sad, but his own doing. Definately not murder.
ROFL. So you are calling this suicide?
If Bryant wanted to know him off the car, he would have just driven straight into the construction zone rather than swerve across teh lanes of traffic.
What "construction zone"? There's no construction on that stretch of Bloor last I checked.
Comments
Militant MTBer (not verified)
Okay, troll. Knock it
Wed, 09/02/2009 - 13:51Okay, troll. Knock it off.
It would be one thing if you were using the same pseudonym to leave this thread of hate, but you're using different pseudonyms and are saying the same thing over and over again that Darcy was either drunk or high and that you condone the killing of the man.
You're sick and have some deep seeded and negative issues. Please. Stop breathing my air, you useless bag of skin.
Antony (not verified)
Sarcasm alert
Wed, 09/02/2009 - 13:55Naw man, I'm not the original poster. I'm just making a joke.
Seriously though, how many movies have some caricatured 'bad guy(s)' clinging to a car while the heroes try desperately to shake them off? Those are some juicy storytelling tropes for the legal defense to latch onto.
tanya
Violent jokes aren't funny
Wed, 09/02/2009 - 14:32Without tone being conveyed in blog post comments some people will think you are being serious. Please everyone, try to convey your opinions with respect for your fellow human beings.
Antony (not verified)
My tasteless joke about the
Wed, 09/02/2009 - 20:27My tasteless joke about the media's character assassination and dehumanization of Al Sheppard obviously flopped. I apologize to everyone for my crassness, except to zombies.
Seymore Bikes
Antony is High
Wed, 09/02/2009 - 14:51Sounds like the ramblings of a chrystal meth crash, just way less funny.
dramaturge (not verified)
Alcoholics and Schizophrenics
Wed, 09/02/2009 - 14:34Looks like you're condoning the killing of folks under the influence of alcohol and suffering from mental illness... welcome to Toronto. Are you a cop or something? A lawyer? A motorist... you fit the description. What's next - taser angry jet-lagged immigrants at the airport... oh sorry, that's already been done.
Fact Checker (not verified)
It is not all the same
Wed, 09/02/2009 - 14:06It is not all the same person. But as is typical, if you do not have a strong argument and disagree with a point of view, resort to personal attacks and name calling.
Well done Militant
I can assure of one thing, blocking streets and thowing bicycles down, will not cause the public to have postive reaction. Bryant was charged, what more do you need.
Sheppard Advocate (not verified)
Michael Bryant, murderer, has hired a public relations firm
Wed, 09/02/2009 - 15:22I suggest to those that go to the memorial service for Darcy Sheppard, as well as those that can't get there but feel that the Darcy Sheppard is now being victimized for who he was by people in the employ of either Michael Bryant or his supporters advocate that Michael Bryant be also charged with murder as well as the lesser charges he currently faces.
The charges faced by Michael Bryant ( claiming he is innocent in his resignation letter to David Miller) are not sufficient according to the manner in which he killed Darcy Sheppard. The police caved to political pressure and charge him with the lesser offences of criminal negligence and dangerous operation of motor vehicle both causing death. The most appropriate charge of murder was not laid.
Cyclists should not stand for this miscarriage of justice. If Michael Bryant is not charge with murder it will do disservice to Darcy and all cyclists in Toronto. I am sure Michael Bryant would agree with this had he not committed this killing. It is very sad that Sheppard died standing up for his right to ride the road. It is awful that Bryant is proclaiming innocence and paying for Sheppard to be vilified by a public relations firm.
IronMac
SA, first off, I don't think
Wed, 09/02/2009 - 15:35SA, first off, I don't think you know why a person is charged with what he is charged. Please look it up. Second, I don't think Sheppard died for his right to ride the road. From what I know, he was the one who hit the car first with his bike.
{edit: inflammatory comment removed}
Hans Foote (not verified)
Did Sheppard "take the lane" and Bryant object?
Wed, 09/02/2009 - 15:53I'm trying to put the pieces together.
Is it possible that Sheppard "took the lane" (the right lane) at the red light at the corner of Bay and Bloor? Sounds in the description by Christy Blatchford in the Globe like Bryant honked, told him to "move it", and he didn't. So it escalated.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/in-a-city-of-drivers-and-cy...
I often take the right lane at lights. I don't like cars from way back whizzing by me to get in front when the light changes.
Just trying to piece it together.
locutas_of_spragge
Let's...
Wed, 09/02/2009 - 15:49leave the charges to the police and the courts, for now. Grieving will suffice, for now. Let us at least give the justice system a change to work.
electric
The dead can have no voice
Wed, 09/02/2009 - 21:20Bryant is sure to take advantage of Darcy's silence by hiring a bunch of worm tongued PR liars to help him "smooth over" everything.
No surprise there, Bryant will sit back, shutup and let his Lawyers and PR people handle this while he drinks beers at his buddy's place in Muskoka, I wonder if TPS even bothered to take his license away.
lisa (not verified)
I think sheppard ceased to be
Wed, 09/02/2009 - 15:51I think sheppard ceased to be a cyclist when he got off his bike and latched onto bryant's car. this would not be murder but manslaughter
Matt Rennick (not verified)
Take 'er down a notch, friends.
Wed, 09/02/2009 - 16:10I don't think any solid information about what sparked the incident has been officially released so at this point to talk about a) al "attacking" bryant OR b) bryant running into al in the first place is a little premature... see what the cameras turn up with, if anything...
I've got my own biases informed by my experiences as a cyclist in this city but we're not all angels (I'm most certainly not) - thing is, in our society the punishment for not being an angel isn't death and you'd think a man so well versed in the ways of the justice system would understand that. Let's just pay our respects to the dead, see what comes out in the meantime and see that whatever justice is possible is served.
A man died a horrible and meaningless death - the childish banter that has ensued is embarrassing.
PS Messengers only have jobs due to those of us who drive to work? Motherfucker, get over yourself. I make a good living working behind a computer much like a lot of the white collar schlubbs that make the world go 'round and I ride to work every day and manage not to maim or kill anyone on my way and yet I've been both maimed and nearly killed on my way to work. Fancy that.
Methinks (not verified)
What sparked the incident
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 10:10In the security footage I've seen, it looks like Sheppard was coming up the left of Bryant's car, which is in the left lane. Bryant hits the gas and the brake and blocks Sheppards way with the nose of the car; no collision, Sheppard veers around and stops in front.
The collision is when Bryant tries to boot away and Al blocks the car with his bike (knocking off the chain).
Matt Rennick (not verified)
I ain't never scurred.
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 00:48Bikophobe,
You think I'm going to need my 'courage' as a result of a reasonably benign statement I made about this situation? Come on now. What are we? Six?
I'm a big boy and am more than capable of handling what the dark lord saw fit to bestow upon me - I'm not hard to find, I ain't never scurred.
Sincerely,
Thunder & Lightning.
Kevin Love
I was there
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 08:57I was at the memorial. Unfortunately, due to work commitments, I was only able to show up at 6:00 PM. Then I had to leave at about 6:20 to go to City Hall for the Ward 20 Bicycle Meeting. Almost half the people at the meeting had come straight from the memorial.
What I saw was a quiet and respectful gathering on the south side of Bloor Street, east of University Avenue. There were several hundred people there.
Lenny (not verified)
*
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 09:15Maybe those of us who walk to work every day should go out and hold a protest against cyclists who cut us off on the sidewalk every morning.
Seriously, blocking traffic isn't going to win you any sympathy. It just pisses people off and makes them more inclined to want to run you off the road.
Finally, we should wait until we hear all the details in court before we find Mr. Bryant guilty. I'm not sure why you're making a martyr out of Darcy Sheppard. Sixty-one outstanding arrest warrants for crimes of theft and dishonesty. Causing a drunken scene at his girlfriend's house. Seems like he was looking for trouble that night. He definitely didn't deserve to die, but part of that is his responsibility. The only bright side is that we have one less thief in this world. I have no use for crooks.
Militant MTBer (not verified)
Maybe those of us who walk to
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 10:25Maybe those of us who walk to work every day should go out and hold a protest against cyclists who cut us off on the sidewalk every morning.
What a meritless case. Have bikes dragged anyone down that sidewalk, pummelling them into stationery objects and then leaving them for dead, then while riding away, run over that person with the rear wheel?
Seriously, blocking traffic isn't going to win you any sympathy. It just pisses people off and makes them more inclined to want to run you off the road.
No. That's YOU that YOU are describing. Sane and rational people don't make such assertions.
Finally, we should wait until we hear all the details in court before we find Mr. Bryant guilty.
We have heard them. From witnesses that were there that night. Pedestrians, construction workers and other drivers. Bryant actions were those of a crazy person.
I'm not sure why you're making a martyr out of Darcy Sheppard. Sixty-one outstanding arrest warrants for crimes of theft and dishonesty. Causing a drunken scene at his girlfriend's house.
I see you have been reading the media spin. It's working on you. Bryant's communication firm is doing a good job I see. You're the target audience. You now have sympathy for Bryant and are now supporting him while, at the same time, you loathe Darcy. How's it feel to be a sheep?
Seems like he was looking for trouble that night.
In your mind's eye. You've already passed judgment on Sheppard, but we're all to await the evidence before passing judgment on Bryant. Contradicting yourself, are you? Methinks that you are.
He definitely didn't deserve to die, but part of that is his responsibility.
So you're saying that Sheppard expected to die and should have. Becasue that is what you're saying.
The only bright side is that we have one less thief in this world. I have no use for crooks.
I have no use for thieves either. But first you must be tried and convicted of being one before you can be lablled as such. If you were to know anything, know this, Darcy was never tried and convicted of the 56 criminal warrants for an ALLEGED cheque fraud scheme back in 2002.
Ignorance is bliss. But keep hobbling along, Lenny.
locutas_of_spragge
I don't...
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 19:37have any comment on the pending court case, and one more time I urge people to follow the law and not to comment. But I will call slagging a man who can't defend himself lower than a snake's belly. If you want to support the defendant in this case, if you want him to get a fair trial, I'd suggest you shut up, because he doesn't need to have people think of him as associated with a truly sleazy smear campaign.
bdot (not verified)
What would you do...really....?
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 10:00I have been trying to make sense of this for days.How many aggressive squeegee kids or panners have you tried to evade - on bike or in a car? This is a way more volatile situation
Just to be really clear, ask yourself what you would do if you were in a car with your family and someone tried to get in it or stop you? Pretend for a moment that it was not a fellow cyclist, but an asian gang of carjackers, or a bunch of black teenagers, or ,drugged up skinheads...whatever... (insert stereotype here) If you thought your life was in danger would you leave or stick around to call the police? Now imagine if that car was a convertible.
Before anyone continues to criticizes either party just ask yourself that simple question: What would I do if someone attacked my family while i was driving? And while you were trying to get away the attacker held onto your car uttering death threats or had a weapon... if he died while you were trying to getaway you could be charged with his death. I am not saying that is exactly what happened, but I think it important to look at this with some sense of the situation - not the people, because both are easy targets.
I try to put myself ( a bike owner not a car owner) in that position and I think that last thing I would have done is stop to try to talk to a clearly upset, irrational man or make a call to police while my wife is openly exposed. This isn't about these two men - for whom I have such sympathy . This is about looking at the situation with some reality. And this is NOT about drivers and cyclists and that whole debate. This is about two people who made difficult decisions that can only be viewed as tragic and poor after-the-fact
Anna (not verified)
I have been trying to make
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 10:19Hardly the same thing - bryant hit his bike...that's more like you running over the squeegee kid's dog and trying to drive off.
The operative word here is "leave" - not kill the "attacker". As for the family comment - Sheppard approached the car from the driver's side - he would have had virtually no access to bryant's wife...
First off - the car was already stationary so it's not a matter of his stopping - it's a matter of him taking advantage of safety and size advantage afforded to him by his car to completely disregard the valid concerns and the safety of the cyclist had AND evade justice....and as I previously mentioned, all evidence points to the fact that his precious wife was in no immediate danger...
How can you possibly present your analysis as rational after that opening? and how can you sympathize with a killer? Oh, no doubt he shit his pants both when he was approached and when he saw what he did - but he's not a child or some frightened small animal - he pretends to be a grown man - that implies a certain amount of self-restraint and rationality
Spenny (not verified)
Bryant's the one with the bullets.
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 10:31Sorry, your fears are unfounded and artificial, as were Bryant's.
We'll hear all about it in court but in reality there really is no such person(s) you describe as: "an asian gang of carjackers, or a bunch of black teenagers, or ,drugged up skinheads...whatever... (insert stereotype here)". You watch too much TV.
Unless your spouse is runnin' guns and keeping it from you. You're not in danger inside your car from the pedestrians and cyclists that lurk outside your window.
We are talking about a man named Al Sheppard here, a fellow Torontonian. Simply: a cyclist with a temper. Bryant's the one with the bullets.
As an everyday cyclist, I am accosted every day by "panhandlers", and yes some of them very scary. But really... not really. They're actually pretty nice, even the crooks. Just down on their luck.
The black SAAB presbyterian PR force is out, and gaining momentum. Chances are they'll win this battle of public opinion thing.
Simply because: dead men can't speak.
Militant MTBer (not verified)
Bang on, Spenny, bang on.
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 10:35Bang on, Spenny, bang on.
Militant MTBer (not verified)
For the ignorant......
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 10:59For those who think that Darcy was at fault, the camera doesn't lie!
DEATH ON BLOOR: BRYANT ENTERS A WORLD BEYOND POLITICAL SPIN (Sept. 3, 2009)
Around 9:45 p.m., security camera footage shows Mr. Sheppard on his bike, pulling up around the driver's side of Mr. Bryant's car on Bloor Street, just east of Avenue Road in front of United Colors of Benetton. The strip of Bloor Street was under construction that night, leaving only one lane in each direction.
Darcy was pulling around on the left to get in front of Bryant's car. Innocent enough.
Mr. Sheppard gestured at the car and got off his bike when THE CAR STRUCK ITS BACK TIRE.
Bryant's aggressive action. NOT Darcy's. This also backs up witness claims that Bryant yelled at Darcy to "hurry up". Bryant's entertainment lawyer wife was aslo with Bryant as the two were out for dinner celebrating their 12th anniversary. Had Bryant been drinking? I'd bet that he certainly had been. But, we'll never be told that.
Witness Raajiv Rajadurai, 23, said the accident didn't look serious, but the cyclist seemed agitated. He saw the cyclist slam his backpack onto the car's hood and then grab the driver's side mirror as the vehicle sped away. The convertible's top was down.
An argument obviously ensued and Bryant tried to flee. Darcy wanted restitution for the damage. Bryant wanted no part of it.
"The driver was going so fast that at one point the biker was holding on to his car and there were sparks coming from the bottom of his shoes," Mr. Rajadurai said, adding Mr. Sheppard wasn't wearing a helmet.
"It seemed like the driver was trying to shake him off because he turned really suddenly, put on the brakes, jetted it one last time and then all your hear is three thumps and then the guy falls on the floor."
The car headed west in the lone eastbound lane, leaving Mr. Sheppard hanging off the driver's side and prone to the poles and trees lining the road as the Saab mounted the curb, witnesses said.
"You could hear hitting, something, bam, bam, bam," one worker said.
Yeah, Darcy's head and/or body
The car continued on, stopping metres away at the Park Hyatt hotel at 4 Avenue Rd. Mr. Bryant and Ms. Abramovitch were inside the car and both called police, sources say. Mr. Bryant was arrested at the hotel, where his car sat under police watch until it was towed away at 5:20 a.m. Police said Mr. Bryant had not been drinking.
Bullshit.
Mr. Sheppard, meanwhile, was bleeding from his mouth and ears, and from several gashes across his face. The workers say he came to briefly, tried to stand up, but was told by paramedics to lie down. He was later taken to St. Michael's Hospital and pronounced dead around 11 p.m.
Full Article:
http://tinyurl.com/mevvst
Fact Checker (not verified)
Thought you promised not to
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 11:17Thought you promised not to respond anymore and to get off this site.
Read the papers, check the witness. No alcohol on Bryant (interviewed the waitresses and bills)and another witness says Darcy had the steering wheel which explains why Bryant would risk his life.....
Picking only the statements you want, does not make your position stronger.
It just shows your bias
Philosopher King (not verified)
Questions to ask
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 11:37Where was Jesus? How come he didn't grab the wheel?
Militant MTBer (not verified)
Thought you promised not to
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 12:24Thought you promised not to respond anymore and to get off this site.
You're wrongfully misquoting me. And if that's what you think, glad to disappoint you.
Read the papers, check the witness.
I have, and have posted them in this comments section. I suggest you follow your own advice.
No alcohol on Bryant (interviewed the waitresses and bills)
The concern isn't whether it's ON Bryant, the concern is if it's IN Bryant. Spilling his drinks doesn't concern me. How do you interview a bill? Anyway, yes I saw the story about their storybook "date" on Monday night. Here:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/690321
and another witness says Darcy had the steering wheel which explains why Bryant would risk his life.....
And the life of his wife? Seems selfish. No one, not even the police are stating that Darcy grabbed the wheel of the vehicle in question. You're speculating and trying to make more suitable, a story position that would best suit yourself.
Picking only the statements you want, does not make your position stronger.
I'm highlighting those items that people such as yourself seem to keep getting wrong. Such as your 'grabbing of the steering wheel' nonsense. As I have already stated many times, the police themselves did NOT state that any part of Darcy's body entered Bryant's car at the press conference Tuesday afternoon and the security camera video shows the same. The only thing Darcy did grab was the side mirror when Bryant took off. If you feel that I'm only "picking statements" for my own purpose, then why do I post links to the whole article?
BTW, there is only one "account" of your steering wheel grabbing story, and just like what you're doing, it's based upon speculation. Funny that it's only appearing in the Edmonton Sun. Want to know what that one line said? Here it is: Some witnesses say they saw Sheppard try to grab the steering wheel or grab Bryant. If you're paying attention, the key word is 'OR'. Meaning they don't know or they're not sure. But you seem to be.
Here's the link:
http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/edmonton/2009/09/03/10729291-sun.html
To be fair, I just found another that states:
Toronto police are investigating whether a cyclist killed in an altercation with a car driven by former Ontario attorney general Michael Bryant grabbed the driver or the steering wheel.
Police have seized a number of video surveillance tapes from the stretch of Bloor Street where the confrontation occurred and are examining them frame-by-frame to confirm the accuracy of witness accounts that have suggested the cyclist may have been trying to get Bryant into a headlock and that the two may have been wrestling for control of the wheel.
"We're looking at avenues from the point of reaching into the vehicle pointing at the person, reaching in to maybe unlock the door, hanging on, standing there. We're looking at all those angles," Toronto Const. Hugh Smith told CBC News.
So no one know for sure, is my point. But you seem to be so sure that Darcy grabbed the wheel.
Full article here:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2009/09/02/toronto-bryant-cyclist...
Tell you what, I'd be trying to grab the damn wheel to if I were hanging onto the side of a speeding car and it meant my neck. I'd hope that the erratic movement would force the driver to stop. I know, it's tough for you to think that far ahead.
It just shows your bias.
Looks who's talking? What are you backing up your vitriolic diatribes with besides prejudice?
It's apparent you're another that the lamestream media and Bryant's PR firm are working wonders on. And if you possessed half a brain, you'd realize this isn't about taking sides and is clearly about a man who should have known better and shouldn't have taken matters into his own hands by using his car as a weapon against another.
If you disagree with our views around here, perhaps you should find another forum that will support your need to vilify Darcy. You won't find that here or from me.
Militant MTBer (not verified)
Found this comment....pretty
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 11:14Found this comment....pretty cool....
I attended the Sept.2nd ride in memory of Al Sheppard. There were many hundreds of participants from ALL walks of life, not "dozens". Yes, there were many bicycle couriers in the ride, but there were also bicycle-commuting businessmen in pinstriped suits, mothers with their children, teenagers, grey-haired men and women. The riders represented the diaspora of Toronto'ss cycling community: citizens of ALL AGES brought together by their chosen mode of transport -- the bicycle. The participants attended in memory of Al, to express their shock at the tragic and senseless manner in which he died, and to display their justified concern about the abysmal lack of safe, dedicated bike lanes on Toronto's main thoroughfares. There were approx. 300 people already waiting at Bay and Bloor at the start of the ride at 5pm. This group, of which I was a member, joined a second group as it travelled eastward along Bloor from the accident site. The cyclists then travelled south on Yonge. By the time I reached Dundas, there were cyclists AS FAR AS THE EYE COULD SEE both behind me and in front of me. The ride continued west on Queen, north on University, finally arriving back at the site of the accident on Bloor. It was a solemn, respectful tribute, with one cyclist providing moving musical accompaniment on his trumpet. I'm 48 years old and travelled in from Etobicoke, where 4- and 6-lane suburban arterial roads (with no bike lanes) often see motor vehicles travelling well in excess of the posted speed limits. That, combined with curbside potholes and crumbling asphalt, make road conditions for cyclists extremely unsafe across this city. It's time for City Hall to address the urgent need for protected bike lanes, starting with the city's main east-west thoroughfare: Bloor/Danforth.
Then there are the usual "suspects" who ignorantly spew.....
I can't believe that the city allows this demonstration to take place. It's not going to bring back this man's life- move on already and remember to cycle on the streets of Toronto safely. These streets weren't designed for both cars and bikes, as we already know. Stop protesting about things that can't reverse, move on to making the streets more accessible by all that travel.
There is a subway that runs directly underneath Bloor if you need to sit on your ass and do nothing and need to move about. Some of these people should spend time in Europe and see how things work there with bikes and cars. Sometimes there are no cars. Only bikes. It would make them mental. Ahh, but they've fallen into the American pit of despair where the car is concerned. Shame.
Anyway, the above comments were found here:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2009/09/02/toronto-cyclist-memoria...
Fact Checker (not verified)
Hypocricy at Finest
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 11:47Mr. Militant. I hope this is not lost on you.
You come on this Board stating that Bryant is a murderer and should be in jail and how can he be out without bail, and what a criminal he is.
Then you have the hypocricy when it comes to your pal to state:
I have no use for thieves either. But first you must be tried and convicted of being one before you can be lablled as such. If you were to know anything, know this, Darcy was never tried and convicted of the 56 criminal warrants for an ALLEGED cheque fraud scheme back in 2002.
Funny double standard,
Ben
irrelevant
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 12:07How is something that happened in 2002 even relevant?
It's only relevant if you're trying to portray Sheppard in a negative light. This would presumably be done to decrease sympathy to the point where Bryant has more sympathy with the public. Bringing up anything not directly relevant to the situation that happened that night is spin, i.e. PR.
Militant MTBer (not verified)
Exactly, Ben. You're
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 13:05Exactly, Ben. You're absolutely right.
People never see the word ALLEGED and the time frame from then to now and see that it is irrelevant. It's shocking to read that some people are feeling that it is okay for Darcy to have died because he (ALLEGEDLY - not convicted of writing) bad cheques.
People only see what they want see. And it is what the media spin and Bryant's PR firm are all about and are feeding on. It is also why the media are stating that Sheppard MAY have been drinking that night as though that has any bearing.
"He was drunk. He was being an asshole. Let's kill him." Sounds insane doesn't it? Yet that's becoming the underlying tone as the media pulls the attention away from Bryant and reflects only on Sheppard and his past, as well as his 'state of mind'. Since when did the media become mind readers?
Again, the word is MAY. We won't know until toxicology reports are made public. Then again, is it enough reason to kill a man? If Darcy were intoxicated and being belligerent (which I doubt), that is still no reason to drag him down the street to his death and then run over him upon leaving that scene of his death.
I trust nothing from the media that are now the lapdog of Bryant's powerful PR firm. Even the once liberal Toronto Star is opening articles with such phrases as "political rising star".
Excuse me, but when did we start loving politicians? Aren't these the same people who shun the public, vote themselves ridiculous pay raises by percentages not seen in the private sector and book $50,000 weekend junkets to Banff for 10 people and end going skiing?
Militant MTBer (not verified)
You come on this Board
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 12:35You come on this Board stating that Bryant is a murderer and should be in jail and how can he be out without bail, and what a criminal he is.
Everything is true except the part that he should be in jail. Never said that. But, now that you bring it up, I find it amazing that he isn't. No bail hearing. No bail set. Just released. 15 hours after killing a man. Amazing.
Then you have the hypocricy when it comes to your pal to state:
I have no use for thieves either. But first you must be tried and convicted of being one before you can be lablled as such. If you were to know anything, know this, Darcy was never tried and convicted of the 56 criminal warrants for an ALLEGED cheque fraud scheme back in 2002.
Funny double standard,
Yup, It is lost on me. Explain the double standard and the hypocricy. I also want to know how/what Bryant did is the SAME as writing bad cheques. Can't wait to read that.
Fact Checker (not verified)
Think....
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 12:57But first you must be tried and convicted
Militant MTBer (not verified)
HUH?! Thanks for the empty
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 13:09HUH?! Thanks for the empty spaces above and below....whatever that was you were trying to say. You still haven't answered the question.
Militant MTBer (not verified)
Exactly! Now address the rest
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 13:13Exactly!
Now address the rest of my response. I'm still waiting on the double standard/hypocrisy thing and how Bryant's actions are the same as allegedly writing bad cheques.
Let's see.....hmm....murder....allegedly writing bad cheques....murder....allegedly writing bad cheques....
Nope not seeing it.
Don Anderson (not verified)
Obnoxious bicyclists -
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 12:35Obnoxious bicyclists - squeegee guys - freaked out motorists This is what city living is - the everyday grist sitcom writers twist into laughter - but I can't remember a Seinfeld episode ending in waves of warm laughter rolling over applause as Jerry's Saab drags some guy to his death. Let's try and separate the issues.
It comes down to the moment when the situation went from everyday aggravation event we've all encountered like - who bumped who - who yelled at who – your mother wears combat boots..... No matter who did what or said what - we've all had these situations and the moment is suppose to end with some yelling and a paint scratch - a court appearance and fine for either Michael Bryant or D'Arcy Sheppard. Between that moment and the ambulance arrival is where it gets big. There are hundreds of people including officials on the phone right now trying to steer the outcome. Who are these people and how will their interference affect the outcome?
Sheppard Advocate (not verified)
Michael Bryant must be charged with murder as well.
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 12:58A lot of "not verified" posts to this site in these threads having to do with the death of Darcy Sheppard.
This is another:
A charge of murder must be laid against Michael Bryant for a court to consider. It will be that court's duty to determine guilt or innocence. But the charge must be laid. I urge those closest to Darcy Sheppard to convey this to the crown.
For any who express doubts about laying a charge of murder, please read the relevant sections of the Criminal Code of Canada.
Militant MTBer (not verified)
A charge of murder must be
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 13:23A charge of murder must be laid against Michael Bryant for a court to consider.
Yes!
It will be that court's duty to determine guilt or innocence.
Absolutely. But I'm still comfortable calling Bryant a murderer even though he has been convicted as such. And he's getting away with it.
Martin Reis (not verified)
So Many Trolls
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 13:10So many trolls so little time... oh, all that hate for Toronto cyclists. Pathetic. Shameful. Sad.
Fact Checker (not verified)
*first you must be tried and
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 13:21*first you must be tried and convicted of being one before you can be lablled *
Does Bryant not get the same treatment, or are you holding him to a different standard.
(Did I really need to set that out for you, really)
Militant MTBer (not verified)
Please. Don't flatter
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 13:38Please. Don't flatter yourself. You have to set out nothing for me. You offer nothing anyway. You still haven't addressed the hypocrisy/double standard issue yet.
Does Bryant not get the same treatment,
Nope. We all know what he did. You are in denial of it. And what Bryant did is in no way, shape or form, similar to writing cheques to yourself and cashing them as what Mr. Sheppard was accused of SEVEN years ago.
or are you holding him to a different standard
Yes. Especially as someone who used to set policy and law in this province as former AG. His policies and laws that were passed are what we must all abide by today. His feet should be held closer to the flame as one who did set policy and pass those laws. He was supposed to be the example. Instead, he left a dying man on the side of the road after dragging that man down that road with his car.
He could have stopped. He didn't need to start either. He could have yelled for help (top was down - construction workers were nearby - his wife was sitting next to him, she could have called 911). Exit the car and go for help. Anything but what Bryant did that night. And what he did that night was deadly wrong! Plain and simple.
So tell me why this isn't sinking in? Who are you, one of Bryant's campaign cronies? A PR plant? What's your motive? Clearly you're here to defame Sheppard and cyclists in general.
Now go dust your signed 8x10 of Bryant.
Fact Checker (not verified)
Mr. Militant. You are quite
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 14:12Mr. Militant.
You are quite entertaining. You sit there and say I am 2 seperate people. Then say watch he will deny it Is it surpising that people do not agree with you. No PR.
If you run after someone and jump onto a moving car, is it not foreseeable you could get seriously hurt. Add alcohol to the mix and it impacts his judgement and temperment.
It is his girlfriend who is the one telling the media he was too drunk to ride.
How can that not be obvious to you. If you run into traffic, do we blame the car for hitting you and not stopping.
How is this DON"T JUMP ONTO THE SIDE OF A MOVING CAR, no matter the reason. YOU MAY GET KILLED
What is entertaining is your rants and internal inconsistency.
one of your more recent statements:
"you'd realize this isn't about taking sides and is clearly about a man who should have known better and shouldn't have taken matters into his own hands by...." .....running after and jumping on a moving car threatening the driver.
(How's that for a conclusion to your very same principle
Truly entertaining to see this side of the spin. Oh no wait, it is the system that is against you.
Good luck with that attitude. How far has it gotten you now.
Anna (not verified)
If you run into traffic, do
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 15:08How's this: don't cycle, walk, or drive - you may get killed.
Both are equally valid warnings. But the devil is really in the details - which you don't seem to care to know.
How about the fact that the dirver just broke the "tool" Sheppard made his living with? If Sheppard had left it up to the police (even if Bryant didn't have connections) it would have taken ages for him to get the money for his damaged bike back. It is only natural for him to have assumed that Bryant would stop and pay up (they way he shoudl have done in the first place) when it become clear that the only way he could get away would be over Sheppard's dead body....
Sheppard may have endangered himself, but he was left with little choice and it was Bryant who pulled the trigger. I have no idea how that man could have passed any ethics exam...
Seymore Bikes
Duh, Fact, Oh!
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 15:46I think it is ridiculous to speculate about what exactly happened, as the investigation is still far from over. Be patient and let the process run its course.
Anna (not verified)
I saw the video where the car
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 16:04I saw the video where the car bumps the back of the bike AND the picture of the bike with the chain off AND know the bike messenger got upset.
I feel comfortable connecting the dots, you go right ahead and wait for some cop to tell you what happened.
Fact Checker (not verified)
where did you see it, please
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 16:18where did you see it, please
Anna (not verified)
The video was on CBC's "The
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 16:24The video was on CBC's "The National" last nigth, the picture of the bike is widely circulated, and it's a well-known fact that the guy got upset.
Fact Checker (not verified)
Sorry Anna, but you are
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 16:53Sorry Anna, but you are fabricating that the video shows Bryant as an aggressor and the chain falling off. I just watched the National report on the CBC.CA, and there is no video that shows what you want.
Face it, even if a driver hits your bike, you cannot run after a convertible car, jump on the side and hang on and suggest it is safe.
It is reasonably foreseeable that to run down a car, after bing so drunk that your girlfirend is interviewed on tv, stating she was concerned for his safety, that you may get killed.
The author of his death, sadly, was him for running after and jumping on a car.
Again, many are saying Bryant should have not fled and that is what forced him to jump on the car. Nothing justifies it and he took a stupid risk, while drunk and angry, and died.
Sad, but his own doing. Definately not murder.
If Bryant wanted to know him off the car, he would have just driven straight into the construction zone rather than swerve across teh lanes of traffic.
Out of anger, as upsetting to his friends and loved ones at it is, he did a very stupid thing and it cost him his life.
Anna (not verified)
Sorry Anna, but you are
Thu, 09/03/2009 - 17:12Want? ROFL. I don't want anything. Bryant's behaviour is still inexcusable regardless of what precipitated the verbal altercation. The video just makes the story complete, motivates Sheppard's actions and further exonerates him...and the online version of the broadcast does have the video at around the 2/3 minute(granted, the resolution is too low to distinguish anything, unlike the live broadcast in which the car hitting the bike was pretty clear)
obviously it isn't safe. Neither is prostitution - some people still do it because they have no choice.
Was it jumping on the car that sealed his fate? Or deciding to drink? Or deciding to cycle? Or being born?
A whole series of events led up to him being at Bay and Bloor at that particular time and dying - but the choice that was made immediately prior to his death and the one that directly led to it was Bryant's choice not to stop even though his driving was obviously endangering a man's life.
Nothing justifies Bryant's choice to continue driving, you mean.
ROFL. So you are calling this suicide?
What "construction zone"? There's no construction on that stretch of Bloor last I checked.
Pages