Ides (Pies) of March Ride 2011

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Time’s Up! Annual Ides (Pies) of March 2011

Time’s Up! Annual Pies of March ride, 3/19/2011, featured an effigy of Marty Markowitz driving the “SUV of Shame,” a tricycle converted into an SUV with faces posted in the windows showing Marty’s passengers – the influential sitting and ex-politician who care more about the availability of parking spaces and their political aspirations, than the safety of pedestrians and cyclists, including, Iris Weinshall & Norman Steisel, Senator Schumer and Public Advocate, Bill DiBlasio.

The SUV rode down the hugely popular Prospect Park West bike lane. Marty, played by Time’s Up! volunteer Ben Shepard, expressed his opinion on cycling in Brooklyn. He passed by numerous families with children riding down the lane on a brisk but delightful Saturday afternoon.

“Back in 1950’s, when Robert Moses was around, you would have never had support for people riding bikes around Brooklyn. Those were the days,” Markowitz said. “Today, everyone wants to ride bikes. Ov ve.”

An effigy of Janette Sadik-Khan rode alongside Marty. She enlightening him on the benefits of bike lanes.

The Pies of March ride proceeded to Chuck and Iris’ apartment building at 9 Prospect Park West. A crowd of hecklers cut short Janette’s beautiful soliloquy on cycling in NYC. The group consisting of cyclists dressed as the various players trying to stifle the growth of cycling, including one dressed as Raymond Kelly, who is allocating scarce city resources toward discouraging cycling. Marty thew the first pies at Janette. The others followed his lead and pies flew everywhere.

“Politics are too funny to be left to the politicians and comedy is too serious to be left to the professional funny-men. That’s why we brought out the pies,” Shepard said. “These guys are trying to take away something the community board unanimously supports, something that saves lives. They do not deserve to be taken seriously.”

Click here for selected photos of Time’s Up! Pies of March ride 2011 by Adrian Kinloch

Click here for Huffington Post article, In the Defense of Silly: From Direct Action to the Pies of March

 

View the Youtube video from the 2011 Ides (Pies) of March Ride:

 

Photos by Adrian Kinloch