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Brixton Liveable Neighbourhood and LTN schemes - improvements for pedestrians and cyclists

Gramsci said:


First made public on Talk Radio Cristo progamme. Cristo is as he says is Lambeth resident. Very much anti LTNs.

Starts properly 6mins in giving the details.. Nearly all of programme is on this.

Its unfortunate that Cristo goes on to use this to have a go at all those who support LTNs in Brixton. It is the they are all middle class white gentrifiers line of argument. Plus having a go at the so called "woke" middle class left.

When in fact this is one person with a leading position - they do not represent all those who support LTN idea.
Click to expand...

It's not exactly "unfortunate". It's very much the whole agenda isn't it?

It goes along with Councillor Tim Briggs who seems to have brought this issue to people's attention. The last time he was going on about woke lefties and magic money trees, it was in protest at BLM related reparations stuff.

I don't defend those tweets in any way by the way. I'm glad they've accepted they were wrong.
 
teuchter said:
It's not exactly "unfortunate". It's very much the whole agenda isn't it?

It goes along with Councillor Tim Briggs who seems to have brought this issue to people's attention. The last time he was going on about woke lefties and magic money trees, it was in protest at BLM related reparations stuff.

I don't defend those tweets in any way by the way. I'm glad they've accepted they were wrong.
Click to expand...

I have not posted this up as I was waiting for other media to take it up. None did. So was left with Cllr Briggs and Cristo. And the Telegraph.

Im no supporter of the politics of Cristo ( I did listen nearly all of the radio show) or Cllr Briggs but I waited in vain for several days for other news outlets like Guardian to report this.
 
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Gramsci said:
I have not posted this up as I was waiting for other media to take it up. None did. So was left with Cllr Briggs and Cristo. And the Telegraph.

Im no supporter of the politics of Cristo ( I did listen nearly all of the radio show) or Cllr Briggs but I waited in vain for several days for other news outlets like Guardian to report this.
Click to expand...

Here's the text of the paywalled Telegraph article for anyone who hasn't already read it and wants to.

'By Steve Bird
A London Cycling Campaign adviser who has helped introduce low traffic neighbourhoods has been suspended after launching a “racist” tirade accusing black motorists of being “gangster” high on drugs.
Simon Still, a key campaigner for the pro-cycling charity known as LCC, used social media to describe “young black men in silver Mercs” as having “obvious anger management issues”.
The charity has launched an “urgent” investigation amid claims his comments prove the Government policy of introducing road closures and pop-up cycle lanes is being used as a form of “white middle class gentrification” in the capital.
Mr Still, who works as LCC’s infrastructure database coordinator, posted his comments on Twitter after becoming embroiled in rows with three separate motorists while out on his bike.
The tweets singled out black motorists as “young thugs driving cars aggressively and dangerously”.
He wrote: “These are the same guys driving at 60mph up my 20mph residential street. They’re probably the same ones carrying knives and stabbing people.”
He asked: “What is wrong with young black men in silver Mercs in London” before urging police to “take their cars away”.
He added: “I’m guessing they’d all blood test positive for cannabis.”
Another tweet read: “I’m guessing these are all gangsters-they’re driving around during the day in £30k+ cars with obvious anger management issues. I don’t think they’re on the 9-5 work treadmill.”
The tweets were written two years ago after Mr Still, 49, claimed he was cut up by one motorists, then looked “wrong” at another who threatened him, and finally someone drove at him.
When admonished on social media for using offensive racial stereotypes, Mr Still wrote: “This isn’t a race thing-it’s about young thugs driving cars aggressively and dangerously. In South West London they’re mostly black… in Essex/Norfolk/South Wales they’re white.”
His comments, which came to light last week, prompted Tim Briggs, a Conservative Lambeth councillor, to write to town hall bosses, urging them to sever links with Mr Still, who was in charge of the Lambeth section of the LCC charity at the time he posted his messages.
Mr Still had attended meetings with the council cabinet to promote controversial ‘low traffic neighbourhoods’ (LTNs).
The letter accuses the local authority of being “heavily influenced” by Mr Still who is seen as a “source of authority and advice” despite his “racist slurs”.
Councillor Briggs also wrote how road closures that Mr Still had helped introduce have “displaced” traffic from affluent areas to main roads “which disproportionately affects people on lower incomes including people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.”
Mr Still, who lives in Lambeth in a house estimated to be worth £1.6 million, has been a prominent cycling campaigner who helped create a road sign celebrating roads being closed to cars. His Twitter account shows him wearing a T-shirt stating: ‘Evil Cycling Lobby-Lifetime Member’. Mr Still declined to comment.'
Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, whose daughter Ella died after a fatal asthma attack triggered by air pollution and who has campaigned against LTNs over concerns they shift traffic to poorer areas, accused Mr Still of “awful stereotyping”.
“When Mr Still says the word ‘black people’ and doesn’t say ‘some black people’ he is talking about all black people,” she said.
“Lambeth is a very multicultural borough. He really should have thought first before tweeting.”
Kevin Hylton, emeritus professor of equality and diversity in sport and education at Leeds Beckett University and chairman of the Sheffield Race Equality Commission, said: “Mr Stills has shared racist views, and in those moments a disposition that belies the trust Londoners place in organisations like LCC to treat them fairly.
“Last year British Cycling made a very clear statement about black lives and the need to rid their sport of racism.”
He added how the “ill-informed tirades” have set back the “democratisation of cycling” and undermined the “good thing” he was doing by promoting LTNs.
The LCC said: “We have recently received a number of complaints about a tweet by LCC staff member Simon Still, published prior to him joining LCC.
“LCC takes such issues extremely seriously, and Simon Still is currently suspended until the outcome of an urgent internal hearing.”
A Lambeth Council spokesman said Mr Still’s comments were “unacceptable”.
Calvin Robinson, a political adviser on race relations, said: “This wasn't a case of someone misspeaking, this is an entire thread based on racial stereotypes. It has somehow become acceptable for the hard-Left to be overtly racist towards people they disagree with. When did this happen?
“I'm not a proponent of cancel culture, and I'm not campaigning for Simon to lose his job, but I do think he should publicly apologise for the vile messages he put out there. Then it's our job to forgive and move on.
“We have to let these people know racism-of all forms-is unacceptable.”
Cristo Foufas, a Lambeth resident and LTN opponent who hosts a Talk Radio show where the tweet was revealed, said Mr Still’s comments demonstrated the “middle-class thinking they can inflict their racist views on one of the multicultural parts of London”.'

I think the LCC internal enquiry was started by complaints form other LCC members and not a councillor.
 
teuchter said:
NB the sharp elbowed liberals are rebranded as "hard left".
Click to expand...
But hardly surprising from a Murdoch owned shock jock radio station (most of the article quotes are from the radio show Gramsci posted) and that specific one is from a Daily Mail & Telegraph columnist who is part of that Defund the BBC lot and is a Cristo guest.
 
i just listened to the first bit of the radio programme.

Cristos’ friend Jody calls in and gets a large chunk of time describing cyclists as ‘like East German Stasi’.

That will be Jody Graber who spoke on the steps of Lambeth Town Hall that I think Gramsci photographed for the Buzz piece in september.

The Jody who took the money raised in the Islington anti LTN campaign fundraiser and used it to stand as a local councillor despite saying he wouldn’t do that and the fundraising ask specifically saying it wouldn’t be used for that sort of thing. Created lots of bad blood in the Islington Road Closure Madness movement; STATEMENT FROM THE ADMIN OF LUDICROUS ROAD CHANGES

Jody who’s David Kurtens friend and who invited him to speak on the steps of Lambeth Town Hall.
 
Brian Taylor said:
Here's the text of the paywalled Telegraph article for anyone who hasn't already read it and wants to.

'By Steve Bird
A London Cycling Campaign adviser who has helped introduce low traffic neighbourhoods has been suspended after launching a “racist” tirade accusing black motorists of being “gangster” high on drugs.
Simon Still, a key campaigner for the pro-cycling charity known as LCC, used social media to describe “young black men in silver Mercs” as having “obvious anger management issues”.
The charity has launched an “urgent” investigation amid claims his comments prove the Government policy of introducing road closures and pop-up cycle lanes is being used as a form of “white middle class gentrification” in the capital.
Mr Still, who works as LCC’s infrastructure database coordinator, posted his comments on Twitter after becoming embroiled in rows with three separate motorists while out on his bike.
The tweets singled out black motorists as “young thugs driving cars aggressively and dangerously”.
He wrote: “These are the same guys driving at 60mph up my 20mph residential street. They’re probably the same ones carrying knives and stabbing people.”
He asked: “What is wrong with young black men in silver Mercs in London” before urging police to “take their cars away”.
He added: “I’m guessing they’d all blood test positive for cannabis.”
Another tweet read: “I’m guessing these are all gangsters-they’re driving around during the day in £30k+ cars with obvious anger management issues. I don’t think they’re on the 9-5 work treadmill.”
The tweets were written two years ago after Mr Still, 49, claimed he was cut up by one motorists, then looked “wrong” at another who threatened him, and finally someone drove at him.
When admonished on social media for using offensive racial stereotypes, Mr Still wrote: “This isn’t a race thing-it’s about young thugs driving cars aggressively and dangerously. In South West London they’re mostly black… in Essex/Norfolk/South Wales they’re white.”
His comments, which came to light last week, prompted Tim Briggs, a Conservative Lambeth councillor, to write to town hall bosses, urging them to sever links with Mr Still, who was in charge of the Lambeth section of the LCC charity at the time he posted his messages.
Mr Still had attended meetings with the council cabinet to promote controversial ‘low traffic neighbourhoods’ (LTNs).
The letter accuses the local authority of being “heavily influenced” by Mr Still who is seen as a “source of authority and advice” despite his “racist slurs”.
Councillor Briggs also wrote how road closures that Mr Still had helped introduce have “displaced” traffic from affluent areas to main roads “which disproportionately affects people on lower incomes including people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.”
Mr Still, who lives in Lambeth in a house estimated to be worth £1.6 million, has been a prominent cycling campaigner who helped create a road sign celebrating roads being closed to cars. His Twitter account shows him wearing a T-shirt stating: ‘Evil Cycling Lobby-Lifetime Member’. Mr Still declined to comment.'
Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, whose daughter Ella died after a fatal asthma attack triggered by air pollution and who has campaigned against LTNs over concerns they shift traffic to poorer areas, accused Mr Still of “awful stereotyping”.
“When Mr Still says the word ‘black people’ and doesn’t say ‘some black people’ he is talking about all black people,” she said.
“Lambeth is a very multicultural borough. He really should have thought first before tweeting.”
Kevin Hylton, emeritus professor of equality and diversity in sport and education at Leeds Beckett University and chairman of the Sheffield Race Equality Commission, said: “Mr Stills has shared racist views, and in those moments a disposition that belies the trust Londoners place in organisations like LCC to treat them fairly.
“Last year British Cycling made a very clear statement about black lives and the need to rid their sport of racism.”
He added how the “ill-informed tirades” have set back the “democratisation of cycling” and undermined the “good thing” he was doing by promoting LTNs.
The LCC said: “We have recently received a number of complaints about a tweet by LCC staff member Simon Still, published prior to him joining LCC.
“LCC takes such issues extremely seriously, and Simon Still is currently suspended until the outcome of an urgent internal hearing.”
A Lambeth Council spokesman said Mr Still’s comments were “unacceptable”.
Calvin Robinson, a political adviser on race relations, said: “This wasn't a case of someone misspeaking, this is an entire thread based on racial stereotypes. It has somehow become acceptable for the hard-Left to be overtly racist towards people they disagree with. When did this happen?
“I'm not a proponent of cancel culture, and I'm not campaigning for Simon to lose his job, but I do think he should publicly apologise for the vile messages he put out there. Then it's our job to forgive and move on.
“We have to let these people know racism-of all forms-is unacceptable.”
Cristo Foufas, a Lambeth resident and LTN opponent who hosts a Talk Radio show where the tweet was revealed, said Mr Still’s comments demonstrated the “middle-class thinking they can inflict their racist views on one of the multicultural parts of London”.'

I think the LCC internal enquiry was started by complaints form other LCC members and not a councillor.
Click to expand...

telegraph are most pissed off with the guy for encroaching on their turf.
 
snowy_again said:
i just listened to the first bit of the radio programme.

Cristos’ friend Jody calls in and gets a large chunk of time describing cyclists as ‘like East German Stasi’.

That will be Jody Graber who spoke on the steps of Lambeth Town Hall that I think Gramsci photographed for the Buzz piece in september.

The Jody who took the money raised in the Islington anti LTN campaign fundraiser and used it to stand as a local councillor despite saying he wouldn’t do that and the fundraising ask specifically saying it wouldn’t be used for that sort of thing. Created lots of bad blood in the Islington Road Closure Madness movement; STATEMENT FROM THE ADMIN OF LUDICROUS ROAD CHANGES

Jody who’s David Kurtens friend and who invited him to speak on the steps of Lambeth Town Hall.
Click to expand...



BTW I took photos and posted them up of the demo. I heard a lot of people who were pissed off locals. So please do not try to imply otherwise. Thankyou.

Cristo also had Rosamand Kissi Debrah on the show.

What is your take on her?

She imo is very levelled headed. Cristo was trying to get her to have a go at the mayor which she resisted.

Her comments on Simon twitter posts seemed fair enough to me.
 
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snowy_again said:
i just listened to the first bit of the radio programme.

Cristos’ friend Jody calls in and gets a large chunk of time describing cyclists as ‘like East German Stasi’.

That will be Jody Graber who spoke on the steps of Lambeth Town Hall that I think Gramsci photographed for the Buzz piece in september.

The Jody who took the money raised in the Islington anti LTN campaign fundraiser and used it to stand as a local councillor despite saying he wouldn’t do that and the fundraising ask specifically saying it wouldn’t be used for that sort of thing. Created lots of bad blood in the Islington Road Closure Madness movement; STATEMENT FROM THE ADMIN OF LUDICROUS ROAD CHANGES

Jody who’s David Kurtens friend and who invited him to speak on the steps of Lambeth Town Hall.
Click to expand...
Is this him too? Jody Graber - IMDb
 
Gramsci said:
BTW I took photos and posted them up of the demo. I heard a lot of people who were pissed off locals. So please do not try to imply otherwise. Thankyou.

Cristo also had Rosamand Kissi Debrah on the show.

What is your take on her?

She imo is very levelled headed. Cristo was trying to get her to have a go at the mayor which she resisted.

Her comments on Simon twitter posts seemed fair enough to me.
Click to expand...

I’m not implying anything - just pointing out that some people are using the issue for a separate, distinctly populist political recruitment purpose. There’s a faction who will use any green issue as ‘woke liberalism’ to quote one of Cristos guests as a grift for votes, cash and power. Pound shop Farage if that’s a thing, and all very post Trump politics.

Kurten a full on climate change denier / ‘cultural marxist are destroying our country’ type - I can’t image the people at the demo would agree with that bigotry, but his party manifesto is to scrap all road measures from LTNs to ULEZ (which is the most palatable bit of their manifesto - the rest goes full bigot). He’s a regular on the anti LTN demo world and a regular Talk Radio guest.

That’s why private eviction specialist Briggs is also buzzing around the issue - he doesn’t care for the residents of Ferndale. He kicked off at the council when asked to support the notion that the council could be institutionally racist, he’s a member of the Tory party... but he’s not thrown out of the room when he says he’s going to scrap them.

Rosamund - will reply tomorrow - she deserves a much longer, more positive reply.
 
snowy_again said:
Who knows? Some articles say it is, but he’s also claimed to be a frontline NHS worker (but very little evidence of that) and is now a trader.
Click to expand...
I'm intrigued. If he'd spent his youth being filmed by Derek Jarman in The Garden at Dungerness I would have expected him to be in favour of low traffic.
I won't say what Edward II brings to mind.
 
snowy_again said:
I’m not implying anything - just pointing out that some people are using the issue for a separate, distinctly populist political recruitment purpose. There’s a faction who will use any green issue as ‘woke liberalism’ to quote one of Cristos guests as a grift for votes, cash and power. Pound shop Farage if that’s a thing, and all very post Trump politics.

Kurten a full on climate change denier / ‘cultural marxist are destroying our country’ type - I can’t image the people at the demo would agree with that bigotry, but his party manifesto is to scrap all road measures from LTNs to ULEZ (which is the most palatable bit of their manifesto - the rest goes full bigot). He’s a regular on the anti LTN demo world and a regular Talk Radio guest.

That’s why private eviction specialist Briggs is also buzzing around the issue - he doesn’t care for the residents of Ferndale. He kicked off at the council when asked to support the notion that the council could be institutionally racist, he’s a member of the Tory party... but he’s not thrown out of the room when he says he’s going to scrap them.

Rosamund - will reply tomorrow - she deserves a much longer, more positive reply.
Click to expand...

I watched a lot of the Cristo programme.I can see he is against LTNs.

Thing is I waited for the liberal media to take up the issue of the tweets. So far none have that I can see. So that is why I posted up Telegraph and Cristo. Only them covered it. If I had seen alternative in Guardian I would have used it. Dead silence from the liberal media.

So as I was at the anti LTN demo to see who turned up and take photos you do accept the most people present at the demo were local people. Ferndale had a big presence. I've said this before.

You have throughout this thread asserted that anti LTN is pushed by the right wing bigots.

I would have thought that the tweets show its not that simple.
 
From the LCC
' After considering his position following the investigation of racist tweets made prior to his employment at LCC, Simon Still has resigned from the charity with immediate effect '

From Lambeth Cyclists
' Yesterday, LCC released a statement on the conclusion of its investigation regarding Simon Still. You can find that statement below. Given these events, Simon Still is no longer Joint Coordinator for Lambeth Cyclists '
 
The anti-LTN lot are keen to tar all of the LCC as racist now (from Buzz comments)

It took two weeks for the racist to be removed. What does that say about #LCC and @clairekholland
who used whataboutery to deflect criticism of her racist friend
#LCC blocked those that pointed out racism in their organisation, hardly the actions of an organisation that takes racism seriously
#LCC is still racist
Click to expand...
Well said. Will Lambeth council and Living Streets now stop working with this racist organisation, the LCC?
Click to expand...
 
cuppa tee said:
Probably....I have an entry on IMDB and all I did was hang around on location for a couple of days, occasionally sitting down on set with a few others with a camera pointing at me when directed, don’t even appear in the finished product.
Click to expand...
Pity I didn't know this trick back in the 60s. I could have quite fancied appearing in some Ken Russell numbers.
Derek Jarman was the designer for The Devils by the way.

As for Jody Graber - he has three listings, all Jarman films.
I wonder what Simon Still (dismissed LCC spokes) might have said about that in an indiscrete Tweet?
 
I don't think the LCC is racist but their actions towards those who were leaves a lot to be desired.

Tweets come out and person suspended pending an investigation. Standard.

Investigation completed and employee given back office tasks and told to go on a course!?! Total shock.

A few days later when it it spreads more the LCC announce the person resigned.

If I had made those comments I would have been met in the foyer of my work by HR and a manager. Taken to a side room and sacked.

The whole slap on a wrist and take a course is what has lead many to question how seriously LCC take such things.
 
Jeanette Moo said:
We are not talking about the same thing. If your employer was made aware of such comments would you still havea job? I wouldn't.
Click to expand...
Be interesting to see the full dialogue that took place on Twitter for some context. Is it available anywhere?

Of course, anyone posting that kind of shit in such a job has to go of course, but I'd like to see who he was arguing with and what else was said.
 
editor said:
Be interesting to see the full dialogue that took place on Twitter for some context. Is it available anywhere?

Of course, anyone posting that kind of shit in such a job has to go of course, but I'd like to see who he was arguing with and what else was said.
Click to expand...

Ask on the article or the comments. Someone has them I'm sure
 
Jeanette Moo said:
If I had made those comments I would have been met in the foyer of my work by HR and a manager. Taken to a side room and sacked.
Click to expand...

What about if you had made those comments before you were employed by your company? If they are summarily sacking people in that situation they must be losing a lot of employment tribunals.
 
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