Cothran

No, these clamorous, self-absorbed yahoos decided their grievance against the non-bicycle-riding world was the only thing to document. Rebecca Kresse's life and death became a political tool. That's all.

Graffiti twice the size of that commemorating the young accident victim was scrawled all over the sidewalk. Among the writings were crude and idiotic statements such as: "Cars kill everything," and, "Driving is socially acceptable murder."

(The facts of the accident didn't seem to matter, either. Rebecca was killed by a bus, not a car. Most bicycle activists favor mass transit as a way of reducing the overreliance on automobiles.)

One unredeemable jerk actually videotaped himself writing the graffiti.
A woman stepped forward and taped a sign on the pole arguing for more bike lanes. She did not notice, but it partially covered a sign commemorating Rebecca Kresse. The bike-lane sign actually covered up part of Rebecca's name.

Perhaps the worst offender was someone named Billy, who thought it appropriate to advertise -- in business cards mounted on the pole -- something called Dedicated Urban Bikeways, some sort of separate bike paths that, his card announces, "are the crown jewel of the Dutch urban infrastructure."

It seems Mr. Billy offers a slide presentation on these bikeways. The card says you can contact him to arrange his presentation, and to help him advocate for the bikeways, by calling 487-6335 or e-mailing him at bboyd@CCSF.CA.US. I THINK WE ALL SHOULD CONTACT BILLY AND TELL HIM WHAT AN INCREDIBLY INAPPROPRIATE AND IGNORANT ASS HE IS.

BY 6:30 p.m., the memorial had been effectively hijacked, and Rebecca's iden-tity had all but been erased from it. Any private meaning or comfort her friends and neighbors may have gleaned from the memorial had been subsumed by a political agenda.

Next to a small graffiti message for Becka that said "We miss you" was a larger one stating "Remember bicycles. Look for bicycles. Respect bicycles."

It was unfortunate the bicycle activists forgot to respect Rebecca, her loving friends, and simple decency.

George Cothran (gcothran@sfweekly.com) can be reached at SF Weekly, 185 Berry, Suite 3800, San Francisco,