Siddeeq Shabazz Honor Ride
This weekend, dozens of riders came together to show support for a friend who was recently injured in a senseless act of violence.
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A few weeks ago, Siddeeq Shabazz was seriously injured in a senseless act of violence and faces a long road to recovery. Please consider supporting him by donating: CashApp / Venmo / Paypal @siddeeqs
Within a year of starting riding during the pandemic, Siddeeq Shabazz had become a powerhouse in Philadelphia's cycling scene, leading weekly club rides, featuring nationally on the cover of Bicycling Magazine, and inspiring an ever-diversifying body of riders with his radiating positive energy. One of 12 siblings, Siddeeq loves visiting happy hours at steak houses and fine dining restaurants and his favorite food is fried shrimp. When I asked Siddeeq for his favorite joke, he replied "the man who sleeps on the floor never falls out of the bed." Lol
In response to Siddeeq's injury, The Tricycle & Velojawn organized a ride to show him that he has the love and support of his community. After coffee, treats, and interviews with NBC 10 news reporters, several dozen riders departed The Tricycle shop in Conshohocken on the first leg of the ride, following the SRT into the city to Velojawn. More riders, snacks, and Fox 29 news reporters awaited at Velojawn, where the mood was jubilant and Siddeeq enthusiastically made the rounds over FaceTime.
Members of multiple cycling clubs gathering at Velojawn in honor of Siddeeq.
At noon, police sirens filled the air, indicating it was time to embark on a police-escorted six mile loop of the city. Parading down Market Street from 50th to 20th Streets, the ride rolled past Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where Siddeeq has been spending time recovering.
Proceeding along the Ben Franklin Parkway, past the Art Museum, and across the Schuylkill on Spring Garden Street, the loop concluded back at Velojawn. There, Mike Brown, co-owner of Tricycle and Velojawn, and Curran Swint of KRT/QRT, expressed their gratitude to the community for coming together in pursuit of peace and healing.
Gun violence has an undeniable and devastating grip on Philadelphia. That it hit so close to home this June intensifies the malaise but reminds us that we are part of a community extraordinarily well-positioned to organize, unify, and overcome the toughest challenges together.
Supporting Siddeeq, supporting one-another, and uniting against violence doesn't end here. Riding bikes with friends is an outlet that brings so much positive energy to our lives, but is also a luxury that we can not take for granted. If more people on bikes means broader social networks offering support when shit gets tough, does that mean that bikes can prevent trauma and save lives? Maybe. We should definitely try. So let's keep it up. Let's keep riding, being visible, opening up our community, and caring for our city and culture. Let's do it for Deeq.
For a comprehensive guide to violence prevention support and resources in Philadelphia, see this link.