On November 17, 2000, our beloved son, brother and friend, Chris Robertson, was tragically killed in the city he loved, San Francisco. He was 30 years old. All of the quotes below were written by his friends and family who loved him as much as we did. Chris died doing what he loved - riding his bicycle. We can only hope that his death will save the lives of other bicyclists and pedestrians in our rushed society.

We encourage you to live as Chris lived -
savor every moment, always seek happiness, love and be loved.

LEGAL INFORMATION:

Chris Robertson was struck and killed by a 18-wheeler truck on Friday, Nov 17, 2000, in what appears to be an incident of road rage.  After a lengthy investigation by the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, Rueben Espinosa, the driver of the truck, was arrested for manslaughter and assault charges on February 5, 2001.  Bail was set at $2 million, and was later reduced to $1.5 million.  On April 17, 2001, all felony charges were dropped against Espinosa, and he was released from prison on a $10,000 bond.

On November 5, 2001, Rueben Espinosa was tried on the reduced misdemeanor charges of assault with a deadly weapon and manslaughter.  On November 8th, he was found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon.  On November 9th, he was found not guilty of manslaughter.  On November 13th, Espinosa was sentenced to eight months, minus time served, in prison and a $500 fine.  Notes from those who attended the trial can be found in articles listed below from SF Bay Indymedia.

After the felony charges were dropped in April 2001, a postcard campaign was launched in San Francisco by a friend of Chris who printed and stamped hundreds of postcards.  They were passed out to friends, family, and bike shops across the city.  They read as follows:

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San Francisco District Attorney Terence Hallinan
c/o Asst. DA Andrew J. Clark
850 Bryant St. Rm #327
San Francisco, CA 94103

Dear District Attorney Hallinan:

I am deeply concerned about safety on our San Francisco streets. I want you to do your best to ensure that the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and drivers is taken seriously. In the recent case involving the death of cyclist Chris Robertson, it appears that there will be no serious penalties against a professional driver, who by his own admission, used his 18 wheel big rig truck to play "chicken" with a group of cyclists.  

I urge you to work towards the revocation of professional driving privileges of Reuben Espinoza. He should be retrained to work in a position where he will not endanger others. We need to put a stop to road rage in San Francisco, and this is the first step down that road. Driving is privilege, not a right. The safety of the citizens of San Francisco is at risk.

Sincerely, 

Signature __________________________
Name _____________________________
Address____________________________
City/State_________________________
Zip________________________________

Remember Chris Robertson.
Bicycles have a right to the road.
California Vehicle Code 21202
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For more information, click HERE to read about the efforts of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition in the original pursuit of justice for Chris.

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MEDIA COVERAGE:

Here are the links to newspaper and other articles concerning Chris' death and the case against the truck driver who is responsible for his death.  Many of these articles include inconsistencies or false information about Chris.  A few that I have noticed:

• Some of the following articles state Chris' age as 32 years.  Chris was actually 30 years old at the time of his death, and would have turned 31 on June 7, 2001.
  
• Some of the following articles state that Chris was a bike messenger at the time of his death, or that he had worked as a bike messenger in the past.  Although Chris was an avid cyclist during the last several years of his life, he never worked as a bike messenger. Chris worked as a motorcycle messenger and dispatcher for a San Francisco company called Lightning Express many years ago, but at the time he was killed he worked for a co-op store called Rainbow Grocery. 

If you notice any other inconsistencies, or have any other articles to add to this list, please e-mail me.

In addition, some of these articles do not portray Chris or cyclists in a completely positive light.  I simply posted all the articles I could find that mentioned his name.  If you would like to discuss an issue related to any of these articles, please post it to my Guestbook.

San Francisco Chronicle / SF Gate News:

• November 18, 2000:  Cyclist Run Over and Killed By Big-Rig Truck in S.F.

• November 21, 2000:  Robertson, Christopher P. (Obituary)

• November 21, 2000:  Bicyclist Killed By Truck in S.F. Is Identified - Driver charges dropped pending investigation

• November 22, 2000:  Witnesses Sought in Death of Bicyclist

• November 29, 2000:  Police Seek Witnesses to Bike-Big Rig Crash

• November 29, 2000:  Fatal Bike Accident (KRON-TV Channel 4)

• December 2, 2000:  Bicyclists Turning Wheels of Justice - Group meets D.A. following death of biker

• February 6, 2001:  Trucker Arrested in Death of Bicyclist

• February 6, 2001:  Plea in Cyclist Death Not Guilty, says trucker charged in rider slaying   (Click HERE for accompanying photograph)

• March 2, 2001:  Bikers Hope Friend's Death Will Make Streets Safer   (Click HERE for Letters to the Editor - Scroll Down)

• April 18, 2001:  Manslaughter Charge Dropped in Biker's Death - Trucker faces 2 misdemeanors   (Click HERE for Letters to the Editor - Scroll Down)

• April 27, 2001:  Bicyclist's Anguish - Another rider killed on day of Critical Mass, protest over earlier death

• April 28, 2001:  Critical Mass Participants Ride in Memoriam - 1,500 hit the streets on a day 2 more cyclists die

• May 4, 2001:  Channel That Anger Into Action - but with love

San Francisco Examiner:

• December 11, 2000:  When Good Drivers Go Bad - For bicyclists and pedestrians, hitting the road can be a deadly experience

• December 15, 2000:  City's Cyclists Are Treated Like Second Class

• February 15, 2001:  Cyclists Rally to Be Counted

• April 14, 2001:  Hearing Begins in Bicyclist's Death

• April 19, 2001:  Bicycle Death-Case Charges Reduced

• April 19, 2001:  Editorial Cartoon

• April 23, 2001:  Biker's Death Spurs Protest

• April 27, 2001:  Stuck? Critical Mass Strikes Again

• April 30, 2001:  Mobile Wake for Biker Killed by Truck

• April 30, 2001:  Cyclists Changing Face of S.F.

San Jose Mercury News:

• November 30, 2000:  No reason for cyclists to die on city streets

• December 2, 2000:  DA tells protesters he'll step up investigation of cyclist's death

• February 27, 2001:  Bail reduced for suspect in cyclist's death

• April 18, 2001:  Truck Driver Avoids Felony Trial - Evidence in Bicyclist's Death Fails to Support Charge, Judge Rules

• April 27, 2001:  Death of Another Cyclist Ignites Emotions

• April 27, 2001:  Courtesy Increasingly Missing on Bay Area Roads

• August 1, 2001:  Tribulations on the Open Road of Bicycle-Motorcar Coexistence

San Francisco Bay Guardian:

• December 6, 2000:  Pedal Power - Treated like "disposable people," bike couriers ramp up union efforts

• February 21, 2001:  Cycles of Violence

SF Weekly:

• December 13, 2000:  Breaking the Cycle - Marin County has a program to protect bicyclists.  In S.F., we keep killing them   (Click 1 AND 2 for Letters to the Editor)

New Mission News:

• January 8, 2001:  Furor Over Cyclist's Killing - Road rage is blamed for the death of Chris Robertson  (Click HERE for accompanying photograph)

• May 9, 2001:  Road Rush

San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's Tube Times:

• February, 2001:  Cyclists Outraged by Apparent Murder

• February, 2001:  Remembering Chris Robertson (1970-2000)

• March, 2001:  Driver Charged with Cyclist's Death

• April, 2001:  Letters to the Editor - Thanks to S.F. Cycling Community

• June, 2001:  Update - Chris Robertson Case

Mother Jones Magazine:

• April, 2001:  Outlines in Outrage (Mother Jones Magazine)

SF Bay Independent Media Center:

• April 18, 2001:  Judge Ignores Critical Evidence in Trial of Cyclist's Killer

• April 19, 2001:  Death of a Bike Messenger

• October 23, 2001:  Justice Campaign for SF Bicyclist

• November 6, 2001:  Seeking Justice for Cyclist Chris Robertson

• November 10, 2001:  Final Verdict in Chris Robertson Case

• November 13, 2001:  Sentence in Robertson Case - 8 months & $500 fine

SF Independent:

• May 4, 2001:  Last Friday Was a Day We Remembered Chris Robertson

San Francisco Call:

• May 7, 2001:  Murder is No Accident

BicycleWire.com:

• November 12, 2001:  Dying for Love

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CHRIS' FAVORITES:

• San Francisco Bicycle Coalition - Chris was a member and volunteer of this organization which advocates for cyclist's rights.  Learn about their work to make the streets of San Francisco safer for cyclists.
• Rainbow Grocery - Read all about the co-op where Chris worked at the time of his death.  Even though he had only worked there for five months, staff describes him as a "good friend and great cook."
• Remember Chris - Join the message board so you can read and share stories about Chris.
• San Francisco Bike Messenger Association - Even though Chris was not working as a bike messenger, he was supportive of this organization, which also advocates for cyclist's rights.
• California AIDS Ride - In the year 2000, Chris celebrated his 30th birthday by riding his bicycle from San Francisco to Los Angeles.  The ride has gone through some changes since that time, and is now called AIDS Life Cycle.
• Messenger Memorial - View dozens of memorial sites for cyclists who have died all over the world, including Chris' memorial under "San Francisco," of course.
• Chris' Homepage - Even though he hadn't updated it since 1997, you can still view Chris' web-page where he talks about lots of his favorite things. 
• Zeitgeist - Check out Chris' favorite bar and hangout - which is also a guesthouse!  You can drink all the beer you want and then sleep upstairs for only $30 a night!
• Musician for Hire - Check out the site of Chris' friend, Dale.  Lots of cool links, and if you're ever in need of a musician...
• Iron Chef - View the schedule and lots of other cool information about Chris' favorite show on television - he used to watch it without the English translation!
• Bonny Doon Vineyard - Read about Chris' favorite vineyard.  You can even buy wine (depending on what state you live in), including Chris' favorite wine, Le Cigare Volant.
• Duboce Bikeway Mural - It's a favorite hangout for cyclists.  Read the story of the mural, and see a full-length photograph.
• Carfree Cities -  Carfree??  Sounds crazy to a lot of us, but Chris would have LOVED it!!  This is a pretty cool site, even if this guy is dreaming.
• MAD Magazine Collector Site - Chris did love his MAD Magazines, and he collected them, too.  If anyone is interested in buying issues from his collection, e-mail me.
• The Immortal Class - A good friend of Chris' gave me this book as a gift.  The author, Travis Hugh Culley, gave me a great insight into the lives of cyclists, especially the messenger community.  Order your own copy...

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CYCLISTS' RIGHTS:

Don't let Chris' death be in vain!!  
Whether you are a driver or a cyclist, educate yourself about 
cyclists' rights and the rules of the road by checking the
bicycling laws in your state.

The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition has lots of good information - check out the We Share the Road Campaign.

Read about the trial of the Chicago motorist who killed cyclist and messenger, Tommy McBride, during a fit of road rage.  The motorist, Carnell Fitzpatrick, was convicted of First Degree Murder for the killing that he called "accidental."

Visit the League of American Bicyclists to learn more about bicycle advocacy and get great cycling links no matter where you live!  You can also learn about how to travel with your bike.

Learn about San Francisco's CoExist Campaign, sponsored in part by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.  The campaign is designed to "replace road rage with road etiquette," and you can download lots of cool stuff for cyclists and drivers.  You can even learn how to e-mail the mayor of San Francisco in support of a citywide bike network (or just to tell him hello). 

Other pages concerning cyclists' rights:

• Jason Meggs:  Your Bike Rights Package
• Brasscheck:  Politically Motivated Police Violence in the San Francisco Bay Area
• February 27, 1998:  Cyclists feeling road rage at cops' alleged indifference
• August 6, 1998:  Bicyclists Say They Can't Get Any Respect

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