Sharon Durkan "traumatized" after someone called her fat

Sharon Durkan, Boston City Council Member: It’s just that I’m afraid the conversation in the city of Boston has really turned into us becoming a little desensitized to the conversation about safety. And I can tell you that I had a recent experience on a bike that has kept me off the bike for two months.

I was harassed. Someone behind me said, “You better move, you fat B…” while I was biking in an area that did not have a protected bike lane. And I do need to share that there is a lot of trauma felt by people who ride on two wheels in the city.

As we approach the summer months, with the blue bikes and other people riding on their own two-wheeled devices, they are harassed. They are impacted by the conversation we have at the city council. And I do think it’s very important that we recognize that, in the culture war happening around bikes and other infrastructure, we need to center those who are most vulnerable: pedestrians, cyclists, people on two wheels.

That is something I have always stood behind. I ran as someone who advocates for safe and accessible streets, and I will continue to do that. And if this is placed in my committee, I think we really do need to have a more nuanced conversation about who is vulnerable on the roads and how we can protect them.

Video Source: Social Media.