Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition joins in the bicycling community's horror, shock, and outrage over the assault by Harry E. Smith of bicyclist Toraj Soltani on August 16th. We are relieved and grateful that Toraj is recovering from his injuries.

We are astounded that our legal system has once again failed to keep off the road a person with a history of violations and a suspended license to boot.

Harry Smith's actions are impossible to comprehend. For Smith to purposefully harass Soltani, hit him with his car, chase him down, then run him down, and flee the scene leaving behind the injured Soltani is inexcusable; that Smith's anger appears to have been triggered by the fact that Toraj was riding a bicycle makes this incomprehensible incident our business.

While this incident is particularly reprehensible, we are aware that harassment of bicyclists remains too common an occurrence in Sonoma County. That's why Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition is preparing to launch a multi-faceted campaign aimed at both reducing incidents of harassment, and providing additional legal recourse when they do occur.

Join us on Friday, August 31st at 7:30 a.m. at the Sonoma County Superior Court (600 Administration Drive, but we'll be at the north entrance at Paulin and Ventura), where we'll kick-off our campaign before Harry Smith's 8:30 a.m. hearing in Department 9.

Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition continues to work hard to make Sonoma County a safe and accessible place for everyone to ride a bike.

Please note that we will not be offering bicycle parking at this event. If you plan to stay for the court hearing, please bring your bike lock. Also, be sure to be familiar with the Court's dress code: no shorts, tank tops, or hats, etc.