IRE Radio Podcast | Biking While Black

When Tampa Bay Times reporters Alexandra Zayas and Kameel Stanley got their hands on state and local data about bike tickets, they found some sobering statistics. Tampa police were stopping bicyclists at an alarming rate. And eight out of 10 of the bicyclists ticketed were black. 

It’s a great story, and even if your coverage area isn’t handing out bike tickets like candy, this is one that could be replicated in communities across the country. So grab a notebook. On this episode, Alex and Kameel walk us through how they made it happen.

As always, you can find us on Soundcloud, iTunes and Stitcher. If you have a story you think we should feature on the show, drop us a note at web@ire.org. We’d love to hear from you.

EPISODE NOTES 

Looking for links to the stories, resources and events we discussed on this week's podcast? We've collected them for you.

Tampa Bay Times series:

• Read Alexandra Zayas and Kameel Stanley’s article, “How riding your bike can land you in trouble with the cops — if you're black.”
• ACLU calls for stop to Tampa's bike stop program as police chief defends it
• Read former Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor’s statement on bike tickets
• Read the Tampa Bay Times editorial on Eric Ward, Tampa’s new police chief
• Watch ‘The Nightly Show’ poke fun at Tampa’s policy

IRE Conference audio:

• Members can browse and download more than 100 hours of recorded audio from the conference in Philadelphia.

CREDITS

Music in this episode comes from Podington Bear. Shawn Shinneman wrote and produced this episode. IRE Web Editor Sarah Hutchins edits the podcast.