Jarryd Everett Brown

According to the tallycat blog, this ghost bike was removed. But since that time we heard it has been replaced and is currently standing at the spot of the crash.

From an article in the Tallahassee Democrat Tightly knit community mourns death of bicyclist: Friends remember Jarryd Everett Brown as 'a loyal friend' By Nic Corbett • DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER • May 22, 2008 Jarryd Everett Brown, the bicyclist who died in a Tallahassee crash Tuesday night, was part of a tightly knit community that is now mourning his death. Brown, 22, grew up in the Miccosukee Land Cooperative, a neighborhood where about 100 families live, and he graduated from SAIL High School in 2004. "When I went to school today, there were a lot of kids that needed hugs and, believe me, I needed them too," Mike Rychlik, an English teacher at SAIL and a neighbor of the Brown family said Wednesday. "He was very popular. The kids at the school really gravitated toward him but, he wasn't the swagger kind of popular guy. He was kind of low key. He was a loyal friend." About 8:15 p.m. Tuesday, Brown was heading north on the west side of Magnolia Drive, said Tallahassee Police Department spokesman Officer David McCranie. According to witnesses, Brown crossed Apalachee Parkway even though he had a red light. The driver of a Chevrolet Blazer heading west on Apalachee had a green light when he went through the intersection and struck Brown. The driver, who was not at fault, was William Wiehagen. "The investigation continues but charges are not pending," McCranie said. Brown was thrown from his bicycle and died on scene, he said. He was not wearing a helmet. It was the second bicycle-related fatality in Leon County and Tallahassee this year. Carroll L. Moore, 64, died Feb. 26 from injuries he suffered from a crash a week earlier. A driver waiting to turn left onto Clara Kee Boulevard from U.S. 27 North didn't see Moore, who was riding his bicycle. Earlier this month, a bicyclist was seriously injured after he was struck by a truck and dragged 100 feet on North Monroe Street. Bicyclists were injured in 63 crashes last year in Leon County, but none died, according to preliminary data from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The Miccosukee Co-op community helped Brown's family when his mother was sick with cancer. She died a few years ago, Rychlik said. They formed a healing circle and had potluck dinners at the Browns' home on Monday nights. "It's really hitting us hard," Rychlik said. "For Scott (Brown's father) to lose a wife and to lose his only child is unbelievably burdensome and hard to fathom." Georjean Thaell, another neighbor, said it was clear Brown was a loving person. "When I would see him, I knew that he loved me and I think that a lot of people can say that about him," she said. "He had beautiful, big eyes that were kind of sad after his mother died." Justin Pogge, a volunteer with Krank It Up, a community bicycle project, said he saw Brown last week. "The bike he was riding was one he borrowed from a friend, and he was talking about how excited he was getting a bicycle and riding it around town," Pogge recalled. Pogge was helping organize a ghost bike ride for Wednesday night. The ride is a memorial for local bicyclists who have died in crashes. He and others planned to spray paint an old bicycle white and chain it near where Brown died. Adapted From: Tally Cast Blog At the intersection of Apalachee Parkway and Magnolia, Jarryd Brown was killed when he was crashed into by a car. Jarryd was my neighbor and my friend and leaves behind a community who have lost too many young people to the highways. Jarryd went to SAIL and was currently enrolled at TCC. As the father of one bicycle commuter, the brother of another and an occasional bike commuter myself, this hits me even harder. I was unable to reach anyone at TPD this morning regarding the current status of the investigation. I don’t know if the traffic cameras at the intersection caught a license number or of there is a description of the vehicle or the driver. As soon as a description is available, I’ll be posting it here. Look for updates in the comments. It’s important that this, and every traffic incident where a cyclist is injured or killed is treated seriously by law enforcement. There are a couple of memorials planned for Jarryd. The local bike community is holding a ride of silence in honor of Jarryd. It starts at 7PM in front of Krank It Up in Railroad Square. There is a post-ride bonfire planned in Jarryd’s community. There is a brief article about the accident on TDO. It didn’t make the front page - look for it under “more local news” . Local bike blog, “TallyCat.org” has a very active discussion thread on the accident. The best memorial to Jarryd is for each of us to raise our voice to our local bureaucrats and politicians. It’s time that bicycle transportation is taken seriously in our community, and that our traffic and transportation plans treat bikes and pedestrians as equals to automobiles. The planning department is currently considering the development of a new “multimodal” transportation district in downtown Tallahassee. We’re not talking Madison (Wisconsin), or Davis (California) here but it’s a start. You can download the proposal here. The planning department’s point person for this initiative is: Cherie Bryant, AICP Special Projects Manager Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department (850) 891-6400 Read the plan and let Cherie know what you think about it. For me, the big issues are intersections, on-street parking, secure bike parking, and fair enforcement of bicycle/automobile issues. Keep Jarryd’s dad, Scott, in your hearts and please, share the road. Cyclists belong.