A local bicyclist’s life was threatened on Charlottesville’s Rivanna Trail.
Once the centerpiece of Charlottesville’s outdoor recreational facilities, the Trail has devolved into the city’s own “no-go” zone.
Such “zones” are well known throughout Europe (and in the United States) as places where social or religious extremists have seized control of public and/or private property, which they then regulate as if it were legally theirs.
The bicyclist, known as, @Barkley1399 on TikTok, posted two illustrative and foreboding videos to his account, which since have garnered multi-thousands of views across social media platforms. The footage documented his attempt to traverse the public trail in the vicinity of what has become known as “The Encampment”—a large, long-term homeless bivouac situated on the Rivanna Trail and on adjacent to the nearby Rivanna River.
During his brief Trail journey, Barkley1399 was accosted by several individuals who demand that he leave “their” property. In a particularly disturbing interaction, a hostile “resident” threatened the videographer’s life saying, “I’ll cut your goddamn head off.”
Following Barkley1399’s police escort from the Trail to the safety of higher ground, a second Charlottesville police officer engaged the cyclist and accused him of intentionally provoking members of the encampment—an accusation vehemently denied.
Charlottesville Police Chief Michael Kochis correctly termed the situation as “incredibly dangerous;” however, City Manager Sam Sanders and the feckless Charlottesville City Council refuse to act in spite of publicly acknowledging the manifest environmental and public safety problems (trash, human waste, discarded needles, camp deaths, etc.).
Odds are, it’s only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured…or worse.
Given the circumstances, the question lingers: who will bear the blame when the “worst” comes to pass?
