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Chinese50 Cent reveals pain of bicycle theft
For months we at metroriderla have been kicking around idea of getting celebrities to pick up the cause of mass transit. An article was always in the pipeline, but the inspiration of how to approach it was lacking. A few names were brought up. Leonardo DiCaprio seemed like a safe pair of hands. He already has a foundation committed to fighting climate change and the right activist profile. For some reason though, Leo (can I call him Leo? no. Mr. DiCaprio then) did not quite seem like the solution. The answer just recently presented itself from across the pond.
In an interview with the British tabloid The Sun, in a pretty throw-away parting question by the interviewer, 50 Cent revealed that one of the most painful moments in his life was getting his bike stolen as a teenager. Before you could find him in da club, as a boy 50 rode his bike around the streets of his native Queens.
Opening up on the incident, and I quote:
“That was one of those things that happened to me that, it kind of hurt…It’s interesting. Those are the things that inspired you to go in a direction I went into. I had to start to hustle to get the things I wanted or wouldn’t have.”
When watching the interview you can see he is still really affected by that loss. With a personal experience that he still remembers vividly, 50 would seem like a natural supporter to push for better metro, bike lanes and racks. After his champagne campaign, 50 should be recruited in raising awareness for bike campaigns in metro areas from NYC to LA. A lot of stars are needed to elevate metro’s profile. 50 has a stake in bicycles, but who will do work to promote better buses, subways, street cars, pedestrian zones, etc. Suggestions?
Which people could be the celebrity talismans of metro and how can they be recruited into putting their weight behind improving mass transit? Celebrity can be the tonic for fixing public transportation’s image problem. Being green is suddenly cool amongst the Hollywood elite, with a number of celebrities brandishing their environmental credentials. Why not take some of that momentum and channel it towards mass transit? Alert the publicists.
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One… we’ve all been there. I remember when my first bike was stolen. My shiny new Huffy that I had owned for but months, stolen from the parking garage of my workplace at Hollywood/Orange. Yes, I was 24, but it still stung to see that chain on the ground and my Huffy no where to be found.
Speaking of celebs and transit, today on The Source I made an invite to all those eco-friendly celebs like Mr. DiCaprio to hop on the Red Line to premieres at the new Regal Cinemas at LA Live. We’ll see if they take up my offer.
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