‘Fuck Cars’: Comics Enraged After Brooklyn-Based Performer is Killed by Driver

This is no fucking joke.

Comedians across the country are calling out the dangers of cars and the need for better cycling infrastructure after one of their own was killed by a driver while biking in Brooklyn last week. 

Few details are known about the crash that killed Kenny DeForest, but according to reports and a GoFundMe page set up for him, the comedian was hit by a car driver on Dec. 8, and died five days later. 

Comedian Adam Conover, a one-time guest on “The War on Cars” podcast, who also once darkly poked fun at the origins of jaywalking on his show “Adam Ruins Everything,” didn’t mince words about his friend’s death.

“Kenny DeForest was one of the funniest and most beloved comics any of us knew. A tragedy. Watch his special on YouTube. It came out three months ago. It’s beautiful. Fuck Cars forever,” Conover wrote on Instagram on Wednesday.

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DeForest, 37, was rushed to Kings County Hospital after the crash, and had been in stable condition following surgery to relieve pressure from a brain bleed, but died on Dec. 13, his friends and family shared on his GoFundMe page, which has so far raised more than $175,000. The stand-up comedian, known for his appearances on Comedy Central, “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” is at least the 28th cyclist to be killed in traffic violence so far this year — the second-deadliest for bike riders since last century, advocates said.

“We are devastated to learn that another New Yorker riding a bike was killed in New York City, making 2023 the deadliest year for cyclists since 1999,” said Danny Harris, the executive director at Transportation Alternatives. “Our leaders failed Kenny — and every bike rider killed in this record-breaking year for cyclist deaths. Our leaders know how to prevent crashes from happening, especially as we’re on track for the safest year for pedestrians during Vision Zero, and they must bring this same effort and urgency to keeping cyclists safe.”

We are devastated to learn that another New Yorker riding a bike was killed in New York City, making 2023 the second-deadliest year for bike riders in recorded history.

We send our deepest condolences to the loved ones of Kenny DeForest. pic.twitter.com/S5ftH6fIfz

— Transportation Alternatives (@TransAlt) December 14, 2023

And like advocates, another comedian quickly turned DeForest’s death into a rallying cry for better bike infrastructure. 

“My friend just died a tragic death from being hit by a car on a bike,” Kate Willett wrote on social media on Wednesday. “We need protected bike lanes.” 

The NYPD had no information on the crash.

source https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2023/12/14/fuck-cars-comics-enraged-after-brooklyn-based-performer-is-killed-by-driver