Chelsea Ritter-Soronen
@chelsearsoronen.bsky.social
Owner/Artist, Chalk Riot • sustainable transportation grad student • USA delegate USJLP 24-25 • effective transit needs engaging art • California Zephyr and front stoop enthusiast • DC
www.chalkriotart.com
www.chalkriotart.com
Pinned
Family Biking Matters: Make streets safer with art
This month, Family Biking Matters delves into how art on the street (the actual street) can improve safety and contribute to quality of life.
ggwash.org
Proud and grateful to share my first piece with @ggwash.org today! ggwash.org/view/98106/f... Thanks to my good friends at @hillfamilybiking.org 🫶 Read on to learn more about the surge of pavement murals and arts in the right of way in DC and beyond! Now more than ever, community > everything
Chalk Riot’s proud to have signed on to the FreeDC pledge ✌️ a no-brainer. Great to see so many of DC’s lovely fellow small businesses gathered in one place for a good cause. I also look forward to checking out all the great holiday markets soon! Shop local!
If you're scrolling right now, we don't need to tell you what day it is.
Fight back against the e-commerce giants with @freedcproject.bsky.social's shopping guide, which features dozens of local businesses that have pledged to support D.C.'s autonomy.
Fight back against the e-commerce giants with @freedcproject.bsky.social's shopping guide, which features dozens of local businesses that have pledged to support D.C.'s autonomy.
Shop local with Free DC's holiday shopping guide
A new shopping guide features dozens of places that have pledged to support D.C.'s autonomy.
51st.news
November 28, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Chalk Riot’s proud to have signed on to the FreeDC pledge ✌️ a no-brainer. Great to see so many of DC’s lovely fellow small businesses gathered in one place for a good cause. I also look forward to checking out all the great holiday markets soon! Shop local!
Reposted by Chelsea Ritter-Soronen
A very readable, deeply-informed piece by Naomi Klein that combines genocide, the Surrealists, fascism then and now -- and Mamdani.
www.equator.org/articles/sur...
www.equator.org/articles/sur...
Surrealism Against Fascism • EQUATOR
A century ago, artists who survived the trenches captured humanity’s capacity for destruction. What can they teach us about confronting the far-right in a new age of genocide?
www.equator.org
November 28, 2025 at 3:34 AM
A very readable, deeply-informed piece by Naomi Klein that combines genocide, the Surrealists, fascism then and now -- and Mamdani.
www.equator.org/articles/sur...
www.equator.org/articles/sur...
Reposted by Chelsea Ritter-Soronen
Perhaps the smartest #ClimateAction investment in cities is in public transit. While others make excuses, Paris is building a WHOLE NEW METRO NETWORK CONNECTING SUBURBS.
“…the Grand Paris Express, a new 200km system with 4 new lines & 68 new stations.”
#ActionStartsHere
@mayors4climate.bsky.social
“…the Grand Paris Express, a new 200km system with 4 new lines & 68 new stations.”
#ActionStartsHere
@mayors4climate.bsky.social
Paris is getting a whole new Metro network. And it’s huge | CNN
The Grand Paris Express will add four lines, 68 stations and 200 kilometers of track to the French capital’s 120-year-old Metro system, providing vital suburban links – just not quite in time for the ...
www.cnn.com
November 28, 2025 at 4:09 AM
Perhaps the smartest #ClimateAction investment in cities is in public transit. While others make excuses, Paris is building a WHOLE NEW METRO NETWORK CONNECTING SUBURBS.
“…the Grand Paris Express, a new 200km system with 4 new lines & 68 new stations.”
#ActionStartsHere
@mayors4climate.bsky.social
“…the Grand Paris Express, a new 200km system with 4 new lines & 68 new stations.”
#ActionStartsHere
@mayors4climate.bsky.social
Reposted by Chelsea Ritter-Soronen
The Department of Transportation wants tougher rules for commercial driver's licenses after a deadly crash involving a trucker from India. Critics say it's an immigration crackdown by another name. n.pr/3KeJ21a
The DOT says it wants to make trucking safer, but some see an 'immigration raid'
The Department of Transportation wants tougher rules for commercial driver's licenses after a deadly crash involving a trucker from India. Critics say it's an immigration crackdown by another name.
n.pr
November 28, 2025 at 4:25 PM
The Department of Transportation wants tougher rules for commercial driver's licenses after a deadly crash involving a trucker from India. Critics say it's an immigration crackdown by another name. n.pr/3KeJ21a
This will undoubtedly increase the number of miles I bike tbh www.masstransitmag.com/alt-mobility...
WMATA launches first part of updated bike parking program
New bike lockers are now available outside the Foggy Bottom and Eastern Market Metrorail stations.
www.masstransitmag.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:56 PM
This will undoubtedly increase the number of miles I bike tbh www.masstransitmag.com/alt-mobility...
Reposted by Chelsea Ritter-Soronen
This is the scandal. Trump isn’t targeting dangerous people. He’s targeting peaceful immigrants. Almost exclusively.
November 26, 2025 at 2:10 PM
This is the scandal. Trump isn’t targeting dangerous people. He’s targeting peaceful immigrants. Almost exclusively.
Basically
when we say we want more streets to be pedestrianized, this is what we mean
November 25, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Basically
In learning about UHIs it’s actually so crazy that we had to get to the point of no trees, to realize “wow, maybe we should …. Plant more trees” 😵💫
November 23, 2025 at 6:27 PM
In learning about UHIs it’s actually so crazy that we had to get to the point of no trees, to realize “wow, maybe we should …. Plant more trees” 😵💫
Reposted by Chelsea Ritter-Soronen
A driver hit an elementary school student with a car, 500 ft from Tulip Grove ES in Bowie, after school. The crosswalks at the intersection are unmarked. The principal asked parents to "discuss safety precautions with [their] child" & reminded "all families to please drive slowly & carefully."
Elementary school student struck by car in Bowie
Elementary school student struck by car in Bowie
An elementary school student was hit by a car while walking home from school in Bowie on Friday.
wtop.com
November 22, 2025 at 2:16 AM
A driver hit an elementary school student with a car, 500 ft from Tulip Grove ES in Bowie, after school. The crosswalks at the intersection are unmarked. The principal asked parents to "discuss safety precautions with [their] child" & reminded "all families to please drive slowly & carefully."
We love
Better than totally empty space. Now add a daily hot dog, snack, and refreshment cart on the mezz. 😎
It's not a coffee shop, but it's something.
November 22, 2025 at 1:36 AM
We love
Reposted by Chelsea Ritter-Soronen
Sidewalks are for chalk.
Chalking has been banned on Ohio State’s campus this entire semester to prevent everyone from any political speech. For the most part the students are complying.
But the progressive churches on the edge of campus aren’t, which is pretty rad. They also hosted a pro-Palestine rally last week.
But the progressive churches on the edge of campus aren’t, which is pretty rad. They also hosted a pro-Palestine rally last week.
November 20, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Sidewalks are for chalk.
Reposted by Chelsea Ritter-Soronen
NEW: Sean Duffy frequently calls safety his “top priority” as transportation secretary. But I spent months wading through regulatory notices and found something far different: that USDOT has been delaying, weakening and killing dozens of safety rules, many opposed by the transportation industry.🧵
November 20, 2025 at 12:36 PM
NEW: Sean Duffy frequently calls safety his “top priority” as transportation secretary. But I spent months wading through regulatory notices and found something far different: that USDOT has been delaying, weakening and killing dozens of safety rules, many opposed by the transportation industry.🧵
Reposted by Chelsea Ritter-Soronen
NEW:
In 2024, Tierra Walker was sick and getting sicker. She was also pregnant.
She knew abortion was illegal in Texas, but thought there was an exception for women like her, whose health was at risk. Doctors told her there was no emergency.
Then she died.
www.propublica.org/article/texa...
In 2024, Tierra Walker was sick and getting sicker. She was also pregnant.
She knew abortion was illegal in Texas, but thought there was an exception for women like her, whose health was at risk. Doctors told her there was no emergency.
Then she died.
www.propublica.org/article/texa...
“Ticking Time Bomb”: A Pregnant Mother Kept Getting Sicker. She Died After She Couldn’t Get an Abortion in Texas.
Walker is one of several women ProPublica found with underlying health conditions who died when they couldn’t access abortions.
www.propublica.org
November 19, 2025 at 11:08 AM
NEW:
In 2024, Tierra Walker was sick and getting sicker. She was also pregnant.
She knew abortion was illegal in Texas, but thought there was an exception for women like her, whose health was at risk. Doctors told her there was no emergency.
Then she died.
www.propublica.org/article/texa...
In 2024, Tierra Walker was sick and getting sicker. She was also pregnant.
She knew abortion was illegal in Texas, but thought there was an exception for women like her, whose health was at risk. Doctors told her there was no emergency.
Then she died.
www.propublica.org/article/texa...
Reposted by Chelsea Ritter-Soronen
Join @safestreetsdc.bsky.social on 11/16 as we walk to remember and honor the lives lost and forever changed by traffic violence and then rally at the Lincoln Memorial with the Ride for Your Life.
RSVP: dcfamiliesforsafestreets.org/2025/10/12/w...
RSVP: dcfamiliesforsafestreets.org/2025/10/12/w...
November 2, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Join @safestreetsdc.bsky.social on 11/16 as we walk to remember and honor the lives lost and forever changed by traffic violence and then rally at the Lincoln Memorial with the Ride for Your Life.
RSVP: dcfamiliesforsafestreets.org/2025/10/12/w...
RSVP: dcfamiliesforsafestreets.org/2025/10/12/w...
Reposted by Chelsea Ritter-Soronen
34 years ago today
Bikini Kill – Kathleen Hanna and Kathi Wilcox – performed at St. Stephen’s in Washington, D.C., on November 16, 1991.
Photos: Brad Sigal
#punk #punks #punkrock #womenofpunk #bikinikill #kathleenhanna #kathiwilcox #history #punkrockhistory #otd
Bikini Kill – Kathleen Hanna and Kathi Wilcox – performed at St. Stephen’s in Washington, D.C., on November 16, 1991.
Photos: Brad Sigal
#punk #punks #punkrock #womenofpunk #bikinikill #kathleenhanna #kathiwilcox #history #punkrockhistory #otd
November 16, 2025 at 3:55 AM
34 years ago today
Bikini Kill – Kathleen Hanna and Kathi Wilcox – performed at St. Stephen’s in Washington, D.C., on November 16, 1991.
Photos: Brad Sigal
#punk #punks #punkrock #womenofpunk #bikinikill #kathleenhanna #kathiwilcox #history #punkrockhistory #otd
Bikini Kill – Kathleen Hanna and Kathi Wilcox – performed at St. Stephen’s in Washington, D.C., on November 16, 1991.
Photos: Brad Sigal
#punk #punks #punkrock #womenofpunk #bikinikill #kathleenhanna #kathiwilcox #history #punkrockhistory #otd
Government sanctioned censorship of public art continues to follow the well-worn Florida to Texas path. Where is next?
Buddy Holly is woke now www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
Buddy Holly crosswalk in his Texas hometown to be removed following order on road safety
“It’s such a tasteful cross section and people like it. But what do you do?” City Council Member Christy Martinez-Garcia said of the crosswalk that depicts Holly's iconic glasses.
www.nbcnews.com
November 15, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Government sanctioned censorship of public art continues to follow the well-worn Florida to Texas path. Where is next?
Mt Pleasant sidewalk astronomer facing deportation!!! 51st.news/mount-pleasa... He is only 19 and has his whole life ahead of him, and a beloved community member. Let's support him with all we got.
Mount Pleasant’s sidewalk astronomer might have to leave his home
But Gael Gomez wants people to keep looking up — at the sky and in life.
51st.news
November 14, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Mt Pleasant sidewalk astronomer facing deportation!!! 51st.news/mount-pleasa... He is only 19 and has his whole life ahead of him, and a beloved community member. Let's support him with all we got.
Reposted by Chelsea Ritter-Soronen
"What e-bikes are replacing is generally not the family car but the second runaround. Few parents are giving up driving completely, but a lot of shuttling children around comprises journeys of one to three miles —too far for a toddler to walk, fiddly by public transport, but efficient on a bike."
This week I wrote about the rise of the e-bike dad - this piece was originally going to run alongside the story I did in September about the bike boom in general, and we didn't have space in print, but here it is:
www.economist.com/united-state...
www.economist.com/united-state...
Parents on e-bikes are transforming the school run
They’re smug, snug and often faster than drivers
www.economist.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:32 PM
"What e-bikes are replacing is generally not the family car but the second runaround. Few parents are giving up driving completely, but a lot of shuttling children around comprises journeys of one to three miles —too far for a toddler to walk, fiddly by public transport, but efficient on a bike."
Reposted by Chelsea Ritter-Soronen
Climate knowledge has been taken hostage to prevent climate action.
“It didn’t happen by accident. It’s the product of a deliberate and systematic assault on knowledge by some of the richest people on Earth. Preventing climate breakdown means protecting ourselves from the storm of lies.”
“It didn’t happen by accident. It’s the product of a deliberate and systematic assault on knowledge by some of the richest people on Earth. Preventing climate breakdown means protecting ourselves from the storm of lies.”
Dark forces are preventing us fighting the climate crisis – by taking knowledge hostage | George Monbiot
The fundamental problem is this: that most of the means of communication are owned or influenced by the very rich, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Climate knowledge has been taken hostage to prevent climate action.
“It didn’t happen by accident. It’s the product of a deliberate and systematic assault on knowledge by some of the richest people on Earth. Preventing climate breakdown means protecting ourselves from the storm of lies.”
“It didn’t happen by accident. It’s the product of a deliberate and systematic assault on knowledge by some of the richest people on Earth. Preventing climate breakdown means protecting ourselves from the storm of lies.”
Reposted by Chelsea Ritter-Soronen
Leading medical publication the British Medical Journal recognises SUVs as a danger to public health in a new editorial co-authored by T&E’s James Nix: bit.ly/4hVDlBC
Large SUVs are a danger to pedestrians, cyclists & other drivers.
It's time to take action to reduce their presence in urban areas.
Large SUVs are a danger to pedestrians, cyclists & other drivers.
It's time to take action to reduce their presence in urban areas.
November 12, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Leading medical publication the British Medical Journal recognises SUVs as a danger to public health in a new editorial co-authored by T&E’s James Nix: bit.ly/4hVDlBC
Large SUVs are a danger to pedestrians, cyclists & other drivers.
It's time to take action to reduce their presence in urban areas.
Large SUVs are a danger to pedestrians, cyclists & other drivers.
It's time to take action to reduce their presence in urban areas.
I want to see repro access and climate as policy platforms for W1 council member candidates and it seems no one is prioritizing that yet, it’s just assumed or seemingly wrapped up with other topics. We have about three years until carbon oblivion worldwide and it needs to be top of mind and ticket
November 13, 2025 at 3:40 AM
I want to see repro access and climate as policy platforms for W1 council member candidates and it seems no one is prioritizing that yet, it’s just assumed or seemingly wrapped up with other topics. We have about three years until carbon oblivion worldwide and it needs to be top of mind and ticket
lfg
hop in the bakfiets everyone. we’re about to have a bike revolution.
New: Two NYC transit experts, including a top "Vision Zero" planner in the de Blasio administration, have emerged as early favorites to become mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's Department of Transportation commissioner, per four sources. www.nydailynews.com/2025/11/12/m...
November 13, 2025 at 3:33 AM
lfg
Reposted by Chelsea Ritter-Soronen
This Veterans Day, I’m thinking of the millions of Americans who have served in uniform — and how our government is failing them right now.
Words aren’t enough, we need actions. Fund the VA. Fund mental healthcare. And end endless wars.
Words aren’t enough, we need actions. Fund the VA. Fund mental healthcare. And end endless wars.
November 11, 2025 at 5:07 PM
This Veterans Day, I’m thinking of the millions of Americans who have served in uniform — and how our government is failing them right now.
Words aren’t enough, we need actions. Fund the VA. Fund mental healthcare. And end endless wars.
Words aren’t enough, we need actions. Fund the VA. Fund mental healthcare. And end endless wars.
Genuine question: at what point do we all stop flying to climate conferences?
November 11, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Genuine question: at what point do we all stop flying to climate conferences?