#10 Bikes Up Knives Down

Movement by Beryl

Bikes Up Knives Down is the hashtag of a grassroots movement taking over London on two wheels. Its aim: to fight crime through bike riding. In the last four years, a group of kids from all backgrounds and neighbourhoods have been coming together creating a community where respect is gained by their skills on the bike and not their police record. They symbolically gather at BikeStormz, a biannual ride-out that that last month saw 4,000 young people pulling tricks on the streets of London with a clear message: Pick your bikes up, put your knives down. The wider movement, known as BikeLife, is earning support from local communities, councils and the police, and has inspired other cities, filmmakers and brands like Nike. We talk to Matt Dempsey, director of the new Knives Down, Bikes Up film for the Barbican, and to BikeStormz co-founder Jake100 about how the bike is getting kids together without fighting.