Often if a motorcyclists dies, its tradition to have memorial ride in honor of him. This is organized by his fellow bikers and friends. Everyone gather together and they all ride to a predetermined destination.

There is no official symbolic meaning, everyone can interpret it the way see fit. Some say its like his spirit is riding with all his friends, others say to symbolize his spirit riding on. What ever the case may be, this is a universal thing to between all bikes, of riding styles and in every country.
On the ride there are sometimes stickers given out in remembrance of him. And if he belonged to a club, then people might wear patches saying something like “RIP Jimmy “Speeds” Smith”

Walking out of the Bowery train station, on the corner of Delancey street and Bowery, I noticed a white bicycle that has been adorned with flowers. Naturally I assumed a cyclist lost their life nearby, that cyclist was Rasha Shamoon.

Rasha Shamoon was hit by an SVU on her way home to Greenpoint, in an attempt to cross the Williamsburg Bridge. She routinely road her bike and the attention to detail to being a safe cyclist was evident due to the visible reflective tape featured on her helmet. The accident caused her to go brain dead and she later died a few days later, on August 11, 2011, after being taken off life support. She was 31 years old. Rasha was not only a causious cyclist, but she was also a biology professor at LaGuardia Community College, in Long Island City. After understanding the bicycle memorial I had seen many times passing by the area, it now serves new meaning to me.

http://www.streetsblog.org/2012/02/14/driver-cleared-by-nypd-found-negligent-in-death-of-cyclist-rasha-shamoon/

Jacob Javits was a united states politician who was a United States Senetor from New York from 1957 to 1981.

Perhaps the most known honoring of him is the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Inside there is a statue of him next to a chair for people to take pictures.

The Jacob Javits center is home to many big events in New York city, including, The New York Auto show, The New York International car show, The New York boat show, New York Comic Con. all hosted in the large convention center.

This was taken inside the Jacob Javits center, near 11th ave and 36st.

Interesting reads
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6856871
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/research/epilepsyweb/javits.htm

A video of Jacob Javits himself
https://archive.org/details/gov.archives.arc.95852

This photo is of a young man named Matthew Wallace who was killed on September 29, 2013 by a metro north train. He was out drinking with a few friends until a later that night he was found on the tracks, dead. I found this photo on a bridge that goes from Yonkers to the Bronx right by a Metro north station. I’ve seen many of my friends traveling home intoxicated after a night of drinking and can attest to the fact that it is not something you want to do. It makes me feel as if that could have been anyone. I feel for the family and would hate to see anybody go through stress his family went through.

http://pix11.com/2014/01/07/parents-of-teen-killed-by-metro-north-train-demand-details-on-death/

Helen Keller Place is actually Lawrence Street which is a cross street with Willoughby Street at the heart of downtown Brooklyn. The reason why the Street was named after Helen Keller is because at the corner of Helen Keller Place and Willoughby Street, stands tall The Helen Keller Services for the Blind building. The service center helps individuals who are blind, visually impaired, deaf or have combined hearing and vision loss to live, work and thrive in their respective communities.
Helen Keller was a author, political activist and lecturer. Keller was the first deaf blind person to earn a bachelors of arts degree. Keller was born in 1880 in Alabama. She was born into a very wealthy family. Her father was a captain for the Confederate Army. Keller is most famous for being an advocate for people with disabilities. Keller suffered a stroke in 1961 and spent the rest of her life at her home in Alabama until her death in 1968.

This is a photo of a stone dedicated to William Jay Gaynor, he was a politician from New York City which lived in the 19th and early 20th century. This stone is located in a park between the Brooklyn Bridge and the Eastern Federal Court. He was born in upstate New York and grew up on a farm. It is known that he loved exploring nature. Gaynor was linked with Tammany Hall political machine. He served as the 94th mayor of New York city from 1910 to 1913. Prior, he served as a New York Supreme Court Justice from 1893 to 1909. In 1910 he was shot by a former city employee, Gaynor was the only mayor actually his by a bullet during an assassination attempt.
Gaynor was viewed as a good candidate from Governor or even President but after his term was up he refused to run again.
Gaynor was not killed during his assassination attempt, he recovered quickly and took a voyage to Europe and died aboard RMS Baltic from a heart attack, no connection to the shooting.

In Woodhaven, Queens On the corner of 88 Avenue and 87^th Street there a street sign that says “Jimmy Young Place.” I personally used see this sign every single time my father took me to the park as a little girl. Many times I asked myself about this unfamiliar name, not realizing this this man was being honored in my very neighborhood.

James Young also known as Jimmy was a fire fighter that had lost his life serving the needs of other as a New York City fire fighter. Jimmy Young died on March 28, 1994, he entered a burning building in Manhattan where the danger of his job cost him his life instantly. He is honored in Woodhaven because that was his home. On the corner of 88 avenue and 87^th Street also remains the church he was baptized in. My only wish was to have known sooner what the meaning of this street served, it was lovely to have become familiar with it.

http://www.projectwoodhaven.com/2010/March/remembering-

jimmy-young.html

While walking around Williamsburg, Brooklyn on a rainy day I stumbled upon this bright red truck, on the corner of 14 street and Wythe Avenue. This not only caught my attention because of the color that took place in the middle of nowhere, but the candles and flowers that surrounded it. Instantly I needed to find out who this honored.

Ray Abeyta was a well-known beloved neighbor that lived in Brooklyn for many years. He was an artist that spent much of his time painting in a motorcycle shop, Works Engineering, which was just around the corner from where I found the truck. He was a legend; those in Brooklyn called him “The King of Brooklyn.” He was remembered to be a happy man that encouraged his spirits on others. He was known for opening some of Williamsburg’s well known spots, such as, Union Pool and Hotel Delmano, with the help of his wife at the time.

Ray Abeyta passed away in a motorcycle accident impacting a truck in Brooklyn on Sunday, November 30, 2014, at the age of 58. His life was celebrated with a parade that took place around Williamsburg. He was loved by many and his antic truck has been left arranged with flowers and candles in memory of him. This memorial left me speechless; it was a wonderful site to see. Though I did not know Ray Abeyta personally; I would have wanted to meet a great man, because of the happiness he felt in his life and left on many others.

http://bedfordandbowery.com/2014/12/farewell-to-ray-abeyta-williamsburg-royalty/

http://gothamist.com/2014/12/05/williamsburg_ray_abeyta.php#photo-1

This photo is of a poster which advertises the completion of a new Sefer Torah (Torah Scroll) which was commemorated to a big Rabbi, Rabbi Yitzchok Yosef Zilber Zt”L. I was unable to capture the actual Sefer Torah which sits in the Cabinet of this synagogue because the Torah is taken out only on Shabbat and during Monday and Wednesday prayers when photographing is not allowed. The pictures used for this poster are of the case for the Sefer Torah which the Sefer Torah is stored in. The case of the Sefer Torah has the twelve Jewish tribes inscribed into it. The case is made out of solid wood and sterling silver.
Rabbi Zilber was a man of many tales he use to run around yards looking for a minyan ( 10 Jews that are required to pray.) He raised his children 100% kosher in Soviet Russia which was practically impossible at that time. He was imprisoned in a gulag during World War II. During his imprisonment, in order not to work on Shabbat he broke his hands. He was very respective among the gangsters in the gulags. He taught Torah to the other Jews in the gulag and received amnesty after Stalin’s death. He became the leader of the Russian Baale Teshuva movement, (the return of secular Jews to Orthodox Judaism.) He eventually moved to Israel where he continued his works and visited America many times. The Rabbi of this synagogue was very good friends with Rabbi Zilber which is why he made this new Sefer Torah in his memory.
Rabbi Zilber, who passed on Tisha be Av, 2003 which is August , 2003. Tisha be Av is the greatest day of tragedy for the Jewish nation.

In Brooklyn on Broadway and DeKalb Avenue I found an abandoned lot, my curiosity drove me to stick my head into this square cut out carving that was on the boarding that blocked off the lot to deny access to pedestrians. I was shocked to see that the back was of the building said “don’t tread o anyone RIP Eric Garner.” With the existing protest that has taken place in not only New York, but around the country this caused me to be to feel the unity that is shared amongst strangers in a common view. And we honor Eric Garner.

On July 17, 2014 Eric Garner was arrested for allegedly selling illegal cigarettes while being arrested he was placed into a chokehold by an officer. As he pleaded “I can’t breathe!” the officer did not loosen his grip. The chokehold performed by the officer is actually also not considered a method of restraint by the NYPD, causing the unfortunate even to not only have been unnecessary but prevented. Eric Garner died at the age of 43, leaving being a wife and six children. I do believe justice is vital, and as many continue in their visible protest some also quietly sort their thoughts out to the public.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/20/justice/ny-chokehold-death/