The election is just over a month away, and it feels like our country is divided in ways we haven't seen in our lifetime. But a local trainer and social justice activist named Seth Gottesdiener wants to show we are more together than we are apart. So, he's embarked on a cross country bike trip to shoot a documentary and better understand America.
He joined us from Albuquerque to talk about his experience.
After the death of George Floyd, Gottesdiener took part in some protests in Silver Lake, and he would bike long distances as a way to decompress.
"During one of the protests, there was a woman in an Audi, and we would do traffic stops to hold up signs and pass out pamphlets so people could understand why we were so upset. The woman said, 'I'm with you, but this isn't the way.' I took a second and really thought about that statement, let it ruminate. And during a bike ride, I was processing the day and protest, and that's when I came up with the idea," said Goettisdiener.
Goettisdiener is using this trip to find as many varying voices as possible.
"What has been very eyeopening is that there's a lot of people that are willing to talk, which is so amazing. It's mostly the marginalized people that haven't had a voice. I think this country is not amplifying the right voices right now. If we are truly all going to be equal, we need to understand every person's perspective," added Goettisdiener.
The interviewing will end when Goettisdiener and his travel companions reach Washington on election day. The goal is to have the documentary completed in time for the inauguration.
"I am learning as I go. I want to showcase people's stories and experiences. But, no matter who wins this election in November, we're all going to have to learn to live with each other. Racism isn't going away, the coronavirus isn't going away, so we're going to have to build each other up" and overcome these obstacles," said Goettisdiener.
Goettisdiener is the owner of Indigo Fitness, a gym in Silver Lake, and while he is in excellent shape and not as worried about his conditioning for the trip, but his mom is a little concerned.
"My mom is worried, but she trusts me. She raised me to make good decisions, trust my intuition, and to be kind to people. I think she knows that this is a really important thing too," said Goettisdiener.