PODER! is a grassroots organizations that works to create people-powered solutions to the profound environmental and economic inequities facing low-income latino immigrants and other communities of color in San Francisco. Since 1991 we have won important advances in public health, the availability of affordable housing, access to bicycles, parks and open space and accountable government. 

About Bicis del Pueblo:

The seeds of Bicis Del Pueblo were planted when a group of San Francisco youth took a trip to North Dakota to attend the Protecting Mother Earth Conference. There they saw first-hand the effects of the fossil fuel economy on Native American communities and deepened their awareness and commitment towards becoming environmental justice stewards at home. 

Back in San Francisco the youth created a series of bicycle tours to highlight environmental health hazards in their neighborhoods. This powerful experience woke us to another set of challenges; access to bikes and barriers to riding confidently in the city. From that point Bicis Del Pueblo has been evolving and making the road by riding it. 

Since 2014 hundreds of recycled bicycles have been distributed to working families and youth of color from San Francisco’s Southeast neighborhoods. These bikes are made available through the City’s Unclaimed BicycleProperties Program and in-kind donations. Through this partnership we are able to divert bikes from the landfill, fix them up, and get them into the hands of community members.

Bicis Del Pueblo exists to create bicycling infrastructure and environmental justice stewardship in transit-dependent and historically disenfranchised lower-income communities of color by engaging in bike-based community education and cooperative practices. Community members from Southeast San Francisco neighborhoods are supported through activities focused on learning, teaching and sharing bicycle education and skills. BDP supports low-income families, youth and communities of color to incorporate bicycling in their everyday activities that strengthens public health, deepens community resiliency, and reduces fossil fuel consumption. We believe that bicycling, investments in public health, and access to tools and knowledge are vital in achieving environmental justice in our local neighborhoods. We strive to co-create a safe space for people of color, immigrants, women, and gender non-conforming community members.