The Cycle Pitstop Community Workshop on Well Street in Hackney faces closure by Hackney Council after accusations of anti-social behaviour.   The site has been bike shop for 10 - 20 years and was taken over by Jusus 7 years ago. For 2 years now it has been his sole workshop and source of income but it is much more than that; it is a place where everyone is welcomed, respected and valued. Jusus offers the community kindness and generous friendship which we all appreciate. If he were shut down it would be a huge loss to the community he is a vital part of.  The workshop has an enormously positive impact on the community surrounding it and is one of the most sociable places on Well Street where positivity and community are the main currency. He teaches skills and offers a free service to children as well as giving bikes to kids who cannot afford to buy one.  Jusus has faced several harsh accusations by the authorities all of which he can truthfully deny or find a reasonable solution to. At no point have the council tried to engage with him on amicable terms and understand what he is trying to achieve. Instead it seems that they are adamant to close down his business.   The aim is to keep the Pitstop open and to develop the valuable work of the shop by officially setting it up as a social enterprise with the help of local young people’s charity Hackney Quest. This petition will support Jusus in his court hearing in a heart felt effort to keep the shop open.  Please sign and share. We need your support to keep the soul of Well Street alive.     Jusus’ Statement   The Pitstop is primarily an open workshop for all members of the public who have an interest in cycling. People come in to get their bikes repaired or to get advice and guidance on how to fix their bikes themselves. We lend people tools, offer an exchange service for kids who have grown out of their bikes or give families bikes for their children for free if they cannot afford to buy one. These are some of the reasons why we are so valued in the cycling community and in the community around Well Street. As we offer something to do for young people living in the area, it means at times there are groups of boys gathered around outside the workshop, which has been highlighted by the council as being anti-social or intimidating. This is an unfair label for them as all they are doing is socialising or fixing bikes. When they are at the Pitstop they are doing positive things and being at the workshop keeps them away from the gangs. I think the existence of the shop has a very positive impact on many young people’s lives and I have good relationships with the kids and know lots of their parents.   I would like to suggest that the council comes down and spends a day with us like previously suggested. We want the council to spend a day here and get to see first-hand what the workshop does, how it works and to meet some of the young people who come to the workshop. We also want the neighbourhood safety team to come and do bike marking as they promised to do before. We are not involved with stolen bikes and we are trying to prevent it from happening in the area by showing the kids how to maintain and repair bikes instead. My priority is keeping the Pitstop open so that it can continue to be a benefit to the local community and particularly to the young people and the cyclists that we serve. I am willing to do whatever it takes to ensure this happens. The Pitstop is a vibrant addition to the community and it’s important to kids’ lives. I will do whatever the council needs from me to keep the shop open and keep the community together. From this day forward, if the Pitstop remains open I will work with the council and the youth to try and change the perception that the Pitstop encourages anti-social behaviour.    PLEASE SIGN & SHARE