East Side Riders Bike Club

Community leader John Jones III and his family founded the East Sider Riders Bike Club (ESRBC) in 2008 to keep Watts youth from joining gangs or using drugs. In the organization's earliest days, Jones and his fellow club members would deliver sandwiches and water to people in need that they saw on the streets. Since then, ESRBC's drive to give back to the community has only grown.

In the early 2010s, the organization expanded its mission into bike safety advocacy, fighting for the construction of more bike lanes in Watts, educational programs on safe and proper riding techniques, and the implementation of Life Lanes. Developed in collaboration with the Sheriff's office, the Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition, and the Watts Labor Community Action Committee, Life Lanes provide routes for increased bike traffic through Watts, protected from gang violence.

ESRBC also stresses the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle. The Watts community also has historically struggled with health issues such as child obesity and asthma as well as poverty and gang violence. East Side Riders Bike Club strives to use bicycle riding, education, and advocacy to combat these issues. Through programs such as bicycle education and safety training classes, youth are provided with an alternative supportive community that discourages gang involvement and offers a (bicycle) path to a better life.