Critical Mass Arrest Wrap Up

Critical Mass should have a 'follow the tourist bus' ride, where it simply escorts a double-decker tourist bus on its tour of the city. I wonder what our oh-so-valued tourist friends would think of NYPD strike teams arresting a bunch of kids on bikes?

Hey Bridget,

You're probably upset because you have a super fat ass that could probably use some time on a bike. Get some exercise, wide load. All that time in your gas guzzler is really contributing to your saddlebags as well as your high stress level. Don't you think?

Also, get out there and make some friends. Do something fun for once, with other people that share the same common cause instead of sitting in tunnel traffic for hours on end, blowing your horn when you get caught blocking the box. Don't you get tired of that, thunder thighs?

I'll bet you can't wait to start spending $3 a gallon!

Piss on you and your white SUV.

its called free speech. i dont think they stirred up 'this much trouble' five or ten years ago. its the authorities that make all the fuss and make things harder to operate. i once saw CM go by, there were about 20 or so people in that group, and there were about 50 bike cops, and three squad cars, along with a friggin NYPD truck, just hanging out nearby. talk about over kill. its all a deterent, its only to discourage people from talking part.

i agree with the car thing, car owners should park in queens or jersey and take the train.

Let me get this straight, cars come to a complete standstill almost everynight in the city. This results in blocked intersections, motorists honking their horns for no reason, blocking pedestrian walk ways, blocking emergency vehicles, etc ad nauseum. And yet a group of people for two hours a month do the same thing and it's criminal? Interesting . . .

Tell them to stop screaming like Times Square tourists, obey the traffic laws, and ride their gay dirtbikes in smaller groups, and I'll feel better about them. Right now I have them somewhere betweem RNC conventioneers and Lawrence Reuter on my list.

Any CM rider violating traffic laws should be arrested. I write that as someone who tries to be a responsible cyclist. But by the same token, any driver who violates traffic laws should be arrested as well. If three moving violations (including blocking the box) was enough to permanently strip a driver of his or her license and the cops actually went after such drivers with the same fervor they show at CM, I guarantee the streets would become 1000% safer for everyone including good drivers in no time. Traffic jams would disappear with all the bad drivers (and that's roughly 80-90% of them) taken off the streets.

Hey, a man can dream, can't he?

They would of been killed 10 times over... in my imaginary country. Fucking shits, I want to throw expired cans of SPAM at them and their pussy lifestyle.

Years ago, I had to deal with a few of these toothless wonders in my own home; my old roommate would invite all her bike messenger friends over, and despite their pride in "sticking it to the man" by living in squats where they relished the sensation of rats cozying up beside them during their slumber, and sacrificing electricity, they would happily accept an invitation to watch "The Simpsons" in someone's heated living room. They would thank me for the privilege by insulting my lifestyle, and screaming in protest if I ate a meat product in MY OWN HOME, to which I personally did not invite them.

It's true that CM has a bit of that unsavory element, and they're among the douchebags with no respect toward pedestrians whatsoever. They are, however, of the minority, since some of the most interesting, kind, and considerate people I know also partake in the event religiously. I may not see eye to eye with all of the CM paticipants on every issue, but I entirely support what they do, which essentially amounts to questioning why the automobile still takes precedence. There's no reason why, in a city like this with public transporation and relatively accessible walkways, so many people depend on cars for everyday use.

Objectively speaking, it's easy to see why the cops love this event: it's totally easy pickins' for their arrest quota. You really can't convince me their lust in chasing these folks amounts to traffic safety issues, not when, for instance, the 94th Precinct here in Greenpoint consistently turns a blind eye to pedestrian crosswalks ONE BLOCK FROM THE STATION. I can't tell you how many times I've nearly been run down on the corner of Meserole and Guersney while motorists drag race right in front of the precinct. The same goes for the "caution" (my ass) crosswalk on Lorimer and Calyer, as well as all those "manly men" in their giant trucks speeding on the Berry/Nassau stretch behind the Automotive High School (perhaps they aren't getting laid? place a gun rack in the back of the cab, and you might as well be living in Kentucky). Safety clearly isn't the motivation.

I share Footwanderer's concern for us pedestrians, and think the CM organizers should at least encourage a little more courtesy for those of us on foot. I would love to cycle, but I don't trust any of the drivers here (some of the reasons for which might get me in trouble if not delicately phrased). Regardless, we have both cyclists and pedestrians brutally hit lately by all kinds of vehicles, with little if no consequence for the drivers. "I didn't see him/her," is getting a little old.

Free speech? I got hit by a biker at one of those events, and he didn't stop to apologize as I was crossing Washington Square. At another time, they illegally stopped traffic for a period of 10 minutes at the park --both pedestrian and motorvehicle.

So how about pedestrian rights? Pedestrians have more of a right on the streets than you do, and rightfully so.

Get real. If you want to ride a bike, go ahead. Just stop being a pussy and dramatic.

My Critical Mass experience:

As the ride proceeded along Greenwich Ave. towards 7th Ave. the NYPD attempted to block the front of the ride with vans while undercover officers on bikes aggressively chased cyclists. There was no warning given by the NYPD and their actions caused panic among peaceful cyclists who were forced to ride into oncoming traffic and risk their lives in order to avoid the trap.

I fear that it will take the serious injury or death of an innocent cyclist before the likes of Bloomberg, Kelly or Smolka come to their senses and call off these reckless monthly escapades by the NYPD.

The actions of the City through the NYPD affect not only cyclists but potentially all forms of Free Speech in NYC, not to mention the waste of our valuable resources and public funds in executing these monthly crackdowns. Keep in mind that the NYPD are not enforcing traffic laws during the ride. They are arresting cyclists and charging them with parading without a permit. The City/ NYPD wishes to control all activities in the public square and streets. As soon as you step ontside your door they want to dictate who, what, where, when and how.

If you believe in Free Speech then please contact the mayor, mayoral candidates and your city council member. Let them know:

1. You want the NYPD to stop arresting the peaceful cyclists who continue to ride in CM.

2. You want all charges against arrestees awaiting trial dropped.

3. You want the City to drop its lawsuit against Times-Up!

4. You want the NYPD to facilitate the ride as they have for years before August 2004, as is done in Brooklyn and in cities all over the world.

Respect to all those who continue to ride and to all fellow arrestees.

If you can't risk arrest you can support those who do:

http://bicycledefensefund.org/donate.html

Anyone who spends that much time and energy on such a childish "cause" must have a very empty life.

Drama queens on bikes.

Over the years, my experiences with the CM participants have been memorable: their one redeeming quality is that they make the tourists' experience of the NYC Cabbies pleasant in comparrisson.

The city is being absurd.

http://script.blogs.com

I say we lineup all the critical mass bike riders on their knees and put a bullet to their heads Ho-Chi-Minh style. Fuck them. Their bikes always block my White SUV.

Are there any organizations that advocate for "pedestrianship" the way CM works to promote bike use? I've always found it strange how Americans all need to get fit, yet everywhere outside of NYC you're sure to get run over if you dare to venture to the store on foot. Even in NYC, I've had a few way-too-close encounters with overzealous cabs.