June 4, 2007
Dude, Where's My Bike?
The NYPD was a little bike happy last Wednesday, May 30th. According to witnesses, they showed up without warning and used circular saws to cut the locks off of about 50 bicycles on 6th street between 1st and 2nd Avenue. The NYPD allowed people to take the loose bikes without showing any proof of ownership. They seized 15 bikes (including bikes locked to D.O.T. bike racks) and arrested two bystanders.
According to Time’s Up!, Robert Carnevale was arrested while videotaping the bike raid after he asked one of the officers for his badge number. Carole Vale, a nurse observing the scene, was also arrested when she asked why Mr. Carnevale was being detained. Mr. Carnevale was held for 22 hours and Ms. Vale was held for 13 hours. Time's Up!, along with the 6th Street cycling community are asking for a meeting with the commanding officer of the Ninth Precinct to explain the actions of the NYPD and to ask for their bikes back.
Reader Paul told us that his neighbor's bike was taken, in spite of her pleas that "she had an order from a judge labeling this practice as illegal" from a prior incident. Paul also gave us the verbiage of the 9th Precinct's bike program: "The 9th Precinct program recognizes the chronic bike rack shortage, allowing people to park their bikes at City-owned street fixtures and seeking only to remove bikes that are clearly abandoned, blocking the sidewalk or locked to a tree." (More about the 9th Precinct's bike program here.)
Executive Director of Time’s Up!, Bill DiPaola says, “Bikes should not be seized unless they are impeding the flow of traffic. This is a normal maintenance procedure that got way out of control.” He adds, “As seen last week, the police are not experienced with these types of procedures. This is a job for sanitation or for the local community, not the NYPD.”
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That's outrageous and unfair to those bike owners. As a rider myself I don't think they should have taken such drastic measures.
Proof of ownership? Youve got to be kidding me.
shouldn't part of Bloombergs "turn new york green" agenda include encouraging more biking in the city rather than punishing it?
Just last week Kelly said there was such a shortage of police officers due to the starting pay issue that he was going to have to suspend the NYPD's high-impact operations, where they flood high-crime areas with cops. But yet there are enough officers to spend time seizing bikes? As long as the NYPD continues bogus operations like this there should be no discussion of increased pay.
Proof of ownership? Does anyone really travel around with a receipt for their bike?
What is it with the cops where they arrest (punish on the spot, whether or not you are released 13 hours later) anyone daring to ask them a question?
is it illegal now to speak to a cop unless spoken to first? Are these public servants trained to act this way to their masters, or are they just insubordinate?
what's that, shortage of cops?
don't look like it to me if they have time to do this.
Look at all those cops there taking bikes and putting them in a van.
While it's ok for cop cars to illegally park anywhere they please.
This is the kind of story I'm glad gets coverage.
Also, big ups to the people who had the balls to actually question the police.
I used to live in a town where bicycles were popular and bike rack overcrowding was a huge issue.
The police would routinely go around sectors and on each bike place a plastic loop with a tag that explained that due to bike abandonment, on a specific given date (usually a months notice) all bikes that had not had the tag removed would be removed by the city and sold at the police auction.
Seems like a good idea, but I'd be amazed if any of the heavy-handed NYPD officers knew how to place plastic ties on anything but the hands of minorities and protesters.
The 9th precinct's policy has cops tagging bikes, informing the owner that the bike will be removed in 2 weeks, and that's usually after a complaint that it appears to be abandoned.
What does the 9th have in the way of an explnation for this sudden change in policy?
as much as i can't stand you biker fags and those rabble-rousing critical asshats, this is a disgusting display of nypd pig-ishness
hey jerry doodle you'll never get an answer to your question because the 9th is probably out of touch with what goes on in their community so why would they bother to read a blog like this or inform themselves as to what the reaction has been by the community. like they care anyway.
the fact that those two were arrested for questioning what was going on infuriates me.
Serious WTF on this. Remind me again why I am forced to give 25% of money I've earned to the govt?
Seriously, you can't question a police officer without getting arrested for it??? This is HORSECRAP.
And if they are raising a big stink about bikes blocking the sidewalks, what about all the damn personal vehicles owned by cops that are all over the place? What a bunch of hypocritical bullies.
Is this the same 9th Precinct who arrested a photographer who provided valid press credentials while at an accident scene last month? Ray Kelly has to either have these guys all sit down for a civil rights lecture or just fire the precinct commander, b/c something sounds out of control in that neighborhood.
All together now: cops... hate... bikers...
If Ray Kelly never saw another two-wheeler on the city's streets he'd be a very happy man. Don't know what his problem is, but man, he's got one.
why do they make it so hard to bike in this city? my friend, a skateboarder, was just hit by a jeep last week. i almost got hit while in a bike lane. and last week I got a ticket for riding on an empty sidewalk when the roads were too dangerous to ride on!
I think you may have something their Tim n.
Because it brought back this memory I had. This was over 22 years ago and instead of biking back home, I took the subway at columbus circle.
While waiting, a cop asks me to come down with him to the end of the platform. Long story short, I got a summons for "bulky article" in the subway.
Leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Yes, I went to court and the judge upheld it, I paid a fine.
is there a popular blog like "gothamist" or "streetsblog" or "curbed" that comments on and reports bad behavior by the nypd? does anyone know of one? there should be one. i'm sure it would get lots of hits and lots of pictures and videos of the nypd doing wrong. it would definitely help to hold them more accountable for their actions.
it seems like a complaint to the precinct would be squashed, and a letter to ray kelly probably wouldn't do any good either, so what are the appropriate/effective channels to voice a complaint about this ridiculous behavior?
i live on 6th street. Rather than direct your anger at the cops, direct it the community board and the scrouges who live on the street. we were told that community board 3 called the cops to have the bikes removed after neighbors complained at a recent board meeting about the excessive number of bikes being chained up to city street signs. The cops were only doing their job and responding to the complaint. I don't know about the two people arrested, but the cops we talked to were polite and understanding.
Well, rookie cops have to have something to do. Ha ha to those whose bikes were confiscated!!
#21, the cops should have responded to the complaints with a process (tag with notice, wait 2-4 weeks, then remove) that is fair to both the owners of the bikes as those who live on the street.
Their current actions (as described above, however accurate that is) are probably an illegal seizure for which the police should be held liable.
As for asking an officer for their badge number, that's definitely not an arrestable offense. I'd love to know what the charges for the two people were.
And as a final side note.. I was given a ticket for riding through wash sq park last summer.. The fact I was going slow contributing the most to my being "caught" as many others rode by.. And as some icing, I was offered to buy some "smoke" while the ticket was being written.. I kid you not, some idiot offered to sell me some Wash Sq Park special scank weed while I was standing with the cop. Uniformed and all.. Talk about messed up priorities (this was summer of 06)
To the issue of bike ownership:
In the town in Wisconsin that I spent a few summers as a kid with my relatives in, you had to register you bicycle and you were issued a license plate for it, with the town recording make, model, owner and getting a fee.
It of course ignores little things like those who bring bicycles from out of town to visit and the like.
Now I really don't know how up-scaleable this would be to apply to New York and knowing how things work here, would guess to would wind up costing more money than anything else.
Wow, props to #21 for actually knowing what's going on.
How were they polite and understanding? who are you in regards to sixth street? a business owner, resident?
I want to know if there ever was a "tag" system on that street. Was there ever one?
something stinks.
Courtesy
Professionalism
Respect
Harassment
Hey,
Time's Up! and Glass Bead Collective have prepared a great video using the photographs and video shot by Robert Carnevale and Caroline Dorn. Available in MPEG-4 and Flash at:
http://blip.tv/file/252942/
Video edited by Vlad T.
let's just forget about the rapists, robbers and other crimes.
Proving yet again the need for new leadership and accountability in the NYPD. Obviously if they're taking time to pull pranks like this, they don't need additional funding.
Jesus. What was that meathead's name after all? And little midget cop with him? The guy looks like he's about 50 so how does he not understand basic police proceedure. Miserable to be that old and still on stupid details like bike patrol with his 19 year old partner I guess. What a disgrace to the profession.
OK, first the steroid fortified plainclothes cop in the green shirt never wore any id or displayed any ID. The video is very clear in this. The first person arrested was for asking this plainclothes cop for the spelling of his name. since there was no badge displayed , there was no badge number to even make note of.
Most of the bikes seized were working bike and not abandoned. Yes there were a couple abandoned bikes , but the great majority were working, locked up bikes.
the issue about the police initially letting people walk off with bikes without id or ownership, is they are suppose to safeguard the property when they cut the locks, residents from the street said that people that didn't live on the street just came up and grabbed a bike and walked away. The police added in bike theft.
if you watch the blip tv video
http://blip.tv/file/252942/
the audio is very clear, the large juiced up cop bullied everyone and without cause demanded ID.
he then arrested two people for questioning his violation of civil rights.
oh , by the way the plainclothes cop is a lieutenant
Thanks for the eyeopening video.
as you can tell the cop never identified himself and I bet you he lives out in the suburbs or staten Island if he could afford it. since he's an LT. he's been on the job for a while, so maybe SI, far away from latte sipping libs of Manhattan.
what a tough guy he is.
most cops don't live in the five boroughs but politicians pander to them to the hilt. Why do they have so much power when they don't vote in city elections.
I watched the video. Courtesy? Professionalism? Respect? Don't think so.
New Yorks Finest? No way.
Gee, did they gather up a bunch of those really cool gearless bikes without brakes that the New York Times says is defining a new hipster lifestyle the way that skateboards defined a new alternative way of living way, way back in the 1990s?
they are all cyclepaths
in february i was waiting in line for a release at the supreme store for over 5 hours when cops came and told everyone to leave for no reason. the line dispersed and 15 minutes later everyone lined back up again and the cops allowed it... what is the point of that? I took pictures of them, they got angry and one of them took out a camera and starting taking pictures of me and said "how do you like it?" i laughed and told him it didnt bother me at all but seriously there wasn't an ounce of professionalism shown. maybe i should be glad i wasn't arrested.
the NYPD has a slogan CPR ? I think 99% of them are total losers ... When I lived in Brooklyn a women was attacked at the entrance of my building the police was opposite the street at the Brooklyn Museum they did not see it happen but when I r
ran across the street bare footed to let them know " We are here for a reason and can't leave our post" was the answer I got and no they DID NOT call for help either. The officers were one black and one white so I know it was not a racial think... what it basically was... total disrecgard for another human being. So NYPD you need to change your slogan to something besides CPR.
There have been other times where I have seen the NYPD
My neighbors bike was stolen two days ago. I wonder if it was the cops.
This is a plot by big oil and city government to limit bicycles since they pay no taxes yet.
The cop situation is only going to get worse.
What kind of work do you suppose the hardened psychopaths returning from Iraq will be seeking?
You know. The ones who are presently treating the Iraqi civilian population with such professional respect and courtesy. Me thinks we should get used to it.
re. comment #28:
i am glad to see some real honesty for a change on who was involved and who did what for the video. it is good to make it clear that bit was a joint project instead of obscuring some of the parties involved (especially if the other party may do the lion's share of work as is often the case - i.e. glass bead).
there is a video of the incident here
http://blip.tv/file/252942/
thank god the wars on terrorism, drugs and crime have been conquered...
What is that lieutenant's name? That video shows him displaying absolutely no "courtesy, professionalism, or respect." I'm ashamed that our tax dollars are being wasted on a scumball like that lieutenant.
You may report complaints against the police by calling 311. It is a fairly lengthy phone recording, so be patient.