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Twelve city council members are calling on Manhattan District Attorney Robert M Morgenthau to drop the charges against Christopher Long, the cyclist who was seen being bodyslammed to the curb by a rookie cop in a videotape of a Critical Mass ride on July 25th. The council members – who include Rosie Mendez, Letitia James, and Alan Gerson but not mayoral hopeful Christine Quinn – are also demanding that Morgenthau open a wider investigation into NYPD policies toward cyclists, specifically during Critical Mass rides. (Full letter after the jump.)
According to the press release, Internal Affairs is currently investigating Sergeant Timothy Horohoe for false official statements intentionally made to the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) during an investigation of the arrests of cyclist and videographer Christian Guttierez, and photographer Jordan Groh while documenting police harassment of cyclists in Time's Square during the March 2007 Critical Mass ride.
In a statement, Wylie Stecklow, a lawyer the cyclists, says, “Critical Mass participants have been assaulted by a Lieutenant, a Sergeant and recently by a Rookie officer. And each assault has been documented on video. When officers lie with impunity to cover up their bad conduct, the CCRB says that filing of false information in official documents is not within their jurisdiction." Patrick Pogan, the officer who was videotaped tossing Long off his bike, claimed in his police report that Long ran into him and knocked him down, which contradicts the video.
Photo courtesy Irene Roxanne.
August 1, 2008
Robert M Morgenthau
New York County District Attorney
1 Hogan Place
New York, NY 10013
Dear District Attorney Morgenthau,
We write to respectfully request that you drop the charges against Christopher Long, which include attempted assault, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct. We strongly believe these charges are unwarranted, based on video evidence and first person accounts of the incident on the night of July 25, 2008 between Mr. Long and the officer named in the case.
There has been a history of police harassment of cyclists, especially during the monthly Manhattan Critical Mass group bicycle ride. Most often, these attacks are unprovoked and aggressive, and the behavior of police towards cyclists is anything but the courtesy, professionalism, and respect on which NYPD prides itself. The recent incident involving Mr. Long is a particularly disturbing example of the NYPD’s attitude towards cyclists, one that happened to be caught on video tape.
Therefore we urge you to drop charges against Long and to investigate the NYPD’s policies towards cyclists, specifically during Critical Mass rides.
Sincerely,
Rosie Mendez
G. Oliver Koppell
Melissa Mark-Viverito
Letitia James
Gale Brewer
Thomas White
Diana Reyna
Charles Barron
Sara M. Gonzalez
Alan J. Gerson
James Sanders, Jr.
Inez Dickens
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now they need to look into how much $$ is being wasted on this bicycle nonsense. why hasn't a newspaper reporter looked into it?
I am a long time city cyclist, I commute to work every day. I love biking in this town.
And I am getting extremely tired of the cycling culture that tries to turn biking into an "Us vs Them" thing. The "still we ride" bullshit i see spray-painted on the wmb bridge is laughable. People, get lives! Cyclists need to remember that this is not the civil rights movement for cyclists. Cyclists are not an oppressed people. If anything, this "still we ride", unnecessarily defiant attitude is causing more animosity towards cyclists than there would be to begin with.
If I run a red light, well then, I deserve to get some grief. If I cut off a pedestrian, I deserve to be reviled. If a cyclists gets killed on the road that is awful and TRAGIC and scary as all shit. But NYC is fucking DaNGEROUS place to ride. This doesn't mean that overall, cyclists are a persecuted people.
What that rookie cop did was total bullshit. One of the most foolish things I've seen on video in a long time. from the video it seemed that the cyclist was swerving to avoid him and that PO should pay the price with his job. But if the CM culture seeks to promote cycling in NYC they desperately need a new strategy. This is not working.
rant over.
These are the basic positions that will be staked out over the next 100 or so comments:
1. Critical Mass sucks and cyclists should be beaten daily, because they're all hipsters.
2. Cops suck, so do cars, so do pedestrians, and anyone who's not a cyclist.
3. That cyclist guy must have done something before the video started, because there's no way any policeman would ever do something like that.
4. cyclists have rights, but Critical Mass gives cyclists a bad name. There's lots of good cops out there, but there are some bad ones too, so, um... Shoot. I don't know what to think about the issue. Maybe it's complicated.
(I'm sure I've missed one)
Someone will get upset at someone else.
Harsh words will be spoken.
Later, as the sun goes down, we'll laugh, and drink, and sing songs of fellowship around a campfire, and in the morning all will be forgotten in the harsh glow of our hangovers.
I say we skip straight to the drinking.
Cheers, virgil!
Have one me, Virgil
;)
Yeah Virgil thanks for.....speaking on behalf of.....the future comments? Let's then close the comment option if there is a comment fortune teller?
What is the point of this futile exercise besides having some sort of awareness on the multiple parties involved in this issue?
cops don't care, they like that extra monthly overtime pay. and they get to bust cyclists.
Amen, Lanciano.
Look, the cops have done some terrible things to violate CM riders' rights and should be fired for their actions. But by running red lights and violating many other traffic laws that apply to both motorists and cyclists, they brought a lot of the police attention upon themselves. If it was an orderly ride, CM's message (whatever it is these days) could get through to a lot more people.
Quinn is such a shill
Lanciano, Evidiot, your comments trouble me! Irrespective of CM's efficacy, my concern is your endorsement of car traffic laws being sufficient and effective and SAFE for cyclists. Car drivers are encased with thousands of pounds of metal. Bike riders have a mere 15-30 pounds of metal (or carbon fiber, etc. etc.) between their legs. For their own safety, they do need to be treated differently. Now, I know that as it stands they need to obey the laws and yes I hate when bikes zoom by through the crosswalk when I am maneuvering the street (as an even less protected poedestrian) but I'm still an advocate for the reform of bike traffic laws. Bikes don't equal cars!
lms363: Sorry, but according to NY State Law, bikes do equal cars. If CM wants to fight to change those laws, by all means, they should. But continuing to flout the existing laws won't change anything... it will just encourage the police to violate the rights of these law-breaking cyclists.
virgil- i think you overestimate how many comments this post will get. i bet everybody is commented out on this subject. my personal supply of bike-related moral indignation is running rather low at the moment.
evidiot - Before the 2004 RNC, the NYPD was accepting and even supportive of CM. CM did not bring attention to itself from the NYPD because it flouted traffic laws. They became a target through indirect orders from Bloomberg and the Commissioner because of the politics some of it's members were involved in.
Since then the NYPD harassment has gotten out of control and with it brings defiant behavior from CM riders.
Simply put, tensions escalated because of politics and continue to escalate because of politics.
you should have listened to the scanner during the RNC, Almost every special op channel had activity.
again, let's get comptroller Thompson on this, why are WE, yes WE, spending so many resources for this.
have the charges been dropped already?
there is no record of him in the NY court database (http://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/webcrim_attorney/Login)
I can't wait until it snows so all those stupid bike lane markings will be covered up and it's a free for all again.
mr.guy,
you're probably right, but I've got a dollar set aside for a drink anyway.
No need to apologize, Evidiot, whether snarky or genuine! In my first comment I recognized the law as it stands, so if that wasn't clear then I am the one to apologize. I just wanted to float an idea, and underscore the physical inequality of bikes and cars. Also, CM isn't the only body fighting for reform-- Transportation Alternatives is a wonderful organization, as are the many others involved in organizing the City Walks this summer. Our fantastic DOT Commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan, is prioritizing quality of life initiatives for bikers and pedestrians, and we patient and law-abiding folks love her for it!
Rotate cops from patrol cars to bikes to walking so they get a more rounded law enforcement experience. Idiots in air conditioned cruisers tend to have little empathy for anyone who isn't a suit in a blacked out Chevy Suburban.
Wow. Politicians doing what they're supposed to do! I'm comment-less.
jibbly: The real problem here is that CM has no formal organization. If they formally stood for something - anything - maybe their purpose would be clear to both politicians and the police, and that could lead to an opportunity for mutual understanding.
I like Critical Mass cause they basically don't do anything illegal besides Bicycle Jaywalking but stir up all this trouble for the police. You need checks and balances and CM is just good and wholesome dose of much needed anarchy. They would actually not have any trouble if they actually just rode and do what they do but since they need to announce it to the world and mass ride to thumb their noses at the police and the power structure that's when the beatings occur.
Anyone see a dickwad biker in Central Park on Saturday decked out in full Lance Armstrong spandex with "US Postal Service" team on it? He was riding a yellow bike that looked like it cost more than the poverty line for the average family of four and was yelling loudly at the pedicabs near the 72nd street transverse because they weren't holding their lane to his satisfaction. It's hard to know who brings about more negative feelings, him or the Critical Ass riders.
Can't the city officials schedule a "Through the Streets" NASCAR event the same time as CM is doing their thing?
@arsguide
Quinn is Bloomberg's puppet.
I now think that much of the negative bike vibe in this town is due to food delivery persons. I was recently knocked off my bike by one of these guys. He didn't even slow down when he left me in the road bleeding. I was following traffic rules but he was riding fast against the traffic. Now that I think about it this was not the first time I've been hit by a food delivery person.
I think many of these cranky anti bikers are in fact thinking of this very visible subgroup of bike riders.
Has anyone seen any mention of the other officer seen in the YouTube video? He stands by as Pogan takes the cyclist down and is perhaps complicit in the false report filing. What's his story?
Meanwhile, more death and destruction courtesy of automobiles drivers:
http://gothamist.com/2008/08/05/police_arrest_driver_in_fatal_grand.php
Police Arrest Driver in Fatal Grand Central Parkway Crash
This morning, two people were killed when a car crashed into their Acura.
Next time a bicyclist kills 2 people in New York, please feel free to bitch.
I enjoy a leisurely bike ride as much as the next cyclist, but Manhattan just isn't conducive to it. Too many cars, trucks and buses, too many pedestrians, too many things that can go wrong.
Cyclists in New York City are engaging in an inherently dangerous activity. The odds are that eventually you will hit a pothole, or an open car door, or someone will turn into you, or you'll get hit sneaking through a red light. If you can accept that, try to be safe, and ride to your heart's content. If you can't, stay off the road. Don't pretend that everyone should be on bicycles, because they shouldn't.
The attitude behind Critical Mass mostly sucks. The Lance Armstrong wannabes who mow people down in Central Park suck. Delivery guys who are too stupid to wear reflective gear or obey the rules of the road suck.
Cops who violently attack people for no reason suck. Politicians like Quinn who can't get on the side on a no-brainer like this suck.
Hipsters and Jen Carlson also suck. Maybe not in that order. That is all.
I enjoy a leisurely bike ride as much as the next cyclist, but Manhattan just isn't conducive to it. Too many cars, trucks and buses, too many pedestrians, too many things that can go wrong.
You keep writing alarmist things like this, yet never have anything to back them up with. According to the Times recently, there are over 130,000 bike commuters in the five boroughs. Yearly city bike death statistics hover in the low double digits, according to Transportation Alternatives. It doesn't seem to be the suicidal sport you make it out to be.
Did you ever stop to think maybe more bikes would be better? If drivers and pedestrians saw more bikes on the streets, they'd be more accepting of them as useful vehicles. That assumes, of course, that the cyclists obey traffic laws. But only fools don't. Aside from putting yourself in danger, you're taking away any legal defense if you get in an accident because you'll be found at least partly at fault by not following the law.
Well put as always, drewo and Spiritof76. I only ask that if more people take to the roads, they learn some basic bike courtesy first:
- don't buzz pedestrians when they have the right of way.
- don't ride down streets (with or without bike lanes) the wrong way.
- get off the sidewalk, for chrissakes. If you're afraid of being in the street, you shouldn't be riding.
- take those headphones out so you can hear everything going on around you. Um, duh?
- if you are going to run a red light, watch out for other bikes, and for god's sake (again) if the peds have the right of way, let them have it before you go!
...and so on. Considerate bikers = part of the solution, not part of the problem. And finally, the same goes for peds: for example, if you are jaywalking across an avenue without looking and I ride past you on my bike, you have NO RIGHT to cuss me out for scaring you. Didn't your momma teach you to look before you cross the street??
I, for one, can't wait for all the MTA upgrades as our city becomes a bike-friendly, clean air utopia!
Thank you Mr.Gerson and the City Council for making our city a better place!
vote for Mr.Gerson!!!
www.gerson2009.com