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If you care about cycling in New York, or just about your Constitutional right as a citizen to freely assemble, the transcript from the first day of testimony in the lawsuit over NYPD's ongoing crackdown on Critical Mass is a fun read. The defense spent most of the day trying to establish that the police have been selectively enforcing Critical Mass rides by coming down heavy on the Manhattan rides while cooperating with the Brooklyn rides. Then, during the afternoon session, someone pulled a Pacino in And Justice for All, bursting into the courtroom yelling, "This is a corrupt system you've got here!" And in cross examining Critical Mass participant Madeline Nelson, lawyers for the city brought up a typical example of ridiculous NYPD cyclist harassment: "Q. At that ride we are speaking about you were issued a summons for an improper taillight, correct? A. That's right, I was. Q. And isn't it correct that your bicycle did not have a taillight at the time that summons was issued? A. Yes, but I had a taillight mounted on my helmet... And I did, in fact, offer to move that light then onto the bicycle and, nonetheless, I was summonsed for not having it mounted on the bike when it was in fact on my helmet and flashing."
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This week alone there have been two accidents involving the escalator at the F train station at Roos
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recently, I've been traveling to Scandinavia and comparing the police presence there, in terms of bicycle and traffic laws, I've become more convinced that ny is closer to a police state than a free one.
Police state. I'm on the side of bike but let's not get crazy. TO compare the NYPD, as bad as some of them are, to some dictators "police" force is a unfair. And it undermines the memory of people who lived thorough things like Spain under Franco or the soviet occupation of eastern Europe. No one "disappears" from a critical mass ride. Assualt, bs tickets and a-hole cops for sure, but nothing like a police state
fair enough, its not something out of the history books, but it isn't the 'free' place its taught to be.
on the day I left, I drove down the Taconic. I saw cop after cop pulling people over - at least 7 times in the span of two hours.
for weeks over there, driving all around, including a highway with no speed limit, the autobahn, I saw NOT a single person pulled over.
For me that was a good example of how heavily policed we are here in NY. And when I see a line of cops, in gear, lining up to intimidate and make criminals out of people....riding bicycles it seems like the spirit of something that should be unamerican.
Well, it's hard to ticket someone for speeding on a highway without a speed limit. I would hardly call randomly seeing one day several cars pulled over on the Taconic evidence of a police state.
That's not an indication of a police state; rather an underfunded welfare state.
Scandinavia. i like the sound of that word. ummm, Scandinavia. ScanDI-NAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-vi-uHHHHHHHHHHHH! i'm singing it as i type this!!! scandI NAV I A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It doesn't matter if the light is on the bike or up your butt...
SUMMARY LISTING OF BICYCLE LAWS, RULES & REGULATIONS
N.Y.C. TRAFFIC RULES AND REGULATIONS
§ 1236 - Lamps and other equipment
• White headlight and red taillight must be used from dusk to dawn.
Cops have even given out summonses for not having lights during daylight hours!
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/bicyclerules_fy08_english.pdf
Yeah give this kids a lesson in reality
If the man wants to apply the law to the strictest degree there ain't nothing you can do about.
Be smart and come back when you learn to work the system right.
NEXT!
http://www.superpoop.com/082308/critical-mass.jpg
except the police need to pay more attention to this section if they are going to give out tickets based on the others:
§ 4-08 (e)(9) - Stopping, standing and parking prohibited in specified places
No parking, standing or stopping vehicles within or otherwise obstructing bike lanes.