Quantcast

Sparks Fly as Cops Use Chainsaws to Remove Bikes on Bedford Ave

Cops were breaking out the heavy machinery again and revving up the chainsaws—it's bike removal time once again on Bedford Avenue. Greenpoint resident Ben Running started shooting video of the cops removing bicycles in another fiery scene on Bedford and North 8th in the heart of Williamsburg. Police make it clear that they don't want him shooting because as Running says, "They don't want you to videotape and put it on the internet." So like any decent citizen journalist, Running did just that.

While Running said that the bikes looked like ones that were currently in use, an officer from the nearby 94th Precinct in Greenpoint told the Post that the bikes removed have been there for at least three months. Officer Cole Pletka said, “From a distance, they might have looked like they were rideable, but the bikes were on top of each and both wheels were bent."

The local community board around Williamsburg has advocated for a “tag and clip” policy, where inactive bicycles would get a sign posted on them warning them that they are in danger of being taken by cops. Running said, “Bikes shouldn’t be removed without some kind of notice.”

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

Comments [rss]

  • nypd stole mah bike bike bike

  • csk

    NEW DORP MAN!!!

  • csk

    >>>>>>

  • BARACKNBINGO

    The Boriqua just walk down the street and slash tires and cut the seats into shreds... kick the rims and smash them to smithereens.... and then people trip on the collapsed piles of garbage they turn into...

    The Wisconsin CheeseHead Hipsters are just "fighting the man". They are stopping the abusive Pigs from waging war on them by cutting bike locks. Dont you get it ??? this is a movement.. a struggle against the PIGS !!! Posting these videos on YouTube is essential in ending the Human Rights Violations these Pigs are committing.

    Where is AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL when you need them ??? Maybe the "Whale Wars" captain and the crew from the Steve Irwin can come to Williamsburg next. Fight the Man !!!! Stop the lock cutting NOW !!!! End the occupation by these oppressive PIGS !!! End the Eco-Terrorism from those gas powered "Chain Saws" NOW !!!!

  • Chillinoncentral

    I managed to fleece salvage a few seats and tires from

    some of the bikes before they were stolen confiscate secured by

    police. Craigslist, a stolen property free advertiser, is helping me to sell profit distribute

    them to unsuspecting needy bike riders. I appreciate the mob's NYPD's efforts in pointing out which bikes were available to pilfer abandoned.

  • tingo

    Big deal. Hipsters get up in arms about the dumbest things. If only there was a time machine...in the old New York, cops would've just removed them without signs. That's if, the bikes were still there. Whatever happened to NYrs being touch and streetsmart enough to not leave their silly trendy single track out there all month?

    Man, I don't even here NY accents here anymore. Just these whiney-entitled midwestern drones like the one in the video. Recycle their bikes into retaining walls.

  • ocm123

    Maybe the officer did not want the cameraman to be hit with the sparks that were flying towards him? What's the big deal?; the guy was able to film from a location a little further back.

  • Spirit of 76

    Hey, it buzzes like a chainsaw. That's good enough for Billy. I mean, come on, has any NYC resident really seen a chainsaw in person? The closest they come is seeing it in some kind of slasher movie.

    Neither a chainsaw nor a Sawzall (which is a reciprocating saw). It's a gas-powered cutoff saw.

  • mrouge

    I wish they would hit several other spots you can barely pass through , with a midday Sawzall job by the NYPD. I miss the days when we had to walk our bikes up to our apartments.

  • Willie Nillie

    Anytime something like this goes down in the 'burg, it feels sooooooo good

  • jaycjay

    I'm disappointed. I only watched the video because I wanted to see how someone would manage to cut through u-locks or chains with a chainsaw.

  • stollef

    Chainsaw?! That's not a chainsaw! I guess Billy Parker's never seen a chainsaw.

  • movi

    Another exciting news flash from Gothamist.

  • 5borough

    Clearly not a chainsaw. Try to get at least the headline right.

    What a brave cameraman! He is just like the hero blocking the tanks in Tiananmen Square.

    Give me a break. Go tape a drug dealer or dirty come or something tough guy.

  • 5borough

    dirty cop that is.

  • greeen

    yeah this is so NOT news. They are just removing trashed bikes. So what. Stupid unenlightening video. I get sick of seeing all those dead bikes forever abandoned. SOmeone has to remove them. I cut a bike off our front stoop that was there for months, and I had put a sign on it for a few weeks. Sometime they create hazardous conditions as well.

    Maybe its a slow news day?

  • RevWaldo

    Whenever I walk by a locked-up bike that's tipped over I try to straighten it up and put down the kickstand. It's a chicken-or-the-egg thing, but I suspect bike abandonment often starts when the bike gets tipped over and the wheels or frame get bent up from being stepped on, driven over, etc. Why the bike over says "Ah to hell with it" after that is another matter.

    I am curious as to how much time has to go by for a bike to go from "parked" to "abandoned". If you're collecting parts or scrap metal, can you legally cut the chain yourself after x number of days?

  • nice job

    this isn't really a bad thing. many of the bikes locked up around the bedford L stop are abandoned and taking up valuable parking real estate. try getting a spot within a block of the station on a weekday after 11am. it's impossible.

    although a tag and clip policy is probably better than unexpected chainsawing.

  • gtraindelay

    Most people won't have to worry about getting a spot then, seeing as how they are at work.

  • tkchunc

    You forget that hipsters don't wake up until 11am and then they have to put on their funky rasta hat to work at art galleries. It ain't easy crashing in dad's loft condo.

blog comments powered by Disqus

send a tip

tips@gothamist.com