Last Friday's Critical Mass bike ride resulted in over a thousand bike riders and 33 arrests. Naturally, the riders are saying the police weer "hostile" and overzealous. Things were fine when riders rode together in a huge cycling mass, but police starting to arrest riders that "spontaneously broke up into smaller packs." A Times Up/Critical Mass organizer who was arrested told reporters, "There was an air of intimidation. There was a van projecting a recorded voice saying that riders must follow a certain route and if they deviated, they would be arrested." Gothamist is really intrigued by the evolution of the Critical Mass rides. Before the Republican National Convention, it just seemed like a way for biking enthusiasts and environmentalists to spread the word about bikes as a tranportation alternative. Now, if you take part in a Critical Mass bike ride, not only are you advocating more bikes and less cars, but you're also giving the establishment the finger.
