Arrests at April NYC Critical Mass

[randya]

Anyone here have a first-hand report?

New York Times April 30, 2005
At Least 18 Arrests Made in Tense Night of a Monthly Cycling Protest
By KAREEM FAHIM and JIM DWYER
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/30/nyregion/30bike.html

Under tense circumstances, the monthly Critical Mass bicycle ride set out last night from multiple locations in Manhattan, in an attempt by the riders to thwart a police crackdown.

The police did not supply arrest numbers last night, but a lawyer who works with the riders, Julia Cohen, said at least 18 were detained.

Up to 400 people, many of them without bicycles, had gathered in Union Square Park before riders fanned out to locations around downtown Manhattan, including Tompkins Square Park in the East Village, and Madison Square Park in the Flatiron District.

In one of the first arrests of the evening, a young woman who was straddling her bike and walking it out of the south end of Union Square Park was seized and personally arrested by Assistant Police Chief Bruce H. Smolka Jr.

"You're riding your bicycle on the sidewalk," Chief Smolka said. "You're under arrest."

The woman protested that she had done nothing wrong. The chief insisted that she get off her bicycle immediately, and then he tried to pull her off. The woman argued, and then other police officers, some of them wearing plainclothes, joined the chief and forcibly removed the woman from the bike.

Ride participants tried to retrieve the woman's bike and scuffled with police officers, who then arrested a second woman.

The sight of a senior chief in the Police Department struggling in a crowded public place with the woman roused the gathering of people.

Cries of "Let her go, let her go," and "fascist state" filled the air, as Chief Smolka and other officers led the woman into a van. A line of 10 motorcycles then sealed the edge of the sidewalk at the intersection of 14th Street and Union Square East. The arrested woman began to give her name in response to a question from a reporter, but only uttered one word - "Lisa" - before she was pushed into the van and the reporter was forced away from her.

Chief Smolka is the police official in charge of southern Manhattan, and oversaw many of the mass arrests made in August before and during the Republican National Convention, including more than 100 arrests of bicyclists at a Critical Mass ride that swelled to include 5,000 riders.

Since then, the mass rides, which were conducted peacefully for several years before that, have become a point of contention with the Police Department.

Police officials have sought to require permits for the rides, which are intended to promote pollution-free transportation. They have filed for injunctions, first in federal court and more recently in state court. And they have warned that riders who run red lights, block intersections or otherwise break the law will be arrested.

In recent months, a cat-and-mouse game has developed, in which the riders try to outrun the police by starting from multiple locations, using cellphone text messages to spread the word. These efforts have been met by increasing shows of force with police officers deployed on foot and motorcycle, and in vans and helicopters. Last night, all of them were darting through the narrow confines of Lower Manhattan.

Soon after the ride began, a freelance reporter for The New York Times, Colin Moynihan, was standing on a sidewalk at Sixth Street and Avenue A interviewing people when he was briefly detained and handcuffed. He was later released by the police without charges.

[slvoid]

Soon after the ride began, a freelance reporter for The New York Times, Colin Moynihan, was standing on a sidewalk at Sixth Street and Avenue A interviewing people when he was briefly detained and handcuffed. He was later released by the police without charges.

Nice, arrested for interviewing people... that'll teach those freedom hating people.

[BostonFixed]

One of my friends was arrested at the NYC CM.

here's her account of what went down:

"Hey, I, along with two other bostonians were arrested in NYC for participating in the critical mass. We know that many more than 18 people were cuffed, arrested, and held in prision. i was number 29, and have an arraignment in NY with others on June 7th. The charges will most likely be parading without a permit and at least one count of disorderly conduct. We were given violation, but this will undoubtedly be a big hassle. All of the bikes of those who were arrested were kept as "arrest evidence" and might not be given back untill all charges are dropped (at earliest in June).T here are NY orgs that are helping us to get our bikes back sooner, but this might not work. We spent about 3.5 hours in jail, and no bail was involved. I know that at least 3 paddywagons full of captives were taken, 11 were in mine. Some minor wrist injuries were caused by cuffs, and some property was stolen (form me personally 10 pins and my helmet). It was clear that the police were arresting at randokm untill all wagons were full. myself and the two others i was with were arrested even though we were sitting on a stoop on the sidewalk with our helmets off and our bikes next to us. While it could have been at lot worse, it still sucks and we appreciate the support form our home city.

love,
[name removed]"

[lala]

Does arguing with a cop ever get you 'not-arrested?'

[trekets]

I read this same article in the Metro section of the Saturday, April 30 New York Times. What I found very interesting is that in the same section of the times there was an article about the growing use of scooters and they had a picture of "scooter enthusiasts" who had gathered on Madison Ave and 26th St. and they said that many other scooters were expected this past weekend in Manhattan. I am willing to bet that the scooter owners are not harassed at all by the cops.

[catatonic]

I think that jsut arresting htem is illegal...being arrested for vehicular infractions is extremely out of propeortion...isn't a ticket the standard procedure?

I'm not a lawyer, but this screams foul.

[Laika]

I think that jsut arresting htem is illegal...being arrested for vehicular infractions is extremely out of propeortion...isn't a ticket the standard procedure?

I'm not a lawyer, but this screams foul.


Tell it to the men in blue, friend. Meanwhile, in other news...

Another Convention Arrest Is Undercut by a Videotape
By JIM DWYER
Published: May 3, 2005

In the seven months since Eliza Wyka was arrested during the Republican National Convention, the district attorney's office has offered three times to declare a kind of judicial ceasefire, saying it would drop charges against her if she stayed out of trouble for six months.

More than 1,100 of the 1,800 people arrested during the convention have agreed to just those terms, formally known as an "adjournment in contemplation of dismissal."

{nota bene- The protestors the NYPD rounded up with orange nets were such a threat to the public that the prosectutors have declined to prosecute more than half of those arrested. And they basically begged this woman to take the ACD, rather than attempt to prosecute her, even before the tape surfaced.}

Ms. Wyka, however, was adamant: she had done nothing wrong, merely ridden her bicycle on Aug. 29 up Avenue of the Americas to Herald Square, where she was arrested by police officers who, she said, were sweeping anyone on two wheels into custody. She wanted to be unconditionally exonerated. So she kept coming back to court. Her trial was due to begin this morning.

Last week, however, she had second thoughts.

A native of Poland, Ms. Wyka, 26, came to the United States around the age of 8 and is a lawful permanent resident, though not a citizen. Perhaps, she said, she would not be able to overcome police testimony. She asked her lawyer, Howard R. Leader, to find out if it was too late to accept the truce.

This would put an end to the court appearances and the charges that she and another woman had, on their ride, obstructed government administration, engaged in disorderly conduct and paraded without a permit. (Ms. Wyka said she never saw or met the other woman, a city schoolteacher, until they were both in custody.)

When Mr. Leader called the assistant prosecutor last week, he learned there would not be a trial today. The reason: a videotape had turned up, showing that Ms. Wyka had not been riding with the teacher. Moreover, charges had already been dropped against the teacher.

Yesterday morning, prosecutors also moved to dismiss the case against Ms. Wyka, and attached no strings. Barbara Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney, said, "The video casts doubt on whether the incident happened the way the officer said."

For her part, Ms. Wyka said, she will not go to a police warehouse to retrieve the bicycle seized that day. "It's an object that has been violated," she said.

[lilHinault]

Remember the Gestapo tactics were just as bad during the DNC and there were many Pulitzer level photos taken by the newspapers of the storm troopers, high walls with concertina wire, etc during the DNC.

Scooters don't threaten General Motors, they don't threaten to replace a car in most people's lives. Bikes do.

[Dr. Moto]

This is wrong on so many levels.

[kf5nd]

I KNOW THIS IS CASTING A STONE INTO A HORNET'S NEST, but here goes...

This reprehensible police behavior is exemplary of what happens in a political culture that worships more at the altar of Socialism than of individual rights. It's not at all purprising that these tactics emerge in NYC.

Also remember the mess that occured at the World Trade Conference in Seattle several years ago. Rodney King's beating took place in LA.

NYC, LA, Seattle... all liberal cities, right. I mean, liberal compared to Dallas, Atlanta, Salt Lake City.

The citizen-oppressive crap happens in the liberal, Socialist-leaning cities because in those cities The Interests of The State are given more priority then The Liberties of the Individual Human Being.

Here in Texas, local governments are weaker, I think. Police forces are weaker. They have a less aggressive profile than in NYC. You can get a permit to carry a gun here in Texas, and many do (I have such a license, but very rarely carry a gun), but my point is - that expression of individual power and self-determination, the carrying of a loaded, concealed gun, would never be tolerated in NYC!

I know many of you roll your eyes at the NRA, but listen up... when the 2nd Amendment goes (the Right to Bear Arms), the 1st Amendment (free speech, free press, etc) is not far behind... and the freelance journalist was roughed-up and detained at this CM event, right?

OK - but let's not turn this into a gun thread, please.

Of course, State and local governments in Texas and all Southern States are weaker by design. After the Civil War, they were structured so that it would be harder to organize a local insurrection against the Union.

So, even though we have a well-deserved reputation from the 1950s 1960s for being racist, my experience living in the South for 20 years (I am not white) is pretty mellow, and I ride my bike in this most bike-unfriendly city with really no fear of my rights being violated by the police.

Police / government thuggery, plus outrageous real estate prices, means I am happy to live in "the fly-over", the heartland. Even if the bike culture isn't very good here.

[powers2b]

Don't say I didn't try to warn you.
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=101516

Enjoy

[kaian]

In my city, scooters ARE threatening. I own 2 bikes and also have a 50cc scooter that I use for longer errands when I don't have time to bike. In Michigan if you are over 19, you do not have to wear a helmet on a scooter. I normally do wear a helmet, but I was doing some maintenance and didn't put it on to take it around the block. I got pulled over by 4 police officers!!!!!! I wasn't going over the speed limit, they pulled me over because of the helmet thing and had to call on their CB radio thing to find out what the law was (even though I already knew and told them). The thing that is funny about this is I am a small-built female - not threatening in the least and I had 4 cops all over me asking me why I didn't own a car and what was I doing. It's kind of scary that there is THAT much paranoia among law enforcement people - especially since they carry weapons. I'm hoping to do the Critical Mass ride in Detroit in May. I hope it doesn't turn out like NY!!!

[Laika]

This reprehensible police behavior is exemplary of what happens in a political culture that worships more at the altar of Socialism than of individual rights. It's not at all purprising that these tactics emerge in NYC.

Also remember the mess that occured at the World Trade Conference in Seattle several years ago. Rodney King's beating took place in LA.


You might have a point except...

NYC is currently run by a Republican Mayor, and has been run by Republican mayors for the last three terms, and the police "enforcement" against CM began at the RNC last year...

...and the police riot in Seattle was in service of globalist corporate power...

...and the police in LA are notoriously rightist.

And, just out of curiosity, are you a black or a Mexican-American living in Houston? Becauwse from what I've heard from my Texan friends, your experience of that city's supposedly restrained police might be somewhat different if you were.

[kf5nd]

I am Asian American. My wife is Hispanic.

But given that Houston is about 1/3 white, 1/3 black, and 1/3 Hispanic, the few high-profile cases that you hear about alleging racial discrimination by police are small compared to the numbers of blacks and hispanics who live here and don't have a problem with the police.



You might have a point except...

NYC is currently run by a Republican Mayor, and has been run by Republican mayors for the last three terms, and the police "enforcement" against CM began at the RNC last year...

...and the police riot in Seattle was in service of globalist corporate power...

...and the police in LA are notoriously rightist.

And, just out of curiosity, are you a black or a Mexican-American living in Houston? Becauwse from what I've heard from my Texan friends, your experience of that city's supposedly restrained police might be somewhat different if you were.

[brokenrobot]

I am Asian American. My wife is Hispanic.

Peter - You don't happen to be an ex-TVLY sysadmin, do you?

-chris

[slagjumper]

email the Governor of New York about the lack of safe biking in NYC and support of CM.
http://161.11.3.75/

email the Mayor of NYC about the horrible treatment of bicyclists you might have seen at your recent visit.

Michael R. Bloomberg
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
PHONE 311 (or 212-NEW-YORK outside NYC)

FAX (212) 788-2460

E-MAIL:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mayor.html

[Laika]

I am Asian American. My wife is Hispanic.

But given that Houston is about 1/3 white, 1/3 black, and 1/3 Hispanic, the few high-profile cases that you hear about alleging racial discrimination by police are small compared to the numbers of blacks and hispanics who live here and don't have a problem with the police.

Well, like I said, that's just what I've heard from my friends from texas. glad your experience has been more positive & I hope it continues to be so.

[bluebottle1]

I KNOW THIS IS CASTING A STONE INTO A HORNET'S NEST, but here goes...

This reprehensible police behavior is exemplary of what happens in a political culture that worships more at the altar of Socialism than of individual rights. It's not at all purprising that these tactics emerge in NYC.

Also remember the mess that occured at the World Trade Conference in Seattle several years ago. Rodney King's beating took place in LA.

NYC, LA, Seattle... all liberal cities, right. I mean, liberal compared to Dallas, Atlanta, Salt Lake City.

The citizen-oppressive crap happens in the liberal, Socialist-leaning cities because in those cities The Interests of The State are given more priority then The Liberties of the Individual Human Being.

Here in Texas, local governments are weaker, I think. Police forces are weaker. They have a less aggressive profile than in NYC. You can get a permit to carry a gun here in Texas, and many do (I have such a license, but very rarely carry a gun), but my point is - that expression of individual power and self-determination, the carrying of a loaded, concealed gun, would never be tolerated in NYC!

I know many of you roll your eyes at the NRA, but listen up... when the 2nd Amendment goes (the Right to Bear Arms), the 1st Amendment (free speech, free press, etc) is not far behind... and the freelance journalist was roughed-up and detained at this CM event, right?

OK - but let's not turn this into a gun thread, please.

Of course, State and local governments in Texas and all Southern States are weaker by design. After the Civil War, they were structured so that it would be harder to organize a local insurrection against the Union.

So, even though we have a well-deserved reputation from the 1950s 1960s for being racist, my experience living in the South for 20 years (I am not white) is pretty mellow, and I ride my bike in this most bike-unfriendly city with really no fear of my rights being violated by the police.

Police / government thuggery, plus outrageous real estate prices, means I am happy to live in "the fly-over", the heartland. Even if the bike culture isn't very good here.


I'd take issue with your characterization of both NYC and Seattle, not to mention liberalism in general. I think the reason why this kind of stuff tends to happen at protests in places like this is because the protests happen in the first place. Seriously, when is the last time you saw a really big anti-Bush or anti-corporate protest in Houston? Try staging a major demonstration smack in the middle of downtown on a weekday and see how wonderfully tolerant the cops are.

[kf5nd]

No.... (???)



Peter - You don't happen to be an ex-TVLY sysadmin, do you?

-chris

[kf5nd]

OK, thanks for reminding me!

I was an eyewitness to the New Black Panthers showing up at the Texas Republican Party Convention where Laura Bush was speaking in 2000. This is a huge political convention, bigger than the RNC convention actually.

The New Black Panthers showed up with shotguns and rifles on their hips in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center. Loaded. Muzzles pointed skyward, but ready to use, ostensibly for protection of their leader, Mr. Quannell X.

Middle of downtown Houston, weekday.

They were not detained, arrested, nor shot at by Houston PD. But, they were very, very carefully watched. If anyone had pointed a weapon at anyone, there would've been some bloodshed in an instant.

State Law does not forbid the carrying of rifles or shotguns in public. And Houston PD was not in the role of legislating new laws, so they let the protest go on.

TRY THAT IN NYC !!!

So I think that's a perfect example of what I'm talking about... that conservative local governments are kinder to civil liberties than liberal local governments, who mostly care about "their rights".


I'd take issue with your characterization of both NYC and Seattle, not to mention liberalism in general. I think the reason why this kind of stuff tends to happen at protests in places like this is because the protests happen in the first place. Seriously, when is the last time you saw a really big anti-Bush or anti-corporate protest in Houston? Try staging a major demonstration smack in the middle of downtown on a weekday and see how wonderfully tolerant the cops are.

[randya]

New York Times May 4, 2005
ABOUT NEW YORK
Flouting Arrest on 2 Wheels, for the Monthly Crime of Pedaling Without a Permit
By DAN BARRY

BARBARA ROSS is 41 and lives on the Lower East Side. Several times a week, she straps on a blue helmet and rides her bicycle through the streets of this city. What a troublemaker.

It doesn't matter that she works in human resources for a large company, or that she votes and has a dog named Doc. Just check her name in the criminal justice database: two arrests within the last year, both while in possession of that insidious, two-wheeled invention, the bicycle - also known as a bike.

Ms. Ross was nearly arrested a third time in March, but used her wiles to get out of a jam. Seeing the heat coming down the street, she chained her bicycle to a pole and ducked into a bar. All she could do was watch the sparks fly, as police officers cut the heavy chain with a special tool and confiscated her bicycle.

"I'm just an everyday person," she said yesterday. "But I like to ride my bike."

She even admits it. Typical bicyclist.

This city usually works like a trusty old bicycle, always able to shift gears for difficult hills on the horizon. But lately the wheels are not spinning smoothly. Something is broken.

For more than a decade now, cities around the world have accommodated a monthly event called Critical Mass, in which bicyclists ride en masse through the streets to enjoy themselves, promote transportation alternatives, and send the message that roadways are not just for cars. A supposed charm of these rallies is that no one is in charge. They are, like, organic.

The police here used to tolerate the rally, which takes place on the last Friday of every month. Officers sometimes held off traffic as a cycling cluster wheeled out of Union Square Park and looped through Manhattan streets. You would see parents cycling beside their children, and even a tandem or two.

All that changed last year. In late July, some cyclists caught the police unawares by disrupting traffic on the Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive. And in late August, on the eve of the Republican National Convention, a few of the thousands of rallying cyclists violated traffic laws and purposely blocked crosstown traffic in a practice called "corking." Scores were arrested, though very, very few of the charges stuck.

The police then tried to find a Critical Mass leader to establish an agreed-upon route and other ground rules. They were told that no one is in charge, although a direct-action group called Time's Up! promotes the monthly event on its Web site. Besides, a predetermined route would, like, violate the spontaneous spirit of the rally.

Uh-huh, said the police.

After years of allowing Critical Mass rallies to take place, the police began arguing that the event required a parade permit; without one, participants were subject to arrest. The department began using a helicopter above and orange netting below to play a crazed cat-and-mouse game playing out on pavement. Hundreds of otherwise law-abiding cyclists have now looked forlornly out the backs of police wagons.

THE cyclists bear some responsibility, of course. A few seem to enjoy taunting the police as much as they do running red lights. "And when you press them about observing the lights, they say you wouldn't arrest somebody driving a car," Paul J. Browne, the deputy police commissioner for public information, said. "It's sort of: We're breaking the law on one hand, but on the other, we're being treated more harshly than motorists."

But Ms. Ross, who is a volunteer with Time's Up!, spoke for many when she said that cyclists are essentially being arrested for minor traffic violations that would normally warrant only a summons. "If I went through a red light and got a ticket," she said, "what could I say?"

It's no longer about traffic flow, though. It's about control.

Once a month now, the police - who say they are willing to facilitate the rides if permits are obtained - surround Union Square. A chopper hovers above to track rogue packs of cyclists. Officers stand ready to snare bikers with netting, or to confiscate hurriedly abandoned bicycles. They arrested 34 people at Friday's ugly rally.

Meanwhile, city lawyers are seeking an injunction to prohibit Time's Up! from publicizing the monthly gatherings. Their astounding logic is that the cyclists gather in Union Square Park before each rally; large gatherings in city parks require special permits; no permits are being sought. Therefore, publicizing an unlawful event is - unlawful.

The wheels of this city are not spinning smoothly. Something is broken. The next rally is on May 27. It's a good thing that people on both sides wear helmets.

[trekets]

New York Times May 4, 2005
ABOUT NEW YORK

It's no longer about traffic flow, though. It's about control.

The wheels of this city are not spinning smoothly. Something is broken. The next rally is on May 27. It's a good thing that people on both sides wear helmets.



The cops are out of control. I am very glad that the New York Times wrote a follow up on this. Thanks for posting it.

[Eman]

Of course, good 'ol Texan governments and their pro gun laws do not seem to do much to reduce and deter crime. Year 2003 crime stats have Dallas # 1, San Antonio #3 and Houston #4 for total crime per capita. All three seem to rank in the top ten in most categories, including murder. Seems the criminals are enjoying the weak local governments quite a bit.

[timmhaan]

The cops are out of control. I am very glad that the New York Times wrote a follow up on this. Thanks for posting it.

it's way out of hand. clearly the issue isn't bikes. boil it down and it's really a standoff to determine who has the upper hand. law enforcement or the general public? same thing is happening with peaceable protests here and in other parts of the country.

[kf5nd]

where are you getting your numbers, I just don't believe them. Where are the perennial worst cities that we always hear about... Detroit, Washington DC, Gary IN ???

I was doing business travel to New Orleans, and looked up their stats, and they were way worse than here.

Sorry, no massive crime wave taking place here in Houston, not on a per capita basis anyway.

Not the fault of pro-gun governments though, what's the crime like in Wyoming or Utah?


Of course, good 'ol Texan governments and their pro gun laws do not seem to do much to reduce and deter crime. Year 2003 crime stats have Dallas # 1, San Antonio #3 and Houston #4 for total crime per capita. All three seem to rank in the top ten in most categories, including murder. Seems the criminals are enjoying the weak local governments quite a bit.

[randya]

it's way out of hand. clearly the issue isn't bikes. boil it down and it's really a standoff to determine who has the upper hand. law enforcement or the general public? same thing is happening with peaceable protests here and in other parts of the country.
There's the police, the criminals and the public. When a domestic police force uses its powers inappropriately against members of the public engaged in legitimate and legal activities that fall under the broad category of 'dissent', of which Critical Mass is just one of many such activities; and through the use of inappropriate police actions and behavior attempts to criminalize these activities, they do society and themselves a great disservice. The police should stick to doing what they are supposed to be doing - preventing real crime and catching real criminals - and not wasting tax dollars on inappropriate and divisive domestic cointelpro activities. On the other hand, if divisiveness is what they are attempting to achieve on behalf of someone's political agenda, whether it be for Mayor Bloomberg, Governor Pataki or President Bush, then I guess you could say they are doing a great job... :rolleyes:

[Eman]

I do not know what papers that you have been reading, but Dallas and Houston have had horrible rates for years.

http://www.dallascrime.com/pages/955140/index.htm

[CB HI]

You might have a point except...

NYC is currently run by a Republican Mayor, and has been run by Republican mayors for the last three terms, and the police "enforcement" against CM began at the RNC last year...



NYC Mayor is not a true Republican, He only ran under that banner to avoid a messy Democratic primary.
So under the former Republican Mayors, CM had no problems, but under the Democratic Mayor in Republican clothing, CM is something to be squashed and bicyclist jailed.

[nycm'er]

Please check out www.bicycledefensefund.org This is a group formed from the Feb NYC CM arrestees to support other NYC biking arrestees. We are trying to support legal fees and provide information to people once they are released to make the whole experience less traumatic. We have also started giving out reclaimed bikes to those who have had their bike confiscated by the NYPD as arrest evidence. (I got my bike after 3 weeks- it was held as evidence in a crime, much like a gun or a knife would be) No matter where you fall in the CM debate, this is about the right to assemble, the right to not have to get a permit to do something that is LEGAL. Check out the photos of the assistant Chief of Police grabbing a girl who is astride her bike, on a sidewalk, this is what is important to these cops in NYC? In the end how much is this campaign costing a city that is so cash strapped it is closing firehouses, and the cops that are chasing us down, don't even have a contract?

[kf5nd]

Sorry, you're wrong ! My city, Houston, is a great deal safer than the next largest city, Chicago, and even the next smaller city, Philly.


Murder rates per 100,000 population

1 New Orleans 52.3
2 Washington, D.C. 43.9
3 Detroit 41.8
4 Baltimore 38.7
5 Atlanta 34.0
6 St. Louis 32.5
7 Birmingham 30.3
8 Newark, NJ 28.2
9 Oakland, CA 24.6
10 Memphis 22.4
11 Chicago 22.0
12 Philadelphia 20.6
13 Kansas City 20.2
14 Milwaukee 19.8
15 Cincinnati 19.5
16 Buffalo 18.4
17 Miami 18.0
18 Dallas 18.0
19 Pittsburgh 16.8
20 Cleveland 16.4
21 Los Angeles 15.2
22 Phoenix 15.0
23 Norfolk 15.0
24 Houston 13.0




Of course, good 'ol Texan governments and their pro gun laws do not seem to do much to reduce and deter crime. Year 2003 crime stats have Dallas # 1, San Antonio #3 and Houston #4 for total crime per capita. All three seem to rank in the top ten in most categories, including murder. Seems the criminals are enjoying the weak local governments quite a bit.

[anders]

The cops in new york are out of control.

[bluebottle1]

OK, thanks for reminding me!

I was an eyewitness to the New Black Panthers showing up at the Texas Republican Party Convention where Laura Bush was speaking in 2000. This is a huge political convention, bigger than the RNC convention actually.

The New Black Panthers showed up with shotguns and rifles on their hips in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center. Loaded. Muzzles pointed skyward, but ready to use, ostensibly for protection of their leader, Mr. Quannell X.

Middle of downtown Houston, weekday.

They were not detained, arrested, nor shot at by Houston PD. But, they were very, very carefully watched. If anyone had pointed a weapon at anyone, there would've been some bloodshed in an instant.

State Law does not forbid the carrying of rifles or shotguns in public. And Houston PD was not in the role of legislating new laws, so they let the protest go on.

TRY THAT IN NYC !!!

So I think that's a perfect example of what I'm talking about... that conservative local governments are kinder to civil liberties than liberal local governments, who mostly care about "their rights".


I think the fact that the most recent example you can think of occurred in 2000 illustrates my point rather well. There have been large numbers of protests, etc., in NYC since that time. I understand that one or two things have happened on the world political stage since 2000.

[Laika]

Sorry, you're wrong ! My city, Houston, is a great deal safer than the next largest city, Chicago, and even the next smaller city, Philly.


Murder rates per 100,000 population


no fair moving the goalposts. He said total crime, not murders.

[Laika]

NYC Mayor is not a true Republican, He only ran under that banner to avoid a messy Democratic primary.
So under the former Republican Mayors, CM had no problems, but under the Democratic Mayor in Republican clothing, CM is something to be squashed and bicyclist jailed.

He's been consistently pro-business, pro-real estate developer and pro Republican. He lobbied for and got the RNC, and while it was on, he treated his own constituents like dangerous thugs or petty annoyances. And he's kowtowed to the Republican governor and the Republican president at every opportunity.

Hey, if it walks like a Republican, talks like a Republican..

[kf5nd]

I don't care if someone steals my flowerpots. I care if someone is out to murder me.


no fair moving the goalposts. He said total crime, not murders.

[Laika]

I don't care if someone steals my flowerpots. I care if someone is out to murder me.

You're being silly. You're also not counting assaults, rapes, armed robberies and all amnner of violent crime. Do you really think the only two types of crime they count are murders and flowerpot robberies?

[skanking biker]

This is what makes me different that many ideolouges----

I completely disagree with the politics of most CM members. However, I believe in your right to peacefully assemble and gather for mass rides so long as they are nonviolent. I agree that what the police are doing to you is completely contrary to the principles upon which this country was founded. I especially despise the illegal confiscation of proeprty.

However, i also agree with some of the comments that have been posted here is that such behavior by the authorities is but a symptom of the larger problem in this country which is a total lack of respect for individual rights---proeprty rights, the right to free speech, and yes, even our rights under the 2d amendment.

Whether the authorities are republican or democrat they all believe in using the power of the state to infringe those consitutional rights with which they do not agree or punish those who exercise those rights and with whom they disagree.

The real issue shouldnt be liberal vs. conservative or democrat vs republicanism

The real issue should be statism vs individualism. Heck the Nazis were far right and the commies in Russia were far left, but they both ended up in the same place---total state control over the individual.

I just hope people recognize that its not their individual agenda that matters msot in the long run--its their abaility to advocate that agenda thats what is really important.

Thus, i would have the same viceral reaction to what the police did to you had they done it to soem conservative group.

Yes the police are out of control. But it has nothign to do with individual viewpoints---it has to do with the control of the state over yoru lives. If lefties were in power, the police woudl to the same thing to stop conservative groups from organizing mass rides to promote an agenda.

They are doing this because you are challanging their authority --plain and simple.

[randya]

Ummm, I hate to try and get this back on topic here, but this thread is about how NYPD violates the rights of citizens participating in legitimate dissent, and not the relative crime rates in major metropolitan areas.

[scarry]

This is what makes me different that many ideolouges----

I completely disagree with the politics of most CM members. However, I believe in your right to peacefully assemble and gather for mass rides so long as they are nonviolent. I agree that what the police are doing to you is completely contrary to the principles upon which this country was founded. I especially despise the illegal confiscation of proeprty.

However, i also agree with some of the comments that have been posted here is that such behavior by the authorities is but a symptom of the larger problem in this country which is a total lack of respect for individual rights---proeprty rights, the right to free speech, and yes, even our rights under the 2d amendment.

Whether the authorities are republican or democrat they all believe in using the power of the state to infringe those consitutional rights with which they do not agree or punish those who exercise those rights and with whom they disagree.

The real issue shouldnt be liberal vs. conservative or democrat vs republicanism

The real issue should be statism vs individualism. Heck the Nazis were far right and the commies in Russia were far left, but they both ended up in the same place---total state control over the individual.

I just hope people recognize that its not their individual agenda that matters msot in the long run--its their abaility to advocate that agenda thats what is really important.

Thus, i would have the same viceral reaction to what the police did to you had they done it to soem conservative group.

Yes the police are out of control. But it has nothign to do with individual viewpoints---it has to do with the control of the state over yoru lives. If lefties were in power, the police woudl to the same thing to stop conservative groups from organizing mass rides to promote an agenda.

They are doing this because you are challanging their authority --plain and simple.

Great post! :beer:

[Laika]

Ummm, I hate to try and get this back on topic here, but this thread is about how NYPD violates the rights of citizens participating in legitimate dissent, and not the relative crime rates in major metropolitan areas.

You are like the NYPD, unjustly opressing the Critical Mass of thread drift. Fascist! STILL WE POST!!

[kf5nd]

I'll shut up.


Ummm, I hate to try and get this back on topic here, but this thread is about how NYPD violates the rights of citizens participating in legitimate dissent, and not the relative crime rates in major metropolitan areas.

[slagjumper]

My first cm ride was in Pittsburgh last week. In my liberal blue state city, I saw 0 cops for the 5 or 6 mile ride. There where 65 bikers and we rode for an hour and a half taking up all lanes, running red lights, etc. There where a mix of Anarchists, D&Rs, avereage age about 22.

I am not sure what "disagree with cm politics" means? You dont want more bike access in overweight cities? I guess that you mean that you dont agree with CMs way of using mild/peaceful civil disobedience to affect change. The way I look at it is the way I look at car drivers-- some are idiots and some are ok. I dont feel condemed because someone in a group of bikes that I am riding with choses to do something wrong--like run a red light. No more than a car driver in busy rush hour feels "bad" for someone els running a light. And if I do run a redlight-- I might get a ticket and that is it-- I am not punished for participating in a parade of rush-hour clowns.

I think that CM could do a better job of putting a nice face on biking and less co-opting the symbolic elements of "the bike". Many bystanders conjectured that we must be a bike club for example. No hand outs where given explaining what it was about. Given a world of shades of grey I would rather have CM than not and Participate rather then not.

[skanking biker]

I am not sure what "disagree with cm politics" means? You dont want more bike access in overweight cities? I guess that you mean that you dont agree with CMs way of using mild/peaceful civil disobedience to affect change.

No no--not what i meant---Most of the CM people I know are quite "progressivly liberal" --I am a "classic liberal" or what today is caled a libertarian in some circles. My point was you dont have to agree with someones politcs to support their right to advocate their position. As to the goal of reducing cars/encouragign cycling, i do concur.

[randya]

Message from Time's Up regarding legal actions.

TIMES’S UP! is being sued by the City of New York. We're facing $30,000 worth of legal fees—and we need your help now! See below for complete information on the lawsuit.

Dear Friend,

As you may have heard, four TIMES’S UP! volunteers—and TIMES’S UP! itself—are being sued by the City of New York. Why are the City of New York and the New York City Parks Department suing a group of Environmentalists? For riding bikes, talking about riding bikes to the press, and encouraging other people to use this sustainable, environmentally-sound form of transportation.

If you care about your right to free speech and free assembly, you should be incredibly concerned. The suit against us has major ramifications on First Amendment activity nationwide. That's why it's so important that we win—and to win, we need your help. TIMES’S UP! is currently facing $30,000 in legal fees. Please visit http://www.times-up.org/legal_newswire.php today and make a donation to the TIMES’S UP! Bike Legal Defense Fund.

Many of you may have ridden in the Critical Mass bike ride, or at least heard of it. Started in San Francisco in 1992, Critical Mass rides take place monthly in almost 400 cities on six continents. New York's Critical Mass is now under attack--and the four of us and TIMES’S UP! are being singled out in that attack.

In New York, August 27, 2004, was the date of a massive police crackdown on this peaceful community
event. Two days before the start of the Republic National Convention (RNC), some 5,000 cyclists gathered together to ride their bikes through the city. By the end of the night, 264 were cuffed and sent to jail—for riding bikes. They've been charged with disorderly conduct and parading without a permit, the criminal equivalent of a speeding ticket. (To date, more than 80% of those charges have been dismissed or thrown out for lack of evidence.)

So what does this have to do with us? As Critical Mass participants, we—and many, many others—spoke out against the police's egregious behavior. We spoke to the press. We've been quoted in the New York Times, the BBC World News, USA Today, as well as many smaller community papers, and we've been regularly featured on network news and radio. Because we spoke out, we have been targeted. Our names and titles as listed in the lawsuit come directly from descriptions of us in the papers.

Despite police threats, we keep riding every single month. And the police keep arresting. At every Critical Mass since the RNC—except for December—the police have arrested bike riders. In March alone, 37 people were arrested simply for riding bikes in a group.

But cuffing cyclists wasn't enough. In September and in March, the NYPD illegally seized dozens of bikes. Many of these were chained to public property (such as parking signs and light poles) near where the arrests were taking place. The police used their most sophisticated machinery and highly trained Emergency Service Unit forces to cut bike locks! The owners of the bikes--many of whom were not even Critical Mass participants--were charged with no crime. They simply had their bikes stolen by the cops. They knew they were in the right, and five cyclists sued the police in Federal Court. Their victory on December 23, 2004, was a victory for everyone who cares about Critical Mass and our right to due process.

After this clear win, we assumed the harassment would end. But in March, the City of New York, the NYPD,
and the Parks Department took the next step. Now they're suing us. They have requested an injunction,
which, if granted, would make it illegal for us to talk about or participate in the Critical Mass bike ride. In fact, it would also make it illegal for YOU to talk about or participate in Critical Mass.

This suit is an obvious limitation of our first amendment rights. We've amassed an incredible legal team, including renowned civil rights attorney Norman Siegel, to defend us and prove that we're right and that this time the city has gone too far. But our defense costs money. Although our attorneys will defend us pro bono, we must raise a significant amount of money to pay for legal expenses. The bottom line: we have until May 5 to raise $30,000. Here's where you come in.

If you've ever ridden in Critical Mass--or even ridden a bike--if you care about the environment, if you care about citizens' right to use public space, or if you believe in protecting free speech, then please make a donation to our legal fund today. You can visit http://www.times-up.org/legal_newswire.php to make a donation and read a copy of the lawsuit. Or write a check to the "TIMES’S UP! Bike Legal Defense Fund" and send it to P.O. Box 2030, New York, NY 10009. All donations are 100% tax-deductible.

We thank you for your time and your generosity, and we encourage you to get involved. Stay tuned to
www.times-up.org for the latest information on our case. Please do not hesitate to contact Leah or Matthew for more information.

Sincerely,

Bill DiPaola

Brandon Neubauer

Leah Rorvig leahrorvig@gmail.com, phone:
(646) 831-6802]

Matthew Roth almonroth@yahoo.com, phone:
(917) 825-3027]

defendants: New York City v. Time's Up! et. al.

In the Press
(http://www.times-up.org/press.php)

Big Pack of Bikes Piques Police
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-11-15-bikes-new-york_x.htm

After Court Loss, Police Crack Down on Time's Up!
http://www.times-up.org/press_view.php?article=050330_villager_with_lawsuit

New York Times Editorial Suggesting Police Use
Restraint on Rides:
http://www.times-up.org/press_view.php?article=041205_nyt_cm_editorial
Defendant Matthew Roth and Attorney Norman Siegel
Discuss Case on Democracy Now!
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/03/28/1434209

Civil Rights Attorney Norman Siegel Statement on
continued harassment:
http://www.times-up.org/press_view.php?release=050327_norman_siegel

=============================================
TIME'S UP! is a direct-action environmental group
that uses events and educational programs to promote
a safer, quieter, friendlier, and more
environmentally sustainable city. We're
community-based, all-volunteer, and non-profit. It's
easy to help: Join!
See www.times-up.org or call 212-802-8222 for more
information.

[supcom]

You dont want more bike access in overweight cities? I guess that you mean that you dont agree with CMs way of using mild/peaceful civil disobedience to affect change.

Critical Mass has been going on for over 10 years. Could you provide some examples of positive change that can be credited to CM activities? If not, then how much longer will it take for CM to effect "increased bike access"?

[nycm'er]

Why not dredge up the old CM debate threads to have out the usefulness of CM there? Here we can discuss what we are going to do about the civil liberty violations of the NYPD. Like I said before, either way you fall on the issue, the cops are arresting anyone who rides in a group on a Friday night. In NYC it is not a traffic issue, the cops arrested me after one block of legal, ( no really legal ) riding. I waited for the green and they caught six of us. This is a crack down to test the public's will to speak out in defense of an issue given to us by the founding fathers, a right to assemble, etc. This is the town that was governed by the "nation's mayor" the town where the RNC was held, if the bar is set here, then look out America.

[slvoid]

I'll probably take some flack for this but I've seen some of the behavior from *certain* people who participate in CM and god bless those people for taking advantage of a harmless gathering to promote their personal agendas, piss off the fuzz, and ruin it for the rest of us.

CM isn't the problem. The way I saw it, CM is like the cycling monthly equivalent of friday night bowling. You grab a bunch of coworkers, go bowling after work on friday, and everyone enjoys themselves. It's all fun and games until 2 of your coworkers start arguing with the owner, harassing him about not using recycled wood for the floors, and everyone gets kicked out.

I honestly think, if CM remained CM without all the political protests, the people at the RNC would probably have viewed the large pack of cyclists going through manhattan as a spectacle and left it at that. Someone choose to poke the sleeping bear and now it's awake, political, and hungry.

[nycm'er]

I haven't seen a political stance besides anti mayor and anti Smolka in any of this year's rides. Just because a few of the coworkers start something up, does that mean you don't bowl there anymore? or bowl at all or poo-poo those who bowl on friday nights? I have very strong political opinions, but that has nothing to do with me and riding in a large group that once a month, twelve times a year to take control of the streets that threaten us everyday.

[slvoid]

I haven't seen a political stance besides anti mayor and anti Smolka in any of this year's rides. Just because a few of the coworkers start something up, does that mean you don't bowl there anymore? or bowl at all or poo-poo those who bowl on friday nights? I have very strong political opinions, but that has nothing to do with me and riding in a large group that once a month, twelve times a year to take control of the streets that threaten us everyday.

It wasn't this year, it's something that in my guesstimation started last year at the RNC and they're still mighty pissed. I wasn't there but I do recall a small minority of the people at last year's CM using the event to stage a political protest and getting the feds all pissed off.

And no, it doesn't mean we'll quit bowling, it'd mean we just won't go back to the same place to bowl seeing as how the owner has this poster of us by the front door and a big guy with a shot gun at the entrance. Which means I'd probably avoid CM for a while until things cool down and cruise around the city elsewhere with my friends cause once we piss off the owner, he'd probably recognize our faces for a while.

[nycm'er]

Not to tire the analogy out, but lets say this bowling alley is the only place to bowl, if you want to bowl in a decent lane, lets say also you have the constitutional right to bowl there, you have every right to bowl there, and the guy with the shot gun is a vengeance thing, and is costing YOU money to be stationed there. Now lets say the guy who owns the bowling alley in Portland OR, is watching to see how the New Yorkers, react to the strong arm stuff.
ahh enough, do you see what I am saying? I don't agree with everything that is shouted from a CM ride, or is said by this Gov't to the world. Doesn't mean I say it too. This is larger than CM, this is the current trend in Gov't to take everything it can from you, and I am not sure why that is. But it is happening. 91% of the RNC arrests have been thrown out of court for tampering or lack of evidence, because cops are there ( at CM or at a rally) arresting people does not mean that a crime is being committed. And if everyone steers clear of CM or the next police/Smolka topic to crush, then what? When do we stop letting THE MAN decide for us? The RNC ride was a fluke with more than twice the number of any NYC CM that I had ever heard of, yes that was politically fueled. Lately it is about cops arresting and seizing bikes for violations, something that happens multi-million times a day here, but no one is arrested, and their stuff is not confiscated.
Don't give up now, it's just getting good.