NYPD Officer Injured During Critical Mass Crackdown

[GideonOliver]

http://www.bicycledefensefund.org

January 28,2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

POLICE OFFICER INJURED DURING CRITICAL MASS CRACKDOWN

Contacts: Rebecca Heinegg, Freewheels (917) 432-8995
Dave Rankin, Freewheels (917) 455-0609
Mark Taylor, Freewheels (646) 338-5643

On the cold Friday night of January 27th the NYPD’s continued crackdown on the peaceful bicycle ride known as Critical Mass resulted in an unfortunate injury to a police officer. It appears that while attempting to grab moving cyclists two officers on motorbikes collided, resulting in an injury to at least one officer. Luke Son, a trained EMT and a volunteer mechanic with the environmental advocacy group Time’s Up! was close behind, and provided aid to the officer.

FreeWheels would like to express its concern and sympathy for the injured officer, Officer Yan from the 1st Precinct Motorbike Patrol. The continued crackdown on Critical Mass rides in Manhattan has needlessly exposed both police officers and cyclists to dangerous situations month after month. FreeWheels hopes this injury will cause the city to re-think the way it handles such rides. Peaceful, safety-oriented policing during Critical Mass rides in Brooklyn has been tremendously successful. A similar approach to the Manhattan rides would avoid putting the NYPD in the dangerous and embarrassing position of recklessly chasing after cyclists month after month.

Rather than facilitating the ride to ensure the safety of all, the NYPD has made a practice of pursuing the cyclists at high speeds with nets, scooters, helicopters, and other police vehicles. FreeWheels has received reports of motorbikes crashes at two additional locations last night. However, it is believed there was only one injury. These three incidents are not the first time the NYPD motorbike task force has had these problems, as at least one officer fell off a scooter during the ride in December.

As the crackdown on Critical Mass has continued many of the officers deployed against the ride have become familiar faces to the riders. “Officer Yan arrested me in February of last year,” said Rebecca Heinegg, “He is a very nice guy, I really hope he is OK. I hate the ridiculous attack on Critical Mass rides, but I know most of the officers don’t like it either.”

Freewheels encourages the City to take this opportunity to rethink their policy and return to a supportive style of policing that will make our streets safer for cyclists, pedestrians, and police alike.

###

Freewheels Bicycle Defense Fund (www.bicycledefensefund.org) is a not-for-profit group founded by Critical Mass arrestees that helps provide support for people who have been arrested ticketed, or harassed for riding their bicycles. Freewheels believes the New York City crackdown on the Critical Mass ride is an assault not only on the rights of bicyclists, but on the Constitution itself.

Critical Mass is an event, not an organization. Freewheels is not an organizer of, or a spokesperson for, Critical Mass.

See also this (http://www.villagevoice.com/blogs/powerplays/archives/002384.php) Village Voice article.

[chipcom]

It appears that while attempting to grab moving cyclists two officers on motorbikes collided, resulting in an injury to at least one officer.

Remind anyone of Keystone Kops or a Smokey & The Bandit flick?

[scarry]

%$#@ing cops. :mad:

Why don't they go arrest some speeding or drunk motorists who actually are a threat.

Where's Jackie Gleason?

[cc_rider]

Is it usual for them to grab a moving cyclist?
Isn't that recklessly endangering the life and safety of the cyclist, as well as the officers?

[BeTheChange]

Who cares? They are just cyclists. They aren't even people.

[N_C]

Is CM really necessery? What is the point of CM? What is it that CM riders hope to accomplish? Has anyone even thought that a good percentage of the riders are just followers to CM & not really interested in what the goals are? Alos some fo them could just be trouble makers out to cause trouble for law enforcemnt & everyone else, kind of a strike out against the establishment kind of a thing.

Can some explain to me why CM is a good idea & what the point is?

[brokenrobot]

Is it usual for them to grab a moving cyclist?
Isn't that recklessly endangering the life and safety of the cyclist, as well as the officers?

They weren't trying to grab a moving cyclist; their policy is to stop cyclists by hitting them with motorscooters, and grab them once they're down / stopped. Yes, it's dangerous.

[brokenrobot]

Can some explain to me why CM is a good idea & what the point is?

No, no explaining here: you'll have to go read some of the other threads in which your particular trolling strategy has already been used.

[Bikepacker67]

Is it usual for them to grab a moving cyclist?
Isn't that recklessly endangering the life and safety of the cyclist, as well as the officers?

I'd make sure I retained a bulldog for a lawyer, if some fluckin' cop knocked me from my bike.

[velonomad]

The truth as always is somewhere in the middle, Transportation Alternatives(the people in NYC that really are cycling advocates) released this back in November 2004, The situation has only gotten worse since then

"A rogue group of aggressive cyclists is playing a dangerous game of chicken with the New York Police Department. This morning, both sides are headed to federal court. The judge should end this confrontation in the name of public safety.

For the past several years, hundreds of cyclists have taken to the streets on the last Friday of each month for "Critical Mass" rides to promote environmentally friendly transportation and cycling safety. But in recent months, these rides have become anything but safe.

In the past, the NYPD has tolerated them, even though the participants ignore traffic laws and block intersections. But now, about a thousand cyclists take part in these rides each month, so the police are looking for a way to make this event safe.

Unlike other bike tours of the city, the Critical Mass group refuses to obtain a permit and the routes are chosen haphazardly at the last moment by people at the front of these ever-growing rides. This summer the tone of these events became combative. Instead of promoting safety, the riders celebrate anarchy.

On July 30, hundreds of bikers entered the FDR Highway at night. Motorists driving at speeds that are legal on the highway were suddenly dodging bicycles that were going much slower.

The riders flout other laws as well. Teams of bicycles are sent out ahead of the group to "cork," or block, side streets so the pack can go through red lights unfettered for as long as 20 minutes at a time. In July, the massive bike ride blocked an ambulance while its siren wailed. That same night, a TV news crew videotaped cyclists beating a driver who tried to go through a green light during the ride.

While the average Critical Mass ride has about 1,000 cyclists, some 5,000 showed up in August to protest the Republican National Convention. That ride became confrontational, chaotic and dangerous. Police arrested more than 250 for disorderly conduct.

On other occasions, riders have stopped in Times Square and carried bicycles over their heads, bringing the crossroads of the world to a standstill. When the police handed out flyers that said the cyclists needed to follow traffic laws, some of these flyers were set on fire.

And last Friday, the Critical Mass mob tried to take over the FDR once again. Bicycles on the streets make sense. Bicycles on a highway are a recipe for disaster.
That's why Judge William Pauley III, who will preside over this matter today in the Federal Southern District, should prohibit these mass rides until the organizers ask for a permit from the NYPD. Judge Pauley should order Critical Mass to obey the rules of the road, such as stopping at red lights, not blocking intersections and avoiding highways.

The motto of Critical Mass is: "We are not blocking traffic, we are traffic.” Well, then follow the traffic rules. The drivers of automobiles who ignore traffic lights or block the box receive hefty fines and points on their licenses that drive their insurance rates higher.

The Critical Mass crew says that it cannot ask for a permit because it is not an organization, per se. Yet somehow, Critical Mass has a Web site and a lawyer, and it puts out press releases.

The argument that this is an infringement on civil liberties is ridiculous. This is not a freedom of speech issue. These riders are breaking traffic laws. In fact, the city and the police agree, bicycles are a good form of transportation. It's a matter of safety.
The NYPD says that with permits, it would allow the Critical Mass riders to go through red lights. But the police would have to be present to block traffic. That way, if an emergency vehicle needs to pass, the police could temporarily stop the cyclists.
This paper supports cycling as a form of transportation in this city, for recreation and commuting. That's why we run a weekly column by Transportation Alternatives. The TA is a respected and rational advocacy group for bicyclists, pedestrians and sensible transportation. The group has done a tremendous job making New York City more responsive to the needs of those who ride bikes for recreation and to commute.
The city has a strong record of supporting cyclists. Mayor Bloomberg, for example, says he supports the Critical Mass agenda, but not their method.

New York City is growing more bicycle friendly all the time. Just this summer, the city opened a new bike path over the Manhattan Bridge. That means all four East River bridges now have bike paths. And since 1997, the city has increased the length of its bike lanes from 56 miles to more than 182 miles.

The city's Department of Transportation has a bicycle division of eight people that works on things like finding new areas to create bicycle lanes, printing bicycle maps and responding to requests to provide more bicycle racks to businesses and communities that request them.

The vast majority of riders who take part in the Critical Mass rides each month have their hearts and pedals in the right place. But a small group of anarchists has hijacked the ride and is using it to confront the police. These bikers are giving Critical Mass and cycling a bad name.

The riders should get a permit, and get the police to shut down side traffic as the ride makes its way through the city. That way, Critical Mass can remain a safe and massive event that welcomes the thousand or so bicyclists who want to take part.

The monthly Critical Mass bicycle ride has been turned into an unnecessary confrontation with the NYPD While most participants in the ride have their hearts and pedals in the right place, using the event as a way to promote cycling safety, others have been more flagrant breaking traffic laws, giving cycling a bad name.

About a thousand cyclists take part in the monthly Critical Mass bicycle ride. With the event growing larger, the NYPD wants the cyclists to get a permit for the event to make it safer.

[Roody]

What a load of crap.

[late]

Finally, they'll have a mini-riot, the city will ban them and impose jail sentneces for violations and just maybe sanity will return.

[stormchaser]

Kinda makes you wish the transit strike was still on, no?

[sentinel]

Roody, what is a load of crap?

[Roody]

Roody, what is a load of crap?
Cracking down on dissent in the United States of America. The police lying and doctoring evidence to prosecute dissidents. The belief that bikes cause traffic jams when clearly it is cars that cause them. Establishment cycling advocates pooh-poohing and tsk-tsking, when they don't even try to address real issues faed by cyclists. People my age (boomers) ragging on todays kids because they make waves, when really they aren't half as "bad" as we were. I could go on. . . .

[Sir Lunch-a-lot]

Well, if what that November 2004 press release says is true, then I can agree with the police point of view that says the group should have a permit and adhere to traffic rules. But at the same time, that does not give officers the right to unnessisarily put the lives of others in danger by trying to grab their bikes whilst they are riding. So, it sounds like the problems presented here are a two way street: Both parties need to do their part to make it safe, etc.

[nycm'er]

This paper supports cycling as a form of transportation in this city, for recreation and commuting. That's why we run a weekly column by Transportation Alternatives. [/B][/I]

I am pretty sure this is not a press release, this is an editorial from another paper that mentions TA and TA put if up on the TA website. Where did you find it on the site? If you read about other CM rides, you will find plenty of arrested riders who were obeying the law, and still arrested. There was a woman, pregnant 5 months who was tackled by a white shirt. This is not about traffic laws, this is about controlling a group of bicycling citizens who won't shut the F up when told.

[velonomad]

NYCM'er you are correct. I should have said "posted" instead of released since it was actually an editorial from AMNY. I had copied and saved the editorial from an NYBC email . Here is the link to the editorial on the TransAlt website http://www.transalt.org/press/media/2004/041105amny.html

I still agree with the editorial, I rode in a NYC critical mass in June of 2004 and it was getting out of control then . Blocking traffic running traffic signals, spitting on cars and calling the cops pigs is not my idea of effective cycling advocacy. It wasn't everyone but no one was discouraging them either, I abandoned the ride .

Now the situation has escaladed to innocent cyclists getting caught up in the violence. Cops are now over reacting. It is just a matter of time before someone gets killed. IMO This does absolutely nothing for cycling in NYC.
If Trans Alt is supporting and condoning what takes place at these rides I won't be supporting them any longer either

[sentinel]

Roody,
If you think for one second these officers want to be there, I can guess that most do not. So many on this board want to be considered "traffic" when it suits them, then want the police to look the other way when they break the law. You can't have it both ways! If you want to be considered "traffic" then you better darned well obey the laws like you expect the cars to do. I wasn't there for the NYC event and have no idea if the police, CM riders or both overreacted. I've been a police officer for over 15 years and have had to take down a bad guy on a bike before. All it takes is for some screwballs to infiltrate a good group of riders to make things go bad. Mob mentality takes over very easily in some of these circumstances and people who are normally very law abiding people get stupid and this is on both sides, the police and riders.

Roody, also consider that some dissent must be controlled by the police. What you may consider "reasonable" dissent may not be so in the law. I've seen interviews of some abortion clinic bombers who think it is reasonable to bomb a clinic and if someone is killed, "oh well." I would sure hope that most in society would not see that as "reasonable." Reasonable is not as someone stated earlier, refusing to let an ambulance through a CM intersection despite the ambulance having lights and sirens on.

Both groups, city and riders need to get together and act like adults and not spoiled kids.

[slagjumper]

The cops should have been on bicycles. Seems like the NYPD management had too many motorcycle cops in one space to be safe. The cops really should have been on bikes themselves to pull some kinda Hollywood-Rambo style biker pull down.

I felt sorry for the cops that I saw bike- patroling the CMers in our town several months ago. Only one out of ten bike cops seemed hell bent on showing his ugly side. But that was in an argument about who would cork the street, the cop or a teen aged participant.

Interesting that there is no news in the NYTs about this unfortunate event. Perhaps the city recently cut the NYTs some slack on a past water bill or something. I guess all that this really means is that the NYPD is too embarassed to issue a press release.

Isn't there an NYPD forum, like the BFs somewhere? It would be interesting to hear what they have to say about this.

[nycm'er]

Sentinel, if you had brought up Nazis, you would have had the trifecta post there eh? I run red lights every time I ride, I ride everyday, to go everywhere. I run lights only when it is safe for me, peds, and cars will not be effected i.e. not swerve or brake. I think bikes are traffic and should be treated as such. Ticket me, ticket the million other red light running cars too. This crackdown is political, and not about traffic violations. The cops are smashing into bikers for violations, for parading, not for running lights. If the cops were worried about holding up traffic, the sacred cow here in NYC then why do they block intersections to make these arrests for up to an hour at a time? I have been taking the issue to court for almost a year, I'll assume that is what you mean by acting like an adult.

[budster]

...
Blocking traffic running traffic signals, spitting on cars and calling the cops pigs is not my idea of effective cycling advocacy.
...
+1

I support the original idea behind Critical Mass. I certainly support the idea that bicycles are traffic. I support constructive dissent.

And it does seem obvious that the crackdown is largely politically motivated. But as long as these CM "happenings" are anarchic and defined by law-breaking and extreme rudeness, they accomplish little more than creating/reinforcing the idea in the public mind that cyclists are crazy and that cycling is a militant fringe activity.

If CM did change its tactics, if CM riders obeyed traffic laws and treated other road users with courtesy and respect, then CM would have the moral high ground. That would remove the very good excuse police now have to hassle both CM riders and ordinary cyclists. Lawful CM -- now that would be truly radical.

[sentinel]

nycm'er,
How do you truly know this is political? I'm sure they would ticket the cars that run red lights if they did it in the size group that the CM is. By the way, are you comparing the NYPD to Nazis? That is a far stretch from reality. Nice visual word "smashing" by the way.

[nycm'er]

Sentinel, I was poking fun at you for bringing up abortion clinic bombers in a discussion about people who ride bikes en mass once a month, the purpose of which to show the smartness of bicycle transport and the safety in numbers.

NYC DOT has put out a figure that there are one million red lights run, by cars, everyday in NYC. Cars, trucks, delivery vans, off duty cops, all run lights. They got these cars that are yellow here, that seem to follow no laws at all, and people think its funny. This is no excuse for bike to run lights, but there is a tonnage and mass difference that makes a car more of a threat than a bike.

Last Feb I and a friend tried Courteous Mass, obey lights, etc, after all, the cops said, "Don't break laws and you won't get arrested." We made it one block. We caught the red at the first light, waited, and when green, the scooters, (the same from last friday, I know Officer Yan and my arresting officer I believe is kneeling next to him in the photos,) came in. My friend was just through the intersection when three scooters smashed into him. No one ever gets nailed for light running, its parading and blocking traffic. If you read again what the cops we doing Friday night, they were aggressively trying to out flank and block the ride. So aggressively, that one cop ran into another and they went to the hospital. For more on the question as to whether this is political, you should look up the stories of the individual rides, in The Times and The Villager and other papers. Oct 04, the City gives a route, and lines it with cops. The ride follow the route, at some point the cops leading the route, lead people off it, stop, and arrest the people following them. Thats how I heard it from an arrestee.

[sentinel]

nycm'er,
If the police did what you claim they did, then that is wrong. I learned a long time ago there are 3 sides to every story. I don't have the time or inclination to look anything up in the paper. You made the claim it was political and I would expect you can back that up.

[brokenrobot]

nycm'er,
If the police did what you claim they did, then that is wrong. I learned a long time ago there are 3 sides to every story. I don't have the time or inclination to look anything up in the paper. You made the claim it was political and I would expect you can back that up.


It is, and he can. Your unwillingness to follow up the references he provided (or, for that matter, to read the threads on thsi subject stretching back more than a year) does not prove otherwise.

[Roody]

Roody,
If you think for one second these officers want to be there, I can guess that most do not. So many on this board want to be considered "traffic" when it suits them, then want the police to look the other way when they break the law. You can't have it both ways! If you want to be considered "traffic" then you better darned well obey the laws like you expect the cars to do. I wasn't there for the NYC event and have no idea if the police, CM riders or both overreacted. I've been a police officer for over 15 years and have had to take down a bad guy on a bike before. All it takes is for some screwballs to infiltrate a good group of riders to make things go bad. Mob mentality takes over very easily in some of these circumstances and people who are normally very law abiding people get stupid and this is on both sides, the police and riders.

Roody, also consider that some dissent must be controlled by the police. What you may consider "reasonable" dissent may not be so in the law. I've seen interviews of some abortion clinic bombers who think it is reasonable to bomb a clinic and if someone is killed, "oh well." I would sure hope that most in society would not see that as "reasonable." Reasonable is not as someone stated earlier, refusing to let an ambulance through a CM intersection despite the ambulance having lights and sirens on.

Both groups, city and riders need to get together and act like adults and not spoiled kids.CM riders = clinic bombers? WTF?

If cops don't like repressing dissent they should refuse to do it.

[Roody]

nycm'er,
If the police did what you claim they did, then that is wrong. I learned a long time ago there are 3 sides to every story. I don't have the time or inclination to look anything up in the paper. You made the claim it was political and I would expect you can back that up.
You obviously know little about this story. The police got caught perjuring themselves and doctoring video evidence. They have agitated and provoked CM riders, then arrested them. They have gone to great lengths to infiltrate the loosely organized groups that participate with undercover officers. Who are the real criminals here?

Every day in NYC, millions of cars obstruct traffic and break laws while operating dangerous large machines. Why is the police response to this so muted, compared to their characterization of CM as a dangerous conspiracy?

As I understand it, the crackdown against CM started during the Presidential convention in 2004. Quite obviously police, prosecutors and municipal government are reacting to the political content of CM rather than to any cycling misbehavior.

Again, this is a democracy. The police should not be infiltrating peaceful protest movements like CM. Dissent is tolerated in a democracy, even when it briefly inconveniences other citizens.

[banerjek]

Given how many organizations sponsor large cycling events, I find it interesting that CM seems to have more problems with cops than all other groups combined.

When the Cascades Bicycle Club sends about 9,000 riders from downtown Seattle to downtown Portland, you don't read about battles with the cops even though the event affects traffic in two major cities. When thousands ride with Lance on his charity rides, you don't see negative press about cyclists and their relations with motorists/authority. There are countless cycling events with hundreds or thousands of riders that hold up traffic, but don't wind up antagonizing motorists and the police.

I guess some people get all the rotten luck.....

[sentinel]

roody, I wasn't saying SM and abortion clinic bombers were the same, just that both beleive that what they do is correct. Breaking the law is breaking the law. If the police broke the law then they are wrong...I believe I said that before.
Nope, don't have as much time as some seem to have to look up old cases. I also don't believe everything I read in the media.
The police "infiltrating" peaceful groups doesn't bother me. You might be surprised that out of thousands of riders, there might be a cop or two in there voluntarily. I help coordinate special events in my city. That includes runs, walks and parades. I know exactly what goes into planning some of these events. They also apply for and receive a city permit to conduct these events.

[scarry]

I guess some people get all the rotten luck.....

Or maybe it's politically motivated repression. CM goes of peacefully month ofter month in SF,CA, but this is after the city got put down by the courts in '97 after a police riot.


Superior Court Judge Rules Against SF in Critical Mass Roundup;
Bicyclist Wins Judgment in False Arrest

In a rebuke to San Francisco Police mass arrest tactics, a Superior Court Judge has ruled in favor of bicyclists who were rounded up at the July 1997 Critical Mass ride.

In the only case to come to trial from that mass arrest, bicyclist Howard Besser charged that police had illegally declared an unlawful assembly and had arbitrarily arrested 100 bicyclists, and that under orders of Mayor Willie Brown they had tried to permanently confiscate all the arrestees' bicycles.

Despite a strong attempt by the City Attorney's Office to win the case (including an Appeal of Besser's December 1998 Small Claims Court victory, and a full-day Superior Court Trial involving 9 witnesses), this past Thursday San Francisco Superior Court Judge Thomas Mellon awarded Besser $1,000 plus court costs. (This is a judge who, 18 months later made the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle [11/25/00] when the Public Defenders Office demanded that he be removed from all criminal cases because he was habitually pro-prosecution.) The judge noted that, despite the difficult situation facing police that night, they had no right to arbitrarily arrest a group of bicycle riders solely because they were on a Critical Mass ride. Before such a mass arrest takes place, arrestees must be breaking the law and be audibly warned to leave or be arrested.

"It's about time the courts rebuked Willie Brown for his gestapo-like tactics," declared Besser, a faculty member at both UCLA and UC Berkeley. "The police can't arbitrarily round up people and arrest them just because they oppose some of the Mayor's policies. They can't handcuff and lock people up in order to stifle dissent, knowing full well that the Courts or the D.A. will drop the charges later. And as the D.A. told the Mayor right after this happened, you can't permanently confiscate peoples' bikes just because the Mayor doesn't like Critical Mass."

Besser pointed out that the monthly Critical Mass rides had caused little controversy for many years until the summer of 1997. "Suddenly the Mayor decided that Critical Mass caused traffic jams, and in his typical bombastic and imperious way he tried to outlaw the ride and even developed plans to arrest all 5,000 people involved. He ignored the fact that cars are the real cause of traffic jams, and that his own escorted vehicle and escorts for his visiting dignitaries cause many more traffic jams than Critical Mass ever has. And that a single stalled car on the Bay Bridge will block traffic for hours, whereas the Critical Mass inconvenience to motorists can be measured in minutes."

"The Mayor made a big deal about the July 1997 ride, then he went on to dabble in other things. Though the Mayor professed that Critical Mass had suddenly become intolerable, the monthly rides have been pretty much the same for a decade. The controversy was that Brown suddenly decided to make them controversial. It's interesting that the monthly rides have barely made the papers since summer of 1997, yet the rides themselves are almost exactly the same. The only thing that's changed is where Brown focuses his attention."

"The DA handling the recent pie-throwing case stated the City's support for peaceful forms of protest. If the City Attorney believed that as well, she'd apologize to the 100 people illegally arrested in that Critical Mass ride and order the police department to quit using mass sweeps of innocent protesters to stifle dissent that the Mayor doesn't like."

Despite the Court victory, Besser was upset that he was embroiled in the process for 20 months. "It's amazing how time consuming the legal proceedings in this case have been. I spent more than 350 hours and hundreds of dollars fighting this. None of the other arrestees were able to spend the time it took to fight this. In December the Small Claims Court awarded me $500, and the City even appealed that award, costing them much more than $500 and costing me another 100 hours of effort. This whole process has been a waste of San Francisco taxpayers' money, all in an attempt to keep an Imperious Mayor from looking bad. But the courts have slapped his hands for violation of basic rights of free speech and assembly, and his liberal facade is crumbling. People are finally beginning to see that the Emperor has no clothes. And, with apologies to the Biotic Baking Brigade, I think that the courts have shown that he has egg on his face."

[Treespeed]

I still don't get the whole CM crackdown thing. Why the need for such heavy handed tactics? I get it, some of these folks are breaking the law, then write them a ticket. The police don't run cars off the road and arrest people for traffic infractions, or tackle and cuff folks for jaywalking. If this is about keeping the peace then stick to actually enforcing the law. Why municipalities feel so threatened by a monthly bicycle parade is beyond me. If the cops ignored it I bet most of the troublemakers would go find something else to do.

[Brian Ratliff]

I still don't get the whole CM crackdown thing. Why the need for such heavy handed tactics? I get it, some of these folks are breaking the law, then write them a ticket. The police don't run cars off the road and arrest people for traffic infractions, or tackle and cuff folks for jaywalking. If this is about keeping the peace then stick to actually enforcing the law. Why municipalities feel so threatened by a monthly bicycle parade is beyond me. If the cops ignored it I bet most of the troublemakers would go find something else to do.

There you go. Don't arrest the people, dissuade them by death from a thousand cuts.

Wouldn't that be interesting - CM would have to have a funding arm to deal with all the tickets, or the people who partake in the event must pay the tickets themselves. Providing legal services by volunteer lawyers for free is doable, just time after all, but providing a few hundred dollars per person per ride might not. And if the people don't pay, crack down on the overdue ticket fees.

But... the city always wants immediate results to get the people off the streets, and what the CM'ers are doing isn't always illegal. So they arrest them. Which plays right into the movement's hands.

[Treespeed]

There you go. Don't arrest the people, dissuade them by death from a thousand cuts.

Wouldn't that be interesting - CM would have to have a funding arm to deal with all the tickets, or the people who partake in the event must pay the tickets themselves. Providing legal services by volunteer lawyers for free is doable, just time after all, but providing a few hundred dollars per person per ride might not. And if the people don't pay, crack down on the overdue ticket fees.

But... the city always wants immediate results to get the people off the streets, and what the CM'ers are doing isn't always illegal. So they arrest them. Which plays right into the movement's hands.

I'm not hoping to dissuade people from participating in CM, can you say, "Freedom of Assembly?" Why more people aren't a little more upset by the erosion of our civil liberties is upsetting to say the least.
Of course what the CM'ers are doing isn't illegal, and even when it is, it doesn't deserve the police response that it gets. One often cited crime perpetrated by CM'ers is the blocking of intersections. You see this all the time when motorists don't make the light and have to sit in the intersection knowing what idiots they are, and maybe if we're all lucky getting a hefty ticket. The police certainly don't drag the motorist from their car, place them in cuffs, and then impound the car. They give them a ticket.

If you don't understand CM, don't agree with them, don't participate. But everyone should be worried when the police feel the need to criminalize a bunch of folks getting together to voice their opinions in public. Next time it could be your political party or union that's getting marginalized folks, maybe your favorite

[Brian Ratliff]

I'm not hoping to dissuade people from participating in CM, can you say, "Freedom of Assembly?" Why more people aren't a little more upset by the erosion of our civil liberties is upsetting to say the least.
Of course what the CM'ers are doing isn't illegal, and even when it is, it doesn't deserve the police response that it gets. One often cited crime perpetrated by CM'ers is the blocking of intersections. You see this all the time when motorists don't make the light and have to sit in the intersection knowing what idiots they are, and maybe if we're all lucky getting a hefty ticket. The police certainly don't drag the motorist from their car, place them in cuffs, and then impound the car. They give them a ticket.

If you don't understand CM, don't agree with them, don't participate. But everyone should be worried when the police feel the need to criminalize a bunch of folks getting together to voice their opinions in public. Next time it could be your political party or union that's getting marginalized folks, maybe your favorite

Nor am I (hoping to discourage CM participation). A mere discussion of possible tactics, this is. Every good chess player knows he must look at all his opponent's possibilities in a position. This is politics, after all.

[Treespeed]

Nor am I (hoping to discourage CM participation). A mere discussion of possible tactics, this is. Every good chess player knows he must look at all his opponent's possibilities in a position. This is politics, after all.


Very true. Though if the Police are willing to fabricate evidence, as in NYC, it makes it very difficult for even law abiding CM'ers to proceed with their rides. Though in such cases being law abiding eventually is its own reward for the CM'ers and embarrassment for the NYPD. It just seems that any city could find a better way to use police resources.

[Roody]

roody, I wasn't saying SM and abortion clinic bombers were the same, just that both beleive that what they do is correct. Breaking the law is breaking the law. If the police broke the law then they are wrong...I believe I said that before.
Nope, don't have as much time as some seem to have to look up old cases. I also don't believe everything I read in the media.
The police "infiltrating" peaceful groups doesn't bother me. You might be surprised that out of thousands of riders, there might be a cop or two in there voluntarily. I help coordinate special events in my city. That includes runs, walks and parades. I know exactly what goes into planning some of these events. They also apply for and receive a city permit to conduct these events.Those cop-colored glasses can make it hard to see reality sometimes. There is little doubt that undercover cops on bikes deliberately instigated, provoked and agitated NYC CM riders into breaking both the law, and the terms of the demonstration route when they finally did get a permit. I believe that it was demonstrated in court that they also lied and manipulated evidence against some of the riders, and these riders won their cas as a result. This is not reflective of a few bad cops. From what I've been reading, it pretty muchreflects city government's higher levels. If you don't have time to read old cases, don't assume that the cops are always the good guys, anymore than I assume they are always the bad guys.

[sentinel]

I never assumed the NYPD is always the good guys. I'm sure out of 30,000 cops, there are bad ones. Last I knew, they still hired from the human race. I'm sure it's a combination of some CM'ers breaking the law and some cops not being honest. There are 3 sides to every story.
Maybe I do have rose colored glasses on, but I guess I've had people claim things against me that were completely false and that might sour someone. I still bust my rear end to keep EVERYONE safe. If someone violates the law and has to go to jail, sorry,but that is life.

[brokenrobot]

If someone violates the law and has to go to jail, sorry,but that is life.

Agreed completely. But when policy is to hit people who have broken NO laws with cars and motorscooters, and then subject them to illegitimate arrest as a training exercise and as a penalty in itself, I have a problem with that. And that's what's going on in New York. It's not a few bad apples - it's a departmental policy problem, it comes from the top, and it is clearly out of control. When law enforcement ceases enforcing existing law and starts making up its own - in direct violation of the courts - there are bigger problems than traffic flow hanging in the balance.

[cc_rider]

If someone violates the law and has to go to jail, sorry, but that is life.
That should apply to the police and city officials too.

[sentinel]

And as stated "If someone violates the law and has to go to jail, sorry, but that is life."

[scarry]

hear hear......you got it, very concise.

Agreed completely. But when policy is to hit people who have broken NO laws with cars and motorscooters, and then subject them to illegitimate arrest as a training exercise and as a penalty in itself, I have a problem with that. And that's what's going on in New York. It's not a few bad apples - it's a departmental policy problem, it comes from the top, and it is clearly out of control. When law enforcement ceases enforcing existing law and starts making up its own - in direct violation of the courts - there are bigger problems than traffic flow hanging in the balance.

[sentinel]

Can anyone cite the policy that tells an officer to hit someone with a vehicle?

[Roody]

Can anyone cite the policy that tells an officer to hit someone with a vehicle?
No, but it's probably procedure rather than a policy. Furthermore, if it is not an approved procedure, but officers use it anyway, and the department does not discipline them, then the effect is that the department has approved the procedure. Everybody who rides a bike knows that it is inherently dangerous to pull somebody off a bike--dangerous to the puller as much as to the pullee. Ramming with motorbikes is evidently in the same category of risky business.

Sentinel, I understand you don't like CM and neither do a lot of other cyclists. But can't you see that the issue here is really illegal persecution of dissent by the city of New York, and the NYPD is allowing itself to be used as an agent of this persecution? If I was a cop, I'd be a lot more upset by that, rather than pissed off because a few motorists are briefly inconvenienced by a rolling protest march.

[brokenrobot]

Can anyone cite the policy that tells an officer to hit someone with a vehicle?

Nope; as far as I know, they've refused to honor the FOI requests for whatever official policies relate to CM as yet.

[sentinel]

Oh, so it is OK to claim there is a policy but no proof that it exists?

I agree there isa danger in pulling someone from a bike. I also agree intentionally "ramming" someone with a motorbike is also dangerous. I never said I don't like CM. I don't like the idea of a group thinking they are better than the next group and violating the law. I deal with large groups and special events all the time. Once they apply for their permit, I work hard to make sure their event goes smoothly. Sometimes there are problems with blocking a road, but when I can plan, it is easier to deal with.

[BadAssBiker]

I would like to refer you to copy of "Still We Ride".

There is a section where lawyers for CM riders had uncovered a procedure for dealing with CM. There is a shot of a NYPD document that discussed the topic of "swarming Critical Mass riders". I am positive that this did not include "by ramming of scooter". But the fact that there is a tactic on record, should be troubling.

[sentinel]

Not "troubling" at all. It is part of pre-planning done by organizations around the world. The fire department does it all the time as does the police department. If there is something that might be a problem, you start thinking about it when planning.

[brokenrobot]

Oh, so it is OK to claim there is a policy but no proof that it exists?


It happens every month, and the officers who are doing the colliding readily state that they are under orders to do so - so I have no doubt that there's a policy. That policy may or may not be written down, true - but I don't think it's unreasonable to describe an act which is regularly carried out as a matter of course and ordinary procedure as "policy". If you would prefer that I in future refer to it in some alternate way, I'd welcome your phrasing suggestions.

[Roody]

It happens every month, and the officers who are doing the colliding readily state that they are under orders to do so - so I have no doubt that there's a policy. That policy may or may not be written down, true - but I don't think it's unreasonable to describe an act which is regularly carried out as a matter of course and ordinary procedure as "policy". If you would prefer that I in future refer to it in some alternate way, I'd welcome your phrasing suggestions.
+1. Obviously, agencies would be leary about putting such a policy in writing. But they probably have a policy about wat constitutes a lawful order, and when individual officers should exercise their rights to disobey such orders. City policy or not, each officer is responsible for his or her actions. If there is a written or unwritten policy, the city should back the officers in court. If there is no policy, officers should be prepared to assume personal liability if people or property are damaged when they get rammed with motorbikes. If I were an NYPD employee, I'd be checking with my union rep and/or my lawyer before I rammed any bikes.