Commuting - SF Crit Mass story

Not sure if this is the right forum but I thought I would post this article about a recent SF critical mass. Truly shameful and pathetic.....

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/04/BAGF7P12RN23.DTL

It's a shame that critical mass has decended to this level. It seems that for some people involved, it's a way to cause mayhem without the risk of being punished for it.

friggin' idiots.

I've never viewed critical mass positively, but this is by far the worst I've heard. It's like promoting vehicle rights by driving on the sidewalks and running over pedestrians. Ridiculous.

That really sucks, as the Mayor said in the article - it goes against the grain of what CM is all about really. Dumbasses.

I'm looking to go along to the local CM this month, I've not been before but am curious to see what the crowd is like. I'm no activist, but definitely would like to promote cycling if I can.

Yeah, and I'm sure the lady wasn't honking, calling them **** or intentionally hitting anyone. (oh sorry, I mean "tapping the wheel of one of the cyclists") We had a very similar incident on our last CM ride but none of us threw a bike through the rear window of any cars. I agree that the reaction of the cyclists in this case was over the top, but the driver of the minivan was certainly not as innocent as the artlicle would make her seem.

CM rule #1 for motorists: If you don't want your children exposed to an angry mob, don't "tap the wheel" of any of them.

CM rule #1 for cyclists: Calm the **** down.

One thing to note: the article doesn't provide any accounts from CM participants. I've sent the two reporters who wrote the piece an email asking if they attempted to interview anyone, and they haven't responded.

Even if the vehicle was reacting more aggressively than described in the piece, that doesn't rationalize striking it and breaking a windshield, but it's also clear the piece offers no rider perspective on how the incident played out.

Yeah, and I'm sure the lady wasn't honking, calling them **** or intentionally hitting anyone. (oh sorry, I mean "tapping the wheel of one of the cyclists") We had a very similar incident on our last CM ride but none of us threw a bike through the rear window of any cars. I agree that the reaction of the cyclists in this case was over the top, but the driver of the minivan was certainly not as innocent as the artlicle would make her seem.

CM rule #1 for motorists: If you don't want your children exposed to an angry mob, don't "tap the wheel" of any of them.

CM rule #1 for cyclists: Calm the **** down.

Does your CM group obey traffic laws or are you above the law like these a-holes? I reserve judgment on who's fault it is, but the reaction is uncalled for and gives us law abiding cyclists a black eye.

What a worthless piece of writing

Not exactly fair and balanced reporting.
I would be very interested in knowing what really happened to set off the mob.

Regardless, nothing short of hit and run, leaving a person in the road to die would call for the kind of treatment these people received by this mob. These tactics are the kind that will further enlarge the gulf between the cycling community and the rest of the world.

Does your CM group obey traffic laws or are you above the law like these a-holes? I reserve judgment on who's fault it is, but the reaction is uncalled for and gives us law abiding cyclists a black eye.

No, for the most part we stop for red lights, stick to one lane, ignore the cars, etc... There are always a couple people looking for a confrontation but they don't instigate, they escalate.

Another way to look at it: you wouldn't honk and "tap the wheel" of a motorcycle in a gang of hundreds of hells angels would you? If you did, would you expect anything less from the biker gang? I bet that's the last time she ****s with a group of cyclists or even an individual cyclist. I for one wouldn't mind if cyclists earned a reputation like the Hells Angles. :D

And in this episode of Anonymous Online Bravado we feature the story of...

Hi All-


"...I for one wouldn't mind if cyclists earned a reputation like the Hells Angles..."

That would entail having a geometric relationship with motorists, pedestrians, and other cyclists.

~ Blue Jays ~

The only thing missing are Brownshirt jerseys and clipless Jackboots. Sometimes, it doesn't take anything to set off a mob. Morons who so deeply profess such a cause are already pre-disposed to radical action. It is the very root and core of Fascism. A fascist act, by definition, is to "hit with the stick" those who do not go along.

To suggest that this mother, with kids, did anything to provoke this attack is ludicrous.

The members of that group are anarchist bullies. Decent, honorable, and law-abiding cyclists should reject their illegal actions.

I am going to paint with a broad brush here...Critical Mass = A bunch of Tools: in any state, anywhere at anytime. Pissing off the people you are trying to "educate" generally is not very effective. Especially when the percieved problem is not that great a problem to begin with. Let's all be clear, most motorists could careless about cycling. And more than that, likely never will care about it. Stopping them from going about thier lives just creates greater annimosity.



Cycle safe, and work to change the laws that need to be changed.

To suggest that this mother, with kids, did anything to provoke this attack is ludicrous.

To suggest that she didn't do *anything at all* to provoke it is equally ludicrous. I've seen mothers with kids do all kids of crazy **** that I would never do with my kids in the car. I would really like to hear from someone who was there, I can almost guarantee there is more to this story than the writer of the article would have you believe. Again, this doesn't justify the behavior of the cyclists but I don't think the motorist was completely innocent here.

I agree in general that CM is counter productive and there are alot of idiots involved. I also believe that there was an extra high level of stupidity going on in this particular case. Luckily around here things are pretty low key and it's just a bunch of people out riding bikes and having some beers. If it ever gets nutty around here I'll stop going.

Check out the comments posted regarding the article. Arguments for both sides. Some good, some downright stupid.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nwzchik/detail?blogid=32&entry_id=15025

EDIT: reading this is making me more disturbed at how ignorant people are. I am talking drivers AND bicyclists.

Yeah, and I'm sure the lady wasn't honking, calling them **** or intentionally hitting anyone. (oh sorry, I mean "tapping the wheel of one of the cyclists")
As someone who once was unfortunate enough to be driving where a mob (not CM or anything cycling related) got out of hand, I can say that this is VERY scary. She certainly handled this situation much better than many people would. Had she panicked and gunned the engine, this could have been a real tragedy.

Years ago, I was making a delivery in an area and suddenly found myself surrounded by hundreds of people. I tried to go through slowly, but they surrounded and tried to stop me. When I was down to less than 5mph and realized how things were deteriorating, I gradually started accelerating and I wasn't going to stop for anything. Fortunately, people were jumping out of my way, but I would have considered it self defense since it was obvious they intended to do something with me. When I returned to my business, the manager was in a panic because I was late and reports of other cars that had been burned and rolled had come through.

I had done absolutely nothing to provoke these people -- it was a simple matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Riots and any form of random violence are absolutely terrifying for the simple reason that you don't have to do anything to get into real trouble.

Hi kemmer-

My prediction is decent and law-abiding cyclists would have a more enjoyable time having beers with people who aren't looking for confrontation in some shape, matter, or form. It is simply guilt by association. If one is pushed through a stoplight by 2999 other participants, one is still guilty of breaking the law should the police issue a ticket. I don't think nearby Critical Mass riders would reach into their wallets to shove $20.00 bills into the pockets of the individual who was ticketed.

~ Blue Jays ~

Hi kemmer-

My prediction is decent and law-abiding cyclists would have a more enjoyable time having beers with people who aren't looking for confrontation in some shape, matter, or form. It is simply guilt by association. If one is pushed through a stoplight by 2999 other participants, one is still guilty of breaking the law should the police issue a ticket. I don't think nearby Critical Mass riders would reach into their wallets to shove $20.00 bills into the pockets of the individual who was ticketed.

~ Blue Jays ~


We don't run lights. As I said, there are generally only a couple individuals interested in confrontation and the attitude is not well received.

I support happy rides, and that doesn't look to be CM.

So it's 3000 cyclists riding about and all obeying common traffic rules? Nobody blocks any intersections or otherwise impedes the flow of vehicular traffic from observations you've made?

Just curious,the comments mentioned articles on blogs about the woman hitting a cyclist. Anyone have links to any of these blogs?

I still think the cyclists overreacted,but I'd like to hear the story from both sides.

CM rule #1 for motorists: If you don't want your children exposed to an angry mob, don't "tap the wheel" of any of them.

CM rule #1 for cyclists: Calm the **** down.


CM rule #2 for cyclists: If you don't want people treating you with disdain and hatred, quit corking intersections (and taking 2 lanes, or otherwise not following the laws.) You don't have a parade permit, so follow the rules of the road.

/edit - Didn't see Kemmer's 11:37 post. Above rule may not be currently applicable, since your group seems to already obey traffic rules. But in the case of the dinguses (dingii?) in the article, it applies.

To suggest that she didn't do *anything at all* to provoke it is equally ludicrous. I've seen mothers with kids do all kids of crazy **** that I would never do with my kids in the car. I would really like to hear from someone who was there, I can almost guarantee there is more to this story than the writer of the article would have you believe. Again, this doesn't justify the behavior of the cyclists but I don't think the motorist was completely innocent here.

I agree in general that CM is counter productive and there are alot of idiots involved. I also believe that there was an extra high level of stupidity going on in this particular case. Luckily around here things are pretty low key and it's just a bunch of people out riding bikes and having some beers. If it ever gets nutty around here I'll stop going.

I do suggest that she did nothing to provoke, and it is not ludicrous. To even have the thought of defending this group of idiots completely trashes anything you say. Agreeing "in general" that CM is counter productive won't do. They must be challenged and condemned. Everyone should boycott the rides and find something else to do on a Friday night. Those that don't boycott will be known by their actions. CM exhibits exactly the radical mindset that only serves it's own narrow purpose, ignoring the rights and disrespecting the very persons of those with whom you disagree. That's Fascism defined.

A mob is a mob, whether it's outside a sports arena, on a college campus, or in the streets.

If you think that this kind of publicity broadens respect for cyclists, you're wrong. Because of this, many of us suffer the numerous small, and sometimes large amounts of crap from motorists who might otherwise be more concientious.

I apologize to that woman and her family. I feel sorry for the cops, who are among the most sensible personalites I have ever met.

Hi jcm-

We are in complete agreement. It will be especially pleasant when somebody who needs to be rushed to the hospital for emergency medical treatment is delayed due to bicycle-generated gridlock. That will do absolute wonders for respect shown to decent and law-abiding cycling enthusiasts.

~ Blue Jays ~

To even have the thought of defending this group of idiots completely trashes anything you say.

Is a notion OK?

Hi jcm-

We are in complete agreement. It will be especially pleasant when somebody who needs to be rushed to the hospital for emergency medical treatment is delayed due to bicycle-generated gridlock. That will do absolute wonders for respect shown to decent and law-abiding cycling enthusiasts.

~ Blue Jays ~

Any CM ride I've been on, however moronic people have been, has yielded immediately to emergency vehicles...

I think there was an incident like this in Boston last week. A van driver decided he was going to push a rider that was blocking him, and ended up getting a bit of "U-lock justice".

Police, fire, and rescue personnel respond much faster when there are no ongoing street protests and/or illegal parades in the area...regardless of how fast they believe they can yield to emergency vehicles.

Police, fire, and rescue personnel respond much faster when there are no ongoing street protests and/or illegal parades in the area...regardless of how fast they believe they can yield to emergency vehicles.

Well ****, I guess we're gonna have to cancel all marches, parades, construction, traffic accidents, sporting events and bad weather now. We can't have things we enjoy interfering emergency vehicles, can we?


So it's 3000 cyclists riding about and all obeying common traffic rules? Nobody blocks any intersections or otherwise impedes the flow of vehicular traffic from observations you've made?

We don't get that many people out to CM in Salt Lake, it's more like 20 in the winter months and a couple hundred or so in the summer. Nobody blocks intersections. We stop for red lights. The flow of vehicular traffic is impeded some on roads with one lane in each direction but most of the time we stick to roads with more than one lane so cars can pass. Overall, it's pretty chill and lots of fun.


I do suggest that she did nothing to provoke, and it is not ludicrous. To even have the thought of defending this group of idiots completely trashes anything you say. Agreeing "in general" that CM is counter productive won't do. They must be challenged and condemned. Everyone should boycott the rides and find something else to do on a Friday night. Those that don't boycott will be known by their actions. CM exhibits exactly the radical mindset that only serves it's own narrow purpose, ignoring the rights and disrespecting the very persons of those with whom you disagree. That's Fascism defined.

I do not defend their actions at all. They were out of line and went WAY too far. I do, however, find the idea that she was happily motoring along only to find herself surrounded rioting cyclists a little far fetched. As I've said before, the CM rides I've gone on have been safe, fun and non-aggressive. We have had confrontations with impatient, crazy, and dangerous drivers but nothing has ever escalated beyond shouting and honking. If things started to get wacky around here I'd quit going but for now it's a fun activity that I enjoy being a part of.

Not exactly fair and balanced reporting.
I would be very interested in knowing what really happened to set off the mob.

Regardless, nothing short of hit and run, leaving a person in the road to die would call for the kind of treatment these people received by this mob. These tactics are the kind that will further enlarge the gulf between the cycling community and the rest of the world.

It's a column. It's supposed to have the writers' opinion. Hence the Nancy Pelosi funny caption contest.

I for one wouldn't mind if cyclists earned a reputation like the Hells Angles. :D

I cant believe as an avowed Pacifist I am agreeing with this statement.
Arguing about VC on the internet and sending stupid form letters to various
authoritarian agencies just isnt getting the job done !

Looks like SF needs some riot control forces to kill/deport to Cuba all the critical mass people. MUAHAHAHAHA

It's a column. It's supposed to have the writers' opinion. Hence the Nancy Pelosi funny caption contest.

As a column, it should reflect the writer's opinion. But that doesn't excuse the writing, which was dishonest and cynical. It's amazing that San Francisco doesn't have a real paper.

As a column, it should reflect the writer's opinion. But that doesn't excuse the writing, which was dishonest and cynical. It's amazing that San Francisco doesn't have a real paper.


Like what, the NY Post? :rolleyes:

Not sure if this is the right forum but I thought I would post this article about a recent SF critical mass. Truly shameful and pathetic.....


Seems like a very very slanted piece of writing. One poster on the craigslist bike forum said that he left shortly before the incident, but that his count would have been closer to 300 than 3000 as reported by SFGate.

I'd like to hear some other sources and voices before I pass on the veracity of this story.

Sounds to me like the lady tried to force her way through the crowd.
Going so far as to "tap" one of the cyclists.
What would you do if someone "tapped" you?
I'd whip out my 8 pound u-lock and prepare for battle.

Even if the vehicle was reacting more aggressively than described in the piece, that doesn't rationalize striking it and breaking a windshield, but it's also clear the piece offers no rider perspective on how the incident played out.

The newscast interviewed witnesses, and apparently the rear window and other damage occurred after she plowed into a group of bicyclists, knocked over one rider, ran over his bicycle with no regard to whether he went under the wheels as well, then tried to escape the scene.

Moral of the story...Don't **** with cyclists?

or

Cages aren't as safe as you thought?

Not to excuse her actions, but I'd imagine that being in the middle of a mob when you have your kids in the car isn't something that most people are prepared for.

I for one wouldn't mind if cyclists earned a reputation like the Hells Angles.

Hey that's be cool and sadly probably the only way to get some respect in North America...

Although it'd be pretty irresponsible..

Cheers!

Everybody keeps talking about Hell's Angles and all...

.


http://data1.blog.de/blog/p/padraigcaughey/img/hell.jpghttp://cosmos.swin.edu.au/entries/angle/angle.jpg

I've been present at a half-dozen or so CM rides in SF, and I'm surprised that this article is seen as reporting anything out of the ordinary. There have been similar actions, and worse, at every one of the SF rides I've seen, dating back to about 1997. If anything, I'd say this article whitewashes the violence and property destruction that I've personally witnesssed at those events. But I've also been present at CM rides in LA, Phoenix, and Tucson. Those riders were rude and obnoxious, but not from the same universe as the CM riders in SF.

Arguing about VC on the internet and sending stupid form letters to various
authoritarian agencies just isnt getting the job done !

This is my new sig, truer words have not been spoken.

Police, fire, and rescue personnel respond much faster when there are no ongoing street protests and/or illegal parades in the area...regardless of how fast they believe they can yield to emergency vehicles.


They also respond much faster when the road isnt clogged with cars like it is daily during morning and afternoon rush hours.

From what I've seen, the purpose of these rides is to make motorists angry at cyclists. Why do some people NEED enemies.

I like how all the cyclists involved basically fled the scene. Nice.

From what I've seen, the purpose of these rides is to make motorists angry at cyclists. Why do some people NEED enemies.

I'll go out on a limb and guess so they can feel like they have a real life. If you don't have enough problems to keep you busy, you can always create them.

There also may be feelings of inadequacy. Some people can't succeed in real life, so they buy a big truck that makes them feel tough when they harass someone on a bike. Some people join a mob instead of buying a truck so they can feel tough when harassing with impunity. The dynamic is the same.

I know there are plenty of level headed people in CM, but events result in conflict far more often than with any "normal" organization. Since CM participants insist on not controlling unruly elements that show up, the problems keep repeating.

Thats nuts either way for both sides. I have ridden quite a few CMs in Chicago and I havent ever seen anything this drastic. I have seen cars get kicked for trying to drive through the crowd but nothing that extreme. One ride I went through a teenage girl was trying to drive through her green light and inadvertanly met the CM crowd. She was freaked out, crying and already in the middle of the intersection. They held up the rest of CM and let her through before she freaked out and rammed a bunch of people. I can understand how the lady in the van could freak out and become irratonal. Who knows the CM people are going to say its the drivers fault and the drivers will always piss on cyclists. Its kind of a cat and dog realationship they bark at us we hiss back and the struggle continues. Just keep cars out of the bike lanes, dont swerve, throw things or harass me when Im minding my business and we are good. Bottom line both sides acted like idiots.

I've partaken in a number of CM rides all over the country,and the only two that have been "sane" are the one in Cinci Oh. and the one in Boulder Co. The ones in SF are NUTS!!! some of the riders in SF go out of their way to try and start S**T with the Cagers,Way Out of their Way!!! and if anyone happend to be in NYC during the '04 Republican Convention...That CM Ride was WAY Outta Hand...over 6000 riders a lot of whom were just waiting for the chance to riot!! Will I do another CM Ride? Not before getting to know a bit about that pictular CM Ride!!

Nobody likes extremists...no matter which side of the argument one may stand on!