Critical Mass Mob Attacks Van

[mrpsmr]

This was reported in this morning's San Francisco Chronicle. This kind of thing only hurts the image of bicyclists and sets back any progress made in improving the image and acceptance of bicycling by the public.

It was supposed to be a birthday night out for the kids in San Francisco, but instead turned into a Critical Mass horror show -- complete with a pummeled car, a smashed rear window and little children screaming in terror.

The spontaneous Critical Mass bike rides, in which thousands of free-spirited cyclists roam the city, have been a fixture on the last Friday night of the month since the early 1990s. But even bike-weary cops, who have seen their share of traffic disturbances and minor skirmishes, weren't prepared for what happened during the latest exercise of pedal power.

Here's the story:

Susan Ferrando, her husband, their two children and three preteens had come to San Francisco from Redwood City to celebrate the birthday of Ferrando's 11-year-old daughter. They went to Japantown, where they enjoyed shopping and taking in the blooming cherry blossoms.

Things took a turn for the worse at about 9 p.m., when the family was leaving Japantown -- just as the party of about 3,000 bikers was winding down its monthly red-lights-be-damned ride through the city.

Suddenly, Ferrando said, her car was surrounded by hundreds of cyclists.

Not being from San Francisco, Ferrando thought she might have inadvertently crossed paths with a bicycle race and couldn't figure out why the police, who she had just passed, hadn't warned her.

Confusion, however, quickly turned to terror, she said, when the swarming cyclists began wildly circling around and then running into the sides of her Toyota van.

Filled with panic, Ferrando said, she started inching forward until coming to a stop at Post and Gough streets, where she was surrounded by bikers on all sides.

A biker in front blocked her as another biker began pounding on the windshield. Another was pounding on her window. Another pounded the other side.

"It seemed like they were using their bikes as weapons,'' Ferrando said. One of the bikers then threw his bike -- shattering the rear window and terrifying the young girls inside.

All the while, Ferrando was screaming, "There are children in this car! There are children in this car!"

She had the presence of mind to dial 911 on her cell phone -- and within minutes, the squad of motorcycle cops who were assigned to keep an eye on the ride descended on the scene.

The cyclists were loudly demanding that Ferrando be arrested for hit and run.

According to police, Ferrando had allegedly tapped one of the cyclists' tires.

When the alleged bicycle victim was approached, however, he said he wasn't hurt. He also refused to give his name or any other information.

Then, after a few swear words, the alleged victim took off on his bike while the rest of the crowd continued to yell at both the cops and the van.

Sgt. Ed Callejas -- the lead cop on the scene and a veteran of Critical Mass rides since their inception -- said he'd never seen anything like it before.

"I've seen the bikes swarm cars, and scratch them as they go by. I've seen guys get out of their cars and start fighting with the bikers, but if you had seen the faces on those little girls in tears,'' Callejas said. "All I could do was apologize for what they had been through."

The sergeant suggested that Ferrando write a letter to the mayor.

Estimated damage to the car: $5,300.

For Callejas and other cops assigned to the bike ride, Critical Mass has long been a study in contradictions.

For starters, San Francisco is a "green" city, and bike riding is about as green as you can get -- yet residents and commuters complain endlessly about getting trapped in the rides.

The city tries to ignore the unplanned rides, but there are always cops on hand to monitor the gatherings, even though any kind of traffic planning is impossible because no route is announced.

And even though the rides are held every month, Critical Mass has no organized leadership -- so no one can be held accountable for the group's actions.

In 1997, then-Mayor Willie Brown tried to control the rides. The result was anarchy and mass arrests.

Since then, the rides have shrunk in size. The city's generally hands-off attitude leaves cops as little more than bystanders.

"We sit there and they just go right through the red lights,'' Sgt. Callejas said. "What else can we do? Arrest one rider while 500 keep going?

"The only way to control this is through a massive effort by police and the Sheriff's Department,'' he said.

As for reaction from City Hall, Mayor Gavin Newsom said such acts of violence -- if true -- "only serve to undermine the worthwhile message of Critical Mass, which is to raise the awareness of bike transportation issues."

The mayor also said that -- if the charges are grounded -- he expected the attackers to be "punished to the greatest extent of the law."

Riiight.

:mad: :mad: :mad:

Michael

[KrisPistofferson]

Did anyone bother to get the cyclists' version of the story, or is that asking too much?

[Blue Jays]

Real cyclists would be well-advised to stay far away from these lawbreaking Critical Mass nitwits.

[ridethecliche]

Wow, this makes me scared to be on a bike because of backlash due to idiots...

[supertj]

I'm new to cycling and I have to say people that participate in these CM rides are morons.
There are better ways to get your points across and legislations passed to make a city more bike friendly.

[sggoodri]

"We sit there and they just go right through the red lights,'' Sgt. Callejas said. "What else can we do? Arrest one rider while 500 keep going?

No. Ticket one.

[wheel]

There are always a couple of people who ruin it for the rest of the 3,000 people.

[banerjek]

Did anyone bother to get the cyclists' version of the story, or is that asking too much?
If they saw things differently, they can respond to the story in letters to the editor of the Chronicle as well as other outlets.

I am trying to imagine what circumstances could possibly justify having a mob surround and smash up an occupied van. Regardless of the form of transport you rely on, attacking someone else is against the law even if you were wronged.

I'm glad I don't live in SF. If there is any retribution, I'm going to guess it will be directed at those of us who ride by ourselves the vast majority of the time rather than at the people hiding within a large group who have crossed the line.

[remsav]

"We sit there and they just go right through the red lights,'' Sgt. Callejas said. "What else can we do? Arrest one rider while 500 keep going?

Huhhhh you're supposed to enforce the law... mob mentality is very bad.

[allencb]

They're very lucky the driver didn't realize they were driving a 4000lb battering ram.

Chris

[Blue Jays]

Agreed. The police officers should just step forward, stop a participant cyclist in the group running the red light, and give him/her a moving violation with appropriate fine. Getting whacked for $75.00 should get some attention. If they ignore paying the ticket, they'll just have an arrest warrant waiting for the next time they're stopped for a moving violation or illegal activity.

[JoebikerLa]

I'm sorry... I am as pro cyclist as they come, but if I had been out with my family and was attacked in the manner described I would move through the cyclists with probably to much speed and injure or kill a few to get my family to safety. I may regret it afterward, but I would not let a bunch of *****wholes do that to my property or family.

[Gee3]

I am trying to imagine what circumstances could possibly justify having a mob surround and smash up an occupied van. Regardless of the form of transport you rely on, attacking someone else is against the law even if you were wronged.



There is no justification for doing what the cyclists did.

I live in SF and the original intent of these rides was a good one. But with no one really organizing the rides they do nothing more than cause headaches and many that ride in it nowadays have no idea of why the ride was created in the first place. Critical Mass is a joke now.

[EnigManiac]

The article was clearly very biased and prejudicial, designed to discredit and misrepresent the cyclists.

I have only participated in CM once and have encountered it on a few other occassions and have never seen anything like what was described in the article. Those I saw were exceptionally polite and rational. Most of the motorists were too.

I don't condone mob violence and I don't even entirely agree with the methods CM advocates, but I suspect the motorist in this case was not so innocent as she represented herself to be. There's more to the story than the article is telling. Rubbish journalism.

[sggoodri]

Agreed. The police officers should just step forward, stop a participant cyclist in the group running the red light, and give him/her a moving violation with appropriate fine. Getting whacked for $75.00 should get some attention. If they ignore paying the ticket, they'll just have an arrest warrant waiting for the next time they're stopped for a moving violation or illegal activity.

Right - it only takes a couple of cyclists getting tickets for red-light-running to change behavior; no need for making arrests for such an offense.

If the cyclist claims to have no ID, then write down the make, model and serial number of the bike frame in addition to the description of the cyclist.

[sggoodri]

The article was clearly very biased and prejudicial, designed to discredit and misrepresent the cyclists.
... I suspect the motorist in this case was not so innocent as she represented herself to be. There's more to the story than the article is telling. Rubbish journalism.

I suspect the motorist did something negligent and caused problems for a cyclist without injury. But if the cyclist can't be bothered to hang around and make a statement, what's a journalist to do? Whatever happened to the cyclist was obviously far less damaging than what was done to the motorist. Critical Mass participants' and organizers' efforts toward anonymity severely limit their credibility.

[Gee3]

Check out the comments on this incident:

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

[Bikepacker67]

Is it just me, or does CM seem to have a large contingent made up of the anarchist nitwits?

[banerjek]

Is it just me, or does CM seem to have a large contingent made up of the anarchist nitwits?
Actually, it only takes a small contingent of nitwits to really screw up any mass event. One of the unfortunate side effects of not having accountable leaders and a regular organizational structure is that these people can operate with impunity.

[deputyjones]

Is it just me, or does CM seem to have a large contingent made up of the anarchist nitwits?

+1, These rides have no leaders or accountability for a reason. Most of the riders are only interested in creating havoc, nothing less. There may be some, maybe on this board, who ride in them thinking they are a valid form of political expression, but by and large they draw out the worst people whose only goal is lawlessness.

"We sit there and they just go right through the red lights,'' Sgt. Callejas said. "What else can we do? Arrest one rider while 500 keep going?

No. Ticket one.

Understand that having 3000 unruly "activists" on the streets with the speed and agility a bicycle provides is huge problem for the police from the standpoint of public and Officer safety. I would be concerned with just trying to keep as much peace as I could until they tired out and went home. If all the Officers were tied up stopping, and probably having to arrest, cyclists for traffic violations who would have responded to help the children in that van?

Another factor is if, "I stop one of them and ticket them, will I encite a full blown riot?" That is the "darned if you do, darned if you don't" problem with police work.

[Ranzak]

This is from a SF Weekly online article by Matt Smith (From 2003!)

"This week is Bike to Work Week in San Francisco. Thursday is Bike to Work Day. There may be no better moment to say the obvious: Isn't it about time this city's bicyclists relegated Critical Mass to the memory bin?

Critical Mass is, of course, that monthly festival of traffic-ordinance-breaking that, participants say, will somehow, someday, convince people to give greater rights to bicyclists. A thousand or so bicyclists gather at Market and Embarcadero the last Friday of each month, then ride together through congested streets at rush hour, briefly tying up traffic by blocking intersections.

I've cast my mind back over the six years since the famous Critical Mass demonstration in 1997, when police ran amok and over bicycle protesters. And I can't for the life of me figure out how breaking traffic laws -- which are the only real friend bike riders have when it comes to surviving amid cars -- is supposed to make streets friendlier for bicyclists. The monthly demonstration infuriates motorists, and most voters in San Francisco, for good or ill, are motorists. It pisses off the police, and police are the only people in San Francisco charged with enforcing laws on the street. It undermines bicyclists' claim for equal rights. (It's hard to ask for equal protection when you're breaking the law without expecting to be punished.) It's made hoodlums of bicyclists, who, in any other city, are considered a wholesome, all-American group.

Mainstream environmentalists routinely denounce their nasty, tree-spiking little brothers in Earth First! AIDS activists publicly distance themselves from radical groups such as ACT UP. What better way to celebrate Bike to Work Week than for bicycle activists to likewise jettison their own nasty, mud-throwing little brothers?"

[dobber]

Is it just me, or does CM seem to have a large contingent made up of the anarchist nitwits?


You're incorrect, I believe you meant "unemployed immature trust fund anarchist nitwits with nothing better to do"

[dobber]

One of the unfortunate side effects of not having accountable leaders and a regular organizational structure is that these people can operate with impunity.

That's exactly what they want, no accountability.

[linux_author]

- gives new meaning to the phrase:

"Step on your crank."

[N_C]

+1, These rides have no leaders or accountability for a reason. Most of the riders are only interested in creating havoc, nothing less. There may be some, maybe on this board, who ride in them thinking they are a valid form of political expression, but by and large they draw out the worst people whose only goal is lawlessness.



Understand that having 3000 unruly "activists" on the streets with the speed and agility a bicycle provides is huge problem for the police from the standpoint of public and Officer safety. I would be concerned with just trying to keep as much peace as I could until they tired out and went home. If all the Officers were tied up stopping, and probably having to arrest, cyclists for traffic violations who would have responded to help the children in that van?

Another factor is if, "I stop one of them and ticket them, will I encite a full blown riot?" That is the "darned if you do, darned if you don't" problem with police work.


In a situation where you could be damned either way, ie if you stop to ticket one will it incite a riot, do you call for advice from your watch commander or do you call for back up? Despite the mob mentality of these events where the number of them far out numbers the amount of police on the scene if they see a paddy wagon pull up or a watch commander vehicle or other marked police units arrive won't that pretty much prevent all but the worst anarchists from attempting to start a riot? Yeah they outnumber you, but they also probably know you have less then lethal weapons that hurt like hell & you have the training to back it up. Or would they still take the chance anyway?

Also when it comes to mob mentality such as this how many that are there are actually part of the rioting & how many are there as part of the peacefull protest but got caught up in the riot & could not get away fast?

[xerocoma]

CM "events" do not appear to provide any service except some mental masturbation to the participants... IMO they should be banned in the interest of public safety... and for those of you wondering if the van driver did anything to cause the violence... that's a B.S. argument. There's no excuse for these "cyclists" (urban terrorists) to attack anyone or anything.

[Mos6502]

So maybe it's time for these people to sweep CM into the dustbin and think about some sort of effective way to advocate bicycling? At least I hope it is. Does anybody have proof of CM events anywhere getting anything done in favor of bicycling? Or has it been been over a decade of continuous and completely inneffective protest?

[Blue Jays]

Hi N_C:

My bet is that most Critical Mass participants are "anarchist-lite" personalities who don't have the means by which to launch hardcore protests or efforts to remove basic government services. There is probably very little loyalty, so I would imagine most participants would scatter like cockroaches if they saw their friends receiving $75.00 traffic summonses. I doubt there is really even a need to arrest them, just smack 'em hard in the wallet.

As far as sticking around for true rioting, I don' know if these Critical Mass jokers are willing to catch a nightstick to the shins plus a night in jail because of perceived bicycle-related injustices.

~ Blue Jays ~

[CommuterRun]

Yep, CM mob mentality at it's finest.

They're very lucky the driver didn't realize they were driving a 4000lb battering ram.

Chris
This would have crossed my mind, had I been the driver. I might not have acted on it, to defend my family and in self-defense, but I would have thought of it.

[-=£em in Pa=-]

I'm new to cycling and I have to say people that participate in these CM rides are morons.
There are better ways to get your points across and legislations passed to make a city more bike friendly.


Yep...that stuff is working pretty well right now. :rolleyes:

[deputyjones]

Hi N_C:

My bet is that most Critical Mass participants are "anarchist-lite" personalities who don't have the means by which to launch hardcore protests or efforts to remove basic government services. There is probably very little loyalty, so I would imagine most participants would scatter like cockroaches if they saw their friends receiving $75.00 traffic summonses. I doubt there is really even a need to arrest them, just smack 'em hard in the wallet.

As far as sticking around for true rioting, I don' know if these Critical Mass jokers are willing to catch a nightstick to the shins plus a night in jail because of perceived bicycle-related injustices.

~ Blue Jays ~

Blue Jays has a good point and that may be the case, but it is always a judgement call with these types of events. Kind of like the debate about college campus celebrations that turn into riots. At what point does a police response to the situation become a good thing? Too early and you might encite a riot and be criticized for heavy-handed tactics. Too late and you are criticized for not doing anything sooner.

It seems like the PD here has had a "hands off" approach to the situation that comes from the top down. Really the only way to deal with this type of situation is to bring in extra Officers that having training and equipment in dealing with protesters (both peaceful and non), but then you run the risk again of being criticized for "harassing" cyclists as Roody pointed out in a post that got P&R'd here recently.

BTW, I have no problem with a reasoned display of civil disobedience, but CM is definitely not that.

[-=£em in Pa=-]

Real cyclists would be well-advised to stay far away from these lawbreaking Critical Mass nitwits.


What is a 'real' cyclist ?

[slagjumper]

Sounds pretty harsh for even anarchists. But it was in the paper so it all must be true.

"...but if you had seen the faces on those little girls in tears,'' Callejas said. "All I could do was apologize for what they had been through."

Motorists should have better control than this woman of their vehicles' and bike riders shouldn't freak on clueless motorists.

I think that the time is right for a constructive change. CM started years ago and now we have the compounding of fuel prices and more cars on the road.

More people will become cyclists this year, despite this kind of horrid publicity. Less will buy cars than in previous years. There are undoubtedly 1000s of cases of road rage each year as folks in cars rush to get no where in traffic. Certainly nearly 1000 cyclists and 4000 peds die each year in car or truck related accidents.

Despite that, public support for cycling is growing, the number of road bikes sold is soaring and there is more money being spent on cycling infrastructure than ever before. But it is still not enough. This is an excellent example of why city, state and federal government, should ramp up addressing the transportation needs of the urban dwellers.

Government should work harded to direct the competing interests of productivity, transportation costs, environmental concerns, oil dependence, and health so that transportation system is made much more beneficial to the citizens than the mega corps or politicians.

[AGGRO]

I'd still be cleaning hippy off my windshield.

[-=£em in Pa=-]

Sounds pretty harsh for even anarchists. But it was in the paper so it all must be true.

"...but if you had seen the faces on those little girls in tears,'' Callejas said. "All I could do was apologize for what they had been through."


I agree, Slagjumper......
I have a hard time believing all these bikers just turned on the Van unprovoked.
Its hilarious that immediatly the 'real' cyclist proponents and angry, uptites here
who argue, antagonize and provoke each other for pages about such inanitites like
Forrester, 'what is a real stop' or 'what hand signal is legal' are all calling the CM'ers undesirable names without even looking for the otherside of the story, of which there will be one.......

[slagjumper]

I'd still be cleaning hippy off my windshield.
Dude, you must like paper work.

[AGGRO]

Dude, you must like paper work. If my kids are getting cut up by flying glass I'll bring a bag of bics and my prison garb :D

[slagjumper]

I agree, Slagjumper......
I have a hard time believing all these bikers just turned on the Van unprovoked.
Its hilarious that immediatly the 'real' cyclist proponents and angry, uptites here
who argue, antagonize and provoke each other for pages about such inanitites like
Forrester, 'what is a real stop' or 'what hand signal is legal' are all calling the CM'ers undesirable names without even looking for the otherside of the story, of which there will be one.......
What ever the pro or anti CM ideology motorist-cyclist confrontations likely will continue to get worse. For the life of me I do not know why any self-respecting anarchist wouldn't rather start trouble down at city hall or the police station. I guess you can't have a Republican National Committee meeting every month. Maybe I am just old fashioned. If the story is more or less true, staged or unstaged, the "anarchists" showed a remarkable lack of cojones.

[dobber]

Dude, you must like paper work.

Perhaps he'd adopt the tactic of the original (supposed) bike riding (hooligan) victim and just run away when questioned?

[DogBoy]

...If the cyclist claims to have no ID, then write down the make, model and serial number of the bike frame in addition to the description of the cyclist.

Around here, failure to positively identify yourself to a peace officer results in detention until an identification can be validated.

[slagjumper]

Perhaps he'd adopt the tactic of the original (supposed) bike riding (hooligan) victim and just run away when questioned?

Funny that some dude on a bike in a crowd got away with several officers in the area. Not that it is, but it would be easy to fake a hit, roar up the crowd then vanish. Anyone could have done that could even be a plant.

My message to the SFPD would be -- no arrest, no story. Like the young hero anarchists you all also show a lack of cojones. Maybe it is because they eat too much proccessed food and spend to many hours with a harley between their legs. Seriously, unless you've checked out situations like this you have no idea of the capacity of both sides for theatrics. A push here or there can easily start a fight. When it is all over it is often impossible to say what started the confrontation or thier motives. How much would the American Dream coalition have to pay a single mother to do this? CM should consider that. As well as the possibilty that thier beloved symbol, (sign?), be usurped and turned against them.

I think that all the anger comming from CM shows a high level of energy. I wish that they would direct that energy in ways that are not too unnecessarily "bad" for cylcing.

[bac]

Did anyone bother to get the cyclists' version of the story, or is that asking too much?

Yup, there HAS to be more to the story. I just don't buy that this group just suddenly decided to randomly pick this van out, and terrorize the occupants. It just doesn’t ring true. Perhaps the driver was on her cell, and struck one of the riders, and the riders overreacted?

That would at least make some sense.


... Brad

[infernobutterfl]

Wow... saying that the CM event is a "statement" to advocate bike SAFETY (when is it safe to run a red light... attack a van?)... is like a prostitude saying she/he is provide honorable and humanitarian service in an sincere effort to prolong the human race... or like a peace march that looks more like a riot... talking about being hypocratics...

Now... think about it.... you want bike SAFETY... but you are breaking all the laws that provide SAFETY... it seems like what they want is total dictation to the road.. bikes dont have to obey red lights, or stuff...

About the reason to attack the van... since when was it right to attack a vehicle if it blocked your path.? And the cyclist who was "tap" by the van... he is making it up. sorry.. if you arent willing to stand and tell your story to the cops and authorities (that includes leaving names... and letting them INVESTIGATE your words and its truthfulness.. and if you lie... i hope they punish you) your words means nothing...

Personally... if my family (have not started a family yet) is attacked... I will get my family to safety.. no matter what... and lets just say this... the end justify its means...

O... i am a commuter too.. I do hope the streets will be safer for bike... but doing this will only get motorists to want to run over bikers even more than they do now...

[mrpsmr]

Pound in PA and others who have said there has to be another side to this story, I would like to believe that too. Unfortunately, I believe that there is no "other" side of this story. The bicyclist who's tire was allegedly tapped, refused to give his name, said he was not hurt and the bicycle was apparently not damaged, since he just cursed at the van occupants and rode off. Now, anybody that refuses to identify themselves and stand up for their principles is just full of sh*t as far as I am concerned.

Hypothetically, you are in your car with your family, suddenly you find your family surrounded by a large group of individuals who are shouting at you, they begin banging on your car and one of them blocks you exit by standing in front of your car. the banging on you car increases and several of the crowd start to use other implements to beat on the windows of your car. Are you just going to stay there and hope they go away. Most people would not, they would attempt to drive away slowly to get themselves and their family to safety. From the information available, that's all we know this family did. What would you do?

To the earlier poster who said nobody ever got stuck in traffic for more than five minutes. I say BS. I used to work in SF and would routinely get held up for 30-60 minutes on Friday evenings when the bicycle terrorists took over the streets. It got to the point where I would take the last Friday of every month off.

To the poster who said I, and all other motorists, should just wait until the CM crowd passes by, I say WTF? I'm supposed to stand by and graciously allow a bunch of urban terroists to break the law? Such arrogance!

Peopel, get a clue. If the bicycle versus automobile issue rises to the level of a money, political or philosophical war, bicyclists will lose. We need to find a way to prove bicyclists are good citizens and not just another group of thugs.

Michael

[-=£em in Pa=-]

Pound in PA and others who have said there has to be another side to this story, I would like to believe that too. Unfortunately, I believe that there is no "other" side of this story.


I appreciate your opinion even if I have a hard time agreeing with it.
When I read the majority of the stuff I read in this forum often it digress's
into more than a few people insulting and antagonizing each other. I guess
it just bothers me that people pass judgement on CM'ers are guilty of the
exact same thing they claim the CM'ers are guilty of but just using a different
medium to express it.
We all have different idea about what it takes to call attention to the same problem.
Passive ways arent working. I dont condone violence in any capacity, but a new
approach needs to be taken. I didnt agree with CM when they were starting up but
after a lot of thought and becoming more aware of advocacy I believe they are closer
to the 'helping' end of the spectrum than the passive stuff that obviously isnt working.
I very much agree with your last statement but I believe we are way past the 'If' stage, unfortunately.

[kalliergo]

Yup, there HAS to be more to the story. I just don't buy that this group just suddenly decided to randomly pick this van out, and terrorize the occupants. It just doesn’t ring true. Perhaps the driver was on her cell, and struck one of the riders, and the riders overreacted?

No idea what actually happened, but... everyone should be aware that the only published version we have so far (even here, AFAIK) is from the piece quoted in the OP, which is not a straight news story. Matier and Ross are columnists, whose focus is San Francisco insider news and local politics.

Critical Mass is a bunch of counter-productive scofflaw silliness, but let's get some more info before we hang the cyclists based upon this single, quite possibly biased, report.

[infernobutterfl]

I didnt agree with CM when they were starting up but
after a lot of thought and becoming more aware of advocacy I believe they are closer
to the 'helping' end of the spectrum than the passive stuff that obviously isnt working.

There is a saying... that one bad apple ruins the bunch... it may be that so far the CM was good for cyclist... but after this incident.. the CM is no good and will be seen as a riot like act... its like a boy scout who has been convicted of felony, would you trust your kids in his hands.? I dont care what the "reasons" are that he convicted the felony.. I Just wont trust him...

[o-dog]

people ask me why I'm not down with CM, and **** like this is exactly why

with "friends" like these, who needs enemies?

[EnigManiac]

You weren't there so claiming that the story was an anti-cyclist hit piece only serves to highlight your prejudices.

I doubt the reporter was there either at the time. But the language, tone and inferences are all directed against the cyclists and there is no clear attempt at objectivity or neutrality, the hallmarks of good journalism.

One doesn't have to be there to recognize propaganda desguised as a news story.

[infernobutterfl]

I doubt the reporter was there either at the time. But the language, tone and inferences are all directed against the cyclists and there is no clear attempt at objectivity or neutrality, the hallmarks of good journalism.

One doesn't have to be there to recognize propaganda desguised as a news story.

Can you write a report somehow showing that Hilter and the concentration camps were a GOOD thing in history because I have never heard of anything positive from it. Perhaps I, too, have been fooled by the media all that time. Darn the media for making the story so negative and one sided.

The report did include the side of the cyclist. They were having their usual, unplanned, unauthorlized CM. A cyclist was tapped. He was not unjuried nor was his bike damage. The mob gained up on the Van as a result. The facts themselves are no neutral because it is pretty clear that what the mob did was wrong. Hence, the report could not have been neutral.