Advocacy & Safety - Brooklyn Critical Mass

I rode with about 12 riders who started at the base of the Williamsburg Bridge. We tryed to contact every person we could think of at the Grand Army spot, but with no luck. We rode through Williamsburg and to Greenpoint, past the bike detention building and ended at a Pier in Long Island City, Queens. Kinda turned it into a Queens Mass, it was odd. No cops, just love for group riding.

Just checking if anyone was at the GAP, and how it went.

I rode with about 12 riders who started at the base of the Williamsburg Bridge. We tryed to contact every person we could think of at the Grand Army spot, but with no luck. We rode through Williamsburg and to Greenpoint, past the bike detention building and ended at a Pier in Long Island City, Queens. Kinda turned it into a Queens Mass, it was odd. No cops, just love for group riding.

Just checking if anyone was at the GAP, and how it went.
Wow, when did you do this? About 25 of us were at Grand Army Plaza for about 45 minutes, with a bunch of police, then we did a loop in the park, headed into Prospect Heights, through Park Slope, down to Bklyn Heights, and ended by Bargemusic.

Here are some not-too-great photos:
http://peterbergin.com/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=71

I'm wondering...is that plaza by the Willyb bridge also called Grand Army? 'Cause we were at the Grand Army Plaza that's at the intersection of Flatbush/Union Street/Eastern Parkway, in front of Prospect Park...

Wow, when did you do this? About 25 of us were at Grand Army Plaza for about 45 minutes, with a bunch of police, then we did a loop in the park, headed into Prospect Heights, through Park Slope, down to Bklyn Heights, and ended by Bargemusic.

Here are some not-too-great photos:
http://peterbergin.com/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=71

I'm wondering...is that plaza by the Willyb bridge also called Grand Army? 'Cause we were at the Grand Army Plaza that's at the intersection of Flatbush/Union Street/Eastern Parkway, in front of Prospect Park...
Brooklyn CM meets at two locations, the Williamsburg bridge and GAP. The two groups, ideally, hook up mid-ride. The Williamsburg feeder location was added after the police escalated both tactics and presence at GAP. Someone (like me, I guess) should do new flyers that reflect the dual nature of the Bklyn CM, unless the Wberg feeder is meant to be kept low-key.

Brooklyn CM meets at two locations, the Williamsburg bridge and GAP. The two groups, ideally, hook up mid-ride. The Williamsburg feeder location was added after the police escalated both tactics and presence at GAP. Someone (like me, I guess) should do new flyers that reflect the dual nature of the Bklyn CM, unless the Wberg feeder is meant to be kept low-key.
Ahhhhh!

Well, as far as the cops - there were as many police as riders, but they were helpful and courteous for the most part. One said that he had volunteered for the assignment because it sounded like fun. A few black sedans with blacked out windows came along for the first segment of the ride, hopefully this was police brass learning how to properly deal with a ride instead of attacking and mass-arresting. Either that, or the men in black know I'm from Mars...

Ahhhhh!

Well, as far as the cops - there were as many police as riders, but they were helpful and courteous for the most part. One said that he had volunteered for the assignment because it sounded like fun. A few black sedans with blacked out windows came along for the first segment of the ride, hopefully this was police brass learning how to properly deal with a ride instead of attacking and mass-arresting. Either that, or the men in black know I'm from Mars...

I've missed the last couple but it's been my experience in Brooklyn that with police holding up traffic and corking for us, the end result is exactly the same as we would achieve on our own, except that the people of the city of New York have paid for the policing of a group of people who might, on average, pose a serious threat to a bowl of vegan stir-fry but not much else. (I personally favor the violent overthrow of a plate of waffles and chicken, but I am kind of an iconoclast.) Whatever happened to those top-ten anarchists who were going to bring hell to the streets of the city last summer? Or am I the only one who remembers those ridiculous headlines? Anyway, it's stupid for them to be spending the time and money they are on the Brooklyn ride. Though they've seemed nicer than the cops at the NYC CM, that's for sure.