the end of the ride was scary--about 80-100 cops in riot gear surrounded the group of bikes. They brought prison buses and hundreds of plastic handcuffs. People who did not leave the street--they were just standing with their bikes--were squeezed between the ranks of cops and arrested. I'm not sure how standing still qualifies as disorderly conduct, but I guess that just means I should bring my lawyer whenever I ride...

inside the church grounds people were ladling out free food, sitting and talking. a helicopter shone its searchlight on us. It was a ridiculous contrast, heavily armed cops seemingly scared of completely peaceful cyclists.

I've been busy and haven't read this board in a while, so I don't know how well this has been covered already... but the cops really cracked down on this critical mass, splitting us into several sections and diverting us from MSG. They usually cooperate with the bikes, even blocking cars for us. As far as I can tell the only difference this month was the number of bikes (10,000 seems reasonable est.) and the behavior of the cops. All my friends were disappointed and depressed. Although anything you can ride away from is not all bad.

peace
--orange