Originally Posted by vincenzosi
It's a combination of the police over-reacting and the riders going there with a chip on their shoulders to jam the streets. Sure there are some nice CM riders, but let's face facts: Those aren't the ones whose stories reach the public, and in the end, it isn't what cyclists mean to each other, it's what the public perceives, and pissing drivers off by doing circles in intersections does zip to help the cause of cycling in New York City, whether it's one CM'er doing it, or a hundred, drivers won't remember the 1,000 CM'ers who were riding peacefully. They'll remember the three idiots that made them late.
That's the perception people have, and CM does nothing to change it.
Lots of idiots root for baseball teams...should we all stop watching baseball?
Lots of idiots wear blue jeans...should we all stop wearing blue jeans?
Lots of idiots ride the subway...should we all stop riding the subway?
Face it, if you made your decisions about what you did or didn't do based on whether there were a couple of idiots involved in whatever activity you were considering, you'd never leave the house. And I'd argue, that as a leaderless event, there's a greater chance for anyone who wants to show up to CM and influence the behavior of the group. Don't like the tone of your local CM? SHOW UP AND CHANGE IT. Or complain on a message board. You can do either, but I think showing up and riding responsibly and trying to effect the tone of the ride is more productive. Maybe that's just me, thoough.