A friend and I were at the front for most of the first hour of the ride. After we turned on to the West side highway I was worried we were in trouble. We came up 34th street and passed a motorcade of scooter cops going the oposite direction. Then we turned right on 11th and then left on 28th or maybe 27th. That's where we saw more scooter cops about to block us off. One asshole cop on a scooter almost hit me as he oriented himself perpendicular to the ride and I heard him say with gusto "Let's cut 'em off!" Most of us escaped their stupid blockade by riding through a housing project plaground over to the next block. This just goes to show that they are not out to enforce the law. They want to punish us for behaving in a way that they don't understand. When does a driver get arrested for a moving violation? And how does disorderly conduct apply to a mass of people riding bikes in a non-parade, non-protest? Last night's ride was fun for a while but I am totally frustrated with the police department's harsh and retaliatory presence at the ride and all their coy attempts to control us with their bullshit route and friendly outreach. One cop I spoke to before the ride refused to admit that it had beeen proven in court that we had the right to ride across the width of the street, he also condescendingly claimed that the established route had been suggested by one of us which had to be a complete lie. It just shows how incredibly slow and brutish the police department is. They should be smarter and realize that given the stated purpose of the ride (which we know they have access to) noone is going to belive that a CM rider would suggest such a lame route or any route at all.

We need to start discussing the future of the ride if we want to continue and we must continue. At this point it's become a direct issue of civil rights and police harrassment. The police, by their actions, have made sure that we will be determined to beat them on this. We cannot allow them to shut us down but we need to democratically make tactical changes to the ride so we are the ones who maintain control over it and we don't end up handing that control over to the police.

Let's hold a meeting somewhere, not the Time's Up space because 1) it's too small and 2) we need to shift the burden of critical mass representation away from Time's Up, it's not their ride, they are not the leaders and the pigs need to wake up and fucking understand that. I suggest we meet somewhere open, accessible and public like the north end of Union Square on a day when the farmer's market isn't there. Anybody interested in organizing an open meeting please email me directly.

If anyone has video/still documentary footage of what occured at the Time's Up! afterparty last night, please get that to me so that we can give it to Norman Siegel and Steve Hyman, the lawyers for the cyclists who got an injunction against the city. Footage of the bike cuttings is especially important, as the injunction against bike stealing is still in the jurisdiction of the judge, and the Siegel-Hyman team is expected to report back to him with any violations by November 5th.

Also, if you witnessed abusive police behavior (begs the question what police behavior isn't, but..), particularly undercovers trying to break into the space, get in touch. Sworn affidavits might help.

 almonroth@yahoo.com
917.825.3027

-matthew

I agree with William. This needs to become a civil rights issue, broad-based and strategic. And I know that, for many cyclists in the city, it's long overdue -- the respect, legislation, and accessibility. Reach out to other bicycle groups, civil rights activists, lawyers, environmentalists. We might think creatively in making the monthly gathering a "Break from the Box" holiday, and working with the city in getting everyone out enjoying the nightlife by one's own power. This could resemble the much successful BIKE NY, started with the help of one or two cycle clubs. The response last night and recent CM rides from the police is irrational and totally prejudiced. (Damn, I was out last night on my own, on an errand, and nearly killed by crazed motorists.) So something has to be done; it's our time, and we need to press harder and broader. To the police, it's just a paycheck, a night out as scooter cowboys, which pays for their house on the prairie (somewhere on LI) and their two-SUV family. As for a meet, I'd not go for Union Square; it's a hot spot already (and too easily netable). The great lawn might be a good location (permit permitting of course). Keep the momentum going and ride on!

the textmob comms were pretty interesting. it seems that with them, cm doesn't have to start in one location. it can become a more autonomous process that unites to create "critical mass" and can easily disperse and re-unite. there were so many break-aways last night. it can become a really effective tactic. police are, by and large, constricted by traffic. we are not. we have to use that to our advantage to take the game to a more diffuse playing-field, bring it back in, break it up and keep things moving. cops seem to hate nothing more than thinking they have the answers and discovering that they don't even know the questions.

for over the past year now in portland oregon the cops have cracked down really hard on CM riders(ever since the anti war movement). What ended up happening were arrests and mass ticketing if your bike light wasnt even bright enough for the PD. Slowly the ride started to wane and people stopped showing up which was really dissappointing, however a grup of us started organizing "alternative" critical masses where we would pick a different spot to meet every month. Most of the time the cops never even knew about us and we would occassionally run into the main mass and high tail it to another area confusing the cops something aweful. The alternative mass didnt really last more than a few months but mostly because of lack of organization. Flyers and word of mouth worked well.
Maybe NY needs a different tactic where there are SEVERAL meeting points. Like bike affinity groups taking over manhattan. That way the cops are stretched thin and if they dont know where you are meeting they cant "escort" you. I dunno, just a thought. It has worked in other places, maybe in NYC too.

I'm not sure the point is to play games with the cops and try to frustrate them. At this point we just need to stand up to them directly. They are continuing to break the law and violate our rights. That's why we should stop breaking the law thereby giving them a legitimate excuse to arrest us and stay where the media can cover the cops harassment. If critical mass is to continue, we have to get the cops off our back. The only way to do that is to embarass them. They haven't been embarassed enough yet and public opinion is not on the side of biker who act like they are above the law. There are plenty of unjust laws but stopping at red lights is not one of them. If they continue to harrass us while we obey the law they won't get away with it.

Also I think Union Square would be a great place to meet for an open forum. We don't need any permission to peaceably assemble, it's a first amendment right. I also thought about the Great Lawn but Union Square is a lot more visible to the public. It is important that we think win public opinion because they are the ones who will ultimately influence the city and police department.

I propose a meeting next Sunday at 2pm. Just show up with your bike or other human-powered vehicle.

I second the Sunday meeting.

please delete BARDIC's future postings. they represent annoying rants from an uneducated worm of the government.

hi guys -
i've been riding my bike through NYC for years, and a critical mass bikerider for about 2 or 3 years. i'm a huge fan of CM and i had a ball last night.

however -

i tend to disagree with the spirit of the posts above.

bloomberg wants us to either (a) pick the route in advance; or (b) stop at red lights. i really don't think these are unreasonable requests.

if the motorcyclists decided to ride 1000-strong and skip traffic lights, i'd be against it. if the SUV owners of america decided to drive 1000-strong and skip traffic lights, i'd be against it.

sooo - why is it that we feel that because our vehicles are not powered by gasoline we're above the law?

things change. CM was great for 10 years, but now the city has gotten hip to it. so we've got to adapt. life goes on...

sooooo. . . .

lets either (a) pick a route in advance; or (b) stop at red lights - and life will go on.

one last word - we all need to lighten up - the words "civil rights" are mentioned above, which harkens back to the race issues in the 60's. give me a break - i rode last night - we're a bunch of privileged, mostly-white kids who don't want to stop at red lights. soooo - lighten up already, we're not making history here.

love ya & ride on CM!! :-)

hi guys -
i've been riding my bike through NYC for years, and a critical mass bikerider for about 2 or 3 years. i'm a huge fan of CM and i had a ball last night.

however -

i tend to disagree with the spirit of the posts above.

bloomberg wants us to either (a) pick the route in advance; or (b) stop at red lights. i really don't think these are unreasonable requests.

if the motorcyclists decided to ride 1000-strong and skip traffic lights, i'd be against it. if the SUV owners of america decided to drive 1000-strong and skip traffic lights, i'd be against it.

sooo - why is it that we feel that because our vehicles are not powered by gasoline we're above the law?

things change. CM was great for 10 years, but now the city has gotten hip to it. so we've got to adapt. life goes on...

sooooo. . . .

lets either (a) pick a route in advance; or (b) stop at red lights - and life will go on.

one last word - we all need to lighten up - the words "civil rights" are mentioned above, which harkens back to the race issues in the 60's. give me a break - i rode last night - we're a bunch of privileged, mostly-white kids who don't want to stop at red lights. soooo - lighten up already, we're not making history here.

love ya & ride on CM!! :-)

Actually Bardic seems quite amusing and charming and surely not just a psycopathic, repressed homosexual as he appears to be. Quite an ambassodor of good will overseas no doubt.

Anyway, that was a GREAT ride and fantastic party, although a bit intense when they had the shoving match against us to get in. Sealing us inside was also weird, but we had fun in the basement dancing and waiting to see what would happen. When in doubt, dance.

i am more than willing to testify/give an affidavit/complaint/whatever about plainclothes cops i saw assaulting and violently arresting innocent people outisde the space. anyone who works with times up should know where to find me....

re the meeting, what if it rains? I suggest St. Marks Church. It was a great haven after the RNC CM.

I was near the front of the ride, for at least the first 30 mins of the ride.

The NYPD were behaving exactly as though a parade was on, and had created a cordon to restrict the "parade" into that tight space. Not only were police stationed along their "route", blocking nearly all side street exits along Park Avenue South, they also rode amongst cyclists, on scooters, three-wheel golf cart-like vehicles, cars (marked and unmarked) and SUVs as well. This meant that you were likely to find yourself inches from a motorized vehicle, zooming along much faster than you, with little regard for your safety.

The scooter police would also join together in groups of ten or fifteen, and zoom off together, chasing after a group of cyclists, zooming around other bikers, creating dangerous situations that were obviously not about protecting cyclists, but rather intimidating them.

I spoke with one of the lawyers at the begining of the ride, asking whether the police had the right to arrest us if we turned off of their "parade route." He said there was no law of which he was aware, and that he didn't think it would be a legal arrest. The NYPD had a van with mounted speakers on top telling us we'd be arrested if we exited their route. As a result of this, I believe, there were numerous points along Park Avenue, north of 42nd, where people at the lead would turn down a side street (that wasn't blocked by police scooters) and not many people would follow them. The group would hold up, and with obvious indecision due to the threat of arrest, even though no cops were in the immediate vicinity. Had the effect of spoiling the sponteneity of the ride.

At one point, after the ride turned left on 55th, I watched as a sack of ice, thrown from a fifth or sixth floor window on 55th, landed less than a foot from a cyclist. This was what looked to be a ten pound sack of ice, and if it hit its target, would have seriously injured or even killed that biker. An adjacent biker slid on the icy debris and crashed.

I pointed out this assault to a scooter cop, who was angry I'd stopped, and didn't want to hear what I said, and shouted over my words at least eight times "keep riding don't stop". When he finally understood that I wasn't listening to him either, he paused and took in what I had to say. He said "I can't do anything about it because you didn't see who threw it." I said that I didn't say that, and that I did see which window it came from, and that if he investigated, he'd probably find the perpetrator. He said something like "there's no way I'm gonna do that", to which I said "You guys are absolutely worthless." Now that really pissed him off, and he buzzed off on his teensy motorcycle.

Bloomberg and some people complain that we're blocking traffic. I think CM is comparable to maybe a dozen city buses, maybe the extra-long articulated kind. These buses jam city streets all hours of the day, backing traffic up. Often they're not carrying many people, and the pollution they generate is terrible. We're not polluting at all, and we move a lot quicker than buses.

I heard later on that police arrested riders for no particular reason. Also that they commandeered a private van to block off the street, to funnel riders into a trap, where they'd be arrested.

Many riders observed that CM nights are probably becoming popular nights to plan a robbery for, because it's known where many of the city's cops will be - making a big deal out of a peaceful ride.

And to those who say that CM blocks emergency vehicals such as ambulances, I've always had this to say: When they come we'll let them through. And last night along 42nd street we proved this true- an ambulance was coming down Broadway, turning right onto 42nd St. We made room and the ambulance passed through. Surprisingly, the cops did nothing to assist the ambulance in its journey through crowded Times Square. But we did.

im sure that if they havent already the NYCPD are talking to portland police about how to kill a mass ride.

it seems the PDX CM has all but lost a war of attrition. The cops have sucked all the fun out of a pleasant ride. I have fought (and won) several court cases, but court still sucks.

Please do whatever you think is necessary to maintin your ride. godsped yonder bikers

 http://lists.riseup.net/www/arc/shift/2004-10/msg00193.html

"why is it that we feel that because our vehicles are not powered by gasoline we're above the law?"

=v= Here's a little tip: if you find yourself declaring other people's feelings and motivations, you're not going to help anything. Stuffing such a declaration into a leading question is even worse. Drop the suppositions and maybe there'll be something worth talking about.

Motorists are almost universally "above the law." For example, they speed as much as they can get away with, and if their skin is white, they get away with an awful lot (about 40,000 deaths/year). The NYPD just violated a federal court order in order to attack our civil rights, so they must also "feel" that they're "above the law." Given these much, much larger problems, why focus on the alleged evildoings of cyclists?

And let's not forget that the arrests and bike seizures last night had nothing to do with any actual traffic law offenses. So why focus on the very diversion that the NYPD is trying to create?

Nobody can organize an unorganized mass.

That is the pigs' wettest wet-dream : an organization with leaders who can be criminalized, these days, cast as terrorists.

Affinity groups, casual bunches, are good. Friends who take care of each other, who witness for each other, who decide together where to ride and when to break how to rejoin.


Pig harrassment, if you stand back and look at it, is a simple control issue. They feel a need for everybody to jump at their gesture. The way to respond is to flow around them : to avoid, to give up every lever they try to use.

"it's time for militant cyclist defense: ZERO tolerance for police brutality, and ZERO apology for our self-defense BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY."

Well then you can volunteer to be the guy who gets thrown in jail until 2030 for assualt on a police officer.

ok heres a cheer to NY!
Out here in San Francisco we continue on strong! Our most effective ideas are shouted on the street as we ride! Stoping for lights helps some drivers if we are a small splinter mass. Most often routes are chaotic and sometimes over difficult terrain that splinters the Kops, like cuising up through a park or around alot of oneway streets. We try to just keep a positive momentum and smile when anger boils over in the psychotic driver, pedestrian. I've noticed a few times that good music helps lift the biased publics ideals about us. I think after reviewing theposts I have to suggest to plan in the streets, keep moving, and let the mass dictate the momentum. And above all be safe, considrate, ambassadors of the free streets! Beat the harrasment through peaceful mass movement.
Ride on!

Time's Up! has regularly schedule legal meetings on Tuesdays, starting at 6:30 pm. This Tuesday will be dedicated to providing information for those who were arrested on the October 29th Critical Mass. Please come if you were arrested. If you cannot make it, we encourage you to get in touch with the National Lawyers' Guild (NLG) at 212.679.6018

Time's Up! Space
49 E. Houston St.
(Mott/Mulberry)
6 Train to Bleeker.
W/R Train to Prince
F at Broadway/Houston

This sort of war on cyclists happened in DC right after the start of the war, with cops on heavy motorcycles ramming riders since mass arrests were a bad idea for a police department facing too many lawsuits from prior incidents. We rode twice a week for the duration of the initial Iraq blitzkrieg, and at one ride 33 riders got hammered by about 350 "Warg-riding Uruk-Hai" or riot cops on motorbikes.

After that incident two reactions took the wind out of the cops' sails. The first was a threat to deploy lockdown teams to block all three bridges over the Potomac unless the next ride got back safely, and not ONE cop showed up that day. The next ride after that, they were back but in reduced numbers and better behavior. Thintgs escalated slowly back up, a city council member threatening to ride with us. That ended the harassment permanently.

bush kicked the crap out of kerry and his loony-liberal/cultural marxist allies. when bush won by over 3 million votes, the sound you heard was the death nail in your movement. peace out hommies!

it is so simple its about control