Some liberal is asking us to obey traffic laws, like this is somehow the most important part of riding our bikes. When you ask the state for permission to do something, they often respod with longer chains. Then there are the liberals among us who help us put on more chains. If the point of Critical Mass is that we are traffic, that we have a right to bike in the streets, then we require neither the state's nor the liberals' permission to ride.

Critical Mass always dies when the liberals start talking for us. So shut up liberals and get on your fucking bikes.

You're right we are traffic and you want cars to stop at red lights right? You don't see the contradiction in your argument? There's nothing "liberal" about suggesting we take a certain course of action as a tactical manuevre that would result in both greater public support and greater disruption. I never said anything about asking for permission to ride? I said we have certain rights and other people have certain rights and we should act accordingly. And by the way I consider myself to be a socialist politically, hardly a mere liberal. Why don't you identify your political identity if you're going to incorrectly label me?

I too have been participating in this ride for years, and see a need to make some changes at this time.
I agree with the idea of obeying the lights and not blocking traffic for this Mass. What would fuck the police up more then having nothing on us but a questionable “parading†charge? I don’t think the police can keep up this BS much longer, and changing tactics now could be the nail in their coffin.

I don’t feel that the point of the Mass is to block traffic, but rather that we have a right to use the roads without fear or intimidation from cars and police. We have a right to the road, but I don’t think CM could go on the way it was forever. I think getting a permit and letting the police call the shots is totally wrong, but I see a need to switch things up. We are close to a major victory but we need to get creative.

If people don't agree, let’s hear why! (remember that anyone can read these forums) I don't think it should cause a rift among the riders. I support EVERYONE participating in the mass, even if we have different ideas of the best tactics at this time. I think people need to be aware how other riders feel, so that we are prepared for the consequences of our actions. I’m willing to go to jail for my right to ride a bicycle on the street, (although, I’d rather not go to jail at all) but I’m not going to get arrested for my “right†to run a red light.

Give respect, Get respect, Ride your bike.

We did this in San Francisco after the big July 1997 police attack, and it frustrated them beyond belief. It's the old "Good Soldier Schweik" routine, where you "work to rule," that is, painstakingly obeying the law to the point that the disruption is greatly magnified. It takes a lot of internal camaraderie and communication, a fair amount of self-discipline, but if you can get it across to most of the riders, it's actually just as--or even more--fun than the usual plowing-along model... It's a silly non-sequitur to denounce proponents of this as "liberals." It's not a blind embrace of the state or the law, it's just a smart tactical move in a tense confrontational situation. The point is to surprise them, be on the offensive, and not make yourselves an easy target.
In any case, it's an interesting ongoing tension within the Critical Mass phenomenon, between those who keep trying to stay creative and loose and fun and unpredictable, versus those who insist that being "really radical" and/or "militant" means doing easy scofflaw things that lead to utterly predictable behaviors by authorities and motorists... Be tricky, not predictable!
2 cents.

zmm, your comments belie the fact that you obviously do not know who Chris Carlsson is. Google his name and learn a bit about his role in Critical Mass history.

CALL TO IGNORE COPS WHO POST ON INYMEDIA!

we WON. that means we're moving forward. momentum is our most valuable tactical asset! let's fucking roll!

it is probably a good tactic this time around, but i would consider socialism to be liberal.

The continued existance and continued growth of CM is more important than the tactical/behavioral/personal decisions of some riders. Do not give the City and Police Commiss. ammunition to obtain or use the tools to shut it down. One instance of a safety mishap will be sufficient. Why, there are legitamate safety concerns and second on the practical level the Police Commiss. was exposed to embarressment, remember he has an ego, that's reality. Lets be dimplomatic, think short/long term. We must look after the safety of each other, including pedestrians, because we are subjected to a negative and adverse position as bike riders does not give us the right to do the same to others. Short term we must encourage each other to be models of safety mindedness, safety and equal rights is what many of us are fighting for. Lets have a win win win situation. Be smart and try to win others to our side, be great to the cops even if it hurts, because bike riding is for everybody including cops on their days off. Keep the ride tight, don't make them nervous or extend their resources. Many politicos are staying away from us, they don't want to be associated with any poss. bad news/publicity. Remember it will be very cold soon and ridership will diminish, look forward to the next season, don't destroy. We build, ride and promote through our actions eco positivism.

traditionally revolutionary socialism tends to be considered left-wing radical which social democracy and reformism liberal. These are by no means set in stone but my mane objection to Critical Mass Is Dead was the use of liberal as a derogatory term while at the same time being secritive about his or her own political identity. This attack could theoretically come from the far left or from any point to the right but is even useless as an insult if not qualified by its origin. Anyway enough about that.

I'm glad some people agree with my call and I think we should hold an open for at Union Square at about 7pm (so many people will be able to participate and we usually don't take off until abnout 7:30). I think we should attempt to vote on the question of whether or not the mass acts as a unified force to obey the law for the duration of the ride. I think it should be spontaneous and non-binding, meaning the outcome of the vote should apply to tomorrow's ride only and there should be a democratic process like this one for every ride.

You heard it here first. The Critical Mass in New York City is dead. Once the liberals move in and start representing the Mass, the ride dies. I’ve seen it happen in Madison ten years ago, when some liberal environmentalist decided that he was going to represent the mass to the police, a mass that had been organized brilliantly by a group of people who had insisted on total anonymity. The Mass in DC continues, but I hear that it was sidetracked several years ago into a protest at some gas station. Critical Mass is a brilliant form of empowering activism. It rests on the simple idea that cyclists are “traffic†and have a right to be in the streets without interference from vehicles. Critical Mass only works as long as it is an extralegal event that doesn’t have spokespeople, liberal lawyers, or permits from the state. Now it looks like some busybody liberals have spoiled the New York City Critical Mass movement by fighting the city in court. Instead of direct action by cyclists, the poor ride has had a wet blanket thrown over it by well-meaning liberals. See, this is why liberals suck worse than conservatives. In their hamfisted attempts to do good, they take all of the fun out of out liberation. They channel dissent into disempowering politics (i.e. the Anybody But Bush movement) and the rabble is left with the same problems that it experienced before the damn liberals got involved. Instead of poverty pimps contributing to our disempowerment, we have civil rights pimps, or lawyer protest pimps who are ruining a good thing.

ChuckO: you're out of touch with reality. Having fun is not the main goal of social movement although sometimes is a great byproduct. Stop moaning about liberals ruining Critical Mass. We do not have the right to run red lights and noboby is asking for it. And liberal lawyers just succeeded in embarassing the police who hace caused real harm to real people. What part of that don't you like. My voice speaks for me alone. So stop accusing people of trying to represent you or the mass. Noone represents you except for you. However, some of us are trying to introduce democracy into this event that just might be the key to saving it and continuing to address the issues of alternative transportation, the environment etc. Remember the issues? Remember democracy? Sometimes lawyers are vultures but have you read Seigel's response to the City's grossly unjust countersuit? It's brilliant and it serves the purpose of defending you and me against the unlawful cops. So many people seem to be losing sight of the goals of CM and only focusing on the insurrection. Every great revolutionary leader knew when the time was right was to push the envelope and when to be careful. It's called TACTICS.

Sounds interesting, certainly different.As an expression of a diversity of tactics, this would be interesting, for myriad reasons.

The spotlight is on, even the NYPD Commissioner has taken to writing an op-ed, which does express appreciation for biking and an expressed interest in working in a "celebratory" manner.

It would prolong the ride and the accompanying impact on autos and people in the streets would be heightened because of the greater duration of time people would be exposed to large numbers of bicyclists.

It would manifest a strong sense of unity and community and togetherness, that would belie the anarchistic seemingly chaotic aspect.

It's different. A movement needs always to continue to explore and grow and experiment. We could also experiment with not cursing out mild-mannered people driving cars patiently observing the ride. Or even alcohol-free after parties.

With this tactic as well, it would not need to be all one ride, with large numbers a split ride into 2 or more large groups would also be interesting.

Overall, it would probably lead to similar results as the person mentioned in San Fransisco.

So I embrace the idea. And this is from someone arrested on a crit mass ride before, and other direct actions, not a cop:-)

PS Folks have been engaged in stellar efforts to move fwd on all fronts. Doesn't seem to me that the neo-liberals have hijacked anything, rather Crit Mass has been a vehicle for a variety of interest groups to merge bond and connect.

Peace and love

I just thought it was obvious that the only people who refer to someone as "liberal" are republicans, freepers, and trolling cops or agents!

reminder, the enemy is the state, the pig that enforces its laws and the overwhelming car culture we live in.
ALL of you SHUT up and RIDE!

In Vancouver we have found that it is way safer to stay in a clump, even when hundreds show up. If it turns red before the front goes through we stop, if it turns red while people are riding through we keep going like we're all attached, like a looong bus. Otherwise, as we've experienced, cars will turn onto the mass route and get stuck in the middle of the mass and get panicky and try crazy manoevers to get out of it. So that's my two cents, but i'm in a city where the police don't escort us and haven't really bothered the CM for years (besides the occasional appearance and then drifting away when they get bored).

I think we have forgotten a key element of the CM - the Xeroxracy. We need to get some of these ideas out to the riders and others (in a fun/non-incriminating way) that makes the case for doing this ride a little differently.

Some ideas:
Remember why we are doing this ride in the first place.

The police just got busted for stealing bikes. Lets show non-riders that they took them from innocent people.

The spotlight is now on, and public/media perception of the Mass is at a turning point. Let’s use Halloween to show that we are just a fun group out for an evening ride, and that the police are wasting huge amounts of money to harass us.

Many of us have open cases that could be affected by how the public sees the Mass.

Let’s face it, the way things had been going on could not last forever (those who have ridden at the back of the ride on faster roads know what I mean) and this is a good time to try different approaches.

Let’s stay off of certain roads and tunnels.

Reduce tension with motorists. Take the high road.

If it doesn’t work, we can always go back to the original way. What have we got to loose?

Keep the debate going – keep talking tactics and ideas, not talking shit about each other.

its not just republicans, freepers, and trolling cops or agents who use the term liberal, RADICALS, ie anarchists, primitivists, and other anti-authoritarians also use it. liberals try to legislate problems away, using the law is not the solution to the law.

I think there were only three tactical offerings in the whole thread, no? (defining liberals and juxtaposing them to everyone else not included).

1. ride as a group, stop at lights.
2. ride as a group, don't stop at lights.
3. ride as several groups, stop at lights.

If you want to see if your tactics will work, print them out, make about 2000 copies, pass them around, forget a vote (anyone who's been in a room with 20 free-thinking individuals knows that a consensus of that size can take hours), and when it gets about 7:30, you'll see if your tactics have been adopted.

people from the IWW, back in its heyday, used to have a strategy called "Work to Rule", which means that in order to really stick it to the boss and slow down production, the workers would strictly adhere to every minute rule and safety regulation on the job. what would happen is that since they were working really carefully, and therefore slowly, production would decrease a whole lot, thereby pissing off the boss. but they couldn't be fired or fucked with, because they weren't breaking any law. then, whatever grievances they had against the boss would have to be worked out in order for the boss to get them to speed up production again.

i think some of that tactic can easily be applied to critical mass. be creative.

in solidarity from new brunswick, nj.

-r

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www.nbbike.net
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To all those people who are brave enough to ride in this months critical mass in new york city despite the excessive intimidation of the NYPD: i salute you.
i wish that i was there with you again.

the risk of being arrested is ever increasing. now, as always (though sometimes less apparent): to act, is to reject a static existance, to triumphantly step out of the mundane routine (to work, to watch, to buy) and actually live is to come in direct opposition to the functionaries of that system of consumption, the upholders of authority.

i urge you to base your resilience on the assurence that your actions are righteous ones (i do not use that word lightly).

(to me) critical mass, in its anarchist approach to form and function, to organization, and entertainment, is a truely liberating thing, it is fun without consumption, it is collective action without loss of creativity or individuality. it should continue and it will be defended.

best of luck to you all, i will be riding, in solidarity, here in tallahassee.

and if you are in prison tomorrow night remember what Thoreau said: 'under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just person is also prison'. the free person is always in conflict with perveyors of authority.

down with commissioner kelley and the nypd
down with mike bloomberg
down with car cultural

ride on !
we will win.

-ry

Matthew: Let's not forget that consensus decision making is inherently non-democratic, essentially giving every individual veto power. Democracy is simple: open debate, open vote, majority rules. However I agree that it may not be practical in this case to try and call a vote but some cohesion needs to be established if there should be a tactical adjustment to the ride. Flyers is a good idea.

Yes, we should obey the traffic laws. It's the only part of Critical Mass that has ever been held questionable. I think if there's enough of us, the cops will wave us through. If we stop at lights, THEY CANNOT ARREST US. WE WILL DISRUPT MORE TRAFFIC.

As far as blocking cars that enter the mass, I still think that would be a good idea for our own safety.

SEE YOU THERE. IN COSTUME!!

if you have ever ridden near the back of a mass you know that our strength is in our numbers.

WE MUST KEEP A TIGHT MASS

in the past and even last month the police have HELPED us pass through red lights as long as the mass is tight.

I think that if the front of the mass reaches a red light it should stop, but if a light turns red mid-mass we should STAY TIGHT and RIDE ON.

by separating mid-mass at every red light we encounter the mass will be literally cut to bits and then left to the mercy of the cars.

those of you in the front, ride slowly enough for everyone. Those of you in the back, do your best keep up with the mass.

most importantly WEAR A COSTUME!

i think the essential problem with this conversation specifically is that there are going to be hundreds of people at CM tonight who haven't read this page, who maybe don't even know about the lawsuit, etc...and who will continue to ride as they have always ridden, according to the convention that has become nyc critical mass. even if you believe that stopping at lights is the right way to go, and you put 10 of your friends next to you and attempt to stop at every red light, i just don't think it will work...that's the nature of this ride, and of how decisions are made (or not made) within it. i can't imagine 500 people in ridiculous costumes meeting up with their friends in union square with rev. billy running around screaming the text of the first amendment - bells ringing, music blasting, cops menancing - all focusing their attention on one person who attempts to direct a "vote." i think it's a fine idea to try to flyer to spread your idea, but don't be surprised when it doesn't work.

I made 200 flyers, totally anonomous, with the basic point I outlined above. If anyone wan't to help me distribute them please email me.

I agree that all traffic laws should be followed meticulously. It, as has been said elsewhere in this thread, could be much more disruptive and point making than just blasting down the road.

As I understand it, the idea here is to make the point that bicyclists are legal roadway traffic and should be afforded the normal courtesies/legal protections afforded all traffic.

It is hard to get that point across while scoffing the very laws and courtesies that you seek to get the motoring public to grant you.

I have been nearly run down on many occasions on bicycles and motorcycles by car drivers who pay no attention to anything or don't feel that anyone but them should be on the road.

Please obey all laws, especially now since the spotlight is on you and the point is being made. If the police are kind enough to block intersections for you, by all means, ride through. The police department have basically been 'made fools of' with the recent court decisions. You will be under much, much more scrutiny now. They will be looking for any reason possible to get you. Don't ride on sidewalks, run down pedestrians, run red lights, etc.

I don't see how a large group of legal traffic on a street could possibly be considered parading. Unless it is moving very slowly, purposely, carrying signs, yelling slogans, etc. If it is, everyone involved in a traffic jam should be ticketed for parading without a permit and causing a traffic hazard. Legal traffic is legal traffic.

Even if every single rider decides to obey reds everywhere in the ride (i.e., not just at the front of the ride), it is very very difficult to do this (to NOT run a red in the middle of the ride).

1) people just follow the ride without looking at signals, distracted by conversation & a million other things
2) the "mass" is such a visceral feeling, it is nearly impossible to get one's self--let alone others--to let those people ahead drift off and away from you at the great risk of getting cars interspersed into the ride. (Though, ironically, I've often seen rides surround cars that are ahead of the ride front, causing the same damn problem.)

I suggest that unless the cops specifically make it clear they'll arrest bicyclists en masse* for running reds, the red light thing can work best when it's just the front that stops at 'em. that's could be a big UNLESS.

* SF cops, when they told us they'd enforce "all traffic laws" only ticketed a few people here and there.

But here's a revolutionary idea: at the ride start, ask various cops and commanders what their plans and orders are in each case. You might even use the face-to-face chance to point out (this is how the cops began to leave us alone in SF) that the ride keeping together is better for car traffic (gets us out of the way much faster).

A wacky aside:

If you decide to obey lights (at the front or whatever), maybe it'd be fun to really go to an extreme and refuse to cross on red even if a cop is waving the ride through. It would take lots and lots of xerocratic organizing to make that happen, but cops waving you on while bikers shake heads and point at the light is an amusing image from my safe position off in San Francisco!

Here in SF we find that as long as boombox music isn't too loud to talk over, a few dedicated people willing to chat up the front of the ride, yell out to people nearby--and keep at it throughout--most rides can be guided by democratic discussion as it rolls along. It isn't just what people decide at the start.

Hope those ideas and left coast reports help. Enjoy Halloween and congratulations on the court case win! I hope average NY riders can be in on celebrating that, no matter their politics and access to indymedia!

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

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