Critical Mass Panic

Gotta give Bicycles Only a big shout out for his excellent video response to the bike-haters "snow" arguments. http://www.flickr.com/photos/bicyclesonly/5300972050/ Take back the media! We will do the reporting of the truth that needs to happen even if the corporate media continues to pander to automotive advertising dollars!

Now it is personal. In October, I posted about some of the efforts made by the James Caldwell, the 77th NYPD Precinct and the cycling community here in Brooklyn in the wake of Jasmine Herron's death. I have not put too much info out here as these various efforts take shape, as it is not really within the scope or tone of this joke of a blog. However, at the moment circumstances have occurred which illustrate the nature of the battle pedestrians and cyclists are fighting here on the streets of New York City. So I am touching on this politically sensitive matter. Last night, a close personal friend of mine was hit by a reckless, speeding cab while on his bicycle. His account, with [my edits and clarifications] in brackets... So... Due to circumstances, I rode out in the middle of the night, ... left around 1 AM, making my way [on] Bedford heading south. I heard/saw a car heading east on St. Marks Ave, so I stopped in the [crosswalk] and waited. A taxi rounded the corner really sharp

Critical Mass is Dead! Long Live Critical Mass!

WNBR NYC 6/11/11 Celebrate the future together! FREE of Oil/Autos/clothes

I hope the machines don't bust me for stealing their music. But not as much as I hope I have got you hooked. The coming footage will be only very lightly edited, so bear with it, keep an open mind, and try to believe your eyes.

Manhattan South - May 25th, 2014 - 18 Rogue Cyclists Rounded Up by NYPD at Anarchist GroupRide! NYPD, through amazing feats of derring-do, collared 18 dangerous, rogue cyclists last Friday night at the Astor Place Cube Bloomburg Pop-Up Club. The un-licensed, un-insured riders were using un-registered bicyles for blocking legal traffic outside of designated bike zones. The group stunned the clubgoers, but fortunately for those held hostage by the noisy miscreants, a pair Mike's Bikers in a nearby bike zone heard the commotion and contacted the NYPD's Bicycle Control Unit. Helicopters and quarantine nets were deployed to contain the cyclists circumventing the City Bike Fees. A police spokesperson stated 4 rouge riders critically injured themselves attempting to evade the law enforcement pursuing in the new electric-powered "Mega-Interceptors." No confirmation yet as to how many members of the now-banned "TA" BikeGroup were apprehended in response to the noise

Can we kick our helmet addiction? Only once we give up fear.

Now I know I promised a deluge of video this week, but first, in an effort to organize my life and out myself as an incompetent human being, I am going through and putting up many half-assed, un-edited, ranting blog posts. Not unlike this one. Anyhow, if anyone cares, you might find some nuggets of wisdom, just as infinite monkeys with infinite typewriters could create the entirety of our corporate/legal/bureaucracy which we now live in. But really the only thing that this proves is that I love the sound of my fingers typing a tirade as much as I love the sound of my voice (proven by the forthcoming video). Speaking of said video, if you watched the teasers, you are probably asking yourself "how did I get tricked into wasting another 30 seconds of my life in front of a screen?" Well I assure you it is time well spent. Too often we've seen NYC Critical Mass either edited into music videos or cop-watch footage. Mainstream media typically only shows at the start and asks som

THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN POSTED A WHILE AGO Now I am sure NOBODY really wants to be able to travel for whatever reason from Brooklyn to Staten Island via bicycle, but maybe in the future someone will. With this possibility in mind a group of rogue riders took to the streets of Bay Ridge the night before the NYC marathon to test the waters. Or rather, the gargantuan bridge above them. The city closes the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge to motor vehicle traffic the night before at the behest of the bank which sponsors the marathon. A small contingent of rad cyclists decided to take advantage of the situation and go where we usually are PROHIBITED. Maybe Transportation Alternatives can get a permit for next year. This year we got as far as the first pylon on the Brooklyn side with no trouble. It was a nice view. The rogue contingent afterwords drank copious amounts at local bars and took in some pizza on the way back north.

I am waiting for someone to come along and tell me that, "No, we are not yet slaves to machines" but I want them to bring proof as all I see seems to indicate otherwise.

Just cause it is Buy Nothing Day doesn't mean you shouldn't consume....here are some videos for your brain to digest...

Today I am grateful to the fact that major media outlets are covering some of the issues in a reasonable, balanced manner. I commend the Wall Street Journal at reading the pulse of capitalism and realizing that if the elite do not do something to mitigate all the problems of auto and oil addiction, the profits to be squeezed from the masses will run dry. Meanwhile the New York Times ran a piece more favorable of the vocal minority, believing that if you tell a story and make stuff up no matter how little sense it makes, it can come true! They initially headed it with a photo of the 1st Ave bike lane "protest", of which this man was one of three protestors. Big Props to Team Spider for this awesome footage.

Biking Rules has failed. Accepting the blame for the danger in the streets to our own lives has given the supporters of the auto/oil status-quo the fuel they need to deny cyclists safe infrastructure. Accepting token "shared use" pathways as bike commuting options has let politicians wash themselves "green" while putting anyone who doesn't use a car in danger. Police and politicians stand in the way at every turn. "No criminality" is the mantra of the NYPD with regard to reckless drivers. What can we do? Who brought us here?

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! (RANT WARNING) Bicycles are taking over! They are getting in the way of cars! Cyclists are scaring pedestrians! It is a United Nations conspiracy! A blight on our beautiful and efficient roadways! They are killing themselves! A small sampling of fear-mongering and slander against Critical Mass can be found at these links. http://thevillager.com/villager_392/talkingpoint2.html http://www.thevillager.com/villager_387/anticritical.html http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_16390626?source=most_emailed&nclick_check=1 http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_16487931 It probably just an effect of the election season. The bike-hate has been flying in the media the last few months, both on the local and national levels. It seems pretty clear that the Tea Party and the GOP have sought to use bicycles as another spectre of terror that threatens us somehow, to divide the people from each other and distract us from what really matters. And what really matters? Well, havin

Please Forward! Dear New York City Bicycling Community There is a growing movement for safer streets taking shape in Brooklyn, involving new legislation, motorist education and a call for cycling community input by NYPD. The death of cylcist Jasmine Herron on September 11th profoundly affected those involved on the scene that night, including 77th NYPD precinct Community Council President James Caldwell. Caldwell has mobilized elected officials from Brooklyn , including Council Member Letitia James , State Senator Eric Adams , and Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, with the 77th Precinct to the cause for safer streets for cyclists and pedestrians. This started several weeks ago with a prayer vigil for Jasmine, and has continued through community meetings. These politicians have all spoken eloquently, recognizing that bicycles are a viable and growing form of transportation in NYC, and that the culture of our streets desperately needs an overhaul, starting with motorists. I

Be sure to count the undercover police on bikes as cops, not cyclists for an accurate estimate of how much taxpayer money is spent to bolster NYC's CM turnout with professional agitators. STILL WE RIDE! HAPPY 18th YEAR, CM!

It was the 18th birthday of Critical Mass last Friday, old enough to vote. The ride started in San Francisco in 1992. It has been going on in NYC for nearly as long, despite the baffling and hostile approach of the NYPD towards the ride in recent years. Around 7pm 40 cyclists gathered at the new and improved Union Square as the light faded from the sky. A good crowd, many new faces. Some visitors were from LA, where they have a thriving mass ride scene, and a handful of friends of the late Andrew Wolf, a Brooklyn cyclist who was run down in broad daylight by an 18-wheeler in Canada last week. After much socializing, light distribution and information sharing regarding NYPD harassment of cyclists, the participants gathered round to hear a few of Andrew's friends speak about who he was, and what we have lost in his death. It was moving...emotionally. The mass itself stayed put. Meanwhile, dozens of NYPD officers including Transportation Chief James Tuller lurked nearby, occupying new

Dear bicyclists and bike-curious, It has been too long since I rode with ya, but I am back at it. I missed you massively. I am showing you love with a big ride weekend for y'all to roll out against the mechanized madness which is car culture! Read on for more info on each happening... Friday 9/24 Manhattan Critical Mass - 7pm Union Square North, Manhattan Memorial Ride for Brooklyn cyclist Andrew Wolf; New and improved Union Square! Ditmas Love Rides - 7pm Quathra on Cortelyou @ Stratford, Brooklyn New start location for the weekly family-friendly Mass ride! Blondie of Arabia - 8pm Living Theatre 21 Clinton St, Manhattan One-woman play about an epic bike ride through the Middle East! Amazing! $15, cheap! Saturday 9/25 Clinic Defense Ride - 7am Williamsburg Bridge, Brooklyn entrance Ride up to the Bronx to bring support for clinic targeted by anti-choice protesters Memorial Vigil/Bike Ride for Jasmine Herron - 8pm Atlantic Ave @ Washington Bridge, Br

Well, its been ages since I've posted. I wish I had the energy to keep it up. But I just don't right now. I am too busy preparing to become a police officer, so that I can get away with assaulting and killing , like so many of our other brave men and women in uniform around the world. The law is a joke, the justice system is a joke, NYPD is a joke, Judges Kaplan and Wiley are big clowns. We are all the punchline. Ride safe, no matter what the law says.

I am reduced at this point to posting an e-mail I sent...hope you can all make it for a historic Friday. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Mellow Yellow Date: Tue, Jun 22, 2010 at 11:03 AM Subject: Bike Power funspill continues to wreak havok on mundane life!! To: brooklynmass@lists.mutualaid. org Hey you. Yeah, you, looking so good on that bike, or unicycle. You on those roller blades, or that long-board. You, loving yourself, your streets, your city, and your community. Its summer! After a week recovering from that epic WNBR, I think I am not the only one ready to roll out together again! Below are some suggestions to maximize your good times in the coming weeks. Spread the word (FB pleez!), spread the love... TUESDAY 6/22 OLD SCHOOL HIP HOP DANCE RIDE! 7pm Tompkins Sq Park Dress funky fresh and ready to bust a move FRIDAY 6/25 DITMAS (HEART) RIDES 7pm Vox Pop (Cortelyou @ Stratford, BKLYN) Relaxed, family-friendly ride reclaiming the beautiful streets of BKLY

There are many, many, many photos of Saturday's WORLD NAKED BIKE RIDE NYC. Preparing for this event is the reason I have not updated this blog in weeks and weeks. What follows is a "brief" account of the WNBR from one participant's perspective. Would love to hear more, and will post them here as I am able: I had always heard about naked protests. But no one ever really followed up. One thing or another, but talk rarely followed with action. Sure there were exceptions – ACT UP’s Drop the Debt naked DC during the RNC in 2004 being the most recent example. But the body has always been a battleground. And those who revel in it represent a Bachnalian counter voice in struggle against the prohibitive logic of the Comstocks, Carry Nations, Guilianis, and so on. “Capitalism – it needs sadness,” lamented John Jordan in an interview with me a couple of years ago. It needs docile, obedient bodies. Yet, when these bodies reject orders and access their cap

It has been a long month indeed, and here at the end, I am putting up the briefest of updates, as my attention has moved towards actively participating in WNBR NYC, which happens on June 12, an international movement of missions, methods, and structure as CM. Please consider joining me and other participants in creating the streets and the world we dream is possible. As far as the streets that we have right now, there are great things happening, but there is still plenty to be desired. Last month's fizzled "bomb" in Time's Square created the intended fear in the populace, resulting in many somethings seen and somethings said to the authorities. Many a refrigerator, oddly-painted concept car, and red-backpack-containing-slippers were found in various places of possible significance and safely inspected, smashed, or detonated by the NYPD. Now, I am of course tempted to brag about how many amazing rides put on by our diverse community succeeded in this month of bikes, as

It is the end of bike month, and I am pretty sick of it. But not as sick as I am of hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil being pumped into the ocean everyday. Not to mention millions of tons of greenhouse gases emitted by automobiles. And of course I am very sick of the disrespect bikes (and pedestrians) get on the streets of NYC. But certainly I am not as sick of it as I am of cyclists, pedestrians and motorists being killed or maimed by cars everyday here. I am sick of the police wasting tax-dollars to harass Critical Mass riders, but not as sick as I am over the hypocrisy of Bloomburg's "green" NYC. The truth is, it has been a beautiful bike month. This spring has brought so many more bicyclists, both new and old, it is hard to not have hope. More group rides, more community, more courteous and safer riding. Every time a three or four or even a massive five find themselves waiting together at an intersection, I realize that I am seeing the future of traffic. It is

Gosh, I am the worst at keeping this up. Its like feeling nauseous but being unable to vomit. Only through the sheer discomfort of gagging my errant thoughts can I semi-coherently rant online about subjects such as group bike rides and police over-reaction to such events. Writing this also requires resisting sweet allure of constant riding due to Bike Month . Today, however, being rainy and cold, I spent a three hours watching " The Power of Nightmares ," a BBC documentary from a few years back about how the "Global War on Terror" is just a fantasy created by a handful of people. I highly recommend it, and if you're able to see it perhaps you will better understand why it is that NYPD continues to fantasize about Critical Mass being populated by "professional anarchists" who pose some vague threat to the city. Note the vile emphasis on that phrase as Pat Lynch of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association reacts to the recent Pogan verdict. Try not to

We are the future! After tonight I have little doubt. Bicycles will one day soon flow through our streets as they once did in China, except even more free. Critical Mass will be a game made up of gangs who compete for fewest violations, largest size, and best route. GHOST RIDDAZZZ REPRESENT No lights can go off on their own. Wow the NYC game is a whole 'nother level! Pogan to be sentenced in June. Lets take the high road and work for a lean sentence, and a harder one on kelly/bloomburg. The PBA will make sure it happens, but let us take the credit! http://www.ny1.com/1-all-boroughs-news-content/top_stories/117933/trial-aside--critical-mass-rider-heads-back-out

Will you join the Ghost Rider tonight? Wear white on you bike and body APRIL 30th, 2010 7PM Union Square North

How many more cops will learn to lie? How many more tax dollars will we kiss goodbye? How many more cyclists and pedestrians need to die?

Mr. Conners (Prosecutor) Q: How many times have you viewed this video ? Mr. Pogan (Defendant) A: Too many times. Last Tuesday, April 20th, the NYPD deftly executed a humiliating blow to the good reputation of an anti-authoritarian, veteran, pot-smoking, deadly-driver but merely-reckless cyclist in the guise of a "criminal" trial against the doe-eyed Patrick Pogan. This case has had wide coverage in the media due to sensational aspects of the case and the above-mentioned, apparently not-so-damning video footage. What most reportage is missing is the clear case the defense has made that a larger conspiracy against the NYPD is being played out. The proof of anarchist-infiltrations of Critical Mass has at last been laid bare by the vocal maneuvering of slick, archetypical lawyer for former-officer Patrick Pogan, Mr. Stuart London. A quick aside: As a human being, I occasionally suffer bouts of empathy and compassion. Just as all who view the video of the inertial-halting-vector-