How not to update a blog
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 note the potentially valid yet incendiary words of the un-doubtly well-paid "professional" heckler. Many thanks to Team Spider for this awesome footage.
On that note, as wanna-be-Luddite, I do not own a digital camera of my own and am therefore dependent upon contributions for readers and community members who are more tech-savvy for cool things like photos and videos. Feel free to send them on in. Otherwise, instead of this blog becoming a creation of our diverse community (like so many group bike rides), it would instead become a tedious re-hashing of material from other sources online (like so much "news" these days). Either way, I hope you will stay tuned, if simply to keep up with NYC CM without the trouble of having to attend.
Without further ado, here's some long overdue re-hashing of the facts that are true simply because there is so little evidence to the contrary:
BROOKLYN CRITICAL MASS APRIL 2010: Jeez, how can I possibly remember what happened nearly a month ago? I recall a sizable crowd of 25 or so cyclists were joined by Deputy Inspector John from the 78th precinct, 3 or 4 cars of various size and marking, and 6 zippy scooter patrolmen.
Keep in mind that this ride occurred pre-Pogan-verdict, so perhaps the officers were a bit lenient on the participants. Some members of the group were wavering due to low blood-sugar, so a consensus was reached to roll a few short blocks to Blue Marble, an ice cream store near Grand Army Plaza. A few cones and cups were purchased, while the less-professional agitators who were lacking funds simply tried small amounts of many flavors to get the fuel necessary to disrupt the traditional high-speed flow of auto traffic on the streets of Brooklyn. Meanwhile, the police double-parked in formation across the street from the local business, forming a sizable blockage to the two-way Underhill Avenue for cars to weave around. As a riders slowly walked with bikes to the corner, John and a few other blue boys came over to inquire about where the ride was going. A street one block over was suggested by a rider and the police accepted that answer. The ride did indeed proceed over to and down that street, and many others, followed by the NYPD vehicles, eventually being joined by a smaller but enthusiastic group from the Williamsburg Bridge.
The ride made its way through downtown, with the aim of riding to new Brooklyn Bridge Park. Arriving there, the Mass dismounted at sign instructing them to do so, while police were able to park in a less obtrusive way. The cyclists walked to the waterfront to enjoy the sparkling view of Manhattan, perhaps wondering to themselves why they continued to be pursued by the NYPD detail, now consisting of the commanding officers promenading through the park themselves. I hope they enjoyed the pleasant destination as much as the cyclists did. Perhaps next time they can enjoy the freedom of bikes too.
MANHATTAN CM APRIL 2010: Though it occurred more recently, this ride was far more complex then one participant could possibly summarize. Therefore, I present you with some other people's accounts of the ride.
As you know, this Critical Mass occurred immediately following the Pogan verdict, and therefore attracted significant attention from the mainstream media. Such coverage can be viewed here and here. These reports seemed almost sympathetic to Critical Mass participants, but also they fail to show anybody actually riding a bike. For all we know this could be some staged, phony show by the professional anarchists, who no doubt become savages once they are actually mounted on their vehicles. It is clear from the soundtrack of this video, if not the footage itself, that the participants are ruining the city.
Thank you Dedicated Lane Productions. The truth is that I am a bit jealous that I missed this part of the ride, as it had split into several groups early on.
The walk-out of the previous month and the call for more ghost riders by the artist Christophe Draeger to come out created great anticipation to what would transpire. More importantly, the weather was finally pleasant enough to attract a number of participants whom would exceed recently-constitutional NYPD parade permit regulations.
The numbers of police, media, cyclists and passers-by certainly exceeded the 49 person limit by a hundred or so, while ghost riders dressed in all white were massive half-dozen or so of participating bodies. All of the notorious top cops whom we've seen in early episodes of Critical Mass enforcement were present:
The always suave and charming community affairs officer, seen attempting to woo known "professional" anarchist, Chris Long.
From NYPD Legal, Lt. Dan Albano, seen skulking in jealousy of an even balder man.
Transportation Chief James "Jimbo" Tuller, a Darth-Vader-in-a-business-suit, instructed his white-shirted stormtroopers on the the nuances of RCNY § 4-12 (p).
Now, its best not to keep in mind how much all these important cops earn to stand around protecting the constitution and keeping cyclists safe. It is even more important to not misinterpret these screenshots from the video as proof of what the above community affairs officer told at least one participant prior to the ride, something to the effect of "People will be handcuffed, even for summonses."
Do your best, dear reader, to avoid seeing a look of disappointment on the faces of the NYPD as they realize that they are not going to get the chance to collar 50+ cyclists whom they perceive to be a coherent group. I'm personally surprised that they didn't just start enforcing the parade regulation against the throngs of people parading about Time's Square on foot.
"What went wrong?" you might ask? Well, the NYPD, by harassing the ride for half a decade now, has made the standard operating procedure of Critical Mass one of splitting up and regrouping. The mass, under intense police pressure and media scrutiny at the start, agreed to walk out of Union Square in such a way as the NYPD had to blatantly break the laws they fail to uphold on a daily basis (salmoning) in a dangerous way. Some people wanted to ride, so they took off a bit quicker than the hardcore walkers. Cyclists, in stopping at red lights, naturally divided into multiple groups. When riding, at the moment police began to squeeze the group towards the side of the road with a wall of motor vehicles, participants took the opportunity to walk away and disengage in the "game" set up by the NYPD.
The ride did regroup gradually in Time's Square for the bike lift, but became divided again, diminished by all the riding and walking. Two or three smaller groups managed to merge in Central Park, where they got a brief respite from the pursuit. NYPD eventually entered the auto-free roads within to pursue the Mass, which, with some speculation of a crackdown devoid of witnesses in the dark park, promptly headed out the Upper East Side. Slowly crawling south while obeying red lights and splitting up at intersections, riders enjoyed the peaceful streets and a shared relief that the night had not gone too sour, but for a few harassment light/reflector/4(12)p summonses. NYPD scooters attended the rear and sides of the thirty or so endurance riders.
At one point, a few eager Brooklynites, followed by several swift comrades on bikes, sped ahead and enjoyed a very safe yet fast ride free of NYPD attention. Several cyclists whom had been with the Mass earlier came across the group, causing smug satisfaction to meld with solidarity.
So that about sums up the big show from last month...one last thing I noticed in the video that a casual viewer might miss is that the one documented instance of NYPD assisting the ride was at the subtle behest of a rider of Chinese descent. Not only did the Chinese invent Critical Mass, but they also own the United States, so I am glad to see this scooter commander defer to his wishes. (Way to keep it positive, Wei!)
Of the dozens of other rides that have occurred thus far during bike month, only two were attended by the NYPD that I know of. One was the hugely actually massive 5 Boro Bike Tour, sponsored by a bank, and the other was the Kids Art Bike Parade, supported by some smaller, community-oriented organizations.
Glad to see the NYPD is helping keep this group together as well. What better time to introduce the safe leadership of the law than before they know how to read it?
Be sure to check out Draeger's art show, which has an exclusive video of the Mass playing at the gallery. Come out and roll with Brooklyn Critical Mass on Friday, May 14th 7pm Grand Army Plaza and the Williamsburg Bridge!
GAME ON!
ride safer!
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 note the potentially valid yet incendiary words of the un-doubtly well-paid "professional" heckler. Many thanks to Team Spider for this awesome footage.
On that note, as wanna-be-Luddite, I do not own a digital camera of my own and am therefore dependent upon contributions for readers and community members who are more tech-savvy for cool things like photos and videos. Feel free to send them on in. Otherwise, instead of this blog becoming a creation of our diverse community (like so many group bike rides), it would instead become a tedious re-hashing of material from other sources online (like so much "news" these days). Either way, I hope you will stay tuned, if simply to keep up with NYC CM without the trouble of having to attend.
Without further ado, here's some long overdue re-hashing of the facts that are true simply because there is so little evidence to the contrary:
BROOKLYN CRITICAL MASS APRIL 2010: Jeez, how can I possibly remember what happened nearly a month ago? I recall a sizable crowd of 25 or so cyclists were joined by Deputy Inspector John from the 78th precinct, 3 or 4 cars of various size and marking, and 6 zippy scooter patrolmen.
Keep in mind that this ride occurred pre-Pogan-verdict, so perhaps the officers were a bit lenient on the participants. Some members of the group were wavering due to low blood-sugar, so a consensus was reached to roll a few short blocks to Blue Marble, an ice cream store near Grand Army Plaza. A few cones and cups were purchased, while the less-professional agitators who were lacking funds simply tried small amounts of many flavors to get the fuel necessary to disrupt the traditional high-speed flow of auto traffic on the streets of Brooklyn. Meanwhile, the police double-parked in formation across the street from the local business, forming a sizable blockage to the two-way Underhill Avenue for cars to weave around. As a riders slowly walked with bikes to the corner, John and a few other blue boys came over to inquire about where the ride was going. A street one block over was suggested by a rider and the police accepted that answer. The ride did indeed proceed over to and down that street, and many others, followed by the NYPD vehicles, eventually being joined by a smaller but enthusiastic group from the Williamsburg Bridge.
The ride made its way through downtown, with the aim of riding to new Brooklyn Bridge Park. Arriving there, the Mass dismounted at sign instructing them to do so, while police were able to park in a less obtrusive way. The cyclists walked to the waterfront to enjoy the sparkling view of Manhattan, perhaps wondering to themselves why they continued to be pursued by the NYPD detail, now consisting of the commanding officers promenading through the park themselves. I hope they enjoyed the pleasant destination as much as the cyclists did. Perhaps next time they can enjoy the freedom of bikes too.
MANHATTAN CM APRIL 2010: Though it occurred more recently, this ride was far more complex then one participant could possibly summarize. Therefore, I present you with some other people's accounts of the ride.
As you know, this Critical Mass occurred immediately following the Pogan verdict, and therefore attracted significant attention from the mainstream media. Such coverage can be viewed here and here. These reports seemed almost sympathetic to Critical Mass participants, but also they fail to show anybody actually riding a bike. For all we know this could be some staged, phony show by the professional anarchists, who no doubt become savages once they are actually mounted on their vehicles. It is clear from the soundtrack of this video, if not the footage itself, that the participants are ruining the city.
Thank you Dedicated Lane Productions. The truth is that I am a bit jealous that I missed this part of the ride, as it had split into several groups early on.
The walk-out of the previous month and the call for more ghost riders by the artist Christophe Draeger to come out created great anticipation to what would transpire. More importantly, the weather was finally pleasant enough to attract a number of participants whom would exceed recently-constitutional NYPD parade permit regulations.
The numbers of police, media, cyclists and passers-by certainly exceeded the 49 person limit by a hundred or so, while ghost riders dressed in all white were massive half-dozen or so of participating bodies. All of the notorious top cops whom we've seen in early episodes of Critical Mass enforcement were present:
The always suave and charming community affairs officer, seen attempting to woo known "professional" anarchist, Chris Long.
From NYPD Legal, Lt. Dan Albano, seen skulking in jealousy of an even balder man.
Transportation Chief James "Jimbo" Tuller, a Darth-Vader-in-a-business-suit, instructed his white-shirted stormtroopers on the the nuances of RCNY § 4-12 (p).
Now, its best not to keep in mind how much all these important cops earn to stand around protecting the constitution and keeping cyclists safe. It is even more important to not misinterpret these screenshots from the video as proof of what the above community affairs officer told at least one participant prior to the ride, something to the effect of "People will be handcuffed, even for summonses."
Do your best, dear reader, to avoid seeing a look of disappointment on the faces of the NYPD as they realize that they are not going to get the chance to collar 50+ cyclists whom they perceive to be a coherent group. I'm personally surprised that they didn't just start enforcing the parade regulation against the throngs of people parading about Time's Square on foot."What went wrong?" you might ask? Well, the NYPD, by harassing the ride for half a decade now, has made the standard operating procedure of Critical Mass one of splitting up and regrouping. The mass, under intense police pressure and media scrutiny at the start, agreed to walk out of Union Square in such a way as the NYPD had to blatantly break the laws they fail to uphold on a daily basis (salmoning) in a dangerous way. Some people wanted to ride, so they took off a bit quicker than the hardcore walkers. Cyclists, in stopping at red lights, naturally divided into multiple groups. When riding, at the moment police began to squeeze the group towards the side of the road with a wall of motor vehicles, participants took the opportunity to walk away and disengage in the "game" set up by the NYPD.
The ride did regroup gradually in Time's Square for the bike lift, but became divided again, diminished by all the riding and walking. Two or three smaller groups managed to merge in Central Park, where they got a brief respite from the pursuit. NYPD eventually entered the auto-free roads within to pursue the Mass, which, with some speculation of a crackdown devoid of witnesses in the dark park, promptly headed out the Upper East Side. Slowly crawling south while obeying red lights and splitting up at intersections, riders enjoyed the peaceful streets and a shared relief that the night had not gone too sour, but for a few harassment light/reflector/4(12)p summonses. NYPD scooters attended the rear and sides of the thirty or so endurance riders.
At one point, a few eager Brooklynites, followed by several swift comrades on bikes, sped ahead and enjoyed a very safe yet fast ride free of NYPD attention. Several cyclists whom had been with the Mass earlier came across the group, causing smug satisfaction to meld with solidarity.
So that about sums up the big show from last month...one last thing I noticed in the video that a casual viewer might miss is that the one documented instance of NYPD assisting the ride was at the subtle behest of a rider of Chinese descent. Not only did the Chinese invent Critical Mass, but they also own the United States, so I am glad to see this scooter commander defer to his wishes. (Way to keep it positive, Wei!)
Of the dozens of other rides that have occurred thus far during bike month, only two were attended by the NYPD that I know of. One was the hugely actually massive 5 Boro Bike Tour, sponsored by a bank, and the other was the Kids Art Bike Parade, supported by some smaller, community-oriented organizations.
Glad to see the NYPD is helping keep this group together as well. What better time to introduce the safe leadership of the law than before they know how to read it?Be sure to check out Draeger's art show, which has an exclusive video of the Mass playing at the gallery. Come out and roll with Brooklyn Critical Mass on Friday, May 14th 7pm Grand Army Plaza and the Williamsburg Bridge!
GAME ON!
ride safer!
Comments
Post a Comment