Critical Mass Panic

You often hear disparaging remarks about Critical Mass, and indeed, NYC CM is pretty dead these days. Between the 5+ years of police repression of the ride on the last Friday of the month, the current NYPD "crackdown", and the icy, slushy, filthy, freezy streets, its no wonder you get more bodies showing up for a WNBR meeting than cyclists for a CM! But Critical Mass is not dead! If you have been paying any attention this week, you have witnessed its power. Egyptians of all walks of life have gathered together for days and days in public space, self-organized as equals to get a message out and build empowered community. Admittedly, it is not "Down with Cars!", but rather "Down with Mubarak!" Able to hold the space through the sheer power of their numbers alone, participants of this critical mass have begun to pay dearly with life, limb and liberty. I hope you all will join me in standing, sitting, walking, talking, and riding in solidarity with the people...

My previous, minimally-completed post reproduced an e-mail sent to a Brooklyn cyclist regarding the 78th Precinct's approach to "Operation Safe Cycle". I posted it here on this blog in the effort to comply with the request made by the Community Affairs Police Officer. Last night at the Community Board 6 meeting on the Prospect Park West Bike Lane's incredible success at making a safer street, the Community Affairs Officers of the 78th Precinct, Mitch and Jerry, approached me. They expressed frustration that I had posted their phone number online as they were now experiencing a backlog of phone messages on their shared answering machine, regarding bicycle complaints. In fact, Jerry explicit threatened me. In hopes of ensuring justice is met in the case of my untimely death, the below e-mails, reproduced in full w/o the offending contact information, tell the story: Wed, January 5, 2011 8:37:49 AM Bicycle Safety Enforcement From: "KIRSHY, MITCHELL" To: XXXX@X...

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 ...

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...

If you are reading this blog, you probably have already been made aware of the recent judicial ruling regarding the parade regulation created by the NYPD in their attempts to control Critical Mass in New York City since 2004. The plaintiffs of the case also attempt to call foul on the police's alleged profiling and selective enforcement activities against suspected Critical Mass participants. Here is a round-up of some of the media coverage. Be sure to check out the numerous and contentious comments which accompany these: 5BBC , Streetsblog , Gothamist , NY Times , Bike Snob NYC , Bike Blog NYC Here's a taste of some of the testimony given by police officers at the Federal Courthouse last May, through the eyes of a court-room sketch-artist: "Chief Tuller believes that cyclists must ride about 3 feet from parked cars, but can't recall why he believes that!" "Deputy Inspector DeQuatro believes the NYPD is protecting the free speech of cyclists and keeping ped...

How quickly I abandon any rhyme or reason to the order of posting for the pure and simple purpose of getting the feeling of producing something. This picture shows Lt. Dan Albano of NYPD legal. Rumor has it that he's staked his reputation on stopping Critical Mass. He may or may not be responsible for determining how the police on the streets can exploit the ambiguity of laws to curb cyclists 1st amendment rights on certain Fridays. With him on the scooter is a mustachioed officer who can frequently be seen leading the "scooter brigade" on their VERY SAFE following and ticketing of Critical Mass participants. The motors in the scooters assure that they can attain SAFE speeds. Admittedly, in general this particular officer is pretty mellow and accomodating. I even once saw him attempt to influence a private auto vehicle to make way for vulnerable cyclists when the road conditions made it dangerous for them to proceed! Many more pics from this Mass last summer, but those wi...

This blog is an overdue attempt to humorously chronicle some of the inane attempts by the state to maintain the status quo of car culture. Specifically, by examining the (international) movement known as Critical Mass in New York City, I hope to entertain, inform, and encourage individuals to examine their own choices, attitudes and actions. Critical Mass is a flashpoint for the clash of cultures that occurs every day in the streets around the world, and as such is often misunderstood, both vilified and glorified. The bias of this blog will most often be towards the latter, but I welcome all viewpoints, as a diversity is strength and critique can be constructive. I hope you enjoy, and ride safe!