Critical Mass Panic

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...

Wet and cloudy skies earlier in the day dried up just enough to allow a gorgeous sunset around 7pm last Friday. Though the damp day had been replaced by a cool evening, dozens of bicycle riders and other free-wheeling types gathered at Union Square North. Approximately 30 people with bikes socialized for approximately 45 minutes in the approximate center of the approximately public space. The "Guardians of Safety," a.k.a. the NYPD, smartly positioned themselves around the un-licensed street-users who were a mere 20 people short of being illegally lacking a parade permit. Their brassy finery sparkling in the urban dusk like so many stars in the pre-industrial twilight-skies, top cops huddled between SUVs and motor-scooters creating a formidable mass of metal and flesh on the northwest corner. To the southwest, a less-dazzlingly attired half-dozen scooter patrol-men lounged around. Though looking bored and perhaps a bit cold, these, the most-mobile of police man/vehicle hybrids...

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...