March 31, 2007
3 Arrested And 44 Ticketed During Critical Mass
Last night's first Critical Mass ride in an era of the police parade rule that requires groups of 50 or more to apply for permits resulted in three people getting arrested, forty-four receiving tickets, and a few people getting summonses. Based on the NY Times and Newsday articles, the arrests were for disorderly conduct, obstructing government administration, and something to be determined. Newsday had this interesting account of one bicyclist's experience after the ride started:
Moments later, police stopped Kim Kalesti, 49, on Park Avenue South near 18th Street, confiscated her single-speed bike and put her in the back of a squad car.Bike Blog makes the point that "the cops began to single people out and write summons to people who did not have a bell or a light or some other law on the books that is enforced about as frequent as someone driving on a cell phone." The police also created a blockade of scooters at Park Avenue South and 32nd Street."I don't know why you're bothering me," said Kalesti, a musician who lives on the Lower East Side, as she was led away by an officer. "I'm a law-abiding citizen." A crowd of onlookers chanted, "Let her go! Let her go!"
Kalesti later said she had been given a summons for riding on the wrong side of the road.
And Will at OnNYTurf says that City Council member Rosie Mendez, who was riding in a pedicab, "was not touched by the NYPD (good move on their part)."
Were you there? Did you see the ride? And given the news that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus performer Bello Nock's special teeny bike was stolen, maybe it was the cops who seized the vehicle!
Photograph by Eric Brown/dogseat on Flickr; it's part of a whole set
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It still amazes me that in America, one could get arrested just for riding a bicycle during a certain time of month.
disgusting.
UN frikken believable.
How long has this been going on and why is it still continuing?
This City has truly become hell for bike riders and pedestrians.
I hate white people!
"obstructing government administration": necessary when the administration is unwarranted and picayune.
I'd charge the NYPD with restricting freedom of movement.
Wrong thread, Sharpton.
I hate Critical Mass. Bikes are vehicles, why do they think they can ride around and not obey any traffic laws and not be ticketed?
holy crap, it is exactly like May '68 out there.
::yawn::
don't get me wrong, I kinda like the whole idea of a ped/bike friendly city. Just quit being annoying d-bags about it. If you had a petition, and weren't being such d-bags, I'd sign it. Not every issue requires a retard parade.
Funny how these Critical Massholes want bikes to be a part of everyday life in this city but yet can't seem to follow simple laws like driving with traffic and in bike lanes.
Whining hypocrites.
Correction - 47 tickets apparently
and um, the cyclists are getting ticketed for things like missing a reflector or not having a front light. The tickets are NOT for ridding against traffic. They ARE ridding with traffic and stopping at lights. That's why the police ticketing is so ridiculous - its very petty.
Also there is no law saying cyclists MUST ride in the bike lane.
Now ask yourselves - do the cops suddenly stop ten cars in the middle of times square to ticket them all when they all jam an intersection? or do they put up roadblocks to check drunk drivers at the entrances to the Holland and Lincoln tunnels every weekend to check for drunk drivers. I bet you they would find that 50% of people headed back to NJ should not be driving - but they simply don't do that. This is war on critical mass is a culture war it has nothing to do with street safety or sound traffic policy.
you know if they want to ticket something they can ticket my spelling - sorry - no undos on the Gothamist comment board. :P
correx: riding
According to CW11, they interviewed a bicyclist who stated he got a summons for not riding in the bike lane when there was a bike lane present.
What kind of petty crap is this?
I hope you ny'ers enjoy paying those high taxes forever.
Great job by the NYPD. Once again the moonbats, libtards and anarchists think the law doesnt apply to them. Even though they put the life and limb of law abiding citizens in danger, they just dont give a damn.
You keep doing what you do, We'll keep doing what we do. I get paid either way.
Just following orders, eh blue trumpet? You and many of your blue brethren would have made good Nazis.
But what about the biter? Village Voice reports a woman got arrested for biting cops? Says she had knife too.
It would be nice if bicyclers actually followed the traffic laws. As a pedestrian, I hate dealing with bike riders... at an intersection, when there is a red light, a car will stop 99/100 times. Bikers never stop - they just head right on through the intersection with no regard for pedestrians crossing with the light.
So I say hurrah to the cops that punch bicyclists in the head once or twice.
"Great job by the NYPD. Once again the moonbats, libtards and anarchists think the law doesnt apply to them. Even though they put the life and limb of law abiding citizens in danger, they just dont give a damn."
- Yeah, sure, great job NYPD... yawn
Like the great job they did of writing me a summons for not riding on the far rightmost side of Park Ave South, only minutes before ignoring a delivery boy (not part of critical mass) who cut off a bus and ran red lights. I saw 2 cops on scooters about to pursue the delivery boy, but were told to stand down by the Lieutenant when his non-association with the ride was established.
Onnyturf wrote..."This is war on critical mass is a culture war it has nothing to do with street safety or sound traffic policy".
A "culture war"? We need a war on ridiculous hyperbole.
Doesn't the NYPD have more important things to do, or did they run out of political organizations around the country to spy on? Gotta love how Bloomberg can claim the "free market" should rule the pedicab business and sick the police on cyclists the same day. What a fucking douche.
Not to sound like an asshole, but what is critical mass supposed to -do-?
And also, if you know you're going to be targeted for tickets on this day, why don't you make sure you are above reproach? Even if a law is stupid, it's still there and you're in violation of it. So when you violate it and you get ticketed, I kind of don't feel sorry for you and don't care. To me, showing how stupid something may or may not be by following the rules to the letter seems to be more effective, but who knows..
@ #7 More cabs and cars and buses run red lights every day in New York than total participants in Critical Mass. The only difference is police go out of their way to stop us. Also, when have you ever seen a car driver physically ripped out of his seen, thrown on the ground, and arrested just for running red light? Yeah. I didn't think so.
@ # 9 Michael Hunt
"Funny how these Critical Massholes want bikes to be a part of everyday life in this city but yet can't seem to follow simple laws like driving with traffic and in bike lanes."
1) Actually we do drive we traffic. We are traffic.
2) It's hard to ride in a bike lane when a) there is no bike lane. Or b) it's blocked by a car, truck, or police vehicle.
3) FYI NYS Traffic law states that bike are allowed to ride outside of the bike lane, and are not required to stay to the side of the road of if riding otherwise is safer. So, it's often safer, and legal, to ride in the middle of the road. PUBLIC road.
Good on CM! never stop riding.
@ #17 Posted by: Sweaty Electric
"
It would be nice if bicyclers actually followed the traffic laws. As a pedestrian, I hate dealing with bike riders... at an intersection, when there is a red light, a car will stop 99/100 times. Bikers never stop - they just head right on through the intersection with no regard for pedestrians crossing with the light.
So I say hurrah to the cops that punch bicyclists in the head once or twice."
Wow. That's weird. Because I'm usually a pedestrian too, and I don't have that experience. Certainly, when I ride my bike I usually stop at a red light. And always do so if there are pedestrian. HOWEVER, bicyclists are in an interesting and ambiguous category of transportation, that needs to be given more though by legislators and policy makers. We are simultaneously vehicles AND Pedestrians. This instant I take two feet off the pedals, I am a pedestrian again. Also, a bike can't be in the same category as a car, since it offers none of the protection, and can cause a fraction of the damage. A bicyclist and a pedestrian are much closer than automobile and bike. Just consider the root of "pedestrian." "ped" meaning foot. We both use our feet for transportation. We use "pedals."
But I digress... Back to red lights: Since bicyclists are more like pedestrians than cars, (especially in size) why shouldn't bikers act more like typical New York pedestrians. This IS New York. We all jay walk, we all walk through red lights if we can 'make it' or if the road is clear. If we didn't do that we would be New Yorkers - we'd be lame posers from from the Mid-west. If I see that I can keep rolling through the light, safely, I'm going to do it. And so are you. And if you have a problem with the messy, beautiful chaos of New York, get the hell out of here. Go back to Des Moines!!!!
Also, pedestrians need to pay attention at intersections. They shouldn't stand out in the road. Stay on the sidewalk, where it's safe and don't be distracted by your cellphone or Ipod. You have a responsibility to pay attention. And for god's sakes, if you do see a bike coming at you while you are crossing the street, don't freeze up and freak out. Just keep walking forward. Remember, you are a human not a deer.
NYPD loves Saudi Arabia.
NYPD loves pollution.
That's why they don't set up a barricade once a month against car traffic.
:That's why they don't set up a barricade once a month against car traffic.:
well, that and this is a hilarious suggestion.
CW11 was on the ball again with CM news.
It appears the NYPD does not like being photographed. That's too bad because theres videotape and photos of this event everywhere.
NEVER AGAIN!
BE - Post 25
How are bicyclists anything like Pedestrians? If someone riding a bike through a intersection runs into me, it's going to hurt a lot more that someone walking into me.
Also the problem isn't so much bicyclists not sticking to Bike Lanes, its when they run red lights, go the wrong direction down the street, ride on the sidewalk, etc. When Crtical Mass is happening, why should everyone have to wait while those idiots run a red light. You say "We are traffic", act like it. Stop being such dicks.
Correction at least 5 arrests. Many of us saw the woman arrested, she did not display a knife or bite anyone while she was being thrown to the ground and in a choke hold by 6 cops-by the way she was standing on the sidewalk taking photos holding her bike. Another photographer, arrested--on the sidewalk, with no bike near him. A vidographer, camera attached to his bike, stopped at a red light. The rider out in front, though he was released soon after, and another random bike rider. At least 3 were sent to the tombs and didnt get out until sat evening. The NYPD, violent all night, targeting those that record them. Thanks for sticking with us Rosey and the Press to see and record the whole story. This is your tax dollars, you should be angry.
I'm the guy that was arrested (rising sun jacket) on
17th and park right after it started. I didn't go to the tombs, they took me to the 1st precinct, and released me around midnight, sans bike. I'm being charged with disorderly conduct.
Those 5 arrests on which I reported took place at times square at around 9:30pm. No one has reported on how many arrests there were at around 7:30 on Park. One, the woman shown in this photo was actually given a summons and released. You were arrested, anyone else? That makes at least 6 arrests and counting. At least 3 arrested at Times Square did go to the tombs and were held for close to 24 hours.
ep post 25.
You should re-read my post if you don't understand how "bicyclists," not "bikes", are more like pedestrians than they are vehicles/ cars, or drivers. I'm not going to waste more space here.
And if I very large man walks into you, while you are not paying attention, as you type a text message in the intersection that will hurt a lot more than a small child running into you on a bike... Should we have special laws for large men? I did say that the classification of bikes is ambiguous. Just think about it.
If a biker runs into you at a red light when he should hae been stopping, but instead kept going on fast. Yes. He is a dick. I don't do that. I've never seen it happen either. I don't know where you walk.
The only bikers who often ride on sidewalks are delivery boys. And I agree it is a problem. But FYI, NYS Traffic law states that bikes are allowed to use the sidewalk sometimes, if it is to avoid a more dangerous area of road.
And again, Critical Mass has tried obeying all the taffic laws, and when it does, the police still react with violence against us. We surely continue to try to obey the laws.
Most importantly, CM WANTS to obey the laws. We want to eventually be treated as equals on the road. We currently are not. Not because we don't stop at every red light, but because we are not given equitable use of the roads.
to ep. You wrote "When Crtical Mass is happening, why should everyone have to wait while those idiots run a red light."
1) Because we will be out of the way of everyone behind us on the street we are riding on if we just ride through. The most you would ever have to wait at an intersection is 10 minutes tops - and that when the ride was more than 2000 people. It's once a month. You can't take a breather from your oh so busy life for a few minutes to share a New York experience? That's sad.
2) Oh, so you want us to act like "traffic"? Isn't that what we are doing? Car traffic ignores red lights and clogs the interesction every day. The police don't do anything about this. They certainly don't violently grab drivers from their cars and arrest them, do they? Well, do they?
Also, when bikes go through red lights they actually keep moving. Unlike cars that just sit there and make traffic go to a crawl or standstill.
Yawn...
Critical mass is simply anarchy that happens every month like clockwork. You can try to justify it however you like but it's anarchy and many people, including me, find it offensive. Moreover, every single post about critical mass and the resulting comments are exactly the same.
For now, I just can't decide if CM is more like a tantrum or like PMS.
@#25 Posted by BE
"If I see that I can keep rolling through the light, safely, I'm going to do it. And so are you. And if you have a problem with the messy, beautiful chaos of New York, get the hell out of here. Go back to Des Moines!!!!
And for god's sakes, if you do see a bike coming at you while you are crossing the street, don't freeze up and freak out. Just keep walking forward. Remember, you are a human not a deer."
By that logic, you shouldn't be so upset when you Lance Armstrong wanna-bes are run down by garbage trucks or hit metal plates in the road and go flying off your bikes to your deaths, as happened to bicyclists within the past year. 'Hey, man... it's just chaos... love it or leave it!'
I personally think the only motorized vehicles that should be on the streets of NYC are taxis and delivery vehicles - there is really no need, particularly in Manhattan, for people to have their own cars. I'm all for more people bicycling, as long as they follow the traffic laws. People walking across the street shouldn't have to dodge some prick fantasizing that he is about to win the Tour de France.
Sweaty makes a good point. I too want to support alternatives to motorized vehicles in the city, but then some dickwad like "Be" comes along and tries to downplay others' experience with a certain subset of the biking community.
a) Your examples are ridiculous and insulting and you know it.
b) I don't know where YOU walk, you pompous twat, but I can tell you that I have been personally sideswiped a number of times by bikers. In Brooklyn and in Manhattan.
It's amazing you can be so indignant about the behavior of an entire group of people (motorists) while being so blithely ignorant regarding your own. If you want to win over converts, I suggest you try educating your fellow riders about traffic rules and stop breaking the law - even if it is "only once per month" and you feel that everyone should march lockstep to your agenda and your timetables.
Stewart,swety, and anonymass
It's evident that you are not cut out for NEw York. It heartens me to know that in a few years,you probably will retreat back to the protective confines of whatever staid hamlet you came from.
And yes. If you think that I sound insulting you really do need to get out of this city. At least I don't resort to name calling, you unimaginative, feeble-mind, pathetic automotons!
If you actually bothered to read my posts you'd see that everything I advocate is essentially within the law and about safety.
anonymass: If you actually readmy posts you'd know that I do advocate following traffic rules and safety. Are you saying you never jaywalk? You've never failed to signal when changing lanes? You always put your lights on when it's overcast? Furthermore, as the courts have so far ruled, and will rule again in the next few months, Critical Mass is a perfectly legal form of association and is no different than any other example of people, legally riding their bike. It's not illegal at all. And if you actually don't jaywalk, then don't even attempt to comment about anything to do with new york, since you clearly know nothing about the city and don't belong here.
And to sweaty and stewart. It heartens me to know that in a few years you will join anonymass in returning to whatever staid hamlet you came from, utterly defeated by the city of New York.
Stewart. It's sad that you think freedom is the same as anarchy. I feel sorry for you.
And if you actually do find this insulting, you really don't belond here. At least I don't resort to name calling, you unimaginative, uninspired, pathetic automotons!
i am an nyc cyclist for over 30 years. i cycle commute to work all year between brooklyn and midtown. you can do it safely and quickly; respecting pedestrians at all times, being cautious of vehicles (especially cabs of course)with or without bike lanes.
critical ass sucks.
one friday evening, my wife and i were crossing with the light in a crosswalk and none of the 'mass' was respecting any of the pedestrians, not yielding right of way at all. they want respect from motorists yet fail to give it to pedestrians? fuck em! it ruins it for the indie riders that want freedom and no part of cops or mass movements of any kind.
you don't need to join a movement to enjoy cycling in new york.
i am no fan of the cops and abuse of power either, so i try to avoid both parties, cops and cricital mass.
if it gives them enjoyment to rally and socialize that's great, but if it impinges on my freedom of movement or garners the ire of the public then i repeat - fuck em!
I kind of agree with "critical mass my ass", in most aspects. The goal for everyone is to just be able to ride without being harrassed.
I think the CM crowd is kind of alright, as they are just trying to ride, get a bit more rights for the bicyclists, and overall, the monthly rides are just something fun/nice to do.
I think the "other" bikers, the ones that go speeding through intersections (AKA messengers, deliver guys) are idiots and SHOULD be ticketed. THEY are the ones that are going to hurt someone.
I think the COPS that are doing this are NOT helping anyone, the CM crowd is in majority just peaceful. The ones that DO get out of hand SHOULD be arrested, just like any other troublemakers, but no one should be given a ticket for just cruising in a pack of bikes trying to have fun.
The cops cause more problems during these rides than anyone else.
just hearing about how the cops get all "john wayne" with these scooters and try to herd these bikers to get their tickets passed, gets me pretty upset.
There is a coordinated effort between FreeWheels, Glass Bead Collective Legal Response Team and some fine lawyers to QUICKLY centralize the information about the 48 summons that were issued Friday night during critical mass. If you received a summons please email the relevant information (described below) to bike@transalt.org This information will be marshaled in order to coordinate media and legal responses to the conduct of the NYPD last Friday.
If we can collect and centralize the information about the summons that were issued, it is possible that a significant number of the summons may be legally inapplicable or facially insufficient as a matter of law. We may be able to show that the NYPD issued frivolous summons in an attempt to break up the ride and that they did it with more aggressiveness than the issued summons would warrant. If you have any questions email the address below as well.
Please once again try really hard to spin your own statements such that this quote of yours:
makes sense in light of this other nonsense you spat out:
I've lived in New York long enough (and obviously longer than you so maybe YOU ought to be packing your carpet bags for greener pastures) to know that nothing short of a parade, a funeral, or an emergency bears the 'legal right' to block traffic for 10 minutes. I don't give much a care who you think you are or how important you see yourself: you're obviously not at all interested in following the law with that attitude and frankly I hope you ride that precious little 10-speed of yours into a manhole.
You know I saw some of that march and I have to say . A couple of the women there were kind of sexy on their bikes . Lol That is until some of them provoked the cops into arresting them . The whole "Damn she's cute " Feeling I had just went up in a puff of smoke after that .
@ 45 still not amused
Wow. Not only did you actually write "lol" but you also did it in response to yourself. How lame can you get?
And it wasn't a march. What where you watching?
And damn, you must be some hell of a chauvanist. So, anytime an attractive woman is not completely submissive, you find that a turn off? Good thing you didn't put your real name on the board here.
San Francisco critical mass terrorized a family:
sfgate(dot)com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/04/BAGF7P12RN23.DTL
Susan Ferrando, her husband, their two children and three preteens had come to San Francisco from Redwood City to celebrate the birthday of Ferrando's 11-year-old daughter. They went to Japantown, where they enjoyed shopping and taking in the blooming cherry blossoms.
Things took a turn for the worse at about 9 p.m., when the family was leaving Japantown -- just as the party of about 3,000 bikers was winding down its monthly red-lights-be-damned ride through the city.
Suddenly, Ferrando said, her car was surrounded by hundreds of cyclists.
Not being from San Francisco, Ferrando thought she might have inadvertently crossed paths with a bicycle race and couldn't figure out why the police, who she had just passed, hadn't warned her.
Confusion, however, quickly turned to terror, she said, when the swarming cyclists began wildly circling around and then running into the sides of her Toyota van.
Filled with panic, Ferrando said, she started inching forward until coming to a stop at Post and Gough streets, where she was surrounded by bikers on all sides.
A biker in front blocked her as another biker began pounding on the windshield. Another was pounding on her window. Another pounded the other side.
"It seemed like they were using their bikes as weapons,'' Ferrando said. One of the bikers then threw his bike -- shattering the rear window and terrifying the young girls inside.
All the while, Ferrando was screaming, "There are children in this car! There are children in this car!"
She had the presence of mind to dial 911 on her cell phone -- and within minutes, the squad of motorcycle cops who were assigned to keep an eye on the ride descended on the scene.
The cyclists were loudly demanding that Ferrando be arrested for hit and run.
To Be:
I am metro New York born and raised - are you? Oh, yeah, so are my parents and grandparents.
"Stewart,swety, and anonymass
"It's evident that you are not cut out for NEw York. It heartens me to know that in a few years,you probably will retreat back to the protective confines of whatever staid hamlet you came from."
I didn't know you were the headmaster of the "who's cool enough for New York club". Enjoy living in 600 sq ft for the rest of your life. At least then you probably won't have children.
"And yes. If you think that I sound insulting you really do need to get out of this city. At least I don't resort to name calling, you unimaginative, feeble-mind, pathetic automotons!"
Nice to know you don't resort to name calling:
[25] ..."lame posers from from the Mid-west"...
[33] ..."He is a dick."...
I merely used a simile to describe the antics of critical mass.
"If you actually bothered to read my posts you'd see that everything I advocate is essentially within the law and about safety."
Except for making traffic wait for 10 minutes, inconveniencing pedestrians and possibly delaying emergency vehicles while a pick-up group of angry cyclists without permits ties up traffic, all the while disobeying traffic laws, like stopping for red lights.
"Stewart. It's sad that you think freedom is the same as anarchy. I feel sorry for you."
There are two facets to freedom: freedom to do something and freedom from something.
For example, one person may think freedom enables them to play their stereo loud at 3am. Another may think freedom protects them from having to put up with such behavior.
A bum may think it's OK to urinate in a public park while the law says he's a public nuisance.
Same concept - by not obtaining a permit and disobeying traffic laws you are infringing upon my quality of life. And I don't appreciate it.
I think CM is not helping bicyclist's rights by staging their rallies every month. You are just giving all bike riders a bad name. Do something productive instead.
This conversation reminds me a lot of postings by sports fans before/after a big game - ego & posturing inhibiting real & meaningful exchanges.
Essentially all agree - laws exist for the safety of ^all^, and when some individuals think they have a right to circumvent the laws for their own gain (whether it's trying to gain five minutes in a commute or trying to increase awareness in an organized ride) it decreases the safety of everyone.
I'm mostooften a cyclist or pedestrian, but am at times a driver of a motor vehicle - while I have not been part of a fatal or serious accident yet, I dread the day, whatever side I might be on.
Pedestrians - stand back, pay attention to all traffic, cross when it is safe.
Cyclists - slow down, obey the law, find positive ways to advocate for a more cycle friendly city.
Drivers - slow down, obey the law, remember that while cyclists and pedestrians alike can cause serious harm you wield a deadly piece of machinery - don't ever assume that the five minutes you save is worth a potential lifetime of living with the understanding of what you could have prevented.
TO ALL - remember that your actions have implications far beyond yourself, most of the generalizations in these posts have a seed of truth. These attitudes make us ^all^ unsafe - which is the truly bothersome part.
"you don't need to join a movement to enjoy cycling in new york."
true, but you do if you want to defend your rights. And by rights I DON"T mean the right to run red lights, but the right to not be harrassed and to freely assemble. Before the cops got involved, Critical Mass used to include a much wider spectrum of the cycling community, including seasoned commuters such as yourself. Through harrassment and selective enforecement of the law, the cops have succeeded in reducing participation to the hard core element and have thus naturally polarized the cycling community's view of the ride. Personally I find it offensive that any self-respecting cyclist or pedestrian would show anything less than unwavering support for the ride or any other segment of the population while it is being targeted by the police regardless of how you feel about the ride.
Also, regarding pedestrians, I don't believe they have any right to complain about cyclists running red lights when they jaywalk without the slighted awareness of what's going on around them. I think it's OK to jaywalk as long as you do so carefully. I feel the same way about bike going through red lights and travelling the wrong way down streets for short distances. Everybody has the same responsibility to not put themselves in harm's way. Unfortunately, pedestrians generally act as though their safety is totally the responsability of others. Well it isn't like everything else, it is a shared responsibility. In my opinion that's an attitude that most pedestrians in New York do not have but most cyclists do.
Good God, am I glad I don't live in your country... shit, forgot you people don't understand what sovereignty under international law is.