All posts in the topic Major Incident at Critical Mass bike rally (Short link)
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- There are 88 posts — by 41 authors — in this topic.
- Latest post made by Mark V Anderson at 2007 Sep 12 02:30 UTC
I just spoke with my brother via cell phone, apparently there has been a major
incident at the Critical Mass bike rally, where a large group of bike riders,
100 to 200 strong, rides the city streets. This incident seems to have been
sparked when a biker strayed across the yellow line and the police arrested
him. I don't know the details yet, but there were dozens of police involved,
people were maced, cuffed, and force was used to subdue individuals, and there
were apparently several arrests. It seems there were some anarchists in the
crowd, and the police may have been provoked, and there was a large
overreaction in both the crowd and by the police. This is extremely
unfortunate.
I think the city government needs to react to this immediately. Up until now
Critical Mass has largely been free of incidents and has gone on for many years
peacefully. I have only been a bystander to these events and always found them
amusing, and good natured as the bikers take an equal footing to automobiles on
our city streets. These types of events happen frequently in the biking
community, and there is the potential for long term escalation if steps are not
taken to diffuse the situation due to the nature of the incident.
If there are policy makers reading this, or members of the Peace Community, now
would be a good time to step in and try to defuse the situation. At the next
critical mass event, it would be good to see members of the peace community
there, as well as people who can negotiate with the police in order to deal
with disturbances, and to avoid misunderstandings. The last thing Minneapolis
needs at this point is a Seattle style riot in the lead up to the GOP
convention, and this has all the earmarks for creating an environment that is
going to bring out a severe backlash. Also our police are overworked, working
60 hour weeks in some cases. We don't need to waste our resources on this.
Peter, I agree with your comments. I am very upset about what happened at Critical Mass. I don't know everything that did occur and I'm not going to point fingers at the bikers or police, but this should be a peaceful event. From what I witnessed and photographed, several people had red faces from being maced, and there were many upset bikers -- yelling in rage and crying in fear near the SuperAmerica in Loring Park. A police officer at Groveland and LaSalle in squad #530 (maybe #540) was using their announcement system to demand that the group of bikers split up, or they would be arrested. A group of marching MPD and HCSO officers followed the group, some with mace in-hand. On the 2400-block of Nicollet, several bikers were being searched and arrested. I've heard other rumors, which I am hesitant to repeat, but they ranged from police officers being assaulted by bikers and police officers hitting bikers with their squad cars. Of course, I don't know what's true. Photos at http://flickr.com/photos/diversey/sets/72157601796064051/ I would love to hear from others at the event and learn what happened. This can and should always be a peaceful rally in support of bicycling. Tony Webster University
This is very discouraging and unfortunate. I am looking into what went wrong and will continue to do so and welcome any accounts or observations on or off list. I will also plan on joining the ride again next month and will encourage other policy makers and peace activists to do so as well as Peter wisely suggests. Cam Gordon 612 296-0579 > To: <email obscured>> From: <email obscured>> Subject: [Mpls] Major Incident at Critical Mass bike rally> Date: Sat, 1 Sep 2007 13:51:03 +1200> > I just spoke with my brother via cell phone, apparently there has been a major incident at the Critical Mass bike rally, where a large group of bike riders, 100 to 200 strong, rides the city streets. This incident seems to have been sparked when a biker strayed across the yellow line and the police arrested him. I don't know the details yet, but there were dozens of police involved, people were maced, cuffed, and force was used to subdue individuals, and there were apparently several arrests. It seems there were some anarchists in the crowd, and the police may have been provoked, and there was a large overreaction in both the crowd and by the police. This is extremely unfortunate.> > I think the city government needs to react to this immediately. Up until now Critical Mass has largely been free of incidents and has gone on for many years peacefully. I have only been a bystander to these events and always found them amusing, and good natured as the bikers take an equal footing to automobiles on our city streets. These types of events happen frequently in the biking community, and there is the potential for long term escalation if steps are not taken to diffuse the situation due to the nature of the incident.> > If there are policy makers reading this, or members of the Peace Community, now would be a good time to step in and try to defuse the situation. At the next critical mass event, it would be good to see members of the peace community there, as well as people who can negotiate with the police in order to deal with disturbances, and to avoid misunderstandings. The last thing Minneapolis needs at this point is a Seattle style riot in the lead up to the GOP convention, and this has all the earmarks for creating an environment that is going to bring out a severe backlash. Also our police are overworked, working 60 hour weeks in some cases. We don't need to waste our resources on this.> > Peter Vevang> NE, Minneapolis> Info about Peter Vevang: http://forums.e-democracy.org/contacts/petervevang> > This topic's messages may be viewed at: http://forums.e-democracy.org/r/topic/4toa7s8VdeZKCkvRsQ5Vgp>
At 12:50 PM 9/1/2007, Cam Gordon wrote:
>This is very discouraging and unfortunate. I am looking into what
>went wrong and will continue to do so and welcome any accounts or
>observations on or off list. I will also plan on joining the ride
>again next month and will encourage other policy makers and peace
>activists to do so as well as Peter wisely suggests.
Fascinating response, Cam. I appreciate the fact that you're
supporting Critical Mass, but isn't CM, in fact, a "group of 25 or
more who have gathered to express a viewpoint or opinion"? As such,
wouldn't the ordinance you're supporting require them to have a
permit to ride every month? (Presumably there would have to be a
different permit each month, but I'm not certain - please clarify).
If I'm incorrect, and you're not supporting the ordinance proposed by
the Orwellian named "Free Speech Working Group" then please correct me.
If not - please reconcile how you can support that ordinance and
still support the Critical Mass ride.
Jim McGuire
Como
Good points Jim.
And this Free Speech Working Group? I thought our Constitution already covered
free speech.
The fact that it is deemed necessary to create a group to restrict our rights
to free speech and assembly is truly Orwellian.
Over the years in working on Decriminalization of Homelessness,I have been
struck by the lack of concern by our City Council members, and Mayor, regarding
constitutional rights.along with their basic lack of knowledge or understanding
of these rights.
I also got a good education regarding the back room conversations that take
place among the above to sort out who has the most clout on the council, i.e.
money, connections and influence....usually resulting in disservice to our
community and...yes to our homeless residents.It is sad that the little bit of
power gained by being in the city council, leads to way too much selling out.
The city council and mayor should be championing the rights of free speech and
assembly...not toadying to wealthy interests.
But to paraphrase Wizard (whom I respect very much)..I continue to try to push
that huge boulder up a very large hill.
Kingfield
In response to Jim and Margaret's posts: You've both received misinformation (or possibly disinformation) on the proposed "protest permit" ordinance. Cam DOES NOT support the ordinance and never has. In fact, when he and 10th Ward CM Ralph Remington heard of the idea's existence, they made sure it would come to the Free Speech Work Group (the group Cam pushed to form to deal with exactly these sorts of pre-RNC issues) to be vetted. At that meeting, Cam, Ralph and the representatives of the ACLU and other pro-free speech groups (whom Cam included on the group from the outset) and representatives of protest organizations (whom Cam informed of the meeting's time and location) gave the unified message that the proposal is unnecessary, will have dire consequences (much like what happened yesterday) and is likely unconstitutional. See a fuller outline of this issue on Cam's blog: http://secondward.blogspot.com/2007/08/proposed-ordinance-to-license-protests.html#links The Free Speech Work Group isn't Orwellian, it's doing exactly what it's supposed to do: intervene when bad ideas like the "protest permit" ordinance come up, try to shoot them down or mold them into something constructive and constitutional (such as a voluntary registration system, with no requirements and no penalties). Without it, these sorts of ideas would go straight to the Council, with no input from civil liberties groups or CMs on the side of protecting civil liberties. In fact, I would argue that cynically labeling it "Orwellian" does those of us who want to protect civil liberties next year a grave disservice. If it was set up as some sort of Bush-like "clean skies" initiative, then there's no point in engaging with it or organizing around it. If, on the other hand, it was pushed for by a civil libertarian Council Member at the suggestion of civil libertarian constituents, is the locus of real work and debate, and constitutes a possible lever we can use to protect constitutional rights next year, then it demands work, organizing, showing up. One of those assumptions will lead Minneapolis in a positive direction. On to the incident at Friday's Critical Mass. Cam has been a vocal supporter of Critical Mass since before he was elected. He hired a frequent Critical Mass participant as his Aide. When the MPD and Hennepin County Sheriff's office pulled a similar stunt (albeit seemingly less well-coordinated than yesterday's), I was there. Cam empowered me to give my firsthand account on this list and elsewhere of the event. To my knowledge, we were the only Council office to make any public response, and one of two (with CM Gary Schiff) to ride in the next Mass. Our office took some heat for that, from within the MPD, including a veiled reprimand that Cam "needs to control his staff better" from the Sheriff's office and a note from an MPD administration higher-up stating that my message to this list was "bad for Police-Council relations." With all due respect, it is the MPD and the Sheriff's Office who need to better control their staff, and nothing is worse for the relationship between the MPD and at least one Council office than events like this. More on this later. Robin Garwood Cooper Aide to Council Member Cam Gordon
A council member out there blocking traffic with these folks? (including those,
apparently,?trying to obstruct police officers)
I think that itself is very discouraging and unfortunate.
I'm sure there are more details to follow, but what is done to make sure these
people are obeying the rules of the road and not: (a)?harassing the police
officers trying to do their job; and (b)?completely disrupting/disrespecting
traffic and motorists trying to get where they are going?
Anthony Thompson
Standish
So what happened Friday night? The report in Strib reads like something
that was phoned in after a phone conversation with the police. Strib
writer, Joy Powel, apparently didn't even try to talk to any of the
participants or anybody other than the police about what happened. It
is times like this that I'm really grateful for this list. We can
continue to hope that some of the media folks in town start trying to
tell more than one side of the story when 'reporting.'
So, what happened Friday night? The report in the Strib http://www.startribune.com/467/story/1396202.html reads like something that was phoned in after a phone conversation with the police. Strib writer, Joy Powel, apparently didn't even try to talk to any of the participants or anybody other than the police about what happened. It is times like this that I'm really grateful for this list. We can continue to hope that some of the media folks in town start trying to tell more than one side of the story when 'reporting.'
Do we know what the first bicyclist did to get arrested?? Do we know how many
of those arrested are regulars at CM?
Hugh Gitlin
Highland Park
Yes, what is the use of a newspaper like the Star Tribune that just repeats
the one side's press statement. I was part of a legal team that interviewed
the 14 people still in jail this morning from critical mass. The accounts
of the event were very consistent and have no resemblence to the police
account. All of the people were attacked and arrested by police either
randomly or for merely observing with concern others who were attacked by
police for no reason. At least one person arrested was a complete bystander
not even participating in the event. All are credible and have clean
records. We also have statements from over 20 witnesses corroborating that
this incident was completely an act of police aggression. I don't know if
the press will ever report the real story, but it should come out in court.
Jordan S. Kushner
Golden Valley
Robin Garwood: "Our office took some heat for that, from within the MPD,
including a veiled reprimand that Cam "needs to control his staff better" from
the Sheriff's office and a note from an MPD administration higher-up stating
that my message to this list was "bad for Police-Council relations."
This really concerns me, (as well as the Critical Mass incident last night). Do
these messages originate with the Sheriff and the Chief of Police? I realize
that we do not have an open, democratic society any more--if we ever did. But I
read these messages as threats from the Sheriff and Chief of Police to a City
Council Member. Very, very bad news.
WMarks, Central
Jordan,
What you mean <gasp> that the police would lie and those bastions of freedom of
the press at the corporate Star Tribune would simply uncritically repeat those
lies? While ensuring that those possible victims of police brutality be shut
out? Almost reminds one of the media repeating another lie about weapons of
mass destruction.
Why, I am shocked, shocked I tell you. Although the Strib is much too busy
reporting on critical issues such as sidewalks v's no sidewalks in the suburbs.
You would almost swear that the media in this town (and nationwide) was so
corrpted by corporate influence that they would be deemed trustworthy as a
source of information to the public.
Next you will tell me that the media which flat out refuses to inform the
public on events critical to us all is the biggest threat to democracy we all
face.
Thanks "reporters" of the Star Tribune, WCCO, KSTP and all those other
corporate media types. Why without your gallant work, the public may remain
ignorant of the world we live in.
Fortunately, some of us do know already that the corporate media is not even
close to being trustworthy for information, quite the opposite. That is why I
put the Twin Cities Indy media article out there right away.
Michael Cavlan
Powderhorn
And I for one appreciate it Michael. Anyway, for what it is worth, I
plan to show up for next month's Critical Mass ride. I hope word will
get out if one happens sooner than the usual date. Regardless of how
this started, the followup by police afterwards as evidenced by film
footage was excessive and inexcusable.
Peace;
Jessi (Jessica Wicks)
Sheridan, NE Mpls
Jessi,
Thanks and I really appreciate Twin Cities Indy Media also. I shall also be
showing up for the next Crit Mass and I have never been before. See you there.
Michael Cavlan
Powderhorn
Like most of the general public I learned of the Friday night Critical Mass
incident through the blue-tinted lenses of the local evening news. I was
concerned about what went down because I am a supporter of Critical Mass and
know many of its participants and supporters. I have also lived in Minneapolis
for 36 years and know all too well the problems of urban traffic congestion
that Critical Mass protest against. I have also considered myself an anarchist
since I was old enough to know what the word actually meant: a world without
exploitation and borders. Minneapolis Police Department claims that it was
anarchist "provocateurs" that incited the "riot" on Friday night, and this is a
totally familiar story to me. I wasn't surprised to watch local news anchors
repeating this claim pretty much word for word.
Thanks to independent media sources a different picture of what went down is
starting to take shape. Unfortunately it is an all too familiar repeat of a
worn out and poorly directed scene. One overzealous police officer makes a
violent arrest, then calls in "Officer Needs Assistance" as soon as someone
raises their voice in protest. The cavalry responds by charging the crowd with
their vehicles, swinging nightsticks, and dousing anyone with pepper spray who
won't leave the area quickly enough. Anyone looking like a criminal (or
anarchist) is arrested, usually young folks in their late teens or early 20s.
Not actually having committed any crime, those arrested are charged with
generic crimes like Disorderly Conduct and Suspicion of Rioting, evidence of
which the police can fabricate later. In this case nearly 50 cops responded,
including brown shirts from the Hennepin County Sheriff Department and the MN
State Troopers' helicopter (aka "the ghetto bird").
Thinking back I have witnessed this same thing over and over again as far back
as the mid-1980's. This was when the MPD attacked a non-violent anarchist "War
Chest" march in downtown Minneapolis, protesting against corporations that
profit from military hardware. The police claimed on the news that the
anarchists had used chemical agents against them. Quite to the contrary,
earlier that day I had witnessed one group of extremely panicked cops spraying
their fellow officers with mace at point blank range. The news reports also
failed to mention the incident occurred just after a crowd of night-stick
wielding cops attacked the march on the former Federal Reserve Bank Plaza. This
was the first of many times to come where what I witnessed with my own eyes was
very different from what the cops said happened (and was reported by the local
news).
I can think of many other incidents where the Minneapolis cops have broken up
events and similarly over-reacted, too often blaming the "anarchists" for
causing the trouble the first place. In 1994 they attacked the "Freaks' Street
Fair," a legal and permitted event in South Minneapolis, brutally arresting
several teenagers. Eyewitness at that event stated that the police attacked
without warning or provocation. What was intended as a fun, community-oriented,
informational and totally legal event, was shut down by police violence. A year
later a small afternoon bar-b-q was also violently broken up by police in front
of the offices of anarchist magazine Profane Existence, resulting in five
arrests but no charges filed.
In 1997 over one hundred riot police attacked concertgoers attending an
underground anarchist-punk concert at the Bomb Shelter. The riot police were
already assembled in downtown Minneapolis (for security at the Hennepin Block
Party) and raced to the scene after an Officer Needs Assistance call was put
in. That night the police brutally (and randomly) arrested 11 people, beat
dozens more with four foot truncheons, and covered nearly all 150 or so
attendees with pepper spray. They excused their actions by saying that the
police were attacked and pointed out that one of their own, Charlie Storlie had
received a broken arm in the incident. It was later revealed (and documented
on videotape) that police had provoked the incident by spraying the crowded
venue with chemical Mace. Eyewitnesses from nearby businesses also reported
that officer Storlie tripped over an MTC bus bench just outside the Bomb
Shelter entrance, causing his own broken arm. (Storlie gained further notoriety
in 2003 for unloading an M-5 submachine gun into fellow MPD Officer Duy Ngo).
My own involvement in anarchist-alinged projects like Profane Existence, the
Emma Center, Anti-Racist Action, etc. have often resulted in harassment by
local law enforcement. Over the last two decades, myself, my friends, and my
family have been subjected to all kinds of demeaning acts and intimidation
tactics. This has included midnight visits from the MPD, shining their squad
car spotlights into the windows of my home, and taunting threats over their
loudspeakers. I witnessed a friend co-editor of Profane Existence magazine
being seized by the hair by an officer driving a Minneapolis Police squad car
down and dragged a good distance down an alley (this same friend later earned a
PhD in Political Science from the U of M). Once I was even taken from my home
in the middle of the night, without warrant and at gunpoint, for an impromptu
ally side interrogation by the Minneapolis Police. I have been subjected to
humiliating (and illegal) searches, sprayed with all kinds of chemical agents,
and have been have on more than one occasion been beaten by police officers
while in handcuffs. The first time this happened I was beaten by cops in front
of the Super America gas station on Bryant Avenue South and West Lake Street.
While one cop was beating me the other announced to the crowd, "This is your
tax dollars at work" over their squad car's PA system. They then drove me in
the quad car and joked about "taking me to the river." I was eventually dropped
off at Juvenile Detention, but not arrested or charged with any crime. The
people there called my parents and told me I was lucky that I wasn't beaten up
worse. I was 16 when this happened the first time. Keep in mind I have never
once been convicted of a crime beyond a simple traffic ticket. Yet have
routinely been treated like a criminal because of my stated distaste for the
current social-economic system. Even though I am very white I feel I have had a
taste of what discrimination is like, and I feel strong solidarity for other
minority communities who are too often treated as a "criminal class."
This latest incident shows the Minneapolis Police's lack of restraint and
common sense, charging in like rabid bulls when a skinny little black-clad
teenager fails to respect their authority. In the meantime violent crimes are
rampant throughout the city and entire neighborhoods are under the siege of
poverty, prostitution and open drug dealing. The presence of über fanatical
Hennepin County Sheriff's deputies and State Trooper brown shirts will
certainly not help to diffuse the situation either (throwing more state and
country cops at the problem is the typical "Minnesota Nice" way of putting a
band-aid over a problem, instead of solving the the inequity that causes them).
As the RNC draws nearer, I can only see this kind of harassment and
heavy-handedness by local, county and state police increasing. We have recently
been shown the ineptitude of our unelected state and local government officials
in everything from infrastructure maintenance to driving skills. I can only
predict things will get far worse in the next year.
As for the local news reporting, it is as disturbing as it is predictable that
the major news outlets would cover the story entirely from the official police
perspective. This one dimensional reporting only helps the the police cast the
Critical Mass riders as anarchist criminal and not legitimate protesters
exercising their right to free speech (not to mention their right of way). Even
though I risk further police harassment and abuse for speaking up, I vow that I
will be on the streets with camera in hand, to help document police actions at
future Critical Mass rides and other "anarchist" events in coming months. I
will share my information with other independent media outlets and local web
sites. I congratulate others who have already spoken up and uncovered the
obvious official hypocrisies and lies surrounding the events of Friday night.
We are not criminals and should not tolerate being treated as such. Stay
independent. Stay free.
Daniel Siskind
Editor, Profane Existence Magazine
I keep hearing complaints about the media reporting
only the police version of this incident but, so far,
no one has given any other version. Any number of
people here claim to know people involved in the ride
so, tell us, what actually happened?
Is it any wonder that trouble ensues when a group of
bicyclists set out deliberately to obstruct traffic?
I'm all for increasing bicycle usage but I question
the tactics of the Critical Mass people. I haven't
seen the Minneapolis group but I have witnessed CM in
the San Francisco Bay area. There, they were
aggressively obnoxious given to shouting obscenities
at elderly people caught in their pack.
So, please, how about a factual account of what
actually occurred Friday night. Why was the first
rider arrested and what did the rest of the arrestees
do, if anything?
Incidentally, there are some interesting videos of
various CM incidents on YouTube.
Charlie said:
> I keep hearing complaints about the media reporting
> only the police version of this incident but, so far,
> no one has given any other version. Any number of
> people here claim to know people involved in the ride
> so, tell us, what actually happened?
I agree - what we have so far amounts to a series of statements posted
sequentially at indymedia which do not add up to a bigger picture. They
are more like rumors than anything - one unsubstantiated factoid following
another.
I am very sympathetic to CM for many reasons. One is that I find it
highly unlikely that this show of force was necessary, especially with a
multi-year track record without violence on the part of CM. I have also
been wary of Minneapolis police for years, and wondered what it would take
for the white middle class to finally "get" what people of color have been
saying for years. Perhaps this is it. But I do not want to jump on this
issue until I know for sure.
I would like a detailed account that reads more like a news report. It's
been a few days, so I would hope this has settled out some and we can get
the "real" story (not the the police blotter bit that wound up in the
Strib.
Thank you, Daniel, for an excellent post with a great history lesson
from a perspective that is not heard often enough.
In terms of the media, as you said it was terrible but not
surprising. It's such a well-worn groove that I'm only surprised
when a journalist strays from it. I sent the following to Joy
Powell, the Strib reporter who wrote what was probably the worst
piece (not that it will do any good, mind you). It is beyond
laziness to simply report the cop version of these events. It is a
means of perpetuating the very system these precious young people
were protesting against and is the ultimate form of bias:
Dear Ms. Powell:
As an individual who visited Critical Mass arrestees in the jail,
observed their injuries and watched large amounts of video footage of
the incident that resulted in the arrest of 19 individuals and the
injury and violations of rights of many more, I must protest that
your coverage in today's Star Tribune article ("19 bicyclists
arrested after rally turns into melee") was biased and factually
incorrect. It is clear from video images that not only did the
Critical Mass participants remain peaceful and lawful throughout the
entire incident, but that police acted improperly at many points
during the incident. Specific improper conduct includes shoving
bicyclists from behind who were attempting to leave the area, tasing
people after they were in handcuffs and face down on the pavement,
spraying chemical irritant into the crowd at random and without
cause, and singling out individuals with cameras for attack and
arrest. Despite this bad conduct by police, at no time did the crowd
surround the police or incite them, as stated in your
article. Further, it was clear from the presence of a state trooper
helicopter even before the event started that police had planned in
advance to attack this event.
I realize that police give themselves a strategic advantage by
reporting their version of reality to the media quickly, while the
recipients of their conduct are busy securing lawyers, posting bail
and attending to their injuries. However, as a journalist your job
should be to ferret out truth rather than simply rework a press
release from the cops.
Michelle Gross, Vice President
Communities United Against Police Brutality
Minneapolis, MN
I was a member within the crowd, and I'm almost hesistant to post anything in
case the police come to arrest me for blocking traffic. Something a lot of
people, including the police, have glossed over is the fact that it's really
hard to maneuver on a bike within a tight crowd, let alone a panicked one. My
friend fell off her bike and got sprayed in the mouth, and I could feel gas
entering my sinuses. Neither of us exchanged a word with any policeman and
were only sticking around to help out a guy we knew who had just gotten sprayed
in the eyes by getting him water. I have only my mountain biking balance
skills to thank for escaping untouched. That's just one person's account
amongst 200. Maybe I shouldn't have joined the event, but it seemed legitiment
to me- many higher ups from the city have been part of CM and I never
considered it remotely threatening.
Here are some of those YouTube links referenced in an earlier post:
So, let me see if I understand this.
A lawless mob of 400 bicycles (by one report) assembles
with the intent of roaming throughout the city and
disrupting rush-hour traffic. This mob has a history
of minor altercations with the police, both locally and
nationally. And then, some participants are shocked,
simply shocked, when another run-in with the authorities
ensues.
Did I miss something?
It seems pretty clear that the Minneapolis Critical Mass
gathering is lawless, in the sense that it flagrantly,
even aggressively, ignores numerous laws, particularly
those relating to traffic. Things like stopping for
stop lights, stopping for stop signs, and from personal
experience, yielding to pedestrians in the crosswalk.
Never mind accusations that some riders were seen trying
to provoke drivers.
It also appears that the Critical Mass gathering is a mob,
in the sense that it derives a feeling of power from its
numbers. This feeling of power enables it to engage in
behaviors that participants wouldn't think of doing as
individuals (e.g., aggressively disrupting rush-hour
traffic, allegedly trying to provoke drivers,
allegedly trying to "rescue" someone from police
arrest).
The intent of the Critical Mass mob (presuming for a
moment that mobs can have intent) is pretty clearly
to disrupt rush-hour traffic. Obviously, the event
is scheduled for Friday rush hour. And, corking
(circling and blocking traffic to keep the mob
together) appears intended to increase the disruption
of rush-hour traffic.
I am sure that if a similar mob was riding something
less politically correct than bicycles (let's say
a mob of 400 motorcycles aggressively disrupting
rush hour traffic and blatantly ignoring traffic)
the whole city would demand that the authorities
crack down. Probably even demand the governor call
out the national guard, or call the national guard
back from Iraq, or whatever governors do these days.
Having said all that, I am in no way justifying the
police response, in large part because I don't know
what really happened. Rather, I think we all need to be
concerned about the abuse of power and about those who
feel that they can pick and choose which laws they wish
to obey, whether these people are police officers,
elected officials, other government employees and
officials, or lawless mobs (even those on bicycles).
There have been a couple of requests for a more factual report on Friday's Critical Mass from the perspective of CM. The best report I've seen was on Steve Marsh's blog - http://stephenhero.wordpress.com/2007/09/02/blood-on-the-tracks/ As has been stated before - Critical Mass rides have been going on for some time without incident. Why was there suddenly a need for the police to tail the ride with a helicopter? (The silliest answer I've seen was someone who said it's because we have a bridge out). Clearly, the real difference is that this ride included people here from the "<http://www.rncwelcomingcommittee.org/prenc-labor-day-2007/>pReNC" - as Steve points out in his blog entry. Jim McGurie Como
"I'd like to point out--bicyclists don't obstruct
traffic, they are part of the traffic."
That's true of bicyclists but is it true of Critical
Mass? Is the following "obstruction" or just being
"part of the traffic?"
> There have been a couple of requests for a more factual report on > Friday's Critical Mass from the perspective of CM. The best report > I've seen was on Steve Marsh's blog - > http://stephenhero.wordpress.com/2007/09/02/blood-on-the-tracks/ Thank you, Jim. This confirms the real problem here. I want everyone associated with Critical Mass to consider for a moment that they are in danger of being hijacked by a group of people who intend to promote violence. They do not care about CM, they want to use the organization. They are attempting to get you riled up so that you will fight the police alongside them. Did the cops over-react? I'm rather certain that they did. But you can see from Steve Marsh that they had advanced warning and expected trouble? Can you understand how the people who wanted trouble may have even been the tipsters? DO NOT BE DUPED! This is all about getting otherwise quiet people hooked into a movement they would otherwise have no reason to be involved in. Yes, there is a conflict with the cops. It needs to be resolved. But don't get in their faces about this - approach them quietly and forcefully, and demand an apology and all charges be dropped. Let them know that you will not tolerate people using your organization for their own unrelated violent goals, and the cops will make peace with you. I realize many of you are very mad right now. You are supposed to be mad. It's like the people that listen to Hate Radio - they goal is have them stirred up. Are you stirred up? Angry? Ready for action? Well, someone wants you to be that way. Do you know who that is? Steve Marsh wrote about it. Understand who the real enemy is here. Keep your eyes on the prize - safer streets for bicyclists. Don't let the cause be hijacked.
In a message dated 9/3/2007 12:09:19 P.M. Central Daylight Time, <email obscured> writes: "I'd like to point out--bicyclists don't obstruct traffic, they are part of the traffic." That's true of bicyclists but is it true of Critical Mass? Is the following "obstruction" or just being "part of the traffic?" Of course CM is violating traffic law: _http://www.pdwebworks.com/tcbc/tips/bt-mn_bike_laws.html_ (http://www.pdwebworks.com/tcbc/tips/bt-mn_bike_laws.html) That link is the section on bicycling laws in Minnesota. For those who don't want to hit that link, CM is violating section 169.222 subsection 4 parts a & c. Part a specifies that bicycles should ride to the right (with exceptions for passing, left turns, or holes, debris and other things that make riding to the right hazardous. Part c says bicyclist should not ride more that 2 abreast, not impede reasonable flow of traffic, and if a laned road, do not take up more than one lane. Were the police right for beating people, probably not. But to say that CM was minding their own business, that is wrong and it is wrong every month.
I gave another version from the source Twin Cities Indy Media because I KNEW
that all the corporate media like Star Tribune, WCCO, KSTP etc would give only
the police version.
There are other sources for information that the discredited corporate media.
You just have to turn your TV off and not buy the Star Tribune to get it.
Michael Cavlan
Powderhorn
Where is the evidence of anyone trying to promote violence? How is it that
attending a conference to plan protests against the RNC makes people violent
or in any way objectionable? How is it that suspicison of police (which
turned out to be quite justified), makes one violent or a provacteur,
especially where the beginning announcement referred to in the cited blog
emphasized that people should avoid arrest? Furthermore, what is this
"provacation" that police point to which somehow justified violently
attacking and randomly arresting peacefule bicyclists? As far as I can see,
the only "crime" was that some people verbally expressed some anger toward
police, especially after they randomly attacked and arrested people. Under
the constitution, people have a right to their feelings.
There are some who are demanding that participants or supporters of critical
mass immediately produce evidence to support claims of unlawful conduct by
police (notwithstanding that unlike the police, they are not trained to
immediately prepare reports to justify their actions, do not have paid
public relations people with immediate access to the press, and are busy
trying to get out of jail and prepare for likely criminal charges). Yet,
any innuendo by police about participants being violent or just provactive
(which is really all that is claimed), is automatically taken at face value.
I can appreciate people trying to examine the situation rationally and
without bias, but it does not accomplish much when it results in just
blaming the victims and trying to obscure police abuse thate is obvious.
Jordan S. Kushner
Golden Valley
In response to my link to http://stephenhero.wordpress.com/2007/09/02/blood-on-the-tracks/ Erik Hare writes: >I want everyone associated with Critical Mass to consider for a moment >that they are in danger of being hijacked by a group of people who intend >to promote violence. They do not care about CM, they want to use the >organization. They are attempting to get you riled up so that you will >fight the police alongside them. I actually went back to reread Steve Marsh's write up and on the second reading of it I guess he did feel that some of the problem was caused by "outside agitators" from <http://www.rncwelcomingcommittee.org/prenc-labor-day-2007/>pReNC, but I didn't see that the first time because I really doubt that it's true. It reads more to me like the pReNC folks are good organizers. They knew that they'd made it clear that the kicoff for their event this weekend was going to be the CM ride and they knew they police were likely to harass people as a result. Thus, they showed up with cards outlining everyone's rights. Nothing mroe or less then that. ("Taking over" a Critical Mass ride isn't something that's easy to do, incidentally). When reading other factual reports it's clear to me that the only provocation was done by the police. (Admittedly, I don't consider slowing up traffic and making someone five minutes late for "Are You Smarter then a Fifth Grader" to be provocation). If you're still looking for a report that doesn't just toe the Police line I suggest http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2007/08/mpls_police_adm.php#more and http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2007/09/critical_mass_u.php The second report in particular. The one where City pages says they have video of a presumably high ranking officers stating: "Drive down Nicollet, herd the assholes down there. Any blocking of traffic, any blocking of anything, arrest them." Jim McGuire Como
If anyone thinks this looks peaceful, they're delusional. When a LEO
finds him/herself in a situation like this, they are NOT going to just sit
back and see what happens. However it started, this is a situation on the
verge of becoming VERY serious and dangerous, for the cops and for the
bikers.
Kevin Wynn, Dad
Minneapolis, MN
2005 Ural Tourist - "Tripod"
Northern Bikers for Global Warming
I was at the CM ride on Friday but peeled off on Washington near 1st St. when
someone bumped into me and my chain fell off and by the time I got back on
track the group had split.
It was an awesome ride up to that point! There were well over 200 participants
(I'd guess closer to 300.) CM is a celebration of the bike community. And
outside of a few angry guys, there were more honks and shouts of support along
the way than not.
In general I support the police and am not eager to criticize those who do such
a difficult jog. But, I agree with Michelle Gross that the MPD and the
sheriff's department were very likely on the offensive because of the anti-RNC
organizing that was taking place this weekend. This is an important point. CM
happens monthly without incident. That the police were on the offensive means
they were probably going to find someone to arrest at some point--- maybe to
'send a message' to the anti-RNC organizers?
Also, the Star Tribune reported that the officer felt provoked. I'm concerned
that the MPD officers are not trained to remain calm in such a situation. When
I compare this to the provocation that the massers who stop traffic
endure....well, it seems to me there is a training opportunity here for the
MPD. I'm reminded of my mom telling me to not let my brothers "get my goat" as
a teen. I'm disappointed that the MPD didn't rise above that.
This does not bode well for how the police will interact with protesters at the
RNC in 2008. Let's hope it's used as a learning opportunity and not a
precedent for police response to protesters.
OK, a couple of quick ideas for folks-
1) Many cyclists in the Twin Cities area are fine, law-abiding
citizens. I'll grant the bike folks that. I hope they'll grant me
that many aren't- from my own personal experiences, I've had bikes
swerve toward me as I passed them to pound upon my vehicle, been spit
upon by bike riders, and nearly hit several for whom the concept of
"red light and/or stop sign means stop" apparently is a new one.
From what I can tell, it seems the Critical Mass folks are out to
tie up traffic and violate traffic laws to prove a point. OK, fine.
Then expect, as did the veterans of sit-ins in the '60s, to be
arrested, perhaps by overzealous police officers. It's one of the
risks one takes when one chooses civil disobedience.
2) Here's a thought- if troublemakers, be they from your group or
another, start trouble with the police at your protest, either get
the heck out of there or expect mace, tasers, etc. I'm not saying
it's right, or wrong. I'm saying it's reality. Much as many of the
Seattle protesters some years back wanted to claim that they,
personally, had "done nothing wrong" or that it was others who were
violent ("so why was *I* arrested?"), we see here a group of people,
many of whom may in fact have been law-abiding (although
participation in what seems to be a non-law-abiding protest tends to
put the lie to this), caught up in a melee that they perhaps didn't
start, but should have got away from or prevented. Which brings me
to another small point- if you are leading or involved in a peaceful
protest, and you see people trying to start violence, STOP THEM. If
you're truly worried about police brutality, why tolerate people
giving the police an excuse to act?
I grew up in North Minneapolis. One of the realities of that is that
I learned from a young age NOT to start fights/melees/fracases/
confrontations with the police- this is a situation that can not end
well for the civilians involved. You're outnumbered, outgunned, and
out-budgeted in nearly every instance.
I await your flames... ;-)
Here's one posted of more balanced local TV coverage of the arrests from KARE-11: I spent some time looking for New York City videos as Tim Salo and Kevin Wynn suggested and found one on tactics, produced mostly by NYPD, I think: Here's one about differences between Brooklyn and Manhattan CM rides: I was looking at videos of the supposedly more violent NYPD arrests of CM riders and truthfully didn't see anything much worse than our recent MPD actions, even the 2004 RNC stuff. The arrestees looked liked kids throwing a tantrum and the others stereotypical after so many viewings; it almost looked choreographed. I guess the MPD could learn something from the NYPD, but it seems like the cost of dealing with these arrests would be a waste of resources. Of course it is a bit nebulous to make any sort of case based on videos posted to youtube.com, but I did get a sense that NYPD knew what they were doing as compared to MPD. The only other arrests I saw were in California, and pretty tame. I'm a little conflicted about both the event and the response. As a once avid bicyclist, I've ridden in a few mass rides, and they have an incredible sort of energy that surges through the riders and powers various sorts of crowd behaviors, mostly that of moving forward to a destination. Of course all my mass rides were for fun, organized and supported with the consent of local authorities; I paid cash for this fantastic experience, and I'm a bit resentful that these kids are getting it for nothing. CM rides are not paid for by participating cyclists in the same way -- they are paid for by all of us. As long as there are no rides like the one last Friday, I don't much mind paying; a little inconvenience is a small price to pay for the message and experience of CM (I'd do it just for fun if I hadn't developed a modicum of integrity over the years). Still, when I rode more you'd see me ready to go, balancing in place on my bicycle or propped up gripping a standard or someone or something else at a red light, i.e., obeying the law; others have pointed out stopping at lights or other like behavior as impractical in a mass ride, and I agree, but the whole thing is impractical, indulgent even. These scofflaws are making a point, but if we are to give credence to the blog explanation Jim M