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News & ArtsWednesday, July 8, 2009
At Large This One's for All of You Who Feel Like Shoving Critical Mass Riders Off Their Bikes
Posted by Christopher Frizzelle on Wed, Jul 8, 2009 at 10:24 AM
That happened last summer. According to the New York Daily News, that cop was later fired for lying about what happened. Yesterday, the bicyclist's lawyers filed a lawsuit for $1.5 million against NYPD. Attorney Jonathan Moore says his client never would have had a case if not for the amateur YouTube video. The cyclist has left New York City and is living on a farm in Wisconsin.
(Via Gawker.)
1
Ah, Critical Mass and dirty cops. Two things that make life in the city just that much less pleasant.
4
Interesting that the article makes it sound like the cop was fired for filing false reports about the incident, not for actually slamming the guy to the pavement.
I'm definitely not a "never trust a pig" kind of person, but I do think that it's wise for bystanders to videotape interactions with police when they see them... Cell phone cameras and youtube could go a long way in keeping cops honest.
I'm definitely not a "never trust a pig" kind of person, but I do think that it's wise for bystanders to videotape interactions with police when they see them... Cell phone cameras and youtube could go a long way in keeping cops honest.
5
oh Greg, you always stand as a voice of reason around here. Apparently Frizzy's just letting everyone know that if you want to fuck up a CM rider, you just have to make sure there are no cameras around. and @2, if he'd at least body-slammed the guy with the camera, he probably would've still had a job. viva la might makes right, yeah?
6
Will the guy who took the video get a share of the money?
This would just be some anecdote were it not for the video footage.
This would just be some anecdote were it not for the video footage.
7
Ah, satisfying.
I suppose he's going to spend that $1.5mil if he wins on bike improvements and safe-riding classes?
I suppose he's going to spend that $1.5mil if he wins on bike improvements and safe-riding classes?
8
So the cop, who probably has spent his whole life in the city, gets a little rough with the bike hipster, who's really a fucking FARM BOY at heart? Sounds like a lesson learned, not a lawsuit.
9
Just because some cops are assholes, Critical Mass is not right or effective. I am a daily bike commuter who rides year round, and I beg Critical Mass folks to stop what you are doing. You are making things worse for the cause of cyclists everywhere, not better. You might find it fun to go out on your bike once a month and stop traffic; I'm out there everyday and I'm the one that an asshole driver is going to target because of YOUR actions. An intelligent and detailed blog posting on the topic from a Seattle cyclist can be found here:
http://blog.seattlepi.com/velocity/archi…
http://blog.seattlepi.com/velocity/archi…
10
@3 ex-cop, remember. The NYPD, which under normal circumstances, backs up their employees, spat him out like a bad portabella. But if you'd really like to help out a cop that even the NYPD thought was too toxic to hold on to, I'm sure you can google his name and find something.
11
This is tough. Because the cop is just disgusting. But Critical Mass is packed with assholes.
No, wait, this isn't tough. CM rider gets thrown down, cop gets fired/sued... this is the best story I've ever read/watched.
No, wait, this isn't tough. CM rider gets thrown down, cop gets fired/sued... this is the best story I've ever read/watched.
12
There isn't much news here. This video simply verifies what the endless CM thread suggests. Anonymous bullies (or bullies who think they're anonymous) will take every opportunity to harass bike riders. Commenters, please use the next 200 postings to prove I'm right.
13
Looks like both the cop and the critical masshole got what they deserved.
(btw, when this video first appeared, I was completely on the side of CM. Now that I've seen the truth, that CM is filled self-righteous douchebags, I've changed my position.)
(btw, when this video first appeared, I was completely on the side of CM. Now that I've seen the truth, that CM is filled self-righteous douchebags, I've changed my position.)
15
I used to ride in CM, but the fact that the primary purpose was to tangle traffic turned me off after a number of rides in different cities. CM pretty much acts like that asshole in the BMW who thinks he's got a right above everyone else to be on the road. Even if he only cuts you off dangerously once a month, he's still that asshole in the BMW. And for some reason, CMers expect to be treated like matyrs instead of self-righteous asses.
Boulder's got a pretty good model for community rides - every thursday (4 times a month!!!) somewhere between 30 and a couple hundred people set out. The main goal is to have fun and be visible, rather than plug intersections, and it does really well at that.
Sure, Boulder ain't Seattle, but a change in the way CM views itself with respect to the rest of the citizens of Seattle (chicago, NYC, etc.) is probably necessary for any positive change, if only because people will automatically regress to anger and stereotyping when they see the disregard CM has for others. Again, drivers and passersby don't see how awesome it is to bike (I do every day!) during CM, they only see a hundred assholes on bikes instead of in BMWs.
Boulder's got a pretty good model for community rides - every thursday (4 times a month!!!) somewhere between 30 and a couple hundred people set out. The main goal is to have fun and be visible, rather than plug intersections, and it does really well at that.
Sure, Boulder ain't Seattle, but a change in the way CM views itself with respect to the rest of the citizens of Seattle (chicago, NYC, etc.) is probably necessary for any positive change, if only because people will automatically regress to anger and stereotyping when they see the disregard CM has for others. Again, drivers and passersby don't see how awesome it is to bike (I do every day!) during CM, they only see a hundred assholes on bikes instead of in BMWs.
16
@9
Sadly this argument has been tried. But the simple fact that CM riders think that by ignoring all the basic laws of the road they will somehow gain respect proves rationality does not exist in their minds.
Sadly this argument has been tried. But the simple fact that CM riders think that by ignoring all the basic laws of the road they will somehow gain respect proves rationality does not exist in their minds.
17
Isn't CM organized to specifically create conflict? Don't they set out with that as their goal? It certainly doesn't mitigate what this Officer did (btw, it seems from the video he chose to body-check one of the last riders in the mass, rather than one of the first...telling), but it puts it in context. I wonder if the lawsuit shouldn't take into account that CM is there to provoke people; so, when people are in fact provoked, CM should share in the responsibility of their own actions.
18
that looks ALOT like the guy in seattle who got COMATOSE from a flying tackle at Cinerama.
Part of a Cops job is to assess a situation and handle it accordingly. Not take your crap life out on people.
Glad he is fired.
Part of a Cops job is to assess a situation and handle it accordingly. Not take your crap life out on people.
Glad he is fired.
19
AS a bike rider, I would never harrass a fellow bike rider...
Critical Mass is making it harder for bike folks.. another good idea gone totally wrong... raising awareness of biking does not equal harrassing walkers and drivers by violating pedestrian or street laws.
Critical Mass is making it harder for bike folks.. another good idea gone totally wrong... raising awareness of biking does not equal harrassing walkers and drivers by violating pedestrian or street laws.
20
I always wondered why the cop singled this guy out. Was he flipping off the cop, aiming his bike at them, or otherwise taunting them? Not that it excuses the brutal nature of the "traffic stop", but it always seemed odd that the cop let all those people in front of him go and then just decided to slam him.
"A video later appeared on YouTube showing that Pogan was unprovoked when he threw his shoulder into Long's body."
Kind of a dumb thing to say, given there is no record of what the cyclist was doing before he entered the video.
"There is psychological trauma, which explains why he is not living in New York City right now"
Yeah, sure buddy.
Somehow I feel like the guy was being a dick or endangering people, now he's just butthurt (literally... check out that slo-mo replay) that the cop decided to get rough with him.
"A video later appeared on YouTube showing that Pogan was unprovoked when he threw his shoulder into Long's body."
Kind of a dumb thing to say, given there is no record of what the cyclist was doing before he entered the video.
"There is psychological trauma, which explains why he is not living in New York City right now"
Yeah, sure buddy.
Somehow I feel like the guy was being a dick or endangering people, now he's just butthurt (literally... check out that slo-mo replay) that the cop decided to get rough with him.
21
See the smiles on the onlookers' faces? Hear any cars honking out of anger? That's what Critical Mass is typically like. Sorry the fat cop was having such a bad day.
25
Aren't all Critical Mass rallies technically against the law (impeding the flow of traffic)? If so, don't you have to at least plan on being forcibly arrested when you participate, just like you would in any other protest that involves law-breaking? I hate cops as a general rule, and yeah this one used too much force. But you know...ya mess with the bull, sometimes you get the horns.
My advice to this guy is: Stay in Wisconsin, where the consequences of breaking the law and acting like an entitled asshole are assumedly less severe, and leave Manhattan to the adults.
My advice to this guy is: Stay in Wisconsin, where the consequences of breaking the law and acting like an entitled asshole are assumedly less severe, and leave Manhattan to the adults.
26
Car drivers are still by far the #1 cause of death for Americans under 45: more than war, more than heart disease, more than cancer, more than smoking, more than meat, more than murder, more than suicide.
I like the idea of holding "die-in"s during Critical Mass. Instead of just riding bikes down the street, it would make more sense to block a major intersection or a freeway with protesting bicyclists and pedestrians. Purposefully blocking traffic temporarily is harmless compared to the damage done daily by car drivers.
http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/04/27/hun…
I like the idea of holding "die-in"s during Critical Mass. Instead of just riding bikes down the street, it would make more sense to block a major intersection or a freeway with protesting bicyclists and pedestrians. Purposefully blocking traffic temporarily is harmless compared to the damage done daily by car drivers.
http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/04/27/hun…
27
"There is psychological trauma, which explains why he is not living in New York City right now"
He left because he was pushed off a bike? What a pussy... though given the company he was keeping, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
He left because he was pushed off a bike? What a pussy... though given the company he was keeping, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
28
I always wondered if people took to the streets in mass on foot as a sort of "parade" everyone would be so hateful?
There must be something about cars....I won't lie, i feel it too everytime i commute via car....there is just something about being behind that wheel with all that horse-power that gives you the biggest fucking raging power boner and instantly fills your veins with asshole juice.....I feel it too.
yet when i commute by bike or join critical mass....my veins instantly fill with happy juice...i am more kind, i am more forgiving and able to more easily deal with the world around me.
ya'll should try it.
There must be something about cars....I won't lie, i feel it too everytime i commute via car....there is just something about being behind that wheel with all that horse-power that gives you the biggest fucking raging power boner and instantly fills your veins with asshole juice.....I feel it too.
yet when i commute by bike or join critical mass....my veins instantly fill with happy juice...i am more kind, i am more forgiving and able to more easily deal with the world around me.
ya'll should try it.
29
There is nothing that can be said to dissuade you from believing fully that you and your bike are golden.
Until your distribution is managed and delivered by bike, SHUT THE FUCK UP
Until your distribution is managed and delivered by bike, SHUT THE FUCK UP
30
To think that the NYPD is considered one of the world's top "anti-terrorist" forces! Every time I see a police brutality video - and regardless of how you feel about CM, this IS police brutality - I keep in mind that what I'm seeing is TYPICAL (not exceptional) police behavior. So a bunch of you whiners don't like CM. Fine, I can sympathize. But siding with a jock-o-homo police thug or suggesting this biker "got what he deserved" is fucking shameful. Not agreeing with someone's tactics of protest or political position doesn't mean that you have to cheer-on state-sponsored brutality.
31
Watching the slo-mo is good for picking up technique. Keep that shoulder tucked in until impact, then follow through with a forearm shiver.
32
THAT's the ticket! Send them ALL to a nice farm in Wisconsin ... like mom & pop did with good old Scruffy.
33
Your headline assumes a conflict that really isn't there. There's an implicit assertion that because ONE cop shoves a CM rider off his bike, anyone who thinks CM is stupid has the same feelings. That's a bigger fail than CM itself.
All I feel like is figuring out how to make CM riders grow the fuck up and join the real world of responsibility and consequences, rather than just hoping for rights and opportunity without their required accompaniment.
All I feel like is figuring out how to make CM riders grow the fuck up and join the real world of responsibility and consequences, rather than just hoping for rights and opportunity without their required accompaniment.
34
@33 "CM riders grow the fuck up"
I would say a great characteristic of maturity is this little thing called "patience" and "not sweating the petty stuff"
I would say a great characteristic of maturity is this little thing called "patience" and "not sweating the petty stuff"
35
@34 how is putting your joy ride above everybody else not a sign of immaturity?
Why should everyone else be FORCED to be patient with you when you so blatantly do not give a shit about their time? When you unapologetically put yourselves before EVERY BODY ELSE on the road (not just people in their cars).
What makes you so much better than everybody else that when you inconvenience someone it's okay, but when they call you out on it they are immature?
Seems like a pretty backassward way to look at things really ...
Why should everyone else be FORCED to be patient with you when you so blatantly do not give a shit about their time? When you unapologetically put yourselves before EVERY BODY ELSE on the road (not just people in their cars).
What makes you so much better than everybody else that when you inconvenience someone it's okay, but when they call you out on it they are immature?
Seems like a pretty backassward way to look at things really ...
36
@34:
Good point. Patience is certainly not a virtue that CM displays. Consider it added to the list.
Good point. Patience is certainly not a virtue that CM displays. Consider it added to the list.
37
I drive a lot and I don't know what the hell is your problem with CM. Seriously, they blocked/slowed traffic for what, a couple of minutes? Traffic could be blocked or slowed for any number of reasons at any time! It happens! Do you lose your shit when a street sweeper comes along? Probably not. Do you pull over & pummel an ambulance driver when they switch on the siren and you have to pull over to let them pass? What about fender benders? Do you throw a tantrum when one of those diverts traffic? No, probably not. Why does some bikers slowing down traffic for a couple of minutes send you into a frothing rage? Jezus Freakin' Christ, get a grip and grow the eff up already!
38
What a great post. I hate cops. But do I hate CM even more? I'm so torn! Thanks, Christopher.
Both have long earned my hatred, for sure. But cops do some good, sometimes, and I've yet to understand what CM does for the biking community other than harm.
The perfect example of CMs complete lack of a clue is exhibited by @26. What do you think your proposed protest would accomplish? Do you think any driver would say, "Hey! I want to be one of THOSE assholes!" and give up his car?
"Ride Your Bike to Work Month" succeeds at converting drivers to riders. Please explain how CM does the same. Hah! Trick question! That's not CM's cause. Its cause is the undeniable joy inherent in mass lawlessness. And I think that's awesome. But please stop pretending it's about something noble or productive.
I am glad, though, that dude was not hurt physically. And, I hope he wins his lawsuit. See? Torn.
Both have long earned my hatred, for sure. But cops do some good, sometimes, and I've yet to understand what CM does for the biking community other than harm.
The perfect example of CMs complete lack of a clue is exhibited by @26. What do you think your proposed protest would accomplish? Do you think any driver would say, "Hey! I want to be one of THOSE assholes!" and give up his car?
"Ride Your Bike to Work Month" succeeds at converting drivers to riders. Please explain how CM does the same. Hah! Trick question! That's not CM's cause. Its cause is the undeniable joy inherent in mass lawlessness. And I think that's awesome. But please stop pretending it's about something noble or productive.
I am glad, though, that dude was not hurt physically. And, I hope he wins his lawsuit. See? Torn.
39
If any CM folks really want to do something that creates real change, address crap like this:
http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/arc…
If kids grow up seeing bikes as a viable means of transportation, aren't they more likely to think that way as adults?
CM is the equivalent of trying to promote a liberal cause by visiting old folks' homes. Change no minds, and feel better about yourself while the seniors don't hear what you said.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/arc…
If kids grow up seeing bikes as a viable means of transportation, aren't they more likely to think that way as adults?
CM is the equivalent of trying to promote a liberal cause by visiting old folks' homes. Change no minds, and feel better about yourself while the seniors don't hear what you said.
40
NYPD cops will assault anybody for any reason. They're paid shit and the only people that apply tend to be hardcore backwoods racists and bigots.
As for CM, to be honest they seemed a lot more noble a year ago. Now, at least in Seattle, their leadership* just on a crusade to act like the biggest assholes possible. Their M.O. will be the death of the urban cyclist's crusade.
* - and just because there's no official HQ doesn't mean there isn't leadership: Gangs aren't formally organized and they have leadership.
As for CM, to be honest they seemed a lot more noble a year ago. Now, at least in Seattle, their leadership* just on a crusade to act like the biggest assholes possible. Their M.O. will be the death of the urban cyclist's crusade.
* - and just because there's no official HQ doesn't mean there isn't leadership: Gangs aren't formally organized and they have leadership.
41
As one of the leaders of Critical Mass, I have to say that Gomez is 100% correct. In fact, he is so accurate that I suspect he was a mole at the last meeting of the CM leadership!
As he will doubtless confirm, it was a hell of a meeting, during which we voted on our agenda for the coming year. Around 1400 people showed up, naked but for their bike helmets and suits of armor made from fixed-gear lock rings. As always, we drank the blood of an SUV driver to start the meeting then burned his body to appease the Cycle Gods. Our Grand Dragon called the session to order, and that's when the trouble started. Never have I seen such a contentious meeting! We were in danger of splitting into dozens of splinter groups! It seemed like a blood feud would erupt between the Biggest Assholes faction and the subgroup who called on us to be Golden Warriors! Luckily, at the last minute, the Native American Caucus stepped forward with talk of reconciliation and a couple of well-packed peace pipes and they were able to talk us back from the brink of collapse. By the meeting's end, the vote was nearly unanimous. For the next 9 weeks, until the next meeting of the leadership, Critical Mass will be on a crusade to act like the biggest assholes possible. Our M.O. will be the death of the urban cyclist's crusade.
You've got a better handle on the details that I do Gomex ol' pal, so tell me if I'm missing something.
As he will doubtless confirm, it was a hell of a meeting, during which we voted on our agenda for the coming year. Around 1400 people showed up, naked but for their bike helmets and suits of armor made from fixed-gear lock rings. As always, we drank the blood of an SUV driver to start the meeting then burned his body to appease the Cycle Gods. Our Grand Dragon called the session to order, and that's when the trouble started. Never have I seen such a contentious meeting! We were in danger of splitting into dozens of splinter groups! It seemed like a blood feud would erupt between the Biggest Assholes faction and the subgroup who called on us to be Golden Warriors! Luckily, at the last minute, the Native American Caucus stepped forward with talk of reconciliation and a couple of well-packed peace pipes and they were able to talk us back from the brink of collapse. By the meeting's end, the vote was nearly unanimous. For the next 9 weeks, until the next meeting of the leadership, Critical Mass will be on a crusade to act like the biggest assholes possible. Our M.O. will be the death of the urban cyclist's crusade.
You've got a better handle on the details that I do Gomex ol' pal, so tell me if I'm missing something.
42
@37 I would like to address your point about being delayed. The examples you used are like apples and oranges with CM. Ambulances and street sweepers are providing a public service and so as a society we tend to tolerate those events because we understand that they are, in general for the public good. CM doesn't serve the public good in a meaningful way that say, the Cascade bicycle club doesn't do better through advocacy. Therein lies the difference between the ambulance and the CM ride.
I don't agree with violence and I don't advocate for it in any way but to say that ambulances and CM riders are comparable is a false comparison.
I don't agree with violence and I don't advocate for it in any way but to say that ambulances and CM riders are comparable is a false comparison.
47
How about this: next time you're at a hip, locally owned coffee shop, or standing in front of the dropbox or desk at the court clerk, find a couple of people with real jobs and form a "cork" in front of the espresso machine, dropbox, and/or desk. Then get really pissy and possibly violent when the barista/courier can't "chill out" for however long you decide to "cork." Viva la resistance!
48
Or, instead, people who care about cycling could ride their bikes to work along one of the city-designated corridors - such as Dexter - and raise the awareness of car & truck drivers just by their law-abiding presence. As a Dexter car commuter, I've found that co-existing with hundreds of cyclists on my commute has raised my appreciation and awareness of them. Zero confrontation.
49
Let's face it, almost all you Yanks have an unnatural passion for your cars and hate exercise in any shape or form, except when watching team sports of course.
CM is a good excuse to vent about the fact that you are all overweight, fat and ugly, haven't had a shag in months and are unlikely to get one in the future unless you can drop a few kilos which is bloody unlikely given that you can't stop stuffing Big Macs into your hideous maws while driving your gas guzzlers on your way to your crappy jobs that achieve nothing but are the only things in your miserable lives that give you any sort of self respect, and distract you from having to think about what pathetic failures you are as human beings.
CM sound like idiots - but compared to most of you whingers they are veritable Einsteins.
CM is a good excuse to vent about the fact that you are all overweight, fat and ugly, haven't had a shag in months and are unlikely to get one in the future unless you can drop a few kilos which is bloody unlikely given that you can't stop stuffing Big Macs into your hideous maws while driving your gas guzzlers on your way to your crappy jobs that achieve nothing but are the only things in your miserable lives that give you any sort of self respect, and distract you from having to think about what pathetic failures you are as human beings.
CM sound like idiots - but compared to most of you whingers they are veritable Einsteins.
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