Still We Ride: August 2004 Archives

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August 31, 2004

OKI IMC: 6,000 Cyclists a Threat?

Here is a report back from one okie in NYC for the NoRNC convergence. Over 6000 cyclists joined forces for the largest Critical Mass in NYC history, but more than 264 were arrested in a sloppy show of force and brutality that make NYPD look worse than their already poor public image.
6,000 Bicyclists swarm the streets of NYC
Around 6:30pm on Friday, August 27, bicyclists were gathering at Union Square for the monthly Critical Mass ride. This ride was of course special because of the Republican National Convention going on in NYC the week of August 30 through September 2. The Critical Mass (CM)ride was a kickoff for a week of street protests, political gatherings, art and public theater events inspired by a common disgust for the RNC.

The police were present at Union Square passing out flyers with bike-related laws, trying to intimidate CMers from participating in what has traditionally been a ride that follows its own rules instead of the government's.

The ride was amazing, to have 6000 cyclists riding as a group through the streets with people cheering on th sidewalks like a parade. As a cyclist, it feels good to actually feel safe and get respect on the road instead of always being forced to submit to automobile traffic.

We did not see any trouble with the police until the ride went near Times Square, a site temporarily occupied by CM on every ride. We saw an increased number of cops and police vehicles, and barricades along the sidewalks in the area in and around Times Square. The police blocked off Seventh Avenue at 34th street, forcing many cyclists to go back or be arrested.

At least three of the arrestees on Seventh Avenue were National Lawyers Guild Legal Observers, whose job it was to gather the names of arrestees and monitor the police. When the police ordered cyclists to move back, I moved to the side. Unable to move onto the sidewalk because of the barricades, I was grabbed by a police officer and handcuffed (much too tightly) with plastic cuffs. Several of the Legal Observers who were merely attempting to gather the names of arrestees were also arrested in this hasty mass arrest.

Most of the ride continued west on 35th street, if they had not already broken off into smaller groups earlier on in the ride. The police again attempted to blockade the ride,this time with orange netting. Although more riders were arrested, including a couple who walked out of a restaurant with hot take-out food in hand, a couple who had gone grocery shopping and held bags of groceries, and a wall street businessman in suit who had just stepped onto the street to ride to work, most of the Critical Massers escaped.

On 2nd Avenue in the Lower Eat Side, police continued with mass arrests. Some were arrested at 17th and the bulk of the remaining arrestees at 10th street. The ride was over and bicyclists were socializing and looking for places to park their bikes. Some cyclists reported being ordered to disperse in one direction only to be confronted by fierce riot cops ready for a brawl when they did. Officers in riot gear corralled cyclists, refused to let them disperse, threw them on the ground, on vehicles, and generally roughed them up.

The Criminalization of Bicyclists
At least 260 cyclists were arrested that night in Manhattan. Clearly, the cops were looking for a reason to arrest any and all that had a bicycle that happened to be near the Critical Mass ride. Although, the cops have never given NYC Critical Mass trouble in the past, and have even at times provided escorts, on Friday, August 27, NYPD was inconsistent, misleading, cruel, and unfair. At times on the ride the cops told cyclists to stop at lights, at other times they stopped side traffic with a green light so that the Critical Mass could pass. The incidents at 2nd Ave. and 10th street, where cyclists were mass arrested even though the ride was over, clearly shows that NYPD was looking for a reason to mass arrest cyclists.

On Saturday outside Madison Square Garden, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said "They chose to drive 5,000 bicycles through midtown Manhattan. Obviously the government had to respond in some fashion." When people drive many more than 5,000 cars down Manhattan streets everyday causing wrecks, injuries, and air pollution, thats not a problem? Why didn't the "government respond in this manner to any of the previous rides that drew more than a thousand cyclists?

NYPD had prepared a warehouse/ processing station at Pier 57 on the West Side of Manhattan to detain and process up to 1000 protesters each day of the planned week of NoRNC protests. the Critical Mass ride was their opportunity to put this warehouse to use and practice for the upcoming days of action. A big displayed cardboard sign replica behind the processing tables showed arresting officers how to fill out a property clerk's invoice for a confiscated bicycle, further proving that NYPD planned to mass arrest Critical Massers long before the ride began.

In the days that followed Friday, August 27, bicyclists were among the most harassed and arrested of all the protesters. On Sunday, August 29, the bike bloc in solidarity with the big United For Peace and Justice march was harassed, blockaded, detained and arrested from the moment they left Union Sqare. That afternoon, cyclists on Broadway were targeted with harassment or arrest for merely passing through the area during the peaceful Mouse Bloc actions intended to send messages to the RNC delegates going to Broadway shows.

It is not just a matter of bicyclists being targeted as protesters. In a country at war over oil, with a government administration of oil executives, in a city hosting that ruling government's political convention, cyclists are targeted for political reasons. Because bicycles as a transportation option present a threat to the oil and car industry in this country, they have already historically not been given fair treatment and infrastructure in city planning. In NYC during the NoRNC convergence, the targeting of bicyclists for arrest shows that they are seen as a real threat to the powers that be.

For many of the arrestees that night, being arrested was a first. It was my first time being arrested, and although I did not enjoy the experience, it was a learning experience, something that adds another dimension to my understanding of just how messed up this system is. For the wall street businessman and all the other privileged people arrested that night, they now have a taste of what it is like to be among those people all too frequently harassed by police and law enforcement for the color of their skin, the neighborhood they live in, or the way they look.

Story of a Critical Mass Arrest
The other cyclists and I grabbed by the police on Seventh Avenue were never told we were under arrest and never read our rights. When I asked the officer that grabbed me if I was under arrest, he kind of shrugged. While kept in a little pen on Seventh Avenue, reporters swarmed around us asking questions and shoving cameras in our faces. "What's your message?" "What were you doing?"

Gradually, buses showed up. The Arresting officers forced the cyclists and their bikes on the buses. As I was boarding the bus, several bystanders raised their fists in solidarity. It gave me some hope. As the bus I was on headed toward the notorious Pier 57, it attempted to turn right onto a narrow street lined with cars. The warning from the police officers on the bus was too late, the bus hit the Cadillac Escalade parked on the corner causing the vehicle to shake and the alarm to go off. How ironic that the bus full of Critical Mass arrestees hits an SUV on the way to the jail!
Once we arrived at the Pier 57 warehouse, an old bus depot, we were taken off the bus with our bikes by the arresting officers. We waited in line as each cyclist was photographed 3 times and then a photo was taken of the bike. We were searched and our belongings were put in a bag. It felt good to finally get the tight plastic cuffs cut off. We were placed in chain-link cages with razor-wire, each containing two or three wooden benches and a water dispenser. The floor of the warehouse was covered in an oily residue that caused skin rashes on some prisoners and filthy stains on everyones clothes that sat or laid down.

Orders form the top, frustration at the bottom
The police officers were visible frustrated and unhappy with the warehouse process. As I watched the police officers fumble around with the paperwork, bikes, and prisoners, unsure of what to do next, I thought about comments I've heard people make about activist or anarchist groups being unorganized and laughed to myself at the confusion of the police. When my name was called to leave the first cage and go through the tables of paperwork and property confiscation, I heard my arresting officer comment to another that "there's no way this is going to continue like this tomorrow." The younger cops and oftentimes the officers of color were frustrated and disgruntled by bureaucratic process and the orders of the commanding officers, who walked around, barked orders, and chuckled to each other.

It feels good to be free...or sort-of free
On Saturday, August 28th, I was released from jail on a Desk Appearance ticket, with the promise that I would be back to see a judge in a couple weeks. It was great to have jail support people waiting outside with legal aid info, food, and support.

Posted by at 06:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 30, 2004

AMNY: NYC Cycling reaches tipping (boiling) point

Via TransAlt By Paul Steely White

Even before Friday’s Critical Mass bike ride attracted 5,000 riders (and led to more than 250 arrests), summer 2004 was well on its way to going down as the season that New York City bicycling hit the big time.

In May, thousands of twowheelers flocked to over 200 NYC Department of Transportation sanctioned Bike Month events. In July, new bike greenways and bridge paths saw record numbers of users. And today, more riders than ever are signed up for Transportation Alternatives’ NYC Century Bike Tour on Sept. 12.

The bike boom of 2004 shows that New Yorkers will cycle in droves if they are afforded safe and attractive opportunities to ride. And for good reason: Bicycling is a quick, fun, cheap and healthy way to reach your destination.

So it’s no surprise that New York’s monthly “Critical Mass” rides are seeing increasingly large turnouts. In 1992, New Yorker George Bliss first used the term “Critical Mass” to describe the point where cyclists attain ample numbers to tip the balance of power away from cars. To many bicyclists, Critical Mass rides are an empowering way to assert their right to the road.

Other bicyclists, however, see Critical Mass as counterproductive — saying it backs the view that bicyclists are a motley crew of scofflaws who do not deserve a legitimate role in the transportation system. Though no one claims ownership of Critical Mass, there are a few groups who publicize it (www.times-up.org).

July’s Critical Mass ride attracted a record 1,500 bicyclists, enough for the NYPD to consider a shift in their longstanding policy of tolerance, particularly with the Republican National Convention on the horizon.

Indeed, as the RNC drew near, the NYPD warned, “those who wish to continue to ride with ‘Critical Mass’ [must] obey all traffic, administrative and penal laws . . . if laws are broken, violators will be summonsed or arrested.” The stage was set for confrontation.

Friday’s ride was unique in that riders were as intent upon demonstrating their right to the road as their right to free speech and displeasure with President Bush. And to be sure, the NYPD was under pressure to keep order on midtown streets already buckling from intense security and gridlock.

As NYC returns to post-RNC normalcy, Critical Massers are wondering: Was Friday’s crackdown a sign of things to come, or will next month’s ride see a return to the days when police tolerated and even facilitated Critical Mass by providing escorts and traffic management?

What is clear is that bicycling, whether for commuting, recreation or protest, is growing. It’s also clear that the city has more to gain by facilitating bicycling — cleaner air, healthier citizens and a more balanced transportation system — than by stifling it.

Posted by at 07:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Democracy Now! : Critical Mass: Over 260 Arrested in First Major Protest of RNC

From DemocracyNow!

The relevant text:

Some 200 arrests were made yesterday, most of them for disorderly conduct. Over 400 have been arrested since Friday when protests surrounding the Republican convention began.

The first major demonstration came on Friday night when some 5,000 cyclists gathered in Union Square Park for "Critical Mass," a monthly bike ride around Manhattan.

New York police made over 264 arrests that night in several locations along the bike route. Cyclists said the bike ride was peaceful and the police acted unreasonably. Most of those arrested were charged with disorderly conduct and held for 24-hours at Pier 57, a three-story, block-long pier that has been converted to a holding pen for those protesting the convention.

More, including audio and video and transcripts thereof, at DemocracyNow!

Posted by at 06:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 28, 2004

NYCLU Questions Arrests At "Critical Mass" Bicycle Action

From NYCLU

The New York Civil Liberties Union had legal monitors at last night's Critical Mass bicycle ride, which was the largest demonstratiojn of its kind in New York. This event has been taking place for 10 years in the City and largely has been ignored by the police. Whatever the wisdom of cracking down at this juncture, the NYCLU questions the results. We have received scattered reports of wrongful arrests and excessive force. We are also concerned that on several occasions the police failed to give demonstrators required warnings to clear the streets. The NYCLU will follow up on these reports and disseminate what we learn.

Posted by at 06:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

NY Post: 149 Busted in Pedal Pests' Tour de Farce

From W's pet paper, the NY Post By HEIDI SINGER and ZACH HABERMAN

August 28, 2004 -- Some cyclists get rounded up last night on West 35th Street for disrupting traffic. Juan Gonzalez

Police arrested 149 bicyclists last night during citywide protests just days before a wave of activists is expected to storm on the Republican National Convention, officials said.

Bike riders had snaked through Manhattan for the monthly ride known as Critical Mass, but what was usually a crowd of hundreds swelled to thousands.

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said the cyclists had caused "massive disruptions" and endangered drivers trying to get through the city.

Officials said 149 cyclists — 85 men and 64 women — had been arrested, including one for throwing a beer can at an officer. The officer was not injured.

"We gave them every opportunity to comply with the law," Browne said. "Those who didn't were arrested."

It took nearly 45 minutes for the estimated 5,000 bike enthusiasts to clear from Union Square once the group started heading south on Broadway at 7:15 p.m.

The group then splintered off into a number of separate groups that rode throughout Midtown and lower Manhattan for about two hours.

Critical Mass, a bike club, meets on the last Friday of every month to ride through the city's streets.

"Bicycle riding is a political act," said Jimmy Johnson, who spent 12 days riding from Chicago to be part of the group last night. "If I can bike almost a thousand miles to New York, then people can bike to the grocery store."

During the ride, bikers chanted anti-Bush slogans, caused widespread traffic jams and, in some places, argued with drivers.

One SUV took matters into its own hands when it mowed down a rider after being stuck in traffic near West Houston and Mercer streets just after 7:30 p.m., cops said.

The white Land Rover plowed through the cyclists, slightly injuring one man and crushing two bicycles before fleeing the scene, cops and witnesses said. The injured man refused medical attention.

One witness jotted down the SUV's plate number, which Department of Motor Vehicle records identified as being registered to Ill Na Na Entertainment — a record label that represents musicians, including rapper Foxy Brown.

The arrests came a day after 11 AIDS activists were taken into custody after taking off their clothes near Madison Square Garden, demanding that President Bush forgive debt to the Third World.

Posted by at 05:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

CNN: 264 arrested in NYC bicycle protest

From CNN by Jonathan Wald with Jamie McShane

NEW YORK (CNN) -- In the first major clampdown on protesters before the Republican National Convention, New York police arrested 264 people Friday night during a mass demonstration.

About 5,000 cyclists gathered in Union Square Park at 6 p.m. for "Critical Mass," a monthly bike ride around Manhattan, sponsored by environmental group "Times Up!"

Police started making arrests at around 8:30 p.m. in several locations along the bike route, including Madison Square Garden -- the venue for the Republican National Convention. (Special Report: America Votes 2004, the Republican convention)

The cyclists caused "massive disruptions including of people trying to get to the hospital and so we took appropriate action," said NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Public Information, Paul Browne.(Protesters use tech to help organize)

Cyclists said the bike ride was peaceful and the police acted unreasonably.

"It was a very peaceful, friendly occasion, like a parade," said one of the cyclists, Ellie Maxwell.

"Everyone was riding along when police suddenly penned us in and started picking people off," Maxwell said.

"The police actually caused more disruptions than the cyclists because they blocked off roads -- at one point for as long as an hour and a half -- whereas the cyclists were always moving."

Most of those arrested were taken for processing to Pier 57 and will be charged with disorderly conduct, an NYPD spokesman said.

The three-story, block-long pier has been converted to a holding pen especially for those protesting the convention so that city precincts will not be overrun by waves of arrests.

The pier can hold 1,000 people and will remain in operation until the end of the U.S. Tennis Open.

Police distributed flyers at the start of the ride in Union Square warning that anyone breaking traffic laws could be subject to arrest.

The monthly bike ride drew thousands more than usual due to the number of people who wanted to protest against the convention.

"Critical Mass" takes place on the last Friday of every month to promote the interests of bicyclists.

According to its Web site, "Critical Mass's aim is to make people take notice of cyclists as road users."

"Although some obstruction of 'normal' traffic occurs," says the Web site, "we are only seeking to raise the profile of cycling, and put cycling and transport issues on the agenda so that they will not be ignored."

An estimated 250,000 protesters are expected to march from Union Square on Sunday past Madison Square Garden.

CNN Producer Jamie McShane contributed to this report

Posted by at 05:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Indymedia: A Critical Mass Ride Contemplates the Meaning of the Ride

A well-written response to last night's wonderful, infuriating nonsense.

From NYC Indymedia by "johnny"

I participated in the Critical Mass bike ride of August 27, and I have already been asked several times why I did it. After nearly three years of protest, the question sounds ridiculous to me. “Why?” I asked a News One camerawoman who interviewed me in Union Square before the ride commenced. “What, do you live in a cave? Take your pick.” I resorted to my usual response, which I gave by rote, strengthened by the assurance that I was too rational to ever actually appear on the news. I explained that there were important public discussions that weren’t happening, about the war, about globalization, about the environment, and that they needed to happen, and that until I was convinced that they were happening I was going to be making my statement in the streets.

As I rode on, I had the typical afterthoughts and, typically, spent most of the ride thinking of all the things I should have said. What nagged me the most about what I had said was that these discussions were happening. The Internet was stuffed to its infinte brim with discussion boards, news sites, blogs, comics, flash animations. Even the major outlets, the so-called corporate press, were having these discussions. Prominent magazines like Harper’s, and columnists like Krugman in the New York Times, who reached hundreds of millions, all routinely agreed with me. Everyone I knew routinely agreed with me. Countless people had taken to the streets with me to express their agreement, and countless more would later. What, then, was my complaint? Why was I doing this?

The entire article, which is well worth the read, is at NYC Indymedia.

Posted by at 01:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Free Speech Radio Network interviews CM riders

MP3s of four interviews are available at FSRN.

Posted by at 01:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 27, 2004

Village Voice: Wild Scene Outside St. Marks Church

From the Village Voice by Sarah Ferguson

The NYPD has largely tolerated Critical Mass bike rides over the last four years, going so far as to help cyclists block off intersections so the ride could pass by more swiftly.

Tonight’s ride, though, was cast as part of the protest response to the Republican National Convention, and it ended in scores upon scores of arrests.

Citing safety hazards, Deputy Police Commissioner Paul J. Browne maintained that the busts on this ride weren’t political. “When they were happening before, they were obeying the law,” he said. “But in the last couple of months, this group has become increasingly aggressive.”

Browne seemed not to understand exactly what Critical Mass is. For the record, it’s a self-styled organic and leaderless phenomenon, a monthly ride of cyclists determined to reclaim a fair share of the streets from cars.

The rides have been hosted for the past seven years by Time's Up!, an environmental group. Browne got his players confused. “Before, it was these peaceful environmental groups doing it, but they seem to have been taken over by this other group—Critical Mass—that’s basically trying to take over the city,” Browne said, noting that last month thousands of bikers took over lanes on the West Side Highway and FDR Drive.

“That’s bullshit,” countered Times Up! coordinator Bill DiPaola. He argued that Critical Mass has been the same kind of ride month after month, lately growing by about 500 people each time. “I think the police are trying to scare people from demonstrating.”

Between 5,000 and 10,000 bikers participated in tonight's swing through midtown—despite the police having distributed flyers at the start of the ride in Union Square warning that anyone breaking traffic laws could be subject to arrest.

The ride ended outside St. Marks Church, in the East Village, and police in riot gear waded into the packed street, toppling to the ground one young biker who wailed in pain as they bent his arms behind his back for handcuffing. The crowd surged and a moving scrum broke out between police and demonstrators seeking to free the man. Police scooters plowed through the crowd, knocking into more bikers, prompting violent scuffles as a beat cop swung his baton menacingly, waving the crowds back.

Friday night bar crawlers joined the scene on Second Avenue, grooving to a mobile sound system as a police helicopter waved its high-powered beam overhead.

Police officials early this morning said at least 264 people were arrested, either during the ride—when cops strung plastic netting across the streets to corral riders and split up the mass—or on Second Avenue.

Posted by at 05:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

NY Newsday: Bikers Busted in Rally

From NY Newsday By Luis Perez and Pete Bowles with Graham Rayman and Rocco Parascandola

At least 108 people were arrested Friday night when a bicycle rally turned chaotic and riders ignored traffic laws in what became an anti-Bush protest.

The cyclists, part of the Critical Mass group that rallies monthly to promote pollution-free transportation, had been warned they faced arrest if they broke traffic laws but roared through red lights, blocked intersections and chanted anti-Bush slogans.

They were charged with disorderly conduct and breaking traffic laws.

The ride began peacefully as about 5,000 bikers swarmed out of Union Square Park at 7:30 p.m. under watchful police officers who trailed them on scooters and followed them overhead in three helicopters and a blimp on loan from Fujifilm.

As the night wore on and the riders continued to traverse Manhattan, several dozen people were arrested in incidents on Second Avenue near 10th Street, at 34th Street and Seventh Avenue and East 10th Street and Avenue A.

There also was a report of a minor accident involving a Land Rover and bikes at West Houston and Mercer Street.

The rally ended about 9:30 p.m. at Second Avenue and East 10th Street in front of St. Mark's Church, but the bikers continued to block traffic on Second Avenue.

Police in riot gear moved in to disperse the crowd.

The street was cleared by 10 p.m. and several bicycles were confiscated.

Earlier, at East 12th Street and Broadway, a truck driver shouted insults at the protesters as a woman on in-line skates and three men on bikes blocked auto traffic.

"Move it, move it, let's go," shouted the driver between expletives. "You don't even know who is running against Bush."

When the driver was unable to move, he jumped out of his truck, picked up one bicycle and threw it into the street.

Two uniformed officers broke up the argument, and no arrests were made.

Many of the riders — who usually join forces on the last Friday of each month to promote the rights of bicyclists and pedestrians — wore anti-Bush buttons and shouted anti-Bush slogans.

But before the rally began, they laughed at a puppet show in the park that mocked John Kerry, as well as George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.

At Union Square, police handed out fliers to bikers warning that they faced arrest and the loss of their bicycles if they violated traffic laws, rode on sidewalks or rode more than two abreast.

The accident at West Houston and Mercer Street occurred when a motorist and several bicyclists collided.

No injuries were reported but the protesters walked away with crumpled bikes.

Warren Karp, 44, of Cobble Hill, a free-lance theater set designer on a mountain bike, said he was not afraid of being arrested and said that the bikers were being peaceful.

"These people are not the kind of people who are going to fly planes into buildings or blow things up," Karp said. "Most of these people are hard working people."

Although the ride ended at St. Mark's Church, some riders reversed course on Broadway and rode up to Times Square, shouting "Who's Streets? Our Streets."

One truck driver, who was stalled in traffic for 10 minutes, said he disagreed with the tactics of the protesters.

"I don't mind people protesting in a respectful way, but when it starts to harm and hurt people then it's not right," said the driver.

Many bystanders cheered on the riders. Among them was Reggie Bennett, 24, a graduate student at New York University.

"I think people feel that even if they vote, they don't have a voice," he said. "They have to do this."

Staff writers Graham Rayman and Rocco Parascandola contributed to this story.

Posted by at 05:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

CBS-NY: Police Arrest Hundreds Of Bike Protestors

From CBS News

NEW YORK (CBS) In the first major clash between police and demonstrators converging on the city for the Republican National Convention, nearly 250 bicyclists were arrested during a protest ride that snaked through the city and passed by Madison Square Garden.

Bikers chanted anti-Bush slogans, stifled traffic and, in some places, argued with motorists during the Friday night ride, which began at Union Square and drew thousands of cyclists.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said the riders had caused "massive disruptions" and endangered motorists trying to drive through the city. Participants asserted that the ride was peaceful and said the arrests were an excessive show of force.

Police had passed out leaflets to the riders warning them not to ride more than two abreast, and many of them ignored that warning, Browne said. Among the roughly 250 protesters arrested was one who allegedly threw a beer can at an officer, he said. The officer was uninjured.

"We gave them every opportunity to comply with the law," Browne said. "Those who didn't were arrested."

The protest began as a monthly Critical Mass bike ride, but what was usually a crowd of hundreds swelled to thousands Friday, with organizers saying the excursion drew a horde of bikers who wanted to protest the convention.

Bill Dobbs, of the antiwar group United for Peace and Justice, said the monthly Critical Mass ride "has provided joy to bicyclists and bystanders for years now."

"The arrests are completely unnecessary," Dobbs said. "Police needlessly escalated tension. Let us hope that they are more restrained as we go into the convention period."

Rita Kalra explained to CBS 2's Lou Young the message she wanted to get out. "This president and this administration really need to go for this country and the world." When asked if she intended to be arrested, she said "I did not intend to get arrested but it'll be an experience. We’ll see what happens."

While the Friday night event was the largest so far, it followed a day of demonstrations.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of moms with small children, plus some dads, pushed strollers across the Brooklyn Bridge in another protest against President Bush.

"Bush is taking away our children's future. Money for pre-emptive war takes away money from child care," said Malissa Smith as she joined the demonstration by Mothers Opposing Bush.

The group -- called MOB-- was led by a pair of 4-year-olds with their "Kids for Kerry" banner.

"He's the president -- but not right now," said Tiber Worth, holding one end while his classmate Isabella Stevenson clutched the other as they headed across the bridge.

Police had reported a total of 22 arrests in convention-related protests before Friday evening's bicycle procession, including five people trying to stage a demonstration in Union Square using sound equipment without a permit. In a separate incident, a protester was arrested for disorderly conduct in an anti-Bush group walking from Columbus Circle to Union Square, police said.

On Thursday, 11 AIDS activists were in police custody after shedding their clothes opposite the Garden, demanding that Bush help HIV-positive people in poor nations around the world.

Four other young protesters said Friday that they face a grand jury hearing for unfurling a huge anti-Bush banner from the roof of The Plaza hotel on Fifth Avenue a day earlier. The sign had the word "truth" on an arrow pointing north toward Central Park and another arrow with "Bush" pointing south toward the Garden.

Police said an officer needed 38 stitches for a leg wound he suffered at the scene. A fifth person was arrested for passing out fliers on their behalf.

More - including several video interviews - at WCBS-TV New York

Posted by at 05:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

NYTimes: Pressing Pedals and Politics, Cyclists Ride Against G.O.P.

From NYTimes By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD

With a cacophony of bells, whistles, and guttural screams - and plenty of anti-Republican National Convention attire - several hundred cyclists rode through the streets of Manhattan last night in a display of bike power. More than 50 of them were arrested near Madison Square Garden on charges of blocking traffic, the police said.

Despite tension over police warnings to obey traffic laws against blocking vehicular traffic and running red lights, the cyclists did just that in a meandering course that started at Union Square and wound its way to the West Side, Central Park, Midtown and the East Village.

When the riders rode south of Seventh Avenue past the Garden, where the convention will be held from Monday through Thursday, they chanted, "No more Bush." An hour and a half into the ride, the police patience appeared to grow thin, as helmeted officers dragged netting across Seventh Avenue and 14th Street to block the ride. Hundred of cyclists at first gathered by the net and then most turned west down 14th Street and south on Greenwich Street and kept riding toward the East Village.

The ride is known as a "Critical Mass," a bike ride that claims no organizers and simply materializes, thanks to leaflets and Internet messages, the last Friday of every month. The rides have been held in New York for the past several years, and are usually tolerated by the police, who in the past have cited only a few riders for traffic violations and have sometimes even escorted the group.

The rides are meant to protest cars and their pollution, but the ride last night was advertised as the "R.N.C. Critical Mass" and scores of riders wore clothes or carried signs with messages against the convention and President Bush. Others wore fanciful attire, like a woman who rode in a peach wedding dress. One woman pushed her friend in a shopping cart.

Abby Lublin, a 28-year-old school teacher from Brooklyn, decorated her bike with a bust of Mr. Bush, hanging by a rope, attached to a milk crate.

Dick Camacho, a photographer, wore a rainbow cape with the message, "We the people say no to the Bush agenda." But like most riders, he emphasized the desire to send a message to motorists.

"It's a rush to see bikes take over the streets," he said.

Before the ride began, police officers distributed fliers outlining traffic laws related to biking, and a commander this week had sent a letter to a leading bicycling advocacy group expressing concern about the growing size of the ride and increasing traffic-law breaking.

Several police officers trailed riders in the front of the pack, which broke up into at least two masses shortly after the ride began around 7:15 p.m.

Bicycles could form a pivotal part of the coming protests related to the convention.

Apart from the ride last night, the environmental group Time's Up! has called for a "Bike Bloc" tomorrow "in solidarity" with the large antiwar march organized by United for Peace and Justice in Midtown. The group suggests riders meet at Union Square before the march for details on the ride.

The group also plans to ride around ground zero tonight during "Ring Out the Republicans," a protest expected to draw people ringing bells, and on Tuesday, a day expected to be devoted to civil disobedience, cyclists are expected to conduct "actions."

Times Up! has also prepared several bikes to be used by "street medics," legal observers and food servers during convention protests, legal and not.

"The main thing we are pushing is that bikes need to be thought of as an integral part of how people get around," said Brandon Neubauer, an organizer with the group. "We are just trying to raise awareness in the city that bikes need to be looked at and respected."

The group has in the past few weeks been operating a makeshift workshop in a storefront at 49 East Houston Street, strewn with bicycle parts, fast-food containers, anti-convention posters and leaflets and T-shirts with messages like "One Less Car." It has become a gathering place for young radicals who prefer anonymity.

Mr. Neubauer said he did not believe bicycles block traffic "because we are traffic. We are reclaiming public space."

Even before the ride began yesterday, the Police Department issued a statement to bicyclists about the rules of the road, warning that it is illegal to ride in a procession on public streets without a permit or ride outside of designated bike lanes.

Earlier in the week, Michael Scagnelli, chief of transportation at the department, sent a letter to Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group promoting bicycling, walking and public transit, warning that police would not tolerate lawbreaking during the rides.

"On an escalating scale, those riders are breaking numerous traffic laws," he said.

But organizers of the rides said most people were law-abiding, and suggested the police chose to crack down because the ride last night was expected to be larger than usual in light of the convention. The ride was promoted on fliers as the "R.N.C. Critical Mass."

Critical Mass rides began 12 years ago in San Francisco and have since spread to more than 300 cities around the world, organizers say. Rides have been organized for the last eight years in New York, and only occasionally have riders received tickets, said Bill DiPaola, an organizer with Times Up!, a biking environmental group that helps organize the rides.

"Most of the time the police accommodate us," he said.

They have grown over the years from a few dozen to several hundred. Last month, there were more than 1,000 - some say 2,000 - participants.

Paul Steely White, of Transportation Alternatives, said he believed the growing size of the rides had aroused police concern because of the blocked traffic, a particularly sensitive matter as the convention begins. He said the group had no formal connection to the rides, but dozens of its 6,000 members participate.

"We saw it coming as the rides have been growing," Mr. White said, adding that he found it paradoxical that any crackdown on riders would come at a time when the city's Transportation Department has advised people to use bikes as an alternative because of the expected heavy traffic near convention sites.

Posted by at 05:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Reuters: Anti-Bush Activists Launch NYC Convention Protests

From Reuters By Mark Egan

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Thousands of cyclists brought traffic in midtown Manhattan to a virtual standstill on Friday in the first significant protest ahead of the Republican convention at which President Bush will be nominated to run for a second White House term.

Thousands of cyclists swarmed down Broadway from Central Park in a parade stretching more than a mile on Friday evening -- a time when the area is typically crowded with theatergoers and people out for dinner and drinks.

The protest lasted several hours, with many chanting "No more Bush," and was the first sizable demonstration ahead of the Aug. 30-Sept. 2 convention. Many locals in the mostly Democratic city stopped to applaud the cyclists as they passed through a bustling Times Square.

At least 30 cyclists were detained and handcuffed at various locations along the route after small altercations between riders and motorists who were irritated at the congestion, according to Reuters witnesses.

The New York Police Department said it had no immediate information about arrests.

The event was mounted by a group called Critical Mass, which wants to boost the rights of cyclists in traffic-clogged city streets and holds its rides in cities around the world on the last Friday of each month.

More demonstrations are expected in the coming days.

The biggest anti-Bush protest is set for Sunday, when more than 200,000 are expected to march to decry the Bush administration's economic policies, the war in Iraq and what they see as the erosion of civil liberties at home after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

The group organizing Sunday's march was denied a permit to rally in Central Park on the grounds such a large crowd would damage the grass.

An unprecedented security effort has been put in place to protect the Republican convention after Washington said the event, and last month's Democratic convention in Boston, were possible terrorist targets.

Posted by at 05:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Indymedia: First notes on the [August] Critical Mass

From NYC Indymedia

The first wave of posts on tonight's Critical Mass have come in. The ride was New York's largest critical mass, with well over 5,000 bikes.

Gathering at Union Square in the middle of Manhattan at 7 p.m. and departing at 7:30, oil-free transportation stretched across all horizons around Union Square. First pedaling south down Broadway and then rerouting north on Madison and Sixth avenues, Critical Mass consisted of a 45 block long brigade of cyclists, skaters and pedestrians. The ride lasted about 2 hours, performed its traditional occupation of Times Square and rode past Madison Square Garden (MSG), site of the RNC.

Approximately 800 Critical Massers ended up at St. Mark's church in lower Manhattan, sanctuary for the protest and home to much of the organizing for the counter RNC mobilizing. Upon arriving at the church, the Critical Mass riders hoisted their bikes into the air, waving them overhead as they unleashed a long unified victory cry.

The celebratory mood at St. Mark's lasted only fifteen minutes though before police moved and began arresting participants. Critical Mass riders elsewhere were caught and arrested by New York City Police along the way. Several riders were taken down after passing MSG, dozens more were arrested at the Lincoln Tunnel.

Video of the evening being processed by the Indymedia Center right now shows the regrettably predictable violent nature of the arrests. Caught on tape are images of protesters being thrown off their bicycles, heads beaten into the asphalt, then cuffed with plastic flexi-cuffs. Pedestrians milling about also unfortunately fell victim to the cops, getting pulled off the street and arrested too. The latest reports put the total amount of arrested riders and bystanders at 250 people.

Lots more (several stories, pages of photos, and videos) at NYC Indymedia

Posted by at 05:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 25, 2004

Indymedia: Critical Mass Subject to Police Harassment