Critical Mass Rider vs Police Officer
- Thread starter SixSider
- Start date
Jesus Christ.
It's against the law to photograph or videotape cops? You can be forceably detained if you do so? (The very last moments of that clip are especially heartbreaking.)
Smart way for the cops to stop the only proof against their conspiracy to lie on their arrest reports.
Cops are out of control. Way to destroy any goodwill that those who came before them built up after Sept 11.
It's against the law to photograph or videotape cops? You can be forceably detained if you do so? (The very last moments of that clip are especially heartbreaking.)
Smart way for the cops to stop the only proof against their conspiracy to lie on their arrest reports.
Cops are out of control. Way to destroy any goodwill that those who came before them built up after Sept 11.
You seem to like conspiracy theories you can't prove.
While the police may have a few douchebags, it's their job to uphold the law.
Critical Mass' main purpose is to be a mob and while all their members may not be jerks, the purpose of the mob mentality is they can be douchebags and have numbers to back them up.
I just think they give cyclists a bad rap
While the police may have a few douchebags, it's their job to uphold the law.
Critical Mass' main purpose is to be a mob and while all their members may not be jerks, the purpose of the mob mentality is they can be douchebags and have numbers to back them up.
I just think they give cyclists a bad rap
Last edited:
Cops conspired to give false arrest reports in this and many other instances. The proof is in these videotapes that surface that give a different version of their facts.
Also, why are you posting on this board? This is the NY board. And most new yorkers has heard first hand accounts of how the police are out of control. I've heard a lot of stories especially lately about the abuse of power. Even videotaping them puts you in serious jeopardy.
This isn't about critical mass. It is about police brutality caught on tape, and falsified police reports to justify illegal arrests, illegal activities by those who we pay to enforce our laws. It's not confined to critical mass.
Also, this is the New York board!
Also, why are you posting on this board? This is the NY board. And most new yorkers has heard first hand accounts of how the police are out of control. I've heard a lot of stories especially lately about the abuse of power. Even videotaping them puts you in serious jeopardy.
This isn't about critical mass. It is about police brutality caught on tape, and falsified police reports to justify illegal arrests, illegal activities by those who we pay to enforce our laws. It's not confined to critical mass.
Also, this is the New York board!
I don't know. According to the website, "Critical Mass is intended to be a celebration, not an opportunity to cause trouble. Those who want to try to tie up traffic as much as possible and be confrontational with motorists are missing the point."
Where did you get your theory that their purpose is to be a mob so that they can be douchebags? Is this a theory you can prove?
Where did you get your theory that their purpose is to be a mob so that they can be douchebags? Is this a theory you can prove?
As someone who is constantly harassed b NYPD, specifically times square cops, i am not at all surprised by this....I was arrested, and not peaceably the day after christmas, for standing frozen like a statue in rockefeller center. the cop did not nicely place the cuffs on my wrist, rather, he grabbed me from the street side of the sidewalk and flew me up against the TUMI store about 10 feet from where i was standing, he "let it all out" if ya know what i mean. i was put in the bullpen for an hour and released with a dis con ticket and then greeted by the cop who did it to me...he told me, i need to have respect for the uniform, and because i didnt show him the proper respect, he had to do what he had to do....for being a statue people....if i had a nickel for every asshole cop i have dealt with in times square in my 3 years a as a street performer....let's say, i'd probably have like 2 cappuccinos from starbucks...VENTI'S people.
As someone who actually sees them around all the time, I've never seen them be anything but exuberant. For a moment, as they pass, cyclists get to move freely instead of being run off the road (or killed) by inattentive motorists. People are generally happy to see them, except one or two road rage-addled drivers behind them who hate having to slow down to ten miles over the speed limit.
Not all of them, but I'm inclined to agree to a point, and so I stopped riding with them. I've been told by riders how they hate all cars as if that's the problem, I've heard riders consider keying SUVs along the way, and no one stops for the lights and will block intersections, but there's a desire to show bikers are also traffic. Wha?
I'm actually inclined to agree with this -- partially. I truly believe that private auto use, especially in dense urban areas, contributes to a host of ills ranging from pollution to social alienation, and that cycling, along with strong public transit, is the way out of our oil-hole.
But I will concede that seeming confrontational, as Critical Mass has a way of doing, tends to alienate people who are on the fence about transportation issues. Militant cyclists (and really, militants of any kind) just end up polarizing the issues so that people are either "for" or "against" bikes. Cyclists who menace pedestrians (I'm looking at you, messengers and delivery people) do cycling no favors either.
But I will concede that seeming confrontational, as Critical Mass has a way of doing, tends to alienate people who are on the fence about transportation issues. Militant cyclists (and really, militants of any kind) just end up polarizing the issues so that people are either "for" or "against" bikes. Cyclists who menace pedestrians (I'm looking at you, messengers and delivery people) do cycling no favors either.
I stand corrected... I have not seen any of them being assholes. I have, however, routinely seen cops being assholes.
Some people, it's true, seem more into protesting as a means of getting out their aggressions. Unfortunately, they give the stubborn and the simple-minded the license they were looking for to discount the message of the entire event
Some people, it's true, seem more into protesting as a means of getting out their aggressions. Unfortunately, they give the stubborn and the simple-minded the license they were looking for to discount the message of the entire event
I will agree that there are certainly individuals who ride in Critical Mass who totally miss the point. Heck, one of the reasons I didn't do much for the diotarod this last year is that I think some people miss the point ("Look! And excuse to vandalize!" ...dicks...).
One the other hand, target the abusers, not the random rider. Just as the individual police officer (and any who may have helped by falsifying reports (if that happened)) should be punished, not the vast majority of the NYPD.
One the other hand, target the abusers, not the random rider. Just as the individual police officer (and any who may have helped by falsifying reports (if that happened)) should be punished, not the vast majority of the NYPD.
hey, remember this?
cop got fired:
http://gothamist.com/2009/02/20/cop_in_famous_bike_shove_video_is_f.php
charges against the cyclist have been dropped, while the cop's looking at misdemeanor assault and felony filing a false report:
http://gothamist.com/2008/12/16/patrick_pogan_alleged_cyclist_bodys.php
that all seems about right to me.
cop got fired:
http://gothamist.com/2009/02/20/cop_in_famous_bike_shove_video_is_f.php
charges against the cyclist have been dropped, while the cop's looking at misdemeanor assault and felony filing a false report:
http://gothamist.com/2008/12/16/patrick_pogan_alleged_cyclist_bodys.php
that all seems about right to me.
It is good to see justice happen every once in awhile. :banana:
A lot of good can come of this. Maybe cops will be a little less bullying, and maybe former officer Pogan will find his true calling in life, which can't possibly be to protect and serve. Maybe he'll work for Blackwater or whatever they call themselves now. Is midget tossing a profession? He could look into that, as it seems classy enough for him.
A lot of good can come of this. Maybe cops will be a little less bullying, and maybe former officer Pogan will find his true calling in life, which can't possibly be to protect and serve. Maybe he'll work for Blackwater or whatever they call themselves now. Is midget tossing a profession? He could look into that, as it seems classy enough for him.