Op-Ed from NY TIMES

Mayor Bloomberg will probably waltz into another 4 years at the helm of New York City winning in November as mayor. It is unlikely that any of the democratic candidates will mount an effective retaliation and rather Bloomy will win by default, not to mention that he has the most cash and can fund his own level of exposure through multi-lingual ad campaigns. Is it asking too much for a little back bone from the democratic party, to question the current mayor on our economic situation? The fact that couples with combined incomes of around $200,000 a year are being priced out of Manhattan where the average price of a home is listed at 1.2 million? A recent survey states that there are more poor people in NYC and our mayor has been focused on economic development for rich developers and sweetheart corporate deals for useless things like the Olympics and sports stadiums. The other thing the mayor should be held accountable for, enough to cost him the election is his blatant disregard for the city dwellers civil liberties. It was one year ago that Bloomy brought his pals the Republicans to town and locked up all the demonstrators in a toxic bus depot for 36 hours. The mayor’s basic policy about expressing your first amendment rights is: It’s ok to protest as long as you are not foolish enough to try it. We have seen this punishment continue into the cyclists with a one year attack on the critical mass. Bloomberg should be asked: “why are willing to spend our tax dollars so cops can arrest bike riders on the last Friday of every month this year?” “Why is the city so stubborn to create safe infrastructure for pedestrians and bike riders at a time when the price of oil is $3.00 a gallon and due to our foreign dependence on oil we are occupying a hostile country in the middle east spreading terrorism around the globe. That this obsession for the car is screwing up our climate so badly that the City of New Orleans is now underwater and pedestrians and cyclists are being mowed down in on the streets on a daily basis by cars and trucks? Hmmm do you think we have a problem here? So I blame Bloomberg but who do I have to turn to as a replacement? Who has other ideas about how to run this city and can contextualize them into some cohesive plan of action?

I think we must focus our attention on a more local, more winnable strategy. This is why I endorse Norman Siegel for Public Advocate. Lets put a little fire under the administrations belt and turn a silent job into one that makes noise.

Here is an op-ed from the NY Times.

OP ED

Critical Mass in Village Voice

Village Vocie article

Ahh, so much going on.

On Friday afternoon, befor the critical mass, Freewheels held a press conference and invited Mayor Bloomberg to come on the ride. He was also presented with a copy of "still we ride." Of course, he wasn't around. New York 1 story on the press conference

Thanks to John Huntington for the headsup on the press.

also check out and audio interview:

wnyc audio interview before critical mass

Sounds like there is a critical mass in DC on Sept 23rd, the weekend of the anti-war demonstration. More on this to come as it develops. Probably be some New Yorkers wanting to go down Friday and ride.

Emily Farris wanted this posted:

Her blog is eefers on bikes

John Birdseye sends this article from Seattle Post:

bikes and cars

Don't forget, Climate change is just a myth made up by wingnut scientists with all these crazy cold hard facts as Louisana sinks into the Gulf and Hurricane Katrina devestates the South. Keep driving those hummer...God Bless America.

Oh no. Not you too Mayor Mike.

Bike Pool

So lets say we start an NYC bike pool...what meeting spot and route works best for people?

Photos of Critical Mass, August ride

pictures from: fred askew

Criminal Mass, August 2005...49 arrested.

It sounds like the same ol story only worse. A group of people decide to ride their bikes together on the last Friday of the month, like they do in over 300 cities around the world...blah blah blah, I'm starting to sound like a broken record. Well something is definitely broken...our democracy. I couldn't attend tonight's ride because I had to work and then go to a screening of a film I helped make called, "warriors, the bike ride." I was conflicted though, because I feel the monthly critical mass is important and needs to be attended. The city of New York has been waging war on bike riders since the huge critical mass ride last August when over 5,000 people were in attendance. This is when the NYPD felt a once peaceful ride of friends and family had gotten taken over by the ACLU and anarchists and specifically become a political protest with no other purpose then to disrupt traffic and New Yorkers Friday night commute. "It's right before the Republican National Convention (2004) so it must be about people who hate Bush, who hate the war, who love Saddam, who hate all forms of motor vehicle traffic." This is not an actual quote but it seems to be idea of the attitude of the NYPD and their misconception to what critical mass is all about.

Last night's ride sounded like a slaughter. Within 8-10 minutes of people leaving Union Square the cops swarmed in and made arrests. Meanwhile I was sitting in an automotive high school, outdoors in a side grassy lot watching movies about biking. Rooftop films and the National Lawyers guild were having a fundraiser for the legal defense fund to raise money for those arrested at critical mass. If you decide to fight the ridiculous charges placed upon your arrest at the mass, it will cost you money. Many people end up taking the ACD (adjournment contemplating dismissal) often, because they don't want to shell out the $500-$700 it will cost you...which is a modest fee charged by the lawyers who graciously take on these cases. Rooftop films has been screening independent shorts and features on a roof in Bushwick Brooklyn for nine years. They are dedicated to providing a place for film and video makers to show their works. The decided to host the bicycle film festival which has been in existence for 5 years. Brendt Barbur ,festival director, attended the critical mass when it was starting as an experiment in San Francisco some 12 years ago. Then he moved to New York City and with a short amount of time of learning to bike the dangerous streets, he was seriously injured by a van door. This motivated him to do more than ride in critical mass. He wanted to create a film/video festival for art that is solely based upon our two wheeled friends. This festival is now in San Francisco, London, LA, and Tokyo. Last night's screening was highlights from 5 years of festivals included the great documentary, Still We Ride The three video makers Chris Ryan Elizabeth Press and Andrew Lynn were able to contextualize the entire situation of critical mass in NYC in one 40 minute movies. I highly recommend getting a copy of this video and showing people that the cities war on bike riding is way more involved then just critical mass. I talked with Andrew and he said he was spending some time in England and would be there to attend the Bike Film Festival in London and had set up 7 other screenings throughout the British Isle.
After the films screened we got up in front of the crowd to answer any questions people had. Most of them were legal questions. Gideon Oliver, who has been working on our cases, explained the best he could about the current situation, and then he got a cell phone call. It was the New York Times wanting to confirm the arrest numbers tonight...49 seemed like the right estimate...so it went into the public record. I strolled to the back towards the free wheels table and talked to someone who was on the ride. He explained that there were cops everywhere. Nobody had a chance. Here is the article from the NY Times

Monthly Mass Bicycle Ride Leads to 49 Arrests in Manhattan
By Jennifer Lee and Matthew Sweeney
Published: August 27, 2005
Forty-nine bicyclists were arrested last night in Manhattan at the monthly Critical Mass ride, the police department reported.
The rides are described by their organizers, the environmental advocacy group Time's Up!, as a demonstration to promote the use of transportation other than cars. The ride at Republican National Convention a year ago swelled to more than 5,000 riders, several hundred of whom were arrested. Since then, the rides have become a point of contention with the police.
Last night's arrests took place in at least four locations: Astor Place; Houston Street and Second Avenue; West 18th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues; and along West 34th Street. The captain who was overseeing arrests at Astor Place said the bicyclists were being charged with parading without a permit, disorderly conduct and obstructing traffic.
The Bloomberg administration says that the rides are large and not spontaneous, and thus require a permit. Lawyers for the city have requested an injunction against the rides. No ruling has been issued, but Time's Up! is in discussions with city lawyers.
The bicyclists, who have split into different starting points since the police confrontations began, began riding last night around 7:30. About 250 cyclists started in Union Square with 15 officers on scooters behind them. As that group moved through the city, officers from different directions converged on the group and bisected it, arresting bicyclists.
Time's Up! says that because the rides are demonstrations, they are subject to free-speech protections.
"People have a right to ride their bicycles on the street of New York," said Norman Siegel, a lawyer who represents the group. He is also a candidate for the city's public advocate.
"I'm calling on Mayor Bloomberg to intervene," Mr. Siegel said. "He has to tell the police department to chill."
-------------------------------------------------------

Let's hope Norman Siegel can give them hell if he wins public advocate


So if that's true and there were 250 or so on the ride, the police's tactic of intimidating the ride and picking away at it with arrests each month is working to diminish our numbers.

Will it work and make the ride stop completely?

I'm not sure anymore. I know I feel weird in telling people to go. "sure its great fun, but you might spend the night in jail and lose your bike for a while." I hear myself speak and I think about how this is exactly what the cops want.

Now we have to think about an alternative and how we continue in this struggle. Meanwhile the police fight dirty in true NYPD fashion. They twist the law, the arrest you even if you stop at red lights, the lie about where to go, they arrest you even if you haven't left Union Square.

Do we now apply for a permit and stick to a designated route and hopefully tire out the cops with our monthly vigilance? Maybe its time we have to act like good little drones and ride in order. We all know what would happen if we applied for permits in this town, something the city claims is all it would take to make the police back off. First off the city would drag its feet until 5 minutes before each ride like they do when we apply for the sound permit at each speak out. Then no one would be able to agree on a designated route because the police would offer us like 2 blocks and when we complained they would say "the whole thing is off, these people are being to difficult."

We can also look forward to 4 more years of Bloomberg because it's August and I don't see one opposing politician even coming close to making a stink about anything. So Bloomey knows he just has to keep his mouth shut until Election Day.

The world carefree network is starting a letter writing campaign to the mayor to stop the harassment of cyclists.

One tactic is maybe to ease off the critical mass and try and let things die down. Maybe we should all gather in Union Square Park the last Friday of each month and just listen to speakers and make that a free speech zone. These are difficult things to swallow and I'm not sure how committed people are to not riding. The other thing to do is support biking even more. Let's have National cycling appreciation month, let's have another bike week, how about Bike Fall. Let's support Time's Up and all the FREE bike rides they put on every month. Let's have a thousand people attend the moonlight ride through central park. We know the police will just shift to that, but hey let's make them. The worst things we can do as a community is stop riding our bikes.

Here are some posts from NYC indymedia

By NYCBKR
The New York Times is reporting 49 arrests during last night's Critical Mass ride. I witnessed about twenty arrests at St. Marks and Third Ave. The Times also lists Houston St./ Second Ave., w. 18th St. and W. 34th St. as arrest locations.
Earlier, as the ride proceeded along Greenwich Ave. towards 7th Ave. the NYPD attempted to block the front of the ride with vans while undercover officers on bikes aggressively chased cyclists. There was no warning given by the NYPD and their actions caused panic among peaceful cyclists who were forced to ride into oncoming traffic and risk their lives in order to avoid the trap.

I fear that it will take the serious injury or death of an innocent cyclist before the likes of Bloomberg, Kelly or Smolka come to their senses and call off these reckless monthly escapades by the NYPD.

The actions of the City through the NYPD affect not only cyclists but potentially all forms of Free Speech in NYC, not to mention the waste of our valuable resources and public funds in executing these monthly crackdowns. Keep in mind that the NYPD are not enforcing traffic laws during the ride. They are arresting cyclists and charging them with parading without a permit. The City/ NYPD wishes to control all activities in the public square and streets. As soon as you step ontside your door they want to dictate who, what, where, when and how.

If you believe in Free Speech then please contact the mayor, mayoral candidates and your city council member. Let them know:

1. You want the NYPD to stop arresting the peaceful cyclists who continue to ride in CM.
2. You want all charges against arrestees awaiting trial dropped.
3. You want the City to drop its lawsuit against Times-Up!
4. You want the NYPD to facilitate the ride as they have for years before August 2004, as is done in Brooklyn and in cities all over the world.

Respect to all those who continue to ride and to all fellow arrestees.

Still Ridin'
Aug 27, 2005 03:31AM EDT
Robot Rider
Just got home after ten minutes spent on the ride, an hour in handcuffs, and three more spent in a cell in Alphabet City. Rider solidarity was strong, but there's little even numbers can do when facing down a shield and a gun. There was at least one cop for every arrestee, maybe more, where I was. I got nabbed at the St. Mark's/Astor Place corral, but folks I talked to after getting out said they were caught on Houston and Ave D, and 8th Ave around 18th Street. The cops ran up with no warning, very quietly with minimum fanfare, which I guess allowed them to pick off riders at the front and back of the pack for some time. Their tactics are evolving and so should ours. Even the cops who arrested us admitted that the entire procedure was a waste of everyone's time.

I was charged with parading without a permit. I guess the irony of a phalanx of police vehicles blocking off traffic for almost an hour on St. Mark's is lost on those who say CM riders fuck up motorized vehicle traffic. Look, we have to take away every political aspect of these rides other than the simple fact that our civil liberties are being shat upon. Get Quinnipiac to run a poll on support in NYC for bicyclists' rights, and then go after Bloomberg at every event and forum he shows his face at in an election year. Make the Dems talk about the issue at their debates. We have to get the issue in the public arena and make the politicians talk about it to garner widespread support among the people of the city. I got arrested today for riding my bike on a public street. If that doesn't scare you, I don't know what will. Props to Free Wheels and Gideon for helping out fresh arrestees, your help and hard work is greatly appreciated. Still we ride...

Bike Lane Liberation NYC

Hot off the nyc indymedia Photos by Fred Askew

This photolog: Bike Liberation photos

It was Bike Liberation day

Bicyclists gather on 2nd Ave. to "ticket" motorized vehicles parked or standing in the bike lane.


The "Bicycle Clown Brigade" wants to draw attention to the dangerous conditions created when motorized vehicles occupy bike lanes. The activists also believe the NYPD should be enforcing the law which prohibits stopping, standing and parking within, or otherwise obstructing, bike lanes.






The police department was waiting for the group to arrive but made no attempt to prevent the start of the proceedings. About six scooters, two patrol cars and a van were parked on the west side of 2nd Ave between 10th and 11th. After the cyclists left, the police departed in a different direction.





The group started out on 2nd Ave and 10th street and rode around the neighborhood liberating bike lanes. They rode up 1st Ave, across 14th St., and then back down 2nd Ave where they continued south toward the Lower East Side.

Barbara wrote:

Cyclists declare Tuesday, August 23, Bike Lane Liberation Day
Bicycle Clown Brigade to ticket vehicles parked or standing in bike lane
Starting at 6:30 pm, in the 2nd Avenue bike lane between 10th and 11th Streets


New York, NY: On Tuesday, August 23, a Clown Brigade made up of bicyclists and volunteers with TIME'S UP! environmental and bicycle advocacy group will ticket motor vehicles parked, standing or stopped in the 2nd Avenue bike lane. The clowns will draw attention to what they believe the NYPD should be doing: enforcing laws that protect bicyclists, and in particular, ticketing motorists who violate Section 4-08(e), which explicitly prohibits stopping, standing and parking within, or otherwise obstructing, bike lanes.

The Clown Brigade hopes to help those motorists realize that besides being illegal, blocking bike lanes is hazardous both to bicyclists and motorists. Cyclists are forced to swerve into traffic to avoid crashing into the obstructing vehicle– if they see it in time. Those cyclists then risk being struck and even killed by inattentive or aggressive drivers. And motorists trying to avoid the displaced cyclist may strike other automobiles, cyclists or pedestrians. The bottom line, the clowns point out, is that parking a vehicle in the bike lane makes transportation by bicycle dangerous, discouraging its use and encouraging more people to drive. The best solution? Just don’t park, stand or stop in a bike lane.

Still we ride flows to other coast

Coming soon to the birth place of Critical Mass, San Francisco will be screening still we ride after the September critical mass on Friday the 30th, 9pm. The screening will be a fundraiser to assist with legal fees for arrested bicyclists in NYC. The film will be shown at Station-40, a collective community space located at 3030-B 16th St.

also you can order dvd copies of the video on the stillweride website.

There may be a new bike blog in San Francisco, check up on it at:

inevitable triumph

Bike riders demand justice from Bloomberg

Press Conference Today!!

NEW YORK - On August 25, 2005 at 1:00 PM at Collect Pond Park across from the New York City Criminal Courthouse at 100 Centre Street, FreeWheels will hold a press conference to send a personal plea to Mayor Bloomberg and kick off a local lobbying campaign geared toward ending the current crackdown on Critical Mass bicycle rides in New York City. FreeWheels is a non-profit all volunteer organization that provides support by and for people who have been arrested at Critical Mass.

For over 12 years, the NYPD facilitated Manhattan Critical Mass rides, no problem. On August 27, 2004, the City kicked off a year-long campaign of persecuting cyclists. Since then more than 500 people have been arrested and prosecuted. 33 people were arrested last month alone, many without warning while stopped at red lights.

Cyclists around the world have seen video of the arrests at Critical Mass and reacted with outrage. As a result, the World Car Free Network is kicking off an international letter-writing campaign to demand an immediate end to the crackdown.

At the press conference, FreeWheels members who have been arrested over the course of the past year will explain what led up to their arrests and why so many are still fighting the criminal charges against them months later.

FreeWheels is kicking off its own letter-writing campaign encouraging New Yorkers to contact their City Council members and demand immediate public hearings into the reasonableness of the City's reaction to Critical Mass rides over the past year - and its price tag. According to Dave Rankin, a FreeWheels member, "The rest of the world cares about New York City's cyclists - why doesn't our City government?"

Because FreeWheels believes the Mayor needs to personally see how the NYPD has been policing these peaceful bicycle rides, FreeWheels invites members of the press to accompany them immediately following the conference as they bring the Mayor a personal invitation to participate in and observe Friday night's Critical Mass bicycle ride, along with a ticket to ride in a donated rickshaw and a copy of Still We Ride: The Movie, a new documentary about the City's year-long crackdown. FreeWheels hopes that the Mayor will watch the documentary and come on Friday's ride to see for himself how the NYPD - and the cyclists - behave on the one-year anniversary of the 264-person mass arrest in 2004.

# # #

About FreeWheels
FreeWheels (www.bicycledefensefund.org) is a volunteer-run, non-profit advocacy group started by bicyclists who have ridden in and been arrested at Critical Mass. We are dedicated to providing the resources necessary to fight New York City's attack on the civil rights of bicyclists and assisting those arrested, ticketed, or harassed for bicycling. We raise money for arrestees' legal expenses, and provide arrestees with resources, information and support in defending their Constitutional Rights.

FreeWheels believes the NYPD's crackdown on the Critical Mass ride is an assault not only on the rights of bicyclists, but on the Constitution itself.

FreeWheels is not financially associated with Critical Mass. Nor are we spokespeople for Critical Mass, which is a leaderless gathering of bicyclists to ride safely in numbers that takes place in many cities around the world on the last Friday of every month.

Information about the World Car Free Network can be found at www.worldcarfree.net.

Demand to end Harrasment

Bob from NYC Indymedia writes:

PRAGUE / NEW YORK – On Saturday, Aug. 27, World Carfree Network, an international organization with member groups in 29 countries, will launch a worldwide campaign to demand an immediate end to the arrests of cyclists in New York City, as well as the return of their unlawfully confiscated property and the withdrawal of lawsuits curbing the civil rights of cyclists.

The Network is responding to an on-going police crackdown on cyclists that began on Aug. 27, 2004, when the New York Police Department arrested 264 participants and bystanders at a community bicycle ride known as “Critical Mass", two days before the Republican National Convention. In total, in less than a year, over 500 cyclists have been arrested for participating in community rides, hundreds of bicycles have been seized by the NYPD, and the City of New York has aggressively pursued a lawsuit barring the environmental non-profit Time’s Up! from promoting or even discussing Critical Mass.

World Carfree Network has concluded that the arrests constitute a serious violation of internationally-recognized civil rights, including Articles 9 and 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The network's “Free NYC Cyclists” campaign will include letter writing to New York City officials, public awareness activities in dozens of countries, and if necessary the deployment of international legal observers to New York City.

“Wherever in the world the right to use non-automotive transportation is seriously infringed upon, we will apply international pressure to call attention to and stop the injustice,” says Randall Ghent, co-director of the Network’s International Coordination Centre. “We are confident that Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the NYPD will come to recognize that Critical Mass is a beneficial community event, supported by people all over the world.”

Group bicycle rides are not illegal. Under New York law, bikes are vehicles, so cyclists have the same rights and are subject to the same traffic laws as drivers of motorized vehicles. Moreover, in New York City, cyclists are permitted to ride more than two abreast, according to § 4-02(e) of NYC Traffic Rules. However, Assistant Chief Bruce H. Smolka, head of NYPD’s South Manhattan Borough Command, has declared before a court that he views any group of more than seven cyclists as a “procession” requiring a special permit. In addition, investigators have found that official police videos were edited in at least one case to exclude from court proceedings video evidence showing cyclists behaving peacefully and lawfully.

Critical Mass rides are held monthly in 400 cities around the world, involving cyclists of all ages. For eight years, the rides in New York City have been a popular community activity with a celebratory atmosphere often described as a “carnival on wheels.” There were no serious incidents or disagreements between cyclists and police before Aug. 27, 2004 and the monthly rides attracted thousands of participants. To this date, many cyclists continue with Critical Mass in New York City, despite the police crackdown, but rough treatment by the police has made the rides too dangerous for families with children.

The “Free NYC Cyclists” campaign follows a successful network campaign that reversed the World Bank's policy of promoting the exclusion of cycle rickshaw traffic from the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

World Carfree Network media contacts:
Prague: Arianna Farnam at +011(420) 608-819-276 and afarnam@lachen.net
New York City: Sara Stout at +1(718) 344-8154 and sara.stout@gmail.com

world car free

Bob from NYC Indymedia writes:

PRAGUE / NEW YORK – On Saturday, Aug. 27, World Carfree Network, an international organization with member groups in 29 countries, will launch a worldwide campaign to demand an immediate end to the arrests of cyclists in New York City, as well as the return of their unlawfully confiscated property and the withdrawal of lawsuits curbing the civil rights of cyclists.

The Network is responding to an on-going police crackdown on cyclists that began on Aug. 27, 2004, when the New York Police Department arrested 264 participants and bystanders at a community bicycle ride known as “Critical Mass", two days before the Republican National Convention. In total, in less than a year, over 500 cyclists have been arrested for participating in community rides, hundreds of bicycles have been seized by the NYPD, and the City of New York has aggressively pursued a lawsuit barring the environmental non-profit Time’s Up! from promoting or even discussing Critical Mass.

World Carfree Network has concluded that the arrests constitute a serious violation of internationally-recognized civil rights, including Articles 9 and 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The network's “Free NYC Cyclists” campaign will include letter writing to New York City officials, public awareness activities in dozens of countries, and if necessary the deployment of international legal observers to New York City.

“Wherever in the world the right to use non-automotive transportation is seriously infringed upon, we will apply international pressure to call attention to and stop the injustice,” says Randall Ghent, co-director of the Network’s International Coordination Centre. “We are confident that Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the NYPD will come to recognize that Critical Mass is a beneficial community event, supported by people all over the world.”

Group bicycle rides are not illegal. Under New York law, bikes are vehicles, so cyclists have the same rights and are subject to the same traffic laws as drivers of motorized vehicles. Moreover, in New York City, cyclists are permitted to ride more than two abreast, according to § 4-02(e) of NYC Traffic Rules. However, Assistant Chief Bruce H. Smolka, head of NYPD’s South Manhattan Borough Command, has declared before a court that he views any group of more than seven cyclists as a “procession” requiring a special permit. In addition, investigators have found that official police videos were edited in at least one case to exclude from court proceedings video evidence showing cyclists behaving peacefully and lawfully.

Critical Mass rides are held monthly in 400 cities around the world, involving cyclists of all ages. For eight years, the rides in New York City have been a popular community activity with a celebratory atmosphere often described as a “carnival on wheels.” There were no serious incidents or disagreements between cyclists and police before Aug. 27, 2004 and the monthly rides attracted thousands of participants. To this date, many cyclists continue with Critical Mass in New York City, despite the police crackdown, but rough treatment by the police has made the rides too dangerous for families with children.

The “Free NYC Cyclists” campaign follows a successful network campaign that reversed the World Bank's policy of promoting the exclusion of cycle rickshaw traffic from the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

World Carfree Network media contacts:
Prague: Arianna Farnam at +011(420) 608-819-276 and afarnam@lachen.net
New York City: Sara Stout at +1(718) 344-8154 and sara.stout@gmail.com

Upcoming event: Peace Fair

October 22nd, 2005 will be the Brooklyn Peace Fair. brooklynpeacefair2004 Time's up will be giving a lecture on bike related alternatives to transportation.

Time's Up! will be leading a bike group ride from Union Square to the
Brooklyn Peace Fair via the Williamsburg Bridge celebrating the themes of
peace and justice on Saturday, October 22. The ride will leave Union Square
at 12:30 pm and the Brooklyn side of the Williamsburg Bridge at 1pm. Time's
Up! will be leading a workshop on alternative transportation issues and
holding a table at the Fair.


Organized by the Brooklyn Parents for Peace (BPFP), the third annual Peace
Fair will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the YWCA (30 Third Avenue at
Atlantic Avenue). The Fair will feature music, storytelling, performances,
videos, arts activities, yoga and workshops, all centered around themes of
peace and justice.


Over 100 organizations from all over Brooklyn and representing the borough's
diversity are participating in the Fair. The Peace Fair is FREE and open to
the public

Alley Cat this weekend

The Caribbean Racing Team presents the 2nd: To the Border Alley Cat Race

Saturday August 27th, 2005
Meet at Herald Square (34th and 6th Ave)
Check in time: 1:30pm
Race: 2:30pm

Entry Fee: $10.00

After Party:

Nuevo Conuco Restaurant (Inwood)
A Train to the last stop (walk 2 blocks)

email: Julian615@Yahoo.com

August Critical Mass: Aliens vs Robots

Last year we witnessed the first major coordinated attack on critical mass in NYC. It just so happened to fall on the weekend before the Republican National Convention was held here in town. We soon began to learn that this was going to be the norm on political activity during the convention and throughout President Bush's "your either with us or with the terrorists" administration. This is a policy wide top-down campaign of harassment on anyone who is not with the program. Why critical mass? Critical mass is a coordinated action, a mass gathering of people to lawfully ride their bikes in the city streets. This is the type of thing the Bush administration can not handle, doesn't want to exist. This is basically part of the criminalization of dissent in America. The harassment campaign applies to everyone...Time's Reporters, Weapons inspectors, CIA operatives, journalists, PBS news hosts etc. Anyone who questions the Bush's agenda is subject to harassment. I am not trying to blow things out of proportion, they are blown enough but rather to state that what is happening to critical mass is more than just an isolated incident contingent on one police department's agenda.

How we can succeed? By continuing to do what we have always been doing...riding our bikes. Its no more of a political statement then that. We have the right to do so, we are winning in the court system which proves that what we are doing is not illegal and should not warrant the violent attack and campaign of harassment by the top brass of the NYPD. When we ride our bikes, the majority of the pedestrians on the street are cheering and waving at the bikers. They are also vocally appalled when they see swarms of cops on scooters violently arresting people for riding their bikes. In other words, the people are on our side.

I really want to encourage as many people to continue to come to critical mass each month and most importantly to the one year anniversary of the RNC ride this August 26th. By not riding your bike at the mass...the police and the harassment campaign wins.

The idea was brought forward to have a theme of aliens vs robots, a simple way for people to dress up and to put a light hearted theme towards the ride. Many NYC critical masses in the past had theme rides and they made things more fun and much more festive.

Making a costume is easy. Wrap some colored paper around your bike helmet and you are an alien. Tape some bike lights to your helmet and you are a robot. We need to make this ride as festive as ever.

There is still a speak out at the South Side of Union Square park around 6:00pm It looks like Council member Bill Perkins will be speaking.

There are also multiple meeting spots, same as before: Madison Park, (23rd and Broadway) Washington Square Park, Tompkins Square Park and Union Square Park.

There is also 2 after parties to go to:

There will be bands and safe haven for free at the Saint Marks Church on 2nd Ave and 9th St. This is the same church that harbored people for the RNC. The ride will most likely end up here. THIS TIME GO INSIDE THE CHURCH, You do not need a bike lock, there will be reliable volunteers acting as bike valet parking attendants. The Saint Marks Church has a big outdoor space for people to hang out safely without NYPD harassment. Remember last year a lot of people got arrested on 2nd Ave because they were hanging out in the streets.

There is a fund raiser for the Mass defense comitee of the New York Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. This is in coordination with the Bicycle Film Festival and rooftopfilms. This party is $10.00 and the money goes to help people arrested at critical mass to be able to have money to fight the charges. The fundraiser is in the North Side of Williamsburg across from McCarren Park at the Automotive High School. Live music at 8:30, Films begin at 9:00pm and there will be a Q & A from the film makers afterwards. The videos they will be showing are all bike related: Still we Ride, ( a documentary about the ongoing harrassment of critcal mass) Warriors ( a half hour documentary about a bike ride that took place 2 years ago based on the NYC cult classic the warriors) Bomb the Bay with Ted Shred ( a short video about Ted Shred the former skater and Mass up DJ who rides a freewheel with no brakes down the hills of San Francisco) and Fast and Reliable ( a short about Dexter the amazing one legged bike messenger)


Many of the Bike National Convention activities that have been going on this week have had a large presense of police so there is reason to believe it will be a huge presence during the August Critical Mass, be aware. Be alert, do not let scooter cops get close to you. The police will make arrests weather we stop at red lights or not. They generally try and pick off smaller groups from the back, so stay tight and keep the ride close together.

These are merely words of caution. The important thing to do is not to strategize what the cops are planning but rather to go on the ride and have a good time.

See you on the ride.

Check out this great Portland Bike site

Shift to Bikes

Sept. Messenger Fest in Kyoto Japan

check out this upcoming festival, register today:

Kyoto Loco

Upcoming Alley Cat

Still we ride dvd release party

On Friday August 27, 2004 just days before the start of the Republican National Convention, a massive police operation was underway. By the end of the night 264 people were arrested. It marked one of the largest mass arrests in New York City's history - and the arrested had done nothing illegal.

For many New Yorkers, August was the first time they heard of what has become a monthly ritual for New York City's bike community; a free-forming ride called Critical Mass.

Still We Ride is a documentary that captures the joyous atmosphere of this August ride before the arrests began and the chaos that followed. It recounts how this ride first started in San Francisco over 10 years ago and chronicles the police crackdown and resulting court battles in New York over the last seven months. The movie takes on issues of civil liberties, surveillance, the power of mainstream media, and the benefits of alternative means of transportation.

37min.

---
Before the screening:

The STILL WE RIDE ride

Thursday, August 18th, 2005
7PM
Union Square North (Ride leaves @ 7:30 sharp)

Last August, thousands of bikers converged on the streets of NYC to celebrate their love of bikes. Hundreds were arrested; countless bikes were seized.

The NYPD has continued to harass bikers, arresting more each month, taking cyclists to Federal Court, and suing leaders of the community. They continue to prosecute bikers without legitimate grounds... And yet, still we ride! Join Time's Up! & Freewheels as we tour the city's hottest arrest spots, get legal updates & hear personal arrestee stories. The ride will end at the space @ 9 p.m. for the Still We Ride DVD release celebration.

Note: Attending this ride will reserve a seat for the screening.
--
www.times-up.org
www.stillweridethemovie.com

Free Bike Valet parking.
Bring food and drink.
Become a volunteer.
Buy the DVD.
Rock a bike.

Found some new bike blogs today

Searching through the endless stream of blogs I found some bike related ones. First off a good place to search for Blogs is
technocrati This site searches the blogshere and links you to what your looking for.

Here I found this posting about the recent Tour De Fat tour in Portland. This is a bike related festival sponsered by New Belgium beer.

So check out the following bike blogs:

Blue Collar Mountain Bike
Commute by bike
The Bike Blog
twenty nine inches
Bike Portland

It is actually pretty endless...maybe soon I'll organize it by state.

Also check out portland Messenger Association To check out the Messenger bike scene in my favorite West Coast City, for bikes that is.

Just got back from Seattle

Just spent another week in the beautiful and bike friendly Pacific Northwest. A friend of ours was getting married in Seattle so we spent time in the sunny weather exploring the city and eating great food. Oh yeah and staying in a funky motel off of Aurora that everyone was shocked we had chosen. We had no choice all the hotels were taken by crazy Vagner fans attending the 4 year cycle of the Ring. Besides the occasional domestic despute and the bad reputation of Aurora, the Marco Polo was fine and it was close to the blockbuster of porno, Blue Video...a cultural experience.



Out here they do a similar project to NYC with the ghostcycle Not only if a cyclist is hit by a car but if one is merely injured. They take this shit seriously. The website has a map of all the sites where ghost bikes are displayed.



Out in the art neighborhood of Fremont, a troll lurks under the highway. Notice it is a car he is crushing. He lives under the Aurora bridge and was built in 1990 by sculpters Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter and Ross Whitehead.

August Brooklyn Critical Mass

bk critical mass 05, originally uploaded by Green Biker.

Today I decided to commute by bicycle to work in Manhattan with a bunch of video equipment. This seemed like a more pleasing option then trying to squeeze onto the L train at Bedford Ave which is normally so jam packed in the morning rush hours, you might have to wait a few trains to get on. Then, if you dare to have bags let alone a video camera case and a tripod, forgedduboutit. These are some of the wonderful failings of the MTA, to not provide enough service to the growing population in Williamsburg yet to triple everyone's rent and rezone the place and tell everyone how great it's going to be. Let's also not forget they want to automate the L train, the only real option for getting to work, will now fail thanks to Robbie the Robot. Some real geniuses working there. Must have been the same assholes that thought putting 20 bumps on the Williamsburg Bridge would be a good way to cover the expansion joint gaps and get bicyclists to slow down. Oh we slow down all right, cause we don't want to fall and break our necks and sue the DOT. They did make one improvement to the bridge...they put up signs at each bump letting riders know that all of these accidents could be avoided if people would just go straight over the bumps. Right. How much money did you spend to make and put up those signs? How much does it cost to make shorter rubber expansion joint covers? This is one reason it sucks to put anything on a bike rack, because guaranteed the bumps will mess it up. Who came up with the idea to punish the one form of transport in which people get exercise, clean up the environment and create less traffic. Must be the same assholes that make arrests when people run red lights at critical mass. Always punish the people who give a shit...It's the New American Way.

Now what is the deal with the Manhattan Bridge? I believe that you take the North Side of the bridge for bicycles and leave the south bike path for pedestrians. How long has the North Path been open? I think it's a good idea; it was just hard to figure it out. So, spread the word.

Coming this Friday is the kick off of the Bike National Convention 2 and the monthly Brooklyn Critical Mass.

Ibike, hmmm.

Ibike, originally uploaded by Green Biker.

Great minds think alike.

Check out this bike advocacy website out of LA.

www.cicle.org

Latest article from the Villager

bicyclist arrested at July Critical Mass, originally uploaded by Green Biker.

the latest article form the one local rag dedicated to the investigative reporting on the biggest civil rights attack since Selma Alabama.

Way to go to the author: Jefferson Siegel

Politicians chase votes, as police chase bicyclists

By Jefferson Siegel

On Tues., July 26, the parks advocacy organization Parks 1 sponsored a mayoral candidates forum at New York University’s Skirball Center. The forum’s intent was to give candidates an opportunity to show their support for the city’s greenswards and, hopefully, pledge that, if elected, they would devote 1 percent of the city’s budget to park maintenance.

Coinciding with the forum and to call attention to making parks a safer haven for pedestrians and bicyclists, Time’s Up!, the East Village-based bicycle advocacy group, organized a group ride through Midtown and down to the forum.

The ride started at Columbus Circle, proceeded down Broadway to Union Square and on to Washington Square Park, where cyclists rode once around the block, chanting, “We Bike, We Vote!”

As bicycles filled LaGuardia Place, several riders did a “bike lift” over their heads in a sign of rider solidarity and in tribute to cyclists who have succumbed to the hazardous operation of motor vehicles on city streets. Brooklyn cyclist Holly Mendenhall observed, “There have been too many cyclists killed in the past few months.” So far this year, 10 bicyclists have been killed in collisions with motor vehicles — neary twice as many as last year — two of those on E. Houston St.

A half hour into the forum, Erik Engquist, Crain’s New York government and politics reporter, opened his bicycle question on a personal note when he spoke of a friend who was killed in Prospect Park while riding a bike. What made the tragedy even more difficult, he said, was that the speeding van was in the park at a time when all motor vehicles were prohibited. “Would you be in favor of a flat prohibition on motor vehicles, cars and vans, in the park?” he asked the candidates.

C. Virginia Fields, the Manhattan borough president, offered a tentative suggestion of balance between cars and other uses. “I would prefer looking to see how we can do that as opposed to outright prohibition,” was her answer, which was met with polite applause.

City Council Speaker Gifford Miller replied, “That is a terrible tragedy that obviously could have been avoided. I do think we need to strike a balance, but, I think that I would come down further on the side of car-free parks.” His response elicited a round of cheering, especially from the crowd of bike advocates who filled the front of the balcony, waving signs reading, “Bikers Vote.”

Engquist then posed the question to the remaining two candidates, reasoning that, “Perhaps this is the most important question of the evening.”

Republican Councilmember Thomas Ognibene of Staten Island offered that, “We don’t even allow parking near the parks after 9 p.m.. Parks are for people, and when you’re in a park, you feel safe. And,” he continued, “they’re doing things there without the expectation that they’re going to get struck by a motor vehicle.”

Former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer was succinct: “I lean very heavily in favor of car-free parks.” Following up, he concluded: “It seems to me that removing vehicles is the most sensible thing to do. The sky won’t fall if you say, You can’t use the park to drive.”

Just three days later, the monthly Critical Mass bike ride saw 34 riders arrested, the largest number since March’s 37 arrests.

Since last year’s Republican Convention, police have chased and blocked the rides in an attempt to end the monthly events. However, the past few months saw tensions lessen, as fewer riders participated, policed by fewer officers.

The reduced tensions might have been why several hundred riders gathered in Union Square Park last Friday, where a speech by public advocate candidate Norman Siegel, a satiric rap performance by a member of Billionaires for Bush and words of encouragement from a Portland bike activist preceded the ride.

At earlier gatherings, police had handed out fliers warning cyclists that joining the ride was a violation of the law. In a counterpoint, FreeWheels, a group formed to offer financial assistance to arrested riders, passed out an “Important Notice To Cyclists.” In a format intended to mimic the police flier, FreeWheels outlined traffic laws that grant cyclists the right to ride the city’s streets.

The ride started just after 7:30 with cyclists stopping for red lights as they left the park, heading west on 14th St. Soon the ride splintered into smaller groups, with some heading north on Eighth Ave., while others continued on to Hudson St. and then south.

At 8 p.m., as a small group approached Seventh Ave. on 14th St., police blocked off the intersection and started placing riders under arrest. Among them was Lower East Side resident Sharon Blythe, who is five months pregnant. She was noticably upset as a police sergeant led her, handcuffed behind her back, from the curb and into a waiting police truck. Sitting by the door, she cried out to a reporter, “I was standing on the corner. [An officer] tackled me after I told him I was pregnant. I’m stressing out; they made my handcuffs really tight.” Her boyfriend stood nearby, talking with police until they allowed him to approach the truck and offer her some water.

Blythe said the group she was riding with was very small and stopped at every red light. “The people who obeyed the law are the ones they arrested,” she said. Because of her pregnancy, Blythe went to the hospital after her release on Saturday for a checkup and was found to be in good health.

Ten blocks south, another mass arrest was underway. About 50 cyclists had continued down Seventh Ave., with a dozen police motor scooters and other police vehicles following closely behind.

Christopher Ryan, a filmaker, musician and host of “Team Spider TV,” a music and bike-oriented show on Channel 57 Wednesday nights, was among those 50 riders.

“Everyone was dutifully making the stops at every light,” he observed, noting no traffic laws were broken. “When we stopped at the red light, they [police] formed a wall of scooters inside the pedestrian crosswalk.” The scooters had circled the newsstand at Sheridan Square and pulled in front of the riders, blocking their progress on Seventh Ave. South. “Then they started to arrest people,” he added. Fifteen riders were arrested at this location.

At about the same time, Kristin Steinbach was pedaling on Sixth Ave. near Ninth St. Steinbach, who teaches high school history and sometimes uses her bicycle to commute to work from her Upper West Side home, was riding with about 40 other cyclists when, “All of a sudden a cop car came and swerved into all these riders and I’d say they came close to probably hitting about four other riders.” She was arrested with three others.

Arrests were also reported at 23rd St. and Eighth Ave. and 33rd St. and Second Ave. The Police Department did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

All of those arrested were released by 4 a.m. the next morning, except for one who was held over for an outstanding warrant. As in past rides, charges included disorderly conduct, parading without a permit and riding in a procession. As riders left the Seventh Precinct on Pitt St., they were met by Blue Young and other members of FreeWheels, who offered replacement bikes for the ride home. Attorney Gideon Oliver, a lawyer who represents numerous Critical Mass clients, was also present to offer legal advice to the exhausted cyclists.

The war on bikes continues

This article comes from nyc indy media and illustrates how the cops are being brainwashed to hate bicycles:

August 08, 2005
'PARTYBIKE' PEDALERS: COPS TRYING TO BREAK OUR CYCLE

The NYPD is pushing the pedalers out of Times Square.

By Michael Kane

[The following is a telling article from the August 7 NY Post about the situation in my workplace. Sound familiar? -WS]

Operators of the Partybike — a circular bicycle built for seven — say they're being unfairly targeted by cops, who've ticketed the big red tourist-mobiles more than 100 times in their 16 months of operation.

"The police say we're clogging traffic and that we're dangerous — but there's no law against riding a bike, any bike, on a city street," said driver Paul Crisci, who personally has been cited 15 times for charges like impeding vehicular traffic, no standing, and disorderly conduct. All of the charges against Partybike have been dismissed in court, he said.

Partybike owner Don Domite said police "harassment" really kicked in after he bought nine new bikes in June, bringing the total to 16.

"The cops want us out of business, and they're singling us out," said Domite, who complains that five of his $11,000 bikes were held as "evidence" for almost three months. "They charged us with vending without a license," he added. "But we're not even required to have one."

Crisci alleges that one cop said to him: "I told you I was gonna get you. I got this bike now, and I'm gonna get all of them."

A police spokesman said he was unaware of any policy to target Partybikes, but added, "We don't just write summonses to write summonses."

Crisci, who is pursuing a civil action, said the final straw came last week, when he was detained for 13 hours on an outstanding-warrant rap that was dismissed.

"I was in a holding cell with violent criminals, drug offenders, you name it," he said. "And one guy actually said, 'So, what are you in for?'

" 'For riding a Partybike,' I answered."

Additional reporting by Philip Messing

Bike National Convention is coming back

bikecrossing, originally uploaded by Green Biker.

Danger Tallbike crossing.
Last Year the Republican National Convention was welcomed by our favorite mayor Bloomberg, a suposed Democrat. As our city bent over to a few rich Texans and wealthy business types it also decided an appropriate response to anyone who was not down with the program was to be locked up and held in a toxic bus depot until the dust settled. As most of these cases are being dismissed, or we hope so, it is clear that civil liberties come last and corporate interests come first. The once every 4 year, Republican National Convention also happened to fall on the once a month critical mass ride that has been going strong in NYC for the last 10 years. Last August the critical mass suddenly became deemed a protest ride only for the Convention and we were told it was taken over by anarchist hellbent on civic destruction. This is another example of how the police misinterprets a peaceful event that should be congratulated for helping the public health of our polluted city and not treated like a terrorist activity. For the last 11 months its been a war with the NYPD ever since. Now it's coming up on the one year anniversary of the ride which had 5,000 people and put critical mass on the map. During that August, someone came up with the idea (yours truly) to hijack the name of our "one party system" celebration and make it the BIKE NATIONAL CONVENTION. In the spirit of bike summer which is held for a month in a differenent city every year...the BNC would be an opportunity to hold bike riding events and highlight all the great echo friendly things you can do in this town with a bicycle and a great community of peddlers. Well it's back. Thanks to the fine volunteers at times Up, August is looking to be a great month to be on a bike.

It all kicks off Friday, August 12th, which is also the Brooklyn Critical Mass.
Check the Time's up website for schedule.

www.

July Critical Mass pissed people off

new, originally uploaded by Green Biker.

So this person is mad about Critical Mass and wants people to know:

From: John Huntington
Subject: I Was Almost Arrested At the Critical Mass Ride Tonight

I did the Critical Mass ride tonight, and I narrowly avoided arrest. I
have long been a big supporter of the NYPD, but I was appalled by the
tactics of the police tonight. They are not arresting a bunch of
crazies--they are arresting >anyone< on a bike in the vicinity of one of
these rides, regardless of what they have done. It's clearly a tactic of
intimidation and it is out of control.

I am so pissed that I've just written the letter below to the Mayor and
the
Police Commissioner.

Normally, I would consider these guys to be pretty radical and advise
taking everything they say with a grain of salt, but it all pretty much
matches what I saw myself tonight:
http://www.times-up.org/
http://www.bicycledefensefund.org/index.html

Please contact the Mayor and the police commissioner via mail or by
these
links:


http://nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mayor.html


http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mailnypd.html


Here's the text of the letter I'm sending:
29 July 2005
Mayor Michael Bloomberg
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
CC: Police Commissioner Kelly
Dear Mayor Bloomberg:
In 2002, with your approval ratings low, I wrote simply to compliment
you
on your excellent work as Mayor. I still have your signed reply to that
letter, and I have continued to be one of your most ardent supporters.
However, that has all changed tonight, because I was almost arrested for
simply riding my bike on a city street. Had I not run away from the
police like a common criminal, I'd be in custody now and my bike would
likely have been confiscated.
I last did a ?Critical Mass? ride about 10 years ago. It was a large and
peaceful event, and the police rode with us and even helped ?cork? side
streets to keep the group flowing smoothly and minimize the ride?s impact
on motorists. It was great to ride in the safety of a large group of
cyclists, since we risk death or serious injury at the hands of motorists
on a daily basis (my cycling route to work passes a memorial for Elizabeth
Padilla, who only a few weeks ago was crushed to death on her bike by a
truck). Since the Critical Mass ride last August, I had heard that
arrests had been made, and that bikes had been confiscated. Seeing your
statements to the public, I assumed that to warrant a reaction that extreme
from the NYPD, those arrested must have really gotten out of hand. But
lately, I have heard troubling things regarding the prosecutions--such as
the police getting caught doctoring evidence--and I wanted to see for
myself what was really happening.
So, I joined the ride tonight, and what I witnessed was simply appalling.
The part of the ride group I could see was very peaceful and followed
every traffic law and any and all police directions to the letter. Then,
suddenly, someone ahead yelled ?turn back, it?s a trap? and I saw police
detaining cyclists a block away. The group turned down a side street,
turned down another avenue, and then a few blocks later at 14th street, I
heard another rider yell ?look out!? No more than fifty feet away, I saw
police on scooters run into the middle of the intersection, and, without
any warning, scream at and tackle cyclists who had not been acting
inappropriately in any way or even violating any traffic laws. In fact,
the police only arrested people as they moved forward when the light turned
green! Only by running away from police officers--something I have never
done in my life--did I avoid arrest. Riding home, I talked to several
other cyclists who were not even on the ride who happened upon those
intersections and narrowly avoided arrest themselves. All of this was even
more shocking since the police were present in large numbers at the
pre-ride rally and I never saw any of them say a word to anyone, dictate
any terms or conditions for the ride, or warn anyone they would get
arrested for simply riding their bikes on the city streets for which their
tax dollars pay. And, these stupid tactics actually served to maximize the
ride?s impact on motorists, since they forced the large group to disperse
over a large area, blocking traffic, and causing maximum disruption to the
city.
I supported you during the Olympic bid; I supported you on the west side
stadium; I supported your efforts to bring the RNC here; I have supported
virtually every action you have taken in your tenure as mayor. But this
preposterous anti cyclist policy has now forever changed my opinion of you.
I am 41, and have never attended a protest in my life. My politics do
not match those of the Critical Mass ride organizers in any way, but I have
sent money to three groups tonight. Two payments went to groups supporting
those falsely arrested, and those suing the city over these shameful
anti-cycling police tactics. The other payment went to your opponent C.
Virginia Fields, who sent a representative to the pre-ride rally and vowed
to abolish these ridiculous police tactics. Until tonight, I would never
have even considered supporting Ms. Fields. I voted for you last time and
I want to vote for you again in the upcoming election. But I can only do
so in good conscience if you renounce and put an end to these ludicrous,
dangerous, wasteful tactics which harass ordinary citizens and attempt to
intimidate them. The tactics are ineffective--I am so angry now that I
will be sure to do another Critical Mass ride.
Tonight, I lost a tremendous amount of respect for you and faith in our
police force--the finest in the world. This absurd policy is seriously
damaging police/community relations, wasting enormous amounts of tax money,
and is permanently doing damage to the reputation of our city throughout
the world, and not just with radical anarchists. What must tourists think
when they see peaceful cyclists wrestled to the ground by large groups of
helmeted police? What about those, like me, who are just regular people
who love this city and ride bikes? One of the first people to get her
baseless cycling arrest overturned worked for the Wall Street
Journal--hardy some anti-globalization radical.

You should proceed with this stupid policy only at the risk of losing
the
election. It is alienating one of your core constituencies: people like me
and the 50 or so other voters to whom I am forwarding copies of this
letter.
Sincerely,
John Huntington

Ok...So if you were arrested during RNC and want to be part of a class action lawsuit here's how:

August 2, 2005

Dear RNC Arrestees:

If you think your constitutional rights were violated when you were arrested during the Republican National Convention last summer, and you want bring your own individual lawsuit for money damages, and do not have a lawyer, may we offer you the following information.

If you have questions about your rights or your potential claims you should contact a lawyer. If you need help in locating an attorney, you can contact one of the Guild attorneys listed below. We recommend that you contact a lawyer as soon as possible as there are filing deadlines to be met to preserve some of your potential claims

As you may know, a class action lawsuit seeking to represent all RNC arrestees has already been filed in federal court, alleging three classes of claimants who were:
1) unlawfully arrested;
2) detained for an unlawfully long period of time; and
3) subjected to inappropriate detention conditions, especially at Pier 57.

However, the federal court must first “certify” each of the three proposed classes, i.e., that each alleged class meets lawful criteria to be a class claim. If the court certifies a class and you meet the definition of that class, you may eventually recover money damages as a member of that class. However, if the court does not certify a class, there will be no recovery.

For example, if the court does not certify as a class all of those claimants unlawfully arrested, then the class action lawsuit will not be able to seek money damages for unlawful arrests. Thus, you would have to file a timely individual lawsuit to seek damages for your unlawful arrest.

Also, the federal court may not decide which class claims to certify until after some deadlines for state claims have passed.

For more information regarding the class action lawsuit, contact the law office of Moore & Goodman at (212) 353-9587 or email to jbadalu@gis.net.

Attached are two tables. Table 1 is a list of attorneys from the National Lawyers Guild who are presently representing RNC arrestees in individual lawsuits arising from various RNC arrest locations. They are available for consultation regarding possible representation in a civil suit. Table 2 identifies the locations of arrests for which these attorneys are currently representing, or are prepared to represent, RNC arrestees.

If you have any questions regarding individual lawsuits, please contact us as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

RNC Mass Defense Project
National Lawyers Guild, NYC Chapter
212-679-6018 Ext. 20

Too harsh on the mass ride?

Perhaps I was a little harsh on the ride and failed to focus on the good times: Here is what one Time's up Volunteer had to say about Friday's success story...

"i love our ability to take one event, and turn it into 4. . .

everything went smooth as silk on friday (except the 34 arrests). the
speak out was great, thanks to ben and everyone who made that
wonderful event go off.
the ride was interesting. im told we have excellent video of riders
stopping at multiple red lights. . . breaking into several mini masses
. . . and then the cops corraling the folks who were waiting at the
lights. . . lawyers tell me this is a good thing. . .

the party was excellent. . . i counted 40 bikes at one point which is
kind of amazing for the small space in there. . . tabling went great
we raised a little money. . . and then the party moved downtown a
little bit to the 7th precinct. . . with a jail support party hosted
by freewheels. . .

way to go us. . . after a year of this harrassment we are still here,
we are still riding, and we are going to win this. . .

love to you all
-later"

Lots of love to all that made the speak-out happen.
all those that attempted to be good bike riders and got arrested for it...may your charges be dismissed.

Thanks to the people who pointed out the Magarita joint which I hadn't known about in the 15 years I've been here and yet every one else has been going there for years.
Thanks to Freewheels
Thanks to all those that worked the table in front of ABC no Rio.
Thanks to the guy who showed me the camera phone video of the sheets of acid he found in a book at the salvation army.
thanks to Jim for taking a picture of me on the ride.
Thanks to bad ass biker for attempting the footdown on Rivington.
Thanks to all those that made tunes with loud boomboxes and ipods.

I hope the August Critical Mass is massive and festive. The theme is supposed to be Aliens vs Robots so warm up those glue guns and carboard costumes...

Rock it.