Critical Mass Jan, 2007
The last friday in January came with two big events.
1) It was the coldest day in NYC in the past two years. A chilly <10 degrees (I think it was 7 or so)
2) The NYPD officially entered the new parade rules into the rule books. The new rules state that 50 cyclists, pedestrians, motor vehicles or other vehicles gathered in a group proceeding down any public passageway (street, sidewalk, etc.) requires a parade permit issued by the NYPD. Any group without a parade permit is subject to arrest.
This is, of course, a direct attempt at stopping critical mass in New York City.
This is nothing new and was somewhat expected. Here is the quick rundown.
- 2004 RNC (Republican National Convention) 5,000 people showed up for the Critical Mass ride which coincided with a protest against the RNC
- Critical Mass is NOT, and never has been, a protest. At best it is a demonstration but really it just a bunch of cyclists.
- The NYPD did not like 5,000 bicycles on the road so they did mass arrests on the premise of "Parading without a permit"
- NYPD taken to court over the arrests and they were found to be wrong. The Judge order the NYPD to clarify what a parade is
- It took over a year but in early 2006 the NYPD declared
- 2 or more pedestrians or cyclists violating a traffic signal is a parade
- 10 or more pedestrians just kicking back is a parade
- They were laughed at by the City Council and most of the city.. they had to revise their rules; again
- Several months later the revised it to read
- 10 or more cyclists violation a traffic signal for two or more blocks is a parade
- 30 or more cyclists, pedestrians, etc. obeying the law is a parade
- Again they were yelled at by the citizens and asked to revise.
- They did... and they put them into the rule books WITHOUT holding another public hearing
Two public hearings were held and both times there was unanimous opposition to the rules but the NYPD still put them into the rule books.
Read More at
AssembleForRightsNYC
OnNyTurf Article
The clock is now ticking if these rules go unopposed in the city council or in the court rooms they will become an official rule in 30 days and the NYPD will use them to stop otherwise lawful gatherings.
I'm not sure what happened to "Freedom of Assembly" but it is about to die in New York City. We all must take action NOW! Even if you do not live in this city you need to take action many cities (and police departments) use NYPD as a test bed and follow their actions. If it works here I'll guarantee it will be implemented elsewhere.
Take Notice then Take Action.
It was great meeting you. The video turned out great.
After being warned by the bike shop employee and told of the pending legal madness, we were all apprehensive but filled with a bittersweet pride about riding in perhaps the last NYC critical mass. However, about fifteen minutes into the ride the NYPD was pulling in front of us, prompting us to slip in between their cars. Then, a mistake was made: half the group ran a red light while the other half (including us) stopped and waited. The cops passed us by. When we turned onto the street we saw lights flashing, cops spilling out of cars, and bicycles being pushed to the ground. "People are being arrested" Owen said. We dismounted, walked back to the corner, locked up, and entered the nearest bar.
Never in my 2 years of riding mass in Chicago have I seen something like this. It is such a shame that in a great city like New York cyclists have to ride in fear and critical mass is reduced to such a pathetic size and is in danger of extinction. Your mayor needs to take a page from Daley's book: encouraging critical mass and having cops for safety (as opposed to waiting for opportunities to make arrests) encourages people to cycle and reflects a city's sense of openness and respect for public demonstrations.
As we sipped our beers, we vented our anger at the NYPD and the city and our pity for New York cyclists.
Don't give up.
-Jeremy
- reply
Submitted by on Sat, 2007-02-03 03:36.Post new comment