Critical Mass....NOT COOL.

[berettafan]

"Critical Mass"

Damn that's funny. Sounds like a gay club band name.

i've been stuck behind these tools (or rather groups of safety ignorant morons) on many an occasion and i absolutely refuse to take chances with their lives. pisses me off something fierce though.

[slodave]

The article that goes along with the video nostatic posted...

Nothing like an out of the blue body-check....

NEW YORK (CNN)– A New York City Police officer who body-checked a cyclist off his bike and then arrested him during an event in Times Square has been assigned to desk duty pending investigation of the incident, New York City Police Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said.

A video of the incident posted on YouTube shows a group of cyclists traveling through New York’s Times Square before Patrick Pogan, one of the two police officers standing in the middle of the street, sees approaching cyclist Christopher Long and shoves him off his bicycle onto the sidewalk.

Long, 29, was charged with attempted assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, according to the complaint filed by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by slodave

The article that goes along with the video nostatic posted...

Nothing like an out of the blue body-check....

NEW YORK (CNN)– A New York City Police officer who body-checked a cyclist off his bike and then arrested him during an event in Times Square has been assigned to desk duty pending investigation of the incident, New York City Police Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said.

A video of the incident posted on YouTube shows a group of cyclists traveling through New York’s Times Square before Patrick Pogan, one of the two police officers standing in the middle of the street, sees approaching cyclist Christopher Long and shoves him off his bicycle onto the sidewalk.

Long, 29, was charged with attempted assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, according to the complaint filed by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.

I just love the proliferation of video recording devices. This video pretty much speaks for itself. That cop belongs in jail. In the old days, an internal investigation would have cleared his name, and the charges against the cyclist would stand in spite of dozens of eye witness accounts. They just can't hide from these videos, however. This one is about as incriminating as they get. I hope Long sues the guy right out of house and home, after the DA throws the book at him.

[m21sniper]

That cop just got fired today i think.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I just love the proliferation of video recording devices. This video pretty much speaks for itself. That cop belongs in jail. In the old days, an internal investigation would have cleared his name, and the charges against the cyclist would stand in spite of dozens of eye witness accounts. They just can't hide from these videos, however. This one is about as incriminating as they get. I hope Long sues the guy right out of house and home, after the DA throws the book at him.

Should that a$$ hole stop and let the cop get back on the side walk? After all their promotion is to share the road and safety. IN the old days, the cop would have beating the crap out of that kid. Who the hell he think he is by getting so close to the cop like that at speed?

I don't know who CM is. From the look and sound of it, it just a bunch young punks that have nothing to do and want to go raise hell and cause people a bunch of money. Business loose so much when they come to town. I know if I were a small business owner, I would close just to stay of trouble. I hate these freaking people. Everything is for a good cause. At who's expense? Bike messengers, fix gear punks should go home and grow up and get a job or ride that piece of $hit at the track with real men.

[slodave]

Originally Posted by look 171

Should that a$$ hole stop and let the cop get back on the side walk? After all their promotion is to share the road and safety. IN the old days, the cop would have beating the crap out of that kid. Who the hell he think he is by getting so close to the cop like that at speed?

It's very clear that the cop caused the rider to dismount, BUT, I think that something happened off camera and that cops off camera radioed to these two. I am also guessing, that some of the charges are from the earlier 'event'. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by slodave

It's very clear that the cop caused the rider to dismount, BUT, I think that something happened off camera and that cops off camera radioed to these two. I am also guessing, that some of the charges are from the earlier 'event'. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.

Whatever the case is, he came straight at the cop at a good speed and turn at the very last minute. Lood at how much he leaned. That's should be enough to get shove off the bike into the curb

Any one know what ever happened to the thuds that hit Reginal Denny(sp?) during the last riot. Where they charged / jailed or not? I am thinking not. I think we were afraid of another spark that will lead to another larger riot. I was thinking the same about the driver getting hit behind the head.

[artplumber]

Originally Posted by holtjv

Here's the "other side of the story":

http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/07/last_nights_critical_mass_melee

Last Night’s Critical Mass Melee
posted by DAVID SCHMADER on JULY 26 at 11:14 AM
Last night brought a general query from Slog tipper John:

What’s this about Critical Mass riders beating the **** out of a driver and his car at 16th and Aloha?
This morning brings a report from KING 5:

A demonstration turned violent Friday night after a group of cyclists taking part in the Critical Mass demonstration got into an argument with a driver on Seattle’s Capitol Hill.
Critical Mass is a group of cyclists that takes to the streets the last Friday of every month to promote cyclists’ right to the road.

It’s wasn’t clear what sparked the confrontation at 15th and Aloha, but witnesses say they saw about a dozen cyclists surround a white Subaru, blocking in the driver.

Apparently, the driver felt intimidated and tried to back up to get away, but he backed into at least two cyclists.

He then tried to take off, but cyclists chased after him, bashed in his car window and assaulted the driver. The driver was taken to an area hospital.

This morning also brought two eyewitness reports sent to Last Days.

Eyewitness #1 was a bystander:

I was BLAH, BLAH, BLAh.....

This is a typical CM tactic spread by blog or letters to the ed. "No we were there, and the driver ran someone over and tried to get away so we surrounded the driver only after one of CM had been hurt...." Same story as a family that was attacked in SF. Problem was they never were able to find a bicycle that had been run over, or a cyclist that had been injured.....

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by look 171

Whatever the case is, he came straight at the cop at a good speed and turn at the very last minute. Lood at how much he leaned. That's should be enough to get shove off the bike into the curb

Any one know what ever happened to the thuds that hit Reginal Denny(sp?) during the last riot. Where they charged / jailed or not? I am thinking not. I think we were afraid of another spark that will lead to another larger riot. I was thinking the same about the driver getting hit behind the head.

Did we even watch the same video? The cop started walking pretty slowly to his right, and had to go quite a ways from where he was standing, before his last lunge to body check this guy. The guy on the bike started veering to his left long before he was anywhere near the cop. And he was not riding "at speed"; not even close.

Justify this cop's actions all you want, but we can all watch the video and see what he did. If sniper is right about him getting fired this morning, it sounds like some one in a position to do that thinks it's as obvious as I think it is.

[lendaddy]

The biker right before the one that got checked seemed to really play chicken with the cop and swerved at the last second. The cop probably built pressure till he blew. Not right but understandable.

[The Gaijin]

Probationary cop and he has already turned in gun/badge. He is sure to be fired.

You need a cool head to be a cop - I could not do it for a $1,000,000 a year!

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by look 171

Any one know what ever happened to the thuds that hit Reginal Denny(sp?) during the last riot. Where they charged / jailed or not? I am thinking not. I think we were afraid of another spark that will lead to another larger riot. I was thinking the same about the driver getting hit behind the head.

Those guys went to prison.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald_Oliver_Denny

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by MikeSid

"Eyewitness" reports posted to The Stranger are about as reliable as Lucas electrial.

that is funny