critical mass

i was living in san francisco when critical mass came about. it wasn't created as a tool to incite hatred from public officials and police. it wasn't intended to shut the city down or start riots. it was a way for bicyclists to get together and ride around without any purpose other than to have fun and hang out with friends. at the end of the ride, people would kick back and drink beer and bullshit about girls/guys/life/whatever. no harm in that.

being as it started in san francisco and being that san francisco has a unique perspective, that we are all aware of, the ride had no rules. you meet up, ride and then end up somewhere. through the years and with critical mass having sprung up in faraway places, it has retained this simple concept, with a few exceptions.

the city was never a big fan of critical mass, but mostly left it alone. republican frank jordan was the mayor at the time. remarkably, probably knowing he was powerless to do anything about it anyway, he tolerated it. there were problems here and there, but nothing major. the only real problem was that as the movement grew, bicyclists were increasingly making auto traffic worse, if that's even a problem at all.

this all changed when the newly elected democrat mayor willie brown decided to put an end to critical mass. there were rumors floating around of the july ride being the last. people were pissed. this new mayor, who's ascension to the office of mayor caused a collective sigh of relief from the left in san francisco and here he was putting the brakes on something so insignificant as a monthly bike ride.

i had to work in north beach that day and could tell that the mood was very sour. hundreds of pissed off bicyclists gathered at the starting point, rode for a bit and then decided to turn the ride into a protest. the bikers split into several groups and descended on the financial district, rincon hill and other points around soma. i watched it on television. they sat in front of freeway entrances and traffic lights. motorists were paralyzed. the elite motocross cops started beating people up. the bicyclists would simply get back on their bikes and ride to another location, where this cycle started anew. for hours, the bankers and stock brokers of the financial district were unable to get back to their homes in the oakland hills and beyond.

i had never seen such a massive police action in my life. even anti-war protests paled in comparison. riot squads. cops on horseback. paddywagons. thousands of plastic handcuffs.

after i left work, i walked towards market street along montgomery. i noticed that the cops had corralled a group of about 100 cyclists into a block perpendicular to montgomery. they blocked both ends of the street with vans and riot cops and there seemed to be a strange standoff, with bicyclists sitting on the pavement, their bikes in front of them and cops eager to make arrests. i just walked up, when i witnessed the top cop on the scene receive instructions, via police radio, to arrest every single biker on that block. it was freaky. and to think of all the other arrests that had taken place that day. there were no vacancies at the hall of justice that night.

there are numerous readymade explanations for why this turned out the way it did. but to be sure, the explanation is in the attempt to shut it down. the blame can be placed solely on the authorities. they are responsible for the mess they created for everybody, themselves included. this is true in every instance of a critical mass happening in a city where the local officials try to put a stop to or dictate the rules of a critical mass event.

for evidence, i would like to point out two critical mass events that happen in the same city, only miles away from each other, with completely different results. these are the manhattan and brooklyn rides.

though not officially condoning the ride, brooklyn has a laissez-faire approach. they let the bikers ride around and do their thing, even blocking intersections to auto traffic to keep it traffic smooth. manhattan on the other hand does everything in it's power to put the clamp on it. the manhattan ride quickly descends into anarchy. mass arrests. traffic disasters. cops beating bicyclists in front of tourists from indianapolis or japan. it's a mess. the manhattan riders, frustrated with constant harassment, recently decided to take their bikes to the subway, instead of the street, essentially overtaking an entire line.

the brooklyn ride is composed of regular bikers and weekend warriors and the manhattan ride is typically kids looking for police action and messengers and more hard-core activists. if you were a troublemaker, which one would you ride in? be realistic.

every attempt to edit critical mass only feeds it's popularity among the angry. and most of us are. it is a place where pissed-off cyclists can reaffirm their understanding that they indeed are oppressed second class citizens. cops go out of their way to make the lives of motorists easier, while making bicyclists' hell. it's a place were anarchists have an excuse to make more anarchy. where anybody who's ever wanted to get arrested can. where cities can bend to the will of their thuggish police unions and shell out overtime.

the reality is that the ride will take place, whether anybody likes it or not. and depending on how cities deal with it, the outcome will either be moderately annoying for motorists for a brief period of time, or miserable for everybody for much longer.

link | rss | share | posted: 2008-09-06 15:30:41