Conflicts involving Critical Mass
Encyclopedia
There have been many conflicts during Critical Mass bicycling events resulting in injuries, property damage, and arrests. Both bicyclists and drivers have been victims. Critics say that Critical Mass
, a bicycling advocacy event held primarily in large metropolitan cities, is a deliberate attempt to obstruct automotive traffic
and disrupt normal city
functions, since individual
s taking part refuse to obey traffic law
s.
when a motorist met an intersection with dozens of bicycles crossing. Bicycle advocates claim that the driver shouted, "I'm sick of you people," while bicyclists were in the intersection. It is not clear who had the right of way. The driver attempted to strike the cyclists and drive through the ride. The motorist and his wife, two witnesses, and the police alleged the bikers threw their bicycles under the vehicle. This is disputed by other witnesses. Critical Mass participants then rocked the vehicle, pounded the hood, and broke its windshield. $3000 worth of damage was done to the bicycles. Berkeley police did not make any arrests in the incident. Video of the incident was posted on the Internet.
police arrested 250 riders after the ride caused "massive disruptions" in the city. Many court cases resulted regarding the legality of the ride, whether police have the right to arrest cyclists and seize bicycles, and whether the event needs a permit
. In December 2004, a federal judge dismissed New York City's injunction
against Critical Mass as a "political event." On March 23, 2005, the city filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent Time's Up!
, a direct action
environmental group, promoting or advertising Critical Mass rides. The lawsuit also stated Time's Up! and the public could not ride or gather at a Critical Mass bike ride, claiming a permit was required.
Within days, members of Time's Up!
, the organization that sponsored the rally, posted a video of the incident on YouTube
. The video contradicted almost every aspect of the officer's report by showing that all vehicle traffic had already been stopped, Pogan had lunged towards the bicycle, Long had attempted to steer away, and that Long was knocked on the ground while Pogan remained on his feet. The video went viral
and received over 400,000 hits within five days, as Critical Mass activists claimed it supported their claims that the police department has demonstrated a pattern of arresting participants in the rally on false charges. Witnesses also disputed Pogan's account, saying that Long was the one to receive injuries, traffic was stopped for the rally, and that Pogan had simply scanned the group of cyclists to find one he could take down.
The union
that represents NYPD officers said Pogan was just doing his job to protect the public from a reckless bike rider, and his father — himself a retired NYPD detective — defended him, saying "You gotta do what you gotta do to make an arrest." The prosecutor
's office dismissed the charges against Long. NYPD then placed Pogan, who had spent only three weeks as a police officer, on a desk assignment while the city investigated the incident.
On December 16, 2008, Pogan appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to felony
charges of falsifying business records and filing a false instrument and misdemeanor
charges of third-degree assault, second-degree harassment and making a punishable false written statement. After the indictment
, the police department suspended Pogan. Two months later, Pogan resigned as the department prepared to fire him. His attorney said that his defense would center on the department's training procedures and claims that events occurring off-camera needed to be taken into account.
On July 8, 2009, it was reported that Long, then a Hoboken, NJ, resident, was suing the New York Police Department for $1.5M, alleging that Pogan falsified his arrest report in order to legitimize his assault on Long.
During his trial in April 2010, Pogan acknowledged that the video looked "very extreme." He testified that he anticipated a collision with Long since the rider lowered his right shoulder as the officer approached. Jurors found Pogan not guilty of harassment and assault and acquitted him of four of the seven counts. He was found guilty of filing a criminal complaint that contained false statements concerning the cyclist. He received no jail time and is not eligible to become a New York City police officer in the future as a convicted felon. Long said in an interview he was pleased with the verdict, in part because it would prevent Pogan from becoming a New York City police officer again.
has addressed rides with a variety of tactics in 16 years. Attempts to direct rides and crack down on riders with arrests have failed. The SFPD has often received calls from other law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and Canada trying to respond to Critical Mass Rides. A lieutenant advised he is willing to share San Francisco Police Department tactics with anyone who asks.
in regards to cracking down on the event. The local newspapers published a city-approved route after the mayor withdrew his threat to have bicyclists arrested for not obtaining a parade permit. Most of the participants ignored the route and separated into several groups. Verbal and physical altercations occurred between motorists and bicyclists as well as between riders and police. Two officers reported injuries in confrontations with bike riders. Local media reported "about 250" bicyclists being arrested for moving violations, being drunk in public, battery, and outstanding warrants.
Bennett Hall, a photographer, witnessed a police officer writing a citation for a bicyclist he claimed had committed no offense. Hall alleged that while he was photographing the event a police officer arrested him and seized his camera. Another pedestrian attempted to take the camera to bring it to the San Francisco Chronicle
, but was also arrested.
for denting a limousine using a bicycle lock. The driver told police he got out of his car to talk to two cyclists who allegedly blocked his path. After exchanging words with one, the driver said he grabbed one of the bikes and tried to pull it out of the way. He then got back into his limo to go round the riders. Before he could move, he said, another cyclist smacked into the side of his car, then punched the hood with a U-shaped lock. The cyclist told police he only hit the limousine after the driver gunned his engine. During the incident, one of its tires was slashed and the driver's keys were stolen.
Near the end of the ride, near the Japan Center
and Western Addition neighborhoods, a resident of Redwood City, California
tried to drive through the mass of riders. A witness claimed to have observed the driver strike a cyclist and flee before cyclists chased and surrounded her vehicle. The driver denied striking a cyclist and alleged that hundreds of cyclists surrounded her minivan while she and her 11- and 13-year old daughters were inside, banged on her car, scratched the paint, and threw a bicycle through the rear window of the vehicle, causing $5,300 in damage.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom
, in April 2007, requested that Critical Mass riders police themselves. "It does the bicycle-advocacy community no good to have people that are aggressive and dispirit the entire movement," Newsom said. "I would encourage the bicycle coalition to say, 'Look, we don't put up with this, enough is enough.'"
In September 2005, a few weeks after 7 July 2005 bombings
, Metropolitan Police required the organisers to provide a route six days before the event. In addition, they placed strict restrictions on riders under threat of arrest. The threat was retracted when politicians and cyclist groups objected. The following ride, October 2005, had close to 1200 participants. A long stop in Parliament Square
, part of the Government's exclusion area
in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005
led to a slow and cumbersome ride.
One participant sought a declaration from the High Court of England and Wales that police need not be notified about the rides, in a "friendly action" in which neither side sought damages
. The ruling agreed, exempting Critical Mass from notification under Section 11 of the Public Order Act 1986
. The ruling was reversed on appeal. In 2008 Friends of the Earth, who supported the legal action, said the case would be appealed to England's highest legal authority, the House of Lords
, on the grounds that, after 11 years, Critical Mass is "commonly or customarily held". In October 2008 the House of Lords ruled in favour of the Critical Mass participant.
after a fight with two undercover
detectives whom the bikers confused for gang members. Witnesses dispute the Sheriff's Office claim that the detectives identified themselves. The King County Sheriff's office decided not to press felony charges in the case, saying there were too many issues over the circumstances surrounding the allegations.
space into cyclists in Seattle's Critical Mass on East Aloha. The motorist made statements to Seattle Police that he drove away, hitting riders and bicycles, and told the press that he "freaked out and overreacted" when bicyclists threatened to tip his vehicle. According to some witnesses, the motorist drove into at least two cyclists and tried to flee.
A group of riders caught the vehicle, broke its rear windshield, slashed the tires, and assaulted the motorist when he got out. Damage to the car was estimated at $1500. The motorist was struck in the back of his head by a bike lock and later hospitalized. Two cyclists were arrested for vandalism to the car. Seattle Police
did not charge the motorist.
. After the arrest of a cyclist for "riding in a snake-like manner," cyclists began chanting "let him go" and "what's the charge?" The police called for help, and dozens of police officers responded, using chemical mace, and tazers. Minneapolis police arrested 19 participants, including three minors. The adults were arrested on suspicion of rioting, a gross misdemeanor.
Chicago Police Department
officers are often seen riding with the Critical Mass and squad cars block intersections to provide safe passage Critical Mass rides. However, on August 31, 2007, seven riders were arrested on charges of obstructing traffic and disobeying police. The seven were held overnight. According to some of those arrested, they were released at late night/early morning. On multiple occasions, Critical Mass has attempted to ride on Lake Shore Drive
, a road that is normally off limits to cyclists. Police will not tolerate participants riding on Lake Shore Drive, and will go as far as blocking entrance ramps with squad cars whenever Critical Mass rides approach the lake.
, southern Brazil. 150 people were taking part in the event, dozens of bicycles were damaged, 15 people were injured and 8 were transported to the emergency room. The driver left the scene of the incident while demonstrators remained on the street demanding that the driver be found and arrested.
The driver was later identified as 47-year old Ricardo José Neis. After Neis gave his testimony to the police, his attorney, Luis Fernando Coimbra Albino, stated that the driver was acting in self-defense after several cyclists threatened him and his son and assaulted his car.
According to witnesses present at the event, Neis was acting violently behind the bikes, had hit two different cyclists rear wheels and any contact from the cyclist on the car was meant as a sign asking to slow down the vehicle. Witnesses also reported that the driver had two different transversal roads he could have taken to avoid waiting for the cyclists to proceed.
On March 1 Ricardo Neis attempted to transfer from a Hospital to a psychiatric clinic, this request was rejected by court officials. He remains in the hospital under police custody.
23 years old Ricardo Mattes Ambus, one of the most severely injured cyclists was re-admitted back in Hospital on March 3 due to an intracranial haematoma
.
During the following week, between February 28 and March 6, many protests in support of Critical Mass Porto Alegre were organized in several major cities of South America and around the world.
Critical Mass
Critical Mass is a cycling event typically held on the last Friday of every month in over 300 cities around the world. The ride was originally founded in 1992 in San Francisco. The purpose of Critical Mass is not usually formalized beyond the direct action of meeting at a set location and time and...
, a bicycling advocacy event held primarily in large metropolitan cities, is a deliberate attempt to obstruct automotive traffic
Traffic
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
and disrupt normal city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
functions, since individual
Individual
An individual is a person or any specific object or thing in a collection. Individuality is the state or quality of being an individual; a person separate from other persons and possessing his or her own needs, goals, and desires. Being self expressive...
s taking part refuse to obey traffic law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
s.
Berkeley, California
On May 11, 2007 an incident occurred in Berkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
when a motorist met an intersection with dozens of bicycles crossing. Bicycle advocates claim that the driver shouted, "I'm sick of you people," while bicyclists were in the intersection. It is not clear who had the right of way. The driver attempted to strike the cyclists and drive through the ride. The motorist and his wife, two witnesses, and the police alleged the bikers threw their bicycles under the vehicle. This is disputed by other witnesses. Critical Mass participants then rocked the vehicle, pounded the hood, and broke its windshield. $3000 worth of damage was done to the bicycles. Berkeley police did not make any arrests in the incident. Video of the incident was posted on the Internet.
New York City
Police in New York claimed that Critical Mass bicyclists corking intersections to allow bikes to pass may delay emergency vehicles in the gridlock.2004 RNC Convention
During the US 2004 Republican National Convention2004 Republican National Convention
The 2004 Republican National Convention, the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States, took place from August 30 to September 2, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York...
police arrested 250 riders after the ride caused "massive disruptions" in the city. Many court cases resulted regarding the legality of the ride, whether police have the right to arrest cyclists and seize bicycles, and whether the event needs a permit
Permit
Permit may refer to:*Permit *Various legal licenses:*License*Work permit*Learner's permit*Permit to travel*Construction permit*Home Return Permit*One-way Permit*Permit is the common name for the Trachinotus falcatus, a type of Pompano....
. In December 2004, a federal judge dismissed New York City's injunction
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
against Critical Mass as a "political event." On March 23, 2005, the city filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent Time's Up!
Time's Up!
Time's Up! is a grassroots environmental group that seeks to promote a more sustainable, less toxic New York City. For over 20 years, it has been committed to improving the environment by empowering individuals to become active in their community....
, a direct action
Direct action
Direct action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
environmental group, promoting or advertising Critical Mass rides. The lawsuit also stated Time's Up! and the public could not ride or gather at a Critical Mass bike ride, claiming a permit was required.
2008 bicycle rally
During a bicycle rally on July 25, 2008, NYPD patrolman Patrick Pogan pushed Christopher Long, a rider, off his bicycle. In a criminal complaint, Pogan wrote that he had ordered Long to stop because he was weaving in and out of traffic, forcing vehicles to swerve or stop, and generally disrupting the normal flow of traffic. Pogan wrote that he suffered lacerations on his arms because Long steered his bike into him and knocked him down, and that when he tried to place Long under arrest, Long began flailing, kicking and screaming, "You are pawns in the game!" Long spent the next day in police custody on charges of attempted assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.Within days, members of Time's Up!
Time's Up!
Time's Up! is a grassroots environmental group that seeks to promote a more sustainable, less toxic New York City. For over 20 years, it has been committed to improving the environment by empowering individuals to become active in their community....
, the organization that sponsored the rally, posted a video of the incident on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. The video contradicted almost every aspect of the officer's report by showing that all vehicle traffic had already been stopped, Pogan had lunged towards the bicycle, Long had attempted to steer away, and that Long was knocked on the ground while Pogan remained on his feet. The video went viral
Viral phenomenon
Viral phenomena are objects or patterns able to replicate themselves or convert other objects into copies of themselves when these objects are exposed to them....
and received over 400,000 hits within five days, as Critical Mass activists claimed it supported their claims that the police department has demonstrated a pattern of arresting participants in the rally on false charges. Witnesses also disputed Pogan's account, saying that Long was the one to receive injuries, traffic was stopped for the rally, and that Pogan had simply scanned the group of cyclists to find one he could take down.
The union
Patrolmen's Benevolent Association
Patrolmen's Benevolent Association or Policemen's Benevolent Association ' is the name of several labor unions representing police officers. One such union is the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association of the City of New York, which is the largest union representing members of the New York City Police...
that represents NYPD officers said Pogan was just doing his job to protect the public from a reckless bike rider, and his father — himself a retired NYPD detective — defended him, saying "You gotta do what you gotta do to make an arrest." The prosecutor
New York County District Attorney
The New York County District Attorney is the elected district attorney for New York County , New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws....
's office dismissed the charges against Long. NYPD then placed Pogan, who had spent only three weeks as a police officer, on a desk assignment while the city investigated the incident.
On December 16, 2008, Pogan appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
charges of falsifying business records and filing a false instrument and misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
charges of third-degree assault, second-degree harassment and making a punishable false written statement. After the indictment
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
, the police department suspended Pogan. Two months later, Pogan resigned as the department prepared to fire him. His attorney said that his defense would center on the department's training procedures and claims that events occurring off-camera needed to be taken into account.
On July 8, 2009, it was reported that Long, then a Hoboken, NJ, resident, was suing the New York Police Department for $1.5M, alleging that Pogan falsified his arrest report in order to legitimize his assault on Long.
During his trial in April 2010, Pogan acknowledged that the video looked "very extreme." He testified that he anticipated a collision with Long since the rider lowered his right shoulder as the officer approached. Jurors found Pogan not guilty of harassment and assault and acquitted him of four of the seven counts. He was found guilty of filing a criminal complaint that contained false statements concerning the cyclist. He received no jail time and is not eligible to become a New York City police officer in the future as a convicted felon. Long said in an interview he was pleased with the verdict, in part because it would prevent Pogan from becoming a New York City police officer again.
San Francisco, California
The San Francisco Police DepartmentSan Francisco Police Department
The San Francisco Police Department, also known as the SFPD and San Francisco Department Of Police, is the police department of the City and County of San Francisco, California...
has addressed rides with a variety of tactics in 16 years. Attempts to direct rides and crack down on riders with arrests have failed. The SFPD has often received calls from other law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and Canada trying to respond to Critical Mass Rides. A lieutenant advised he is willing to share San Francisco Police Department tactics with anyone who asks.
July 1997
On the night of the July 25, 1997 ride 5000 riders participated in the ride which resulted in congested traffic, confrontations with motorists, and arrests. Interest and tension had been growing for several weeks due to increased rhetoric from then-Mayor Willie BrownWillie Brown (politician)
Willie Lewis Brown, Jr. is an American politician of the Democratic Party. He served over 30 years in the California State Assembly, spending 15 years as its Speaker, and afterward served as the 41st mayor of San Francisco, the first African American to do so...
in regards to cracking down on the event. The local newspapers published a city-approved route after the mayor withdrew his threat to have bicyclists arrested for not obtaining a parade permit. Most of the participants ignored the route and separated into several groups. Verbal and physical altercations occurred between motorists and bicyclists as well as between riders and police. Two officers reported injuries in confrontations with bike riders. Local media reported "about 250" bicyclists being arrested for moving violations, being drunk in public, battery, and outstanding warrants.
Bennett Hall, a photographer, witnessed a police officer writing a citation for a bicyclist he claimed had committed no offense. Hall alleged that while he was photographing the event a police officer arrested him and seized his camera. Another pedestrian attempted to take the camera to bring it to the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, but was also arrested.
March 2007
On the March 2007 ride in San Francisco, a rider was arrested on felony (later reduced to misdemeanor) charges in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhoodTenderloin, San Francisco, California
The Tenderloin is a neighborhood in downtown San Francisco, California, in the flatlands on the southern slope of Nob Hill, nestled between the Union Square shopping district to the northeast and the Civic Center office district to the southwest...
for denting a limousine using a bicycle lock. The driver told police he got out of his car to talk to two cyclists who allegedly blocked his path. After exchanging words with one, the driver said he grabbed one of the bikes and tried to pull it out of the way. He then got back into his limo to go round the riders. Before he could move, he said, another cyclist smacked into the side of his car, then punched the hood with a U-shaped lock. The cyclist told police he only hit the limousine after the driver gunned his engine. During the incident, one of its tires was slashed and the driver's keys were stolen.
Near the end of the ride, near the Japan Center
Japantown, San Francisco, California
comprises about six square city blocks in San Francisco, California, USA. San Francisco's Japantown is the largest and oldest such enclave in the United States.-Location:...
and Western Addition neighborhoods, a resident of Redwood City, California
Redwood City, California
Redwood City is a California charter city located on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California, approximately 27 miles south of San Francisco, and 24 miles north of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans from its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people, to its tradition as a port for...
tried to drive through the mass of riders. A witness claimed to have observed the driver strike a cyclist and flee before cyclists chased and surrounded her vehicle. The driver denied striking a cyclist and alleged that hundreds of cyclists surrounded her minivan while she and her 11- and 13-year old daughters were inside, banged on her car, scratched the paint, and threw a bicycle through the rear window of the vehicle, causing $5,300 in damage.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom
Gavin Newsom
Gavin Christopher Newsom is an American politician who is the 49th and current Lieutenant Governor of California. Previously, he was the 42nd Mayor of San Francisco, and was elected in 2003 to succeed Willie Brown, becoming San Francisco's youngest mayor in 100 years. Newsom was re-elected in 2007...
, in April 2007, requested that Critical Mass riders police themselves. "It does the bicycle-advocacy community no good to have people that are aggressive and dispirit the entire movement," Newsom said. "I would encourage the bicycle coalition to say, 'Look, we don't put up with this, enough is enough.'"
November 2009
In November 2009, Stanley Roberts of KRON 4 News recorded several Critical Mass confrontations between bicyclists and vehicles at Van Ness and Ofarrell Streets. Noting an old Critical Mass website, riders are advised not to be confrontational and block traffic, but in footage filmed by Roberts, bicyclists engaged in confrontational arguments with motorists and blocked roads to vehicular traffic.London
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
, Metropolitan Police required the organisers to provide a route six days before the event. In addition, they placed strict restrictions on riders under threat of arrest. The threat was retracted when politicians and cyclist groups objected. The following ride, October 2005, had close to 1200 participants. A long stop in Parliament Square
Parliament Square
Parliament Square is a square outside the northwest end of the Palace of Westminster in London. It features a large open green area in the middle, with a group of trees to its west. It contains statues of famous statesmen and is the scene of rallies and protests, as well as being a tourist...
, part of the Government's exclusion area
Exclusion area
Exclusion area refers to the area around a nuclear reactor where the reactor licensee has the authority over all activities - including exclusion of persons from the premises....
in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005
Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005
The Serious Organized Crime and Police Act 2005 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom aimed primarily at creating the Serious Organised Crime Agency, it also significantly extended and simplified the powers of arrest of a constable and introduced restrictions on protests in the...
led to a slow and cumbersome ride.
One participant sought a declaration from the High Court of England and Wales that police need not be notified about the rides, in a "friendly action" in which neither side sought damages
Damages
In law, damages is an award, typically of money, to be paid to a person as compensation for loss or injury; grammatically, it is a singular noun, not plural.- Compensatory damages :...
. The ruling agreed, exempting Critical Mass from notification under Section 11 of the Public Order Act 1986
Public Order Act 1986
The Public Order Act 1986 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It creates a number of public order offences. They replace similar common law offences and parts of the Public Order Act 1936...
. The ruling was reversed on appeal. In 2008 Friends of the Earth, who supported the legal action, said the case would be appealed to England's highest legal authority, the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, on the grounds that, after 11 years, Critical Mass is "commonly or customarily held". In October 2008 the House of Lords ruled in favour of the Critical Mass participant.
June 2006
Two riders were arrested during the June 2006 ride in Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
after a fight with two undercover
Undercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
detectives whom the bikers confused for gang members. Witnesses dispute the Sheriff's Office claim that the detectives identified themselves. The King County Sheriff's office decided not to press felony charges in the case, saying there were too many issues over the circumstances surrounding the allegations.
July 2008
On July 25, 2008 Critical Mass prevented a motorist from driving from a curbside parkingParking
Parking is the act of stopping a vehicle and leaving it unoccupied for more than a brief time. Parking on one or both sides of a road is commonly permitted, though often with restrictions...
space into cyclists in Seattle's Critical Mass on East Aloha. The motorist made statements to Seattle Police that he drove away, hitting riders and bicycles, and told the press that he "freaked out and overreacted" when bicyclists threatened to tip his vehicle. According to some witnesses, the motorist drove into at least two cyclists and tried to flee.
A group of riders caught the vehicle, broke its rear windshield, slashed the tires, and assaulted the motorist when he got out. Damage to the car was estimated at $1500. The motorist was struck in the back of his head by a bike lock and later hospitalized. Two cyclists were arrested for vandalism to the car. Seattle Police
Seattle Police Department
The Seattle Police Department is the principal law enforcement agency of the city of Seattle, Washington, except for the campus of the University of Washington, for which responsibility falls to the University of Washington Police Department...
did not charge the motorist.
Vilnius, Lithuania
On July 27, 2007 in Vilnius, Lithuania, police took five participants into custody, including two minors, for not following orders to disband. At least two reported to have been beaten and injured[?] by police.Minneapolis
On the August 31, 2007 ride in Minneapolis, a confrontation occurred between cyclists and the police. The police presence included undercover officers, three marked squad cars, a state patrol helicopter, and unmarked vehicles. The ride had been linked with weekend protests of the following year's Republican National Convention2008 Republican National Convention
The United States 2008 Republican National Convention took place at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, from September 1, through September 4, 2008...
. After the arrest of a cyclist for "riding in a snake-like manner," cyclists began chanting "let him go" and "what's the charge?" The police called for help, and dozens of police officers responded, using chemical mace, and tazers. Minneapolis police arrested 19 participants, including three minors. The adults were arrested on suspicion of rioting, a gross misdemeanor.
Chicago
Chicago Police Department
The Chicago Police Department, also known as the CPD, is the principal law enforcement agency of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States, under the jurisdiction of the Mayor of Chicago. It is the largest police department in the Midwest and the second largest local law enforcement agency in the...
officers are often seen riding with the Critical Mass and squad cars block intersections to provide safe passage Critical Mass rides. However, on August 31, 2007, seven riders were arrested on charges of obstructing traffic and disobeying police. The seven were held overnight. According to some of those arrested, they were released at late night/early morning. On multiple occasions, Critical Mass has attempted to ride on Lake Shore Drive
Lake Shore Drive
Lake Shore Drive is a mostly freeway-standard expressway running parallel with and alongside the shoreline of Lake Michigan through Chicago, Illinois, USA. Except for the portion north of Foster Avenue , Lake Shore Drive is designated as part of U.S...
, a road that is normally off limits to cyclists. Police will not tolerate participants riding on Lake Shore Drive, and will go as far as blocking entrance ramps with squad cars whenever Critical Mass rides approach the lake.
Walnut Creek, California
On Friday June 20, 2008, a car bumped into the rear wheel of one of the participants of the ride. An oral argument ensued between the driver and passenger of the car and the cyclist involved, after which both of the passenger and driver of the car assaulted the cyclist. The police arrived and arrested both the passenger and driver of the automobile involved in the assault.Honolulu
At dusk on March 28, 2008 police collided with a young woman on a bike while trying to stop another bicycle for traffic infractions. She fell and hit her head on the ground, and sustained injuries requiring hospitalization. No arrests were made, but the police did issue citations and confiscate bicycles.Buffalo, NY
On May 30, 2003, in an incident known locally as "Critical Massacre", police stopped two cyclists for "failure to yield to an emergency vehicle." Several people were allegedly attacked by police. Nine cyclists were arrested, three were convicted, including a journalist.Porto Alegre, Brazil
On February 25, 2011, a car driver deliberately collided with around 20 cyclists that were participating in a Critical Mass event, in Rua José do Patrocinio in Porto AlegrePorto Alegre
Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...
, southern Brazil. 150 people were taking part in the event, dozens of bicycles were damaged, 15 people were injured and 8 were transported to the emergency room. The driver left the scene of the incident while demonstrators remained on the street demanding that the driver be found and arrested.
The driver was later identified as 47-year old Ricardo José Neis. After Neis gave his testimony to the police, his attorney, Luis Fernando Coimbra Albino, stated that the driver was acting in self-defense after several cyclists threatened him and his son and assaulted his car.
According to witnesses present at the event, Neis was acting violently behind the bikes, had hit two different cyclists rear wheels and any contact from the cyclist on the car was meant as a sign asking to slow down the vehicle. Witnesses also reported that the driver had two different transversal roads he could have taken to avoid waiting for the cyclists to proceed.
On March 1 Ricardo Neis attempted to transfer from a Hospital to a psychiatric clinic, this request was rejected by court officials. He remains in the hospital under police custody.
23 years old Ricardo Mattes Ambus, one of the most severely injured cyclists was re-admitted back in Hospital on March 3 due to an intracranial haematoma
Intracranial hemorrhage
An intracranial hemorrhage is a hemorrhage, or bleeding, within the skull.-Causes:Intracranial bleeding occurs when a blood vessel within the skull is ruptured or leaks. It can result from physical trauma or nontraumatic causes such as a ruptured aneurysm...
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During the following week, between February 28 and March 6, many protests in support of Critical Mass Porto Alegre were organized in several major cities of South America and around the world.