TheAgitator.com
Ow.
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008I’m no fan of Critical Mass protests, either. But damn.
Gothamist is reporting that the bicyclist was arrested and held for 26 hours for assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. After the video surfaced on YouTube, the officer is apparently on desk duty pending an investigation. Score another one for copious videotaping of the police.
If that had not been videotaped then the cop would have been “following procedure” while “putting his life on the line.”
Why is this public servant not being charged with assualt!?! If you or I body-checked another citizen on a bike would it not be assualt? If you or I body-checked a public servant on a bike what would happen?
How often are citizens attacked by public servants without being fortunate enough to have video? How do we ensure that those attacked are not jailed and charged with assault themselves? Why give our public servants any benefit of the doubt?
I don’t.
If I had to decide who was lying between a crack whore and a cop, it’d be a toss up.
It just seems so… random. Why that guy?
It’s like the NYPD version of the Redneck’s Last Words. “Hey, hold my
beernightstick and watch this!”I am a fan of Critical Mass. This is not the first time the cops NYPD been caught in a lie regarding C.M. You ever try to ride a bike in NYC? Its crazy. More people should bike it in the city.
The quote by the cop’s dad (a retired cop!) sums up the mentality nicely:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2008/07/28/2008-07-28_rookie_cop_in_hot_water_after_video_show.html
I agree, that officer should be charged with assault. He should be subject to the same repercussions as though he were anyone else who deliberately attacked someone on the street. In addition, since he undoubtedly lied when filling out the cyclist’s arrest report, he should be charged with falsifying an arrest report as well. That goes for his partner, too, who almost certainly saw what happened, if he corroborated the assaulting officer’s statement in the arrest report.
Meanwhile, the cyclist who spent 26 hours in jail has a pretty good argument for false arrest.
Events like this are ample evidence for doubters that the watchmen need to be watched.
BTW, I wonder what was going on with that other cyclist who pulled over afterward and grabbed the felled cyclist’s bike?
Critical Mass is the acme of hippy entitlement.
I also really, really want to do it at least once.
This is exactly why cops don’t want to be videotaped. This is a perk of the job, get to mess with people whenever you want.
He should be charged with assault. And something about unbecoming of an officer.
more evidence of the two classes that exist in america… the state and the citizens. where any regular citizen would be immediately arrested and charged upon that video surfacing, this disgrace of a police officer gets place on desk duty ‘pending further investigation’ i.e. wait till everybody forgets the incident and reinstate the bastard.
What I find really disturbing from the comments on the linked story is that so many people are defending the cop. The completely illiterate morons are saying, “yeah, but those CM bikers are inconsiderate,” (missing the point entirely) while the semi-literates are spewing, “there’s no context” or “cyclist may have done something that deserved it.” Next time I’m inconsiderate (unintentional or otherwise) I deserve a body slam? Also, it’s quite clear that the cop had his back turned for a significant amount of time before turning and picking his target, which just so happened to be the last or second-to-last biker. It doesn’t require a lot of “context.” Damn — just when I thought that people were “getting it” and seeing the NYPD for what they really are (remember that guy who got shot down day before his wedding and the police were cleared?) more shit like this happens and the general population ups their doses of medication forgetting everything that happened yesterday. Radley references a story about how in LE someone asks, “Who wants to be on a SWAT team?” and then says that anyone who raises their hand should be automatically disqualified from ever being on a SWAT team — maybe we should use that model when we pick our police officers.
I must say I’m torn.
On the one hand, he cop here is clearly a criminal.
On the other hand, Critical Mass sucks, and the Critical Mass riders just need to be shot. Reference what happened in Seattle last week as one of many examples.
This kinda reminds me of the PETA joke.
A PETA member runs into their office and yells “Hey! There are some old women wearing fur down the street, lets go throw paint on them”. Every one in the office jumps up, and grabs a bucket of paint, they run down the street, and douse the women in their furs.
The next day the same guy runs into the office and yells “Hey! Grab your paint buckets”, so everyone grabs a bucket, and the guy says “There are some Harley riders wearing leather down the street, lets go throw paint on them”. Everyone puts their paint bucket up, and continues with their work.
If that had been a couple hundred Harley riders that cop never would have attempted his assault.
I doubt he would have done it to anyone if he hadn’t had a badge and a gun.
The very first thing that should have happened (probably too late now) is to demand a blood and hair sample from that cop to be tested for illegal drugs.
Especially including anabolic steroids.
There is no way you can fault the riders for exercising their rights, isn’t that what all of us believe in?
This cop’s blatant disregard for the law (and humanity) is sickening. Just as bad is that the other cop doesn’t even blink when the rider is struck.
I’ve tried to hold out from being completely cynical about police officers, but I’m starting to think they are all criminals.
nobahdi,
Keep watching, they are ALL either directly guilty or indirectly through their silence. Every. Single. One.
Simply outrageous. What a fucking overgrown bully.
Even more outrageous, and I am following the piper here,: the asshole still has a job as a cop. He isn’t fit to clean the jail toilets let alone wear a police uniform.
God, I weep for our society sometimes.
[...] header from a comment at Balko’s. Another commenter says he’s “torn”. I’m not. I think “Critical Mass” is a bunch of assholes, but [...]
I’ve been fantasizing about doing that very thing to the bastard that took my rear bike wheel last night…
The problem is that Critical Mass riders tend to not care about others’ rights when exercising their own. They harass and intimidate (and occasionally assault) drivers, they ignore traffic laws, and they generally act like dicks.
This is not to say I agree with the cop here. He should be fired and arrested. But I can’t stand Critical Mass.
Yeah, two groups that I hate (bad cops and critical mass dickheads) fight it out. Anybody bring popcorn?
As for the guy who says the cop should face the same punishment as anybody else, no, he shouldn’t. A cop should face a far harsher punishment than a normal person - more is expected of them and we have entrusted them with far more power. It’s assault, false arrest/imprisonment, etc. all “under color of law”.
I have no problem with the cops rounding up and nicely arresting all critical mass dickheads for blocking traffic, but they don’t have to be assaulted.
Another Critical Mass story:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/372435_mass28.html
The Smoking Gun claims to have some court document containing the cop’s version of the story. Nothing dramatically new inside, but the bit at the bottom is priceless:
“False statements made herein are punishable as a class A misdemeanor…”
He also claims Long was obstructing traffic by riding “in the center lane”. But it looks like a one-way street to me. Isn’t it pretty normal to ride in the center lane?
You advocate police randomly arresting people for breaking traffic laws on a bicycle? Do you even read this blog?
Maybe it’s different in New York, but all the Masses I’ve gone to in Chicago have been happy and relatively calm displays of civil disobedience. They’re certainly nothing to get upset about, unless you really can’t handle being delayed 15 minutes on a Friday afternoon.
Oh, and it’s only once a freaking month.
The cop was fired according to MSNBC.
CM is sucky. Don’t have aproblem with bicycle people as long as they obey the same laws I have to obey.
In my book, they’re asshats that ought to be bodyslammed if they run stopsigns and redlights like the do here in Atlanta.
To Lyle’s comment above: The NYPD put a random steroid testing policy in place not long ago but I think only 1 person has tested positive and been suspended without pay. I think it’s an interesting issue no one seems to look at, maybe because the focus is on athletes, but this cop definitely seemed to be in a fit of ‘roid rage.
Here in Athens GA, we have Courteous Mass, where cyclists all get together, ride around town, and actually obey traffic laws. Critical Mass just reinforces all the negative stereotypes about cyclists that the car drivers have, and in my opinion, makes it more likely that a cyclist will suffer a road rage incident in the future.
So, it doesn’t surprise me that this cyclist suffered this fate…it happens a lot.
Anyone contact Robert Morgenthau’s office? He’s the DA in New York County (a/k/a Manhattan):
Communications Office
Barbara Thompson, Director
If you are a member of the media and require assistance, please contact our Communications Office.
(212) 335-9400
Buck B., the point isn’t how long people are delayed or how often, its that the Critical Mass crowd seems to have this belief that they have the right to behave however they want and break whatever laws they like regardless of their effects on others. In that way, they remind me of cops. The cop in this case was out of line and ought to face charges, but that doesn’t change the fact that every single one of those cyclists ought to have been stopped and ticketed at each intersection.
See, the problem here is the sense of entitlement and the disregard for others. I get that cyclists have it tough, I get that cars don’t often give them a safe place to ride. But that doesn’t mean they have the right to take it out on whoever happens to be passing their CM route in the name of making a statement and petty revenge. Kinda like how the fact that they’ve got a big old smug on doesn’t give them the right to ignore traffic laws and hit pedestrians.
BTW, I wonder what was going on with that other cyclist who pulled over afterward and grabbed the felled cyclist’s bike?
I wondered about this too. The first time through, I thought it was the cyclist who got knocked over.
[...] And We Thought Cars Were The Problem Via Radley Balko: [...]
I heard the “bicycler” had something that looked like a sword or other weapon and which you can sort of “see” in this vidoe.
I don’t agree with the severity of the cop’s action, the rider is basically defenseless, was too stupid or cool to wear a helmet, and could have been seriously hurt. But….
I have watched this video several times. As far as I know, cars cyclists are supposed to yield to pedestrians, and to law enforcement officers. The cyclist did not do that, he was riding way too fast for an area with pedestrians, he rode right at the cop, making no attempt to slow down, then he swerved slightly away from the cop when he was about 10 feet away, and then back into him when he was a few feet away. I would have been tempted to knocked that jerk off his bike too (but of course, I would probably have been arrested) It’s as if the cyclist was just begging for that to happen, and the cop was foolish enough to oblige him.
CNN cleverly showed only the last few seconds in slow motion, making it look more like the cop went after him without reason.
foxnews says:
During his arrest, Long squirmed and kicked, saying to the officers, “You are pawns in the game. I’m gonna have your job,” the complaint said.
FYI, I found that quote after I wrote the above paragraph, and I realize it’s part of the complaint, and is not corroborated.
Also, on Foxnews, they have this quote:
Craig Radhuber said he was riding about 3 feet behind Long when he was hit.
“It was unprovoked,” Radhuber said. “It was like the cop was waiting for him and then just checked him as he got closer. I couldn’t believe it.”
There was no one even close to three feet behind the cyclist. Didn’t they even watch the video?
I am a cyclist, a motorcyclist, and a regular old car driver. Cyclists are the worst when it comes to obeying traffic laws and many fail to understand the fact that “Share the Road” does not mean “Gimme the road AND the sidewalk!”. They’re on a 20 pound bike that can go 10-15 mph, cars are 3000 pounds and can go whatever the speed limit is, even up hill. It seems foolish to me to expect equality under those conditions, but also think it’s ok to split lanes, ride up the shoulder or sidealk, blow through stop signs, etc…
I also really, really want to do it at least once.
I biked a Critical Mass once (before I’d heard much about it), and I really liked having so many people around to bike with, and not having so much traffic to worry about (it was at night), though I felt really uncomfortable when everyone started ignoring red lights. It seemed reasonable for a huge group (seriously, there was a thick line of bikers stretching hundreds of feet) to keep going through a light that turned red in the middle, but some people would try to blow through red lights which had already started. It’s inevitable - even with the best of intentions, with that many people…
Kevin, it looks to me like the guy was riding his bike just like everyone else. I certainly didn’t see him riding right towards the cop, who had to walk over to him to knock him down.
I don’t get what is to hate about these critical mass guys. They get together and ride their bikes to bring publicity to a cause (what cause that is I cant quite figure out).
Whats the deal? What do they do that is out of line or annoying?
They aggressively and intentionally hold up traffic by having a couple of the bikers ride right in front of cars that have right-of-way and making it impossible for them to move.
The cause, at least around here (I can’t speak for CMs around the rest of the nation) is “get rid of all cars and everybody ride bicycles instead”
Police Report from Smoking Gun
I don’t know why I would expect anything less, but the police report is as disgusting as the video.
The officer claims he witnessed the “defendant” weaving in and out of traffic forcing cars to stop abruptly, and after instructing him to stop being a menace, the rider aimed his bike directly at the cop.
I can complain about bike riders all day too. Riders need to pick a set of rules and stick with them. If you want to go on sidewalks like a pedestrian, stay on the sidewalks. If you want to ride in the road like a vehicle, stay on the road. Either way is fine. Don’t switch between the two mid-block and then get all huffy (heh) that cars can’t react fast enough to keep a safe distance from you. If you ride across an intersection in the crosswalk, go at a pedestrian’s pace so I can see you coming in time to not squish you. If you ride alongside the road, go with the flow of traffic so I can time when to pass you without having to swerve into oncoming cars. If you pass cars stopped at a red light on the shoulder, stay a car back in case the lead car is turning. Don’t wear skin-tight shorts unless you’re built for them. If you have a near-miss because you broke the law, learn from your mistake, don’t go on TV to blame everyone else.
BUT, the only reason to think Long did anything illegal is the cop’s statement, which is not credible because 75% of it is contradicted by video. Even if Long was screwing with traffic, there’s no excuse for describing his obvious effort to avoid hitting the cop as attempting to assault the cop.
For those fixated on CM’s bad road-sharing manners: consider that Long, if convicted of the two misdemeanors he was charged with, faced months in prison. Complete with bad food and forcible sodomy. Over blatantly trumped-up charges. Traffic violations are simply NOT an important issue in the face of that.
Like it or not, I believe CM is a form of civil disobedience, which is something of an American tradition. They do the ride, traffic slows for a bit, and its over. If they do not do anything really stupid or harm anyone, just let it go. If they put their hands on you, defend yourself with vigor (and laugh as the dreadlocked child of privlege whines about his oppression and calls you “fascist”). If they intentionally disrupt traffic for long periods, then the police would certainly be justified in citing them for obstructing traffic. But this officer’s actions were clearly premeditated and involved obvious malice. He was not trying to stop him for a violation, he was trying to intimidate CM riders and he got caught red-handed. Book the officer for battery and look into the charges on the cyclist, which are likely fabricated. The only thing the cyclist is probably guilty of is a lame appropriation of Dylan lyrics. I mean, could you sound any more hippy dippy than that, Mr. Long?
…and why do I suspect that the only lessoned learned by the NYPD will be “watch for cameras”?
Is it too much to hope for that both the cyclist and the cop will get jail time!? I would feel bad for the cyclist except that he was acting like an asshole, and I never feel bad for cops that act like an asshole so jailtime for both would be the most fitting punishment here.
Also this CM shit has got to stop or you will see more and more of this in the future. I know they are trying to show that riders have a right to the road, but their rights aren’t more important than everyone else.
[...] New York, such douchebaggery got one Heck’s Angel face-planted. Now, being a douchebag is typically [...]
Critical Mass rides only occur once a month here in Minneapolis/Saint Paul.
Would it be such a burden to wait a few minutes while the bikes go by? How many times have you had to wait for a funeral procession? It’s not a big deal.
Ditto what Chris said.
I’m a cyclist, and I find CM pretty pointless and maybe even counter-productive, but at the same time, the outrage over it is ridiculous. Traffic through any major city is always slow at rush hour, and people are more or less happy to sit there in it every night of the month. Except of course for that one night a month when CM riders are out and about–then it’s ZOMG how dare those cyclists interfere with our commute?!
If the officer saw the cyclist commit a crime, such as disorderly conduct, he probably has the authority to arrest him, by force if necessary. Everything you see in the video could be legal if the cop had said he tried to arrest the cyclist and had to tackle him to keep him from getting away.
But the cop didn’t know there’d be video, so in his sworn statement, he gives an account of the incident that is plainly contradicted by the video. That could sink him unless the NYPD does some fancy footwork.
Moral of the story: If you have video of a cop committing a crime, hold onto it a little while to give him time to lie about it in the official paperwork.