Critical Mass 10th Anniversary

up early.
Yeah, that was really unprecedented, even compared to earlier very large rides. It started to go into a second, higher state of critical mass where usually critical mass means that there are enough people to use the whole lane, but it would be exaggeration to whine that a car on a side street would be delayed by more than a minute, but here with the sheet volume of people spreading over a mile, nothing was going to be moving for a long while. when someone I know went by a person counting, at the front-middle of the crowd, they were already at about 5000 people.

okay, there are some 'issues' with the Chronicle coverage here, first of which is their crowd estimate which we know isn't true because someone was counting. I'm interested in what their final count was. The criticisms don't come just because we're interested parties here, but there are some serious factual and editing flaws that make it seem like this reporter was from the Berkeley Daily Planet where they frequently misspell headlines or quote the mayor of Berkeley saying "I have my finger in the dyke" because they apparently haven't heard of the homonym before. The number at the Dolores intersection was wrong too because from a distance you could see a huge clump of people standing around there. If it were only 200 people... 200 people would probably be the number necessary to ring the crosswalk space around this large square intersection, but in reality, the center of the intersection plus the surrounding hill was filled too. I don't know why everyone was standing there, but they are reporting a basic number.

First: "The born-in-San Francisco monthly ride through rush-hour traffic has spread to 300 other countries."

So, has anyone at the Chronicle ever cracked open an atlas? It is impossible for something to occur in 300 countries because 300 countries don't exist unless you count non-nation states.

The quotes were all from drivers, and the statement about the person trying to get to daycare is very suspect because... the mass was moving by after 7:30 when the sun came down. There were so many people that it took about half an hour just for everyone to get out of the plaza at 6:30 at the start and we didn't get over to market street where it looked like auto traffic was jammed up until the sun was down, and the time of critical mass is chosen almost deliberately for that reason. Daycares that have those rules about picking up your child in time set them at 5:30 or 6pm, not '7:45 and not a minute later'. Anyway, I don't know how many times on ordinary days I'm riding a bus from the Mission area and am looking at my watch because I want to catch a connection at the transbay terminal, but it takes just the longest, most frustrating time getting from van Ness to the transbay, requiring over half an hour to go those two miles, and this is just due to auto traffic.

"

I agree on the Chronicle coverage - horrid, bias - I sent them a letter to the editor; we shall see if it gets in.

The cops were dangerous in how they attempted to divert, break up the ride on Embarcadero - useful, made traffic worse for everyone.

I wrote about it on my Website, but I think yesterday was huge. It got a lot of national press. For me, Critical Mass means alot, but namely, I hope that little by little, one by one, people are awakened to the fact that car-dependent life is not sustainable and it is socially bankrupt. The two ton tin cans of isolation will soon be a thing of the past.

Rocco
http://www.roccopendola.net

Why don't you clowns live a really oil free life to teach the reast of us. Say, no wooden houses, bicycles, electricity, don't buy your food at a store, grow it yourself, don't use electric lights, don't use batteries in your vibrators, flashlights, etc. etc .. you get the idea.

Hey there, dope, we'll be happy to oblige after you quit getting your oh so patriotic fix offa that big oil line going into your SUV. Now take that flag off your bloated rig and don't be so sanctimonious about how you own the road. By the way, did you know that they haven't found any new oil reserves in the last 25 years? China will be wanting their share now that they're dumping the bike as transportation and switching to cars. Can you imagine the price increase at the pump after the oil companies get that new eastern market hooked? Hoo doggie!

If you can't Walk the Walk.

That ride was AMAZING!!!

I hope someone will post some stories and more photos soon -- I mean really there were so many photographers there!

Especially of the demonstration against the oil war! Wow that was so much needed and so well done!

========================================
And as for the comment "stupid", "Why don't you clowns live a really oil free life to teach the reast of us", I think I noticed you posting about "libereals" as well as the "reast" of us in the Bump of Truth story -- you can go there to get lots of rational feedback about this particular red herring. Or didn't you read about the actual issues? Running out of things to say? Grasping at straws made of petroleum?

peace in movement,
2wheeler

The underlying logic of some of the Critical Mass'ers analysis is completely incompetent.

Oil = Bad
Cars Use Oil
People Drive Cars
People Who Drive Cars = Bad

Get a fucking grip. Your desire to be the freakish superiors of the "common cattle" in this country is absurd and based in your own feelings of worthlessness (however buried it is under smug self-righteousness).

Oil is a fucking marvelous discovery and the application of it is a wonderful technological innovation.
Oil makes many things possible, including but not limited to:
- contact lenses
- artificial limbs
- heart valve replacements
- hearing aids
- ball-point pens
- candles
- paint
- soap
- photographic film
- cassette tapes
- telephones

etc etc etc etc

Should we bash in the head of anyone who wears contact lenses because "they use oil, man" ??

The political irrelevancy of Critical Mass, combined with the obnoxiousness of attacking or berating anyone who drives a car, means that you all are an enormous fucking waste of time, and I hate you.

A Straw Man Argument is a statement you make if you want to more easily attack an opposing position. You intentionally make a silly caricature of that position, one that no one would believe, knock down that silly, unrealistic caricature, and then proclaim that the original version of the argument has been demolished. This tactic fools a lot of people.

This is one of the most unethical and cowardly of debating tactics, since you have so little confidence in your own position that you cannot even address the real position of your opponent. At the heart of the Straw Man Argument is deception.

... is claiming that there is a logical fallacy, and then not specifying what it is. What part of which comment is a strawman? What specifically *is* the strawman? How is it a misrepresentation? etc.

Put up or shut up.


fuckin assholes.

I mean totally.

I've only been in two masses, the one on the 10th was definitely more bad vibe. My first one was more like a celebration; more fun, more cars cheering us on.

Time to move this into a more positive DAILY practical bike commute experience. BIKE POOL !! Instead of once a month headache for cars, make daily bike pools up Market. Rather than everyone trying to wind their way up through Market St. mess on their bikes, wait and go in mini-mass bike pools of 5-15 bikes. Cars can deal with that; enough bikes to take the lane. Not so much animosity -- DAILY REALITY ! Time to end the monthly headache for car people, and carve out a safe space for bicycles every day.

Well the person above claimed that we were saying that any infinitesimal use of oil is sinful, and really perhaps one in two thousand of the cyclists might actually support this view, by my estimate. He/she was saying that our position equated to being angry at someone using a plastic based contact lens that derived from oil via organic chemistry techniques, and another frequent made-up-argument is saying that the cyclists oppose trucks carrying food and cargo into the cities, and that they oppose disabled people, old people, and people carrying a bunch of children who don't use bicycles.
This really doesn't resemble any of the arguments that people who end up as spokespeople for critical mass to the media say, but it is an example of strawmen argument - making up a cartoon version of the point of view of your opponent.
The critical mass cyclists first are making a point about the treatment of cyclists within regular auto traffic on an ordinary day - on ordinary days on streets w/o bicycle lanes, cycles end up nearly getting mowed down and pushed to the side due to the critical mass of cars, and during the critical mass bicycle hour, the reciprocal situation occurs. After that, some more abstract statements regarding overall use of cars in society are made. It is unrealistic to totally deny that there are any problems with use of oil in our society, or to say that if anyone dares to make a statement about this very well-demonstrated situation, must be a total hypocrite if they use any plastics at all or ever use a car, when we are entering into overseas wars based on oil, and oil will start becoming more scarce or expensive to produce within 15 years and thus the price based on the margin.

http://www.monkeyview.net/id/192/bikes/10thcrtmass/

Here are some good pictures from Pamela

I suggest to all of you cats - those on both sides - to read one of Jim Kunstler's three books. Also, check out his Website, http://www.kunstler.com

The way many Americans live - car dependent and/or in suburbia - is NOT sustainable. It has, and will have, horrible environmential, economical, and social consequences, bottom line. Sooner or later, America will wake, look at the big picture, and alter this loony way of life while reassessing the place of the car in it. If it happens sooner, it might be a somewhat easy transition. If it happens later, it will be UGLY and painful - riots will occur in the oil-dependent burbs! Our economy which relies on OIL will go further up in flames. UGLY.

This is nothing other than the truth -- it is the result of a way of life that has developed in America, and been sold to Americans over the past hundred years or so - a lifestyle that is NOT sustainable.

Rocco Pendola

It seems some people have had their feelings hurt by Critical Mass. It is OK to be hurt. If you are among this group of angry people you may want to consider therapy. Often anger is just a cover for other emotions such as feeling out of control, confusion, or having your feelings hurt. If such an innocuous event such as a group of bicyclists enjoying a ride triggers these extreme responses maybe you should examine your lifestyle for the source of this anger. The world is changing fast and change can be scary. All you angry folks out there may want to take some inspiration from critical mass and turn your anger into something other than hatred and profanity. Try to learn from it. Read the motor vehicle code and learn about the rights of bicyclists and pedestrians. Did you know you are required to stop if a pedestrian is in a crosswalk that does not have a light to control traffic? Did you know bicyclists have the right to take a lane of traffic if they want and should be treated as vehicles when doing so? Did you know it is a crime, and the perpetrator will always be at fault, when a motorist opens their door into traffic causing an accident? Parking or driving on the sidewalk, double parking in a bike lane, and driving drunk , driving while high on crank, and talking to your dog with your eyes closed while driving are all dangerous and illegal? It is confusing to be confronted by reality when you realize you did not know all the facts. Rather than get angry try asking questions. So I would like to ask some questions of any anti-critical mass folks. How is critical mass any different than any other protest movements that have shaped policy in this country? Would you advocate banning just bicycle protests or all political protest? Why? Why do people who do not like Critical Mass often try to push extremist positions on participants such as refraining from using all oil products? It seems that conservation of the world’s resources is a win for everyone. The more Bicyclists, the longer the limited fossil fuel resources will last for you. You should be thanking every bicyclist you see if you really want to keep things as they are for yourself rather than cussing at them. I hope if this is making you angry you can really look into your feelings and get to the bottom of what is going on with you. Until then get some rest and try smiling it really helps.

First, let me say that I rode a bike in the 10th anniversary Critical Mass, so my experience of that event was from that perspective. I regularly drive a car, a motorcycle, a pickup truck, take the trains and busses, bicycle, or walk, and occasionally take a cab, depending on what's the most sensible choice at hand.

I have read all the comments ahead of my own, and am troubled by a number of points in this thread.

It seems that many "bike people" assume that all car users are crazy, greedy, violent, and none too bright. While sadly, this may be true of a great many people in our crazy, greedy, market-saturated culture, this sort of generalization sounds to my ears like more of that "strawman" building. I think it's unfair to explain the vehicle code in slow, annunciated terms, while ignoring one of the most prominent features of Critical Mass: corking. While I am a firm supporter of the practice of blocking green-lighted motorists while the procession continues as a single mass, this practice is certainly prohibited by the vehicle code. So please don't hand pick laws to hide behind, while ignoring the plain fact that civil disobedience involves disobedience.

There were also a number of "car people" on this thread, giving spectacular evidence of greed and stupidity to the "bike people." No, not everyone who indulges in urban bicycling is plotting to snatch your plastic artificial limb away, because "it's made from oil, man." Modern bicycle tires are made from petroleum, which is astonishingly MORE ecologically and socially responsible than natural rubber tires (look up the Belgian Rubber Trade, for a truly appalling glimpse on human history).

Petroleum is indeed a valuable resource. It's a one-time bonus to humanity. It could be used to get us past our current Dickens-novel industrial hell, and into a solar economy; or it can bring about total ecological collapse for large mammals like humans. So what's it going to be? Using petroleum to make disposable ballpoint pens and to manually control eight empty seats pounding through my neighborhood? Or using it to make wind turbines, hydrogen fuel cells, and remanufacture-ready consumer products?

Probably worse than running out of petroleum reserves would be NOT running out of them. While it's *thankfully* true that demand for petroleum is even now outstripping "production" (read extraction), it's simplistic to assume that not finding enough fossil fuels is the only limiting factor in our gleeful march toward the suburbanization of the world. As the massive plumes of ice breaking off Antarctica and floating out to sea demonstrate rather dramatically, there's more to this balancing act than how much oil we can suck out of the ground. Is it possible to run out of war capacity before running out of the war prize? Can we pollute all our drinking water before we run out of stuff to contaminate it with?

Finally, I think it's true that Critical Mass has outgrown itself. Trouble is, it's too damn much naughty fun, so it will continue. The bad vibe problem is quite serious though. Who wants bikes to be seen as nasty, when they're so nice? And who wants drivers - homicidal, or merely annoyed - to see bicyclists as an enemy gang? It certainly is time for the next phase in Critical Mass development. Let's help make that happen in a positive direction, otherwise, we're no better than the economist who claims "the market will fix itself."

And one more thing. If you think it's okay for a driver to use his car as a weapon, and ram through the mass when the little round light turns green, maybe you DO need therapy. That would be like throwing a brick at a flag-decaled SUV because the driver's on a cell phone. Violent, pure and simple.

Loki Tamaroon

Contributing rider for the Axles of Evil Knievel
Critical Mass, San Francisco, Sep 27 2002

ride the bike in peace and stay out of the way of my car.

A critical mass person slammed their bike on the hood of some rich guy's car ... and then the rich guy got out and beat the shit out of him. Hilarious!!

That person should learn from other CM'ers and only pick on drivers who are like old or single mothers or something.

http://italy.indymedia.org/news/2002/09/87182.php Milan Ride Pics

while most europeans think usa are just terrorists spreading global violence
and supporting tyranny enslaving peoples so to steal their natural resources
we know this is just the position of your UNeleced government:
there is a lot of GOOD people in the States, and Critical Mass is the best part of it.
Be proud, 'couse we love you!

with love, toni

http://italy.indymedia.org/news/2002/09/87182.php Milan Ride Pics

while most europeans think usa are just terrorists spreading global violence
and supporting tyranny enslaving peoples so to steal their natural resources
we know this is just the position of your UNelected government:
there is a lot of GOOD people in the States, and Critical Mass is the best part of it.
Be proud, 'couse we love you!

with love, toni

...drive in peace and please don't kill someone with your car. And please don't use it more than you have to, cheap petrol is brought to you by war. Like the writer says, rioting is not cool.

...A "rich guy" revved the engine of his giant personal transport unit at the mass. When this aggression was ignored, he escalated, using his vehicle as a weapon. He pushed a bicyclist over, bending the bike wheel under the massive tire. Thankfully no bones were broken. When bicyclists who came to help were about to pursue the vehicle, the hurt bicyclist asked them not to, so they let this violent driver continue in anonymity. I suppose the driver wasn't old enough or a single mother.

Loki

Nobody commented on the value of daily bike pooling. Even my brother, who owns a giant pickup truck and never rides a bike thought it was a great idea, something he could easily maneuver his truck around.
----------
Time to move this into a more positive DAILY practical bike commute experience. BIKE POOL !! Instead of once a month headache for cars, make daily bike pools up Market. Rather than everyone trying to wind their way up through Market St. mess on their bikes, wait and go in mini-mass bike pools of 5-15 bikes. Cars can deal with that; enough bikes to take the lane. Not so much animosity -- DAILY REALITY ! Time to end the monthly headache for car people, and carve out a safe space for bicycles every day.

good points, however the "corking" method is infact legal, it is based on the fact that if your car is past the line (into the intersection) when the light turns red, then you are allowed to continue safely through. because CM riders are supposed to function as one vehicle the idea is that the first rider(s) are the front of the car and the back riders are the rear of the car.

We actually started up a bike pool the Monday morning after the big ride (7,000 +) back in July 1997. We actually were followed by the police. The Mini-mass in fact the following Friday had a Police chopter trailing a handful of cyclists up Market--ah, those were the heydays :-) If you are at all interested in massing in a more low-key atmosphere, Mini-masses happen every Friday evening 6:15pm+ in JHP. Usually anywhere from 5-20 cyclists. This group definitely is not the Testosterone Brigade that rides (races) up at the front of CM.

Accept a 6-8 inch dick in their ass.

There is a difference between using oil and burning oil through a combustion engine which creates pollution.

San Fransisco has a climate that's ideally suited to cycling most of the year.

If one lived in, say, Toronto, Canada, where it's goddamn freezing for 4 months and snows...

When you get 5,000 people cycling in a cold climate in the middle of winter, then I'll be impressed. (I'll be on the subway with all the other sane people.)

chris

Burning it is not. Unless you're pumpin out a tuna pipe.

A quick point on the attendance:

The person counting the riders on the embarcadero totalled 4,700 but then was advised that some people had ridden past twice, I have spoken to others who never rode past that point.

The ride broke up into about 6 different groups, I was on the group that rode through the Boradway St tunnel, there were (approx) 2,727 riders in this group (I have a hand counter)

Somewhere downtown (I am not local) the little squad of moto-cops blocked an intersection and forcibly cleared the cyclists out of it to allow traffic to pass. I photographed this and the cyclist who had the brake cables ripped off his bike.

I saw them repeat this activity later on in the ride but couldnt figure out why they would even bother, there were so few of them and the mass was so long, it was clear that they were just trying to keep busy with no overall strategic method to their activities.

If you're ever at a protest and want to find out a little more about whats going on, find yourself a TV camera person and _nicely_ ask them what they can hear on the police scanner (they all have them) They wont all like talking to you but a question phrased with a yes or no answer could get you some extra info.

The news van driver on Broadway was a good bloke and helped some lost riders find the mass nearest to them.

I dont believe people can just look at Critical Mass and have a guess at the crowd, unless you have perviously counted a ride and then loked at it. It's like weighing yourself on scaled without calibrating them first. Plus, the size of the mass is highly elastic and moves like a caterpillar in a concertina effec rather than like railway cars.

I believe that there were around 5,000-6,000 cyclist on Friday.

The Chronicle Article.

I actually liked it. For a start what can you expect from the Chron. The quote from the SUV driver could have easily just said "car Driver" or just his name and hometown, by labelling him "SUV Driver" yopu already get all the anti-SUV car drivers on side. The quote makes the guy look like a tool... he says "I feel antagonised" of course he should feel antagonised, we're trying to antagonise people like him, this is the only way to get their attention.

He says we should be working with him? WHY? for a start many Critical Massers work in Government and Transport/Environmental campaigns, just because we ride once a month, doesnt mean we arent doing more systematic things every other day.

We should be working "against" people who drive SUV's I dont think it's unreasonable to say this. From a policy perspective as well as a social perspective.

People should feel ashamed for driving SUV's in town and transport policy should reflect the increased burden they impose on the rest of the community.

The article did talk about the variety of motivations and ideas in the mass, not just your typical "out to cause trouble" type of article looking for organisers and members.

There is good reason to suspect secret government funding has been used to organise Critical Mass.

The first is the heavy, visible presence of CIA agents throughout the mass (look for the people in trench coats and sunglasses) obviously there to protect and observe the government investment.

The second is the sponsor videos projected onto the walls of the Justin Herman Plaza just before the mass starts.

The third is the government standard issue chewing gum handed out.

The fourth is the fact that the mass always ends with a guided tour of City Hall led by a rather small irish man with a spiral rotating slowly on his head (for purposes of hypnotism and mind control).

The fifth is the covert administration of Ritalin to Those Who Would Speak Too LOUD.

The sixth is the bus that follows behind, full of robot football players.

The seventh is the invisible hovercraft that flies above the mass, videotaping everyone's neckline for purposes of government research.

http://www.talkLOUDrideBIKE.org

It has been brought to my attention that all agency reports have been registered on the system and it appears the the following elements of the plan have been executed according to SOP 1276 vols 1-5.

All media articles were vetted prior to publishing to remove any trace elements of agency involvement both at the plaza and on the ride.

Agents from MPV-6 were present in SUV's and standard motor vehicles to ensure that the motorist response to the ride was appropriately violent. There were some reported instances of agents being unable to front the traffic stream during the interface with Critical Mass however these are no longer a concern.

The guided tour of City Hall was pre-empted in favour of the planned actions at Dolores Park.

Police resourcing was altered accordingly to ensure that agents were not unduly disrupted intheir duties or identified by members of the public.

Adequate inflammatory posts on Indymedia have been entered in schedule with the normal flow of expected articles and will continue to be posted in accordance with the schedule as indicated in SOP 1276 vol 2 sec.b

Pointless posts have continued in thread as indicated in sections d-f of the SOP.

Agents were able to split the ride into parts in accordance with the operational orders ensuring the cross triangulated traffic flows downtown were adequate. Additionally to prevent Critical Mass participants from accurately estimating the number of genuine participants and agents of the ministry (MPV-6) on the mass.

Your cooeperation in this matter was kindly appreciated.

The above photo is one of the ones I took @ the SFCM l0th anniversary event.

There's more on the in-progress Web site I'm putting together: <http://hills.ccsf.edu/~mdodt01/criticalmass10th/>

AND TO ALL THOSE NUMBSKULLS WHO SNIVEL ABOUT HOW UNREASONABLE CRITICAL MASS IS, TYING UP TRAFFIC FOR A FEW HOURS ONCE A MONTH:
Now you know what we cyclists have to deal with every other day of the month - that Critical Mass for Cars which is commonly known as rush hour. And since terrorism has become such a hot topic, the twice-a-day rush hour boondoggle is a life-threatening episode of terror that cyclists are expected to deal with and like it. So get over it, and enjoy the parade. It's better than anything on TV.

And furthermore on the subject of terrorism, the amount of death, destruction, and mayhem perpetrated by automobiles and those who love them make 9/11 seem insignificant by comparison.
So get over it, and get on YOUR bike.

The above photo is one of the ones I took @ the SFCM l0th anniversary event.

There's more on the in-progress Web site I'm putting together: <http://hills.ccsf.edu/~mdodt01/criticalmass10th/>

AND TO ALL THOSE NUMBSKULLS WHO SNIVEL ABOUT HOW UNREASONABLE CRITICAL MASS IS, TYING UP TRAFFIC FOR A FEW HOURS ONCE A MONTH:
Now you know what we cyclists have to deal with every other day of the month - that Critical Mass for Cars which is commonly known as rush hour. And since terrorism has become such a hot topic, the twice-a-day rush hour boondoggle is a life-threatening episode of terror that cyclists are expected to deal with and like it. So get over it, and enjoy the parade. It's better than anything on TV.

And furthermore on the subject of terrorism, the amount of death, destruction, and mayhem perpetrated by automobiles and those who love them make 9/11 seem insignificant by comparison.
So get over it, and get on YOUR bike.

Hey, did the police rip out the person's brake cables, or was that a result of a bystandard, or what? that's unprofessional. An acquaintance of mine at a demonstration in Seattle a week ago observed an officer w/o a name tag, laughing, and aiming his nightstick at demonstrators like a child would pretend a stick was a gun.

Only an idiot ... would try to ride a bicycle in the finacial district traffic.

Buy a car, or a bus pass or walk.The streets down there were designed for cars and buses. Not idiots on bicycles and skateboards. You are just pests. GO away.

Actually, the streets in the Financial District were laid out in the 19th century. They were not designed for cars, buses, OR bicycles. There were designed for pedestrians and horse carriages, and perhaps for trolleys. Subsequent revisions have aimed towards multimodal transport including buses, pedestrians, and bicyclists and attempt to reduce the cars' dominance.

I sympathize and wish that Critical Mass wouldn't impact buses, but that is impossible. At least if you're in a bus you can hop out and walk whenever traffic gets stuck (which is far more often because of car traffic).

When was the last time you saw someone commuting on a horse in the financial district?

You HorseToothed Jackass.

The Berkeley Critical Mass will ride this Friday Oct. 11.
Bring anti-war banners and signs to highlight the connection between oil and war, with bicycling being a quiet and peaceful alternative. SO LET'S MAKE SOME NOISE!

There will be a book release party after the ride, at AK Press, 674-A 23rd St., in honor of the release of "Critical Mass: Bicycling's Defiant Celebration", edited by Chris Carlsson. There will be readings, food and beverage, party games and a showing of Ted White's documentary, "Critical Mass: We are Traffic!"

A flyer is posted here and on the website for your information, please print and distribute if you can.

The ride gathers every second Friday (October 11) from 5:30 PM on at Constitution Plaza, at the main entrance to the downtown Berkeley BART station (west side of Shattuck Avenue between Allston and Center Streets). The ride leaves after 6 PM.

A sound system will be present for music and the message.

[Note, Critical Mass by nature has no leaders or stated political ideologies. All are welcome. This is a call for those many bicyclists who are outraged at the horrific destruction of our natural world by the oil and military industries to express themselves at this monthly "rolling free speech stage"].

Peace in the Streets: http://guest.xinet.com/bike/peace/

Have you not benefited from oil and military industries? Where did you get your bike? Where were your raised? Who gave/gives you this freedom of speech? Do you have the money for a car but refuse to drive one on principle? Do you live in a car, tent, lean-to or house with any of the following: electricity, heat, air conditioning, refridgerator, toaster, furniture, wooden walls not chopped out by an ax? How much are you willing to give up for this cause? Will you do the same after you graduate and can aford these things????

It's the Great White Father what gave us everything here on the Amerikkkar plantation. Visit him at his plantation house: http://www.whitehouse.gov

It's the Great White Father what gave us everything here on the Amerikkkar plantation. Visit him at his plantation house: http://www.whitehouse.gov

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has posted these photos and a story from the Car-Free Day (on the 10th anniversary of Critical Mass' inception right here in li'l ol' SAN FRANCOUSCOUS!

http://www.sfbike.org/galleries/car_free_2002/day.html

Bike Free
Resist the Oil Empire

The police officer ripped the cyclists brake cables off as he manhandled the cyclist and his bike as they tried to clear an intersection during the clogged section of the ride in the financial district and people were walking their bikes.

Yes it was unprofessional, but I didnt expect too much more from the SFPD, though it would have been interesting to read their operational order for the day as I could see no strategic reasoning for the streets they did tried to clear at the times they did.

Mind you the officer with his night stick didnt look like he could really spell strategic let alone try and work with anyone like the dpt/chp to effect any reasonable traffic related enforcement/management in relation to the ride.

The police knew this was going to happen, surely there would have been numeous meetings between various agencies responsible for traffic movements that they could have coordinated a response?

But of course letting the whole thing broil up and get messy only makes Critical Mass look worse.

hrmmm..

Anyway, about the guys brake cables, he didnt seem too upset by the drama.

To 'Muni Rider':
Only an idiot would believe that when the problem such as in the financial district is TOO MANY CARS, that the solution is to add even MORE CARS to the mix. Such a solution is tantamount to, as David Bowie once sang, "putting out fire with gasoline." The reason bus travel is so agonizingly slow is NOT BIKES, SKATEBOARDS, etc., but TOO MANY #@%^%^& CARS!!

Only in a car-crazed, oil-addicted country such as Amerika do you routinely see/hear stories of horrible multi-fatality car accidents followed within minutes by advertising which espouses how great and wonderful cars are and how you're just not a complete human being unless you own (at least) one. This is no different than if after stories such as Columbine or the Washington DC sniper were followed by ads extolling the wondrous benefits of owning one or more guns.

My Critical mass site is evolving. Log on @ <http://hills.ccsf.edu/~mdodt01/criticalmass10th>

Bikes are safe and healthy, but since US cities are organized so strangely where people live far from where they work, a better solution is mass transit and carpooling. The Bay Area has casual carpool things at BART station that seem pretty good.

Even if cities were better designed you would probably at least have the need for alot of trucks since it would be hard to pull really heavy load behind bikes.
-----

13 killed, 13 injured on day of eight accidents
By a Staff Writer

JEDDAH, 19 October — Thirteen persons, including five Aramco employees, were killed and 13 injured in eight separate accidents in various parts of the country on Thursday.
http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=19545


Chambly, Que. — His brand new car had just been bashed off the highway but all Jean-Pierre Sylvain felt was relief at being alive.

Mr. Sylvain's vehicle was one of more than 40 involved in a massive pileup east of Montreal on Thursday that killed one man and injured 17 other people, including one seriously.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/front/RTGAM/20020926/wcras926/Front/homeBN/breakingnews

Buses are OK
Cars are filthy ugly machines that totally clog our cities like the veins of some spamsucking fat old unhealthy guy. Smoking in cramped public areas like elevators was once OK but now it is not, and attitudes towards fume-spewing piles of garbage on wheels will change over time too.

Not of you need to go somewhere they don't, they aren't.

Buses, subways and other public transit are still OK
Cars are filthy ugly machines that totally clog our cities like the veins of some spamsucking fat old unhealthy guy. Smoking in cramped public areas like elevators was once OK but now it is not, and attitudes towards fume-spewing piles of garbage on wheels will change over time too.

This was just posted to the public sf-critical-mass [at] topica.com email list:

Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2002 09:37:32 -0700
From: Jym Dyer <jym [at] econet.org>
Reply-To: sf-critical-mass [at] topica.com
To: sfbike [at] topica.com, sf-critical-mass [at] topica.com
Subject: Hallowe'en Ride -- SCARE not Cash

=v= Get out yer costumes, because Hallowe'en on wheels comes
early this year: Critical Mass is tomorrow!

=v= Some folks are having a protest and street party against
Gavin Newsom's idiotic so-called "Care Not Cash" ballot
initiative (okay, so I guess we all know where I stand on this
thing). They'll be in the Marina at 5:30, the same time as CM,
but they are inviting the Mass to swing by. It sounds like fun,
especially the Gavin Newsom Look-A-Like Contest.

=v= Details below. I think they'll have fliers at the ride.
<_Jym_>

P.S.: I'm not an organizer for this protest; just passing along
some information. The Mass goes where it goes, y'know?

------- Forwarded Message

Gavin Lies
There is no care in care not cash.

Prop N would reduce General Assistance for homeless San
Franciscans to the preposterous level of $59/month, while
creating no new services. Prop N prioritizes property
values and toursim over people's lives.

Resist Gavin Newsom's Hidden Agenda!

The Event: Prop N Stands for Nightmare:
A Pre-Halloween Festival of Resistance

In the spooky Marina District Friday, Oct. 25th 5:30pm

Special Feature:
The Exploitation Runway and Gavin Newsom look a like contest.

Folks are encouraged to dress up in their spookest attire as
well as bring creative expressions against the exploitation of
the poor in our city.

------- End of Forwarded Message