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SHUT DOWN CITY M28!!!
A general call to all affinity groups, whether on foot, bicycle, automobile or otherwise in the streets, to shut down the City in protest of the war!
Thousands of bicyclist will protest against the oil war during Critical Mass this Friday. Marchers are invited to assemble at Justin Herman plaza and march along with groups of bikes, or diverge on foot. Motorists are invited to bring traffic to a crawl throughout the city.
The deadly system of oil dependence is destroying our world, from the rain forest to the people of Baghdad to the polar icecaps to our own cities. Now it is killing innocent people abroad in terrible swift violence. So-called "smart bombs" can't even stay in the same country, let alone "surgically target." The war is in violation of the wishes of the world majority and violates international and United States law.
NO BUSINESS AS USUAL!
DO NOT ALLOW THE WAR MACHINE TO FUNCTION AT HOME OR ABROAD!
JOIN IN AFFINITY GROUPS TO SHUT DOWN THE CITY DURING THE EVENING COMMUTE!
This is the only means we have to affect change and to peacefully and nonviolently communicate how desperately upset the public is that this murderous land grab for oil is being carried out in our name. The children of the Middle East are children just like ours.
NO BLOOD FOR OIL!
Why during Critical Mass, with Bikes Not Bombs?
Bicycles reduce oil dependence. The average SUV weighs more than 100-200 peoples' bicycles! Some weigh more than 500 peoples' bicycles! This type of greed is fueling death across the globe. Bicycles create life, health, happiness, community. SUV's are creating death everywhere.
Protest the oil war for every reason:
To stop the killing
To stop terrorism
To restore a democratic system in the world and in the U.S.A. where the peoples' voice rules, not killer corporations
To create a sustainable future, not one doomed by oil dependence
Add your own!
For more information about nonviolent direct action read about ACT AGAINST WAR,
http://www.actagainstwar.org/
For more information about Bikes Not Bombs, read
http://www.bikesnotbombs.net/
The deadly system of oil dependence is destroying our world, from the rain forest to the people of Baghdad to the polar icecaps to our own cities. Now it is killing innocent people abroad in terrible swift violence. So-called "smart bombs" can't even stay in the same country, let alone "surgically target." The war is in violation of the wishes of the world majority and violates international and United States law.
NO BUSINESS AS USUAL!
DO NOT ALLOW THE WAR MACHINE TO FUNCTION AT HOME OR ABROAD!
JOIN IN AFFINITY GROUPS TO SHUT DOWN THE CITY DURING THE EVENING COMMUTE!
This is the only means we have to affect change and to peacefully and nonviolently communicate how desperately upset the public is that this murderous land grab for oil is being carried out in our name. The children of the Middle East are children just like ours.
NO BLOOD FOR OIL!
Why during Critical Mass, with Bikes Not Bombs?
Bicycles reduce oil dependence. The average SUV weighs more than 100-200 peoples' bicycles! Some weigh more than 500 peoples' bicycles! This type of greed is fueling death across the globe. Bicycles create life, health, happiness, community. SUV's are creating death everywhere.
Protest the oil war for every reason:
To stop the killing
To stop terrorism
To restore a democratic system in the world and in the U.S.A. where the peoples' voice rules, not killer corporations
To create a sustainable future, not one doomed by oil dependence
Add your own!
For more information about nonviolent direct action read about ACT AGAINST WAR,
http://www.actagainstwar.org/
For more information about Bikes Not Bombs, read
http://www.bikesnotbombs.net/
For more information:
http://www.actagainstwar.net
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Comments
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At a press conference Wed. on the steps of city hall, representatives of direct action groups clarified that "shutting down the city" is no longer the goal. Instead of punishing a mass transit lefty city we should be shutting down the war profiteers and the feds who have imposed this war on us. Further indiscriminate shutting down of the city will only alienate our base of support. Lets keep expanding our base of support not narrowing it. Last Thursday the people prooved they could do it.
I was one of those protesters at last Thursday March 20 outrage.
Hope that the citizen of San Francisco could understand our action.
Please keep moving. Thanks.
Hope that the citizen of San Francisco could understand our action.
Please keep moving. Thanks.
Bikes filling the streets is an opportunity to make important statements regarding these wars, statements that aren't being heard enough. Namely, prevention through a transformation of our resource use, and the design of our cities.
I agree that we should do our best to avoid blocking public transportation.
Most of those inconvenienced will only be inconvenienced for a short time -- far less than they are every day simply by driving their cars. By driving, these people are directly supporting the system which creates wars for oil. A certain percentage of them even support the war, as they so uncourteously communicate.
Their inconvenience is an opportunity to stop and think, and it is nothing compared to the inconvenience of losing an innocent loved one to a U.S. bomb.
The bicycle movement represents a hope for a sustainable future bringing peace to the streets. Many of us envision a world where inequity, pain and suffering are greatly reduced by shifting to a more sane and more humane way of life. People will be happier and healthier if they can walk, bike or take efficient transit to fill their needs and our cities will be all the better for it.
The mass media can't even bring itself to use the phrase, "BIKES NOT BOMBS." Of course people need to push the issue by filling the streets of San Francisco.
When the daily car critical mass stops inconveniencing everyone and shutting down our life support systems, then people can shift the focus to bicycles filling the streets.
Until then, support any action which calls attention to the fact that business as usual is unacceptable.
Bicyclists should begin riding as soon as they arrive, circling the plaza beginning at 5 PM.
I agree that we should do our best to avoid blocking public transportation.
Most of those inconvenienced will only be inconvenienced for a short time -- far less than they are every day simply by driving their cars. By driving, these people are directly supporting the system which creates wars for oil. A certain percentage of them even support the war, as they so uncourteously communicate.
Their inconvenience is an opportunity to stop and think, and it is nothing compared to the inconvenience of losing an innocent loved one to a U.S. bomb.
The bicycle movement represents a hope for a sustainable future bringing peace to the streets. Many of us envision a world where inequity, pain and suffering are greatly reduced by shifting to a more sane and more humane way of life. People will be happier and healthier if they can walk, bike or take efficient transit to fill their needs and our cities will be all the better for it.
The mass media can't even bring itself to use the phrase, "BIKES NOT BOMBS." Of course people need to push the issue by filling the streets of San Francisco.
When the daily car critical mass stops inconveniencing everyone and shutting down our life support systems, then people can shift the focus to bicycles filling the streets.
Until then, support any action which calls attention to the fact that business as usual is unacceptable.
Bicyclists should begin riding as soon as they arrive, circling the plaza beginning at 5 PM.
For more information:
http://www.bikesnotbombs.net/
Asa visiting nurse, it would be impossiblle for me to do my job without a car. Do you realize some people have no choice but to use a car? Would you prefer I load all of my equipment into a backpack and visit my clients by bicycle? It would not be possible. Your viewpoint is one-sided and incomprehensible. Sure, stop traffic so that people trying to get to fires and medical emergencies are delayed. Will you feel better when people die as a direct result of your actions?
=v= When emergency vehicles come, Critical Mass gets out of the way. Much faster than car traffic, in fast. There have been a number of attempts by police departments around the country to blame Critical Mass for being in the way of emergency vehicles, and every single one has been debunked! So have no fear.
=v= A much bigger problem is that having so many cars creates more emergencies in the first place. Stanley Hart's studies found that 16% of a California city's paramedics budget is due to cars, as is 14% of its fire department budget and a whopping 40% of its police budget. And I certainly don't need to tell you how much they keep the emergency rooms busy.
We all got on the news last night big time, or so it seemed, what with camerapeople everywhere you turned. But many of us may not watch their news, or television at all (like me!), so please report what you saw so we'll have some idea of how we're being represented (or misrepresented).
Critical Mass Says "No War for Oil"
Debora Villalon of ABC Channel 7 News at 11 reported on Friday night's
Critical Mass, declaring it a twelve year tradition that falls on the
third Friday of each month. (Nice job Debby!) She then proceeded to
interview one driver after another who was inconvenienced by the traffic
jam caused by the anti war activists. She focused on heated confrontation
to deliver her message.
Jason Meggs was interviewed and said, "This is a war for power and profit
with no future oversight for how we are going to live when the oil runs
out and how we're going to make our cities work now."
Another loyal Critical Masser named Adam Johnson said, " This ride, at
this particular moment, has been taken hostage by just a few people."
Apparenty Adam's not troubled by the war.
Channel 7 flashed briefly on the two wheeled mock Chevron Oil Tanker
named "Condoleezza Rice," but not long enough to actually read the famous
Chevron board member's name. Probably out of respect for their
advertising department revenues.
Villalon reported that there were no arrests by police since the District
Attorney wasn't even prosecuting the anti war protestors who were
arrested over the past ten days. She closed by informing viewers of the
Bikes Not Bombs mass at 5:00 PM each weekday as long as the war
continues.
Critical Mass Says "No War for Oil"
Debora Villalon of ABC Channel 7 News at 11 reported on Friday night's
Critical Mass, declaring it a twelve year tradition that falls on the
third Friday of each month. (Nice job Debby!) She then proceeded to
interview one driver after another who was inconvenienced by the traffic
jam caused by the anti war activists. She focused on heated confrontation
to deliver her message.
Jason Meggs was interviewed and said, "This is a war for power and profit
with no future oversight for how we are going to live when the oil runs
out and how we're going to make our cities work now."
Another loyal Critical Masser named Adam Johnson said, " This ride, at
this particular moment, has been taken hostage by just a few people."
Apparenty Adam's not troubled by the war.
Channel 7 flashed briefly on the two wheeled mock Chevron Oil Tanker
named "Condoleezza Rice," but not long enough to actually read the famous
Chevron board member's name. Probably out of respect for their
advertising department revenues.
Villalon reported that there were no arrests by police since the District
Attorney wasn't even prosecuting the anti war protestors who were
arrested over the past ten days. She closed by informing viewers of the
Bikes Not Bombs mass at 5:00 PM each weekday as long as the war
continues.
For more information:
http://www.bikesnotbombs.net/
SFRN, I think we all truly regret any inconvenience caused to people like you who are in the process of delivering medical services.
Please remember that you are by far the exception. Most of the people, my guess would be 99%+ driving cars downtown are either business people who are "too important" to take public transportation, or people from out of town on a quest for a "good time" in our fair city.
Speaking of almost dying, my doctor tells me that I almost died a few months ago when a woman in an SUV ran a red light and bulldozed me at 30 MPH.
Please remember that you are by far the exception. Most of the people, my guess would be 99%+ driving cars downtown are either business people who are "too important" to take public transportation, or people from out of town on a quest for a "good time" in our fair city.
Speaking of almost dying, my doctor tells me that I almost died a few months ago when a woman in an SUV ran a red light and bulldozed me at 30 MPH.
You (Janice and Jym) have both completely ignored the root cause of the problem and thus the big issue, which is that consuimg oil is extremely & socially environmentally destructive, and also unnatural. To Janice the nurse I say: Once a person is born he or she will die, so get over it! It's perfectly natural for all animals, including people, to die from diseases and injuries, and humans should not cause environmental destruction in a feeble attempt to prevent natural death. Also, there was life before automobiles and hopefully there will soon be again.
This was posted to a public SF bicycle discussion list. Note that the SF Chronicle reported that there were "several hundred" riders, which is absolutely absurd:
Joel P, who has counted more big Masses than anybody, and his mother,
were counting riders as they left JHP. He gave me the hard-to-believe
count of 4300-5300. It was hard to believe until two events. First, I
peeled off to get to the front near Civic Center. The ride at that point
was about a mile long. Then, I was at the front when we got to the
tunnel and I sat and waited for everyone to get there. It was about 30
minutes.
It was definitely the biggest ride since the tenth anniversary, and it
was probably our third-biggest ever. Among big rides, it was definitely
the most peaceful and fun for me. That probably had to do with the
relative lack of cops.
I take exception to the reports that say we tried to go on the Bay
Bridge. We just went past a bunch of ramps and let the cops obstruct
trafffic for us. I didn't see any confrontations at the ramps.
Joel P, who has counted more big Masses than anybody, and his mother,
were counting riders as they left JHP. He gave me the hard-to-believe
count of 4300-5300. It was hard to believe until two events. First, I
peeled off to get to the front near Civic Center. The ride at that point
was about a mile long. Then, I was at the front when we got to the
tunnel and I sat and waited for everyone to get there. It was about 30
minutes.
It was definitely the biggest ride since the tenth anniversary, and it
was probably our third-biggest ever. Among big rides, it was definitely
the most peaceful and fun for me. That probably had to do with the
relative lack of cops.
I take exception to the reports that say we tried to go on the Bay
Bridge. We just went past a bunch of ramps and let the cops obstruct
trafffic for us. I didn't see any confrontations at the ramps.
For more information:
http://www.bikesnotbombs.net/
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