08/25 Critical Mass: Mission Failed!

don't give up on critical mass so easily, we can make it work dude.

It's only common sense, the lack of which could cost ALOT more than $507. That kind of money only gets one a visit to the emergency room nowdays... bandages are extra.

The woman was cited (ticketed for an unknown amount of money, probably somewhere around $50?) under S.C. Municipal Code 21201, which states that bike riders must be able to reach the ground with one foot.

www.chp.ca.gov/html/bicycleriding.html

Dear fellow bicyclists,

Despite last weeks disappointing Critical Mass, we must stand firm in our struggle to challenge authority and the dominant culture where ever it rears its ugly head. Friday's ride did not pan out ONLY because the basic goal of Critical Mass (having enough people on bikes to render the ability of the state to enforce laws that protect cars impotent) was not accomplished. Recall the immigrant-rights May 1st demos earlier this year - Campus organizers successfully got thousands of UCSC students to seize the streets (without permits) for a march that forced the police to redirect traffic. Only a few months ago in Canada, a fellow SC bike punk relayed a story of a Critical Mass with 2,000 participants! The police had no choice but to block off roads as the ugly growls of combustible engines were replaced by the peaceful sounds of pedals and spokes. Make no mistake about it - when Critical Mass is achieved, the state, can be made to serve our purposes.

That being said, we, as a separate culture, one that is perpetually under the watchful eye of the police and petty-bourgeois SUV-driving oil-junkies, must remember the most important word in planning an act of resistance – ORGANIZE!

There are countless ways to do this – from flyering, to radio announcements (preferably pirate radio), to simply approaching bicycle folks you don’t know and ask about their thoughts on our community and culture. Why not work to build a radical bike riders union? It couldn’t hurt. The key idea here (similar to riding a bike) being building momentum.

Lastly, I’d like to point out that while Santa Cruz is viewed as a haven for bicyclists (which isn’t saying much for an American city) we are by no means on equal footing with cars and the corporate culture that protects them. No amount of dressing up like pirates, zombies, or whatever is going to change the fact that the piggies can issue tickets whenever we break a law that’s designed primarily for cars; nor will it change the fact that a car can very easily kill a bicyclist.

A world based on hierarchy, domination, and violence can only change if we actively challenge it. And no, it’s not always going to be fun.

Just last week, the ultra-conservative Santa Cruz Sentinel published a piece implicitly backing more restrictions for weekend riders who do their own yuppie versions of critical mass up in the mountains. Despite the fact that the rivalry between peeved rural residents and group rides has more to do with the suburbanization (or Scots Valley-ification?) of the hills – We can be sure to hear more about “cracking down” on folks like you and I who “block traffic.”

In the face of such hostility, we must not flinch. Challenges to the dominant culture will always face repression – Bicyclists of all stripes would do best to recognize our commonality with each other as well as our inherent rivalry with the combustible engine. Frederick Douglas put it best – “Power concedes nothing without demand.” If we keep that in mind, we can achieve Critical Mass.

Thanks, Bicicleta Bandito, for your thoughtful and well-written response. Originally, I hadn't planned to enter a discussion, but let me just answer quickly. I am not advocating apathy and inaction, nor am I advocating that Critical Mass be abandoned in Santa Cruz. I fully realize that Critical Mass can work as a tactic...when there is a mass, and they act critically. Yes, I've been discouraged by the fact that for the last year I've been going to Critical Mass that we've only become weaker and weaker, more stagnant and more predictable. FYI, pirate radio announcements have been made, flyers have been distributed, a radical bike riders union exists on stickers, and there has been word-of-mouth outreach. The crest of this wave of Critical Mass advertising was actually the last three months, in which Critical Mass has faced the greatest amount of police harassment and (could be related, might not be) declined the most in numbers. Your point about the Mystery Ride is perfectly valid; but from I've read the Mystery Ride is primarily for FUN and adventure, not the "biker vs. cops" struggle Critical Mass is. As I wrote, I believe it to be futile and frankly, quite stupid to stick obstinately to a model that does not work. If your passion for Critical Mass is so great that you can achieve Critical Mass, I'll be the first to join you. However, I personally prefer to devote my energy attacking the capitalist system from the angles that work best in the world that I live in.