Quote Originally Posted by bikerchick68
yikes... not sure what the vehicle code says in Seattle but here in San Diego, cyclists must abide by the same rules of the road as pertains to cars. We are not allowed to block an intersection, or run red lights, even in a group. The one exception I know of is a funeral procession, which is traffic directed by the police.

This is a bummer... to me, at least from what the news reports here, it appears the cyclists were outta line. That doesn't excuse the cops if they neglected to ID themselves... bummer all the way around.
I don't think that anyone is disputing that it was a CM ride and they often flout the traffic laws - the serious part of this was that the undercover transit police (who are supposed to police the busses and public transport, not the roads anyway) did not identify themselves and assaulted the guy. Then when another man came to the first man's aid thinking that he was about to be beat up by a couple of irate motorists, the officers (who up to this point still had not identified themselves) arrested both riders. There are of course conflicting reports about what happened, but no one deserves to be beat up for blocking traffic - no matter if it is against the law or just because it inconveniences someone.
Critical Mass has a tendancy to be very calm here. This is the first clash between them and the police I've heard about. Our city police are very tolerant and have taken the stance that it is best to not make a big deal out of it.

This is a good article about it http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/276606_metro06.html