Surreal Cops vs Cyclists Story - Seattle

[Quillfred]

SEATTLE – The arrest of two cyclists who tangled with plain-clothed police officers was galvanizing a group of bicyclists Monday whose goals include asserting cyclists right to the road.

The resulting incident was either a simple case of assault or police road rage, depending on whom you believe.... The resulting incident was either a simple case of assault or police road rage, depending on whom you believe.

http://www.king5.com/localnews/stori....217d830e.html

http://www.seattlecriticalmass.org/ the website for the Critical Mass riders who present a different take.

[KnottedYet]

This is why I have stayed away from CM rides.

There is too much confusion.

Edit: how many car drivers will be rude to me or think poorly of me on my bike commute tomorrow because of this event?

[mimitabby]

I would never participate in them either but I secretly cheer them on.
Someone has to stand up for our rights. Of course, as you suggest,
what they accomplish is pissing off motorists even more.

[Quillfred]

What I find disturbing is that this is the second episode of late where undercoving cops have been accused of road-rage type behavior in Seattle (Kell's Pub incident involved an off-duty motorcycle cop). Why would an undercover cop be making an arrest in this instance anyway.

While I agree about the confusion in the CM riding, I do feel they are making a valid point about cyclist's rights to be on the road safely. I don't like seeing riders without helmets and disobeying basic road rules. I am forever asking riders on the BG to "announce" as they slither by oblivious to potential danger.

Nor am I anti-cop.

I plan on writing letters to media and SPD requesting a full-investigation.

Quillfred

[HipGnosis6]

I feel very similarly towards Critical Mass as I do towards Burning Man:

The ideals behind it are fantastic, but have been co-opted by radicals as an excuse to behave poorly and without concern for the ethic behind the original movement.

I think that might also apply towards the police, at least in this situation. I'm sorry that it happened, and that the Man was so oppressive to some poor hippy, and that some poor hippy's freedom of action was taken away by some jerk with a badge. I don't ride Mass, and I don't interfere with the flow of traffic, so I'm not worried about "what people will think of me because of this". Instead I'd rather act as a calm and right example of how cyclists and traffic can co-exist.

[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.

[wabisabi]

We had a similiar thing happen here, similiar dynamics, and those selected for arrest were young, fairly small, women involved in a combination antiwar/CM ride. This happened another time afterward also. It happened on the major state highway, and the cyclists were said to have been riding on the road, which, admittedly, would be dangerous. The shoulder is generally not bad on 101. Many people seem to feel that there was a overreaction on the part of the highway patrol, the DA wildly overcharged (imo) them, and the result is that it has become quite a cause celebre locally. It's a good example of why there should be, if possible, legal observers who can witness what happens.

[Eden]

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

[salsabike]

+1 and well said!

It wasn't the Seattle police, who as Eden says tend to do OK with such stuff, but deputies from the King Co. Sheriff's Office, a place that seems to be totally out of control. That does bother me.

I feel very similarly towards Critical Mass as I do towards Burning Man:

The ideals behind it are fantastic, but have been co-opted by radicals as an excuse to behave poorly and without concern for the ethic behind the original movement.

I think that might also apply towards the police, at least in this situation. I'm sorry that it happened, and that the Man was so oppressive to some poor hippy, and that some poor hippy's freedom of action was taken away by some jerk with a badge. I don't ride Mass, and I don't interfere with the flow of traffic, so I'm not worried about "what people will think of me because of this". Instead I'd rather act as a calm and right example of how cyclists and traffic can co-exist.