Critical Mass, Friday June 27, 5:30 PM, North Park Blocks. Be There!

A number of massers are planning to ride to the intersection where the cyclists were killed for a vigil as well.

Please come out and ride.

As an effort to protect others in the future, set a sobering example, and as an act of loyalty to our friends and fellow cyclists, I think it's crucial that we make an effort to follow up on this case and insist that the responsible individual be pursued to the maximum extent of the law. For example: public presence at arraignment and trial, letters to the prosecutor and letters to the editor, etc.

Experience has shown that the active interest and pressure of the community make a crucial difference in the eagerness of prosecutors and law enforcement to effectively pursue reckless and dangerous drivers like the one in this case. Does anyone have particulars about the state of the case of this reckless driver, which we could print up and distribute at Critical Mass and elsewhere?

I have not seen the details on the bike deaths. Can anyone point me to an article or two? Thanks.

Found it.  http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2003/06/266995.shtml

i am bringing flowers and a black armband. maybe others have some old black tshirts or such they can cut up into
small bands to be tied around arms, for sharing. i think its a fairly powerful, somber symbol of mourning and remembrance.

Maybe the reason turnout has dropped is because people are becoming skeptical that blocking traffic with their bikes is really not accomplishing anything - other than pissing people off? Seems like there are other ways to promote biking that would not give bikers a negative image with the motorists they share the road with...

OK, where are we meeting at? North Park Blocks or under the burnside bridge at waterfront park? there are two different places posted! I would like to e-mail SHIFT to let everyone know.

Also, the point of Critical Mass is to inform the mass automobile drivers that WE are HERE! not to just "disrupt" traffic. we are here and we are NOT going away, and if it pisses people off, it is only because they are too scared to get out of their damn car and do something GOOD for themselves and the environment and the world they live in!

TODAYs RIDE IS GOING TO BE AWESOME! YEAH FOR BIKES!

Dont forget about Multnomah County Bike Fair TOMORROW!

 http://www.shifttobikes.org/minibikesummer.html

Police reports and court documents are a matter of public record. The press gets access to them all the time.

Bill,

I once thought like you did that Critical Mass was a poor way to promote bikes and bike culture. Before I started riding a lot, Critical Mass blocked my commute home for 15 minutes. The irony was that I was commuting via Tri-Met.

I went along on a Mass recently, and that changed my mind. I think that if people attend Critical Mass and follow all of the rules of the road, but stay together and have a good time, then we're promoting bikes in the best way that we can. If we follow all of the rules and do not harass motorists or the police, then we point out the absurdity of the huge police escort and motorists will have their awareness raised rather than their ire.

I'm sure that many will disagree with me that Critical Mass is best served by following the silly rules (why should that many cyclists be restricted to one lane on a multi-lane road?), but I think that showing that cyclists can be rational and polite will go a long way toward stemming the tide of ill will.

The important thing to remember is that motorists, cyclists, and police are all just people, and fundamentally, almost nobody wants to give anyone else a bad time. I see Critical Mass as an important tool to promote understanding. Also, it's a whole lot of fun. I encourage you to come out and ride with us.

hey "Bill"; Mass hysteria corporate narc = the petro auto corporate state blocks peds and bikers all the time. people who drive are sick, unhappy, and crazy. they want to imprision me in one of those wheeled tin coffins? they want to launch wars in my name so i can get subsidized oil and destroy the environment w/ it? phuck em-- ill take a stand against traffic by myself or with all the bikers of critical mass....

Josh, great comment, and way to encourage people to come out. I will be there today with my black armband, flowers and great attitude towards HUMANITY. I wish more people could see the humanity in everyday life as opposed to all the hatred and rambling that goes on within indy media's comments lines.

PS....grok3us... dont slam Bill, he is just confused and instead educate....and understand humility.

I am of the older generation and have not been on a bike since my childhood, long before most of you were even born.My transportation of choice is a car.BUT I do totally support Critical Mass and the message they are getting out there.The recent deaths are tragic,no one should leave this earth in such a horrible way.My heart goes out to the families,friends and others who are left behind to deal with and try to make sense of such a senseless loss.Maybe one way to honor those who are no longer with us is to push for much stricter DUI laws.No person has the right to take the life or freedom of another and alchol is never an acceptable excuse.I am thankful that a CM ride is happening tonight and that the final destination will be the site of the recent murders on SE Belmont. And for all you cops out there who monitor this site,I hope you have the decency to show some respect for all the bike riders and the anguish and frustration they are feeling and just let them do their thing without any harassment or intimidation. Ride Free and Ride Long.

Thanks for you support! There should be more people like you on Indy.

To the person who asked where the C.M. was meeting: I believe usually people meet in the north park blocks for some Food (not bombs). Then travel over to the waterfront to rally up for the mass. Is this right folks?

Is it North Park Blocks or the Waterfront? Or are there two rides this time? It seems like we should all be together on this one.

Bill,

I used to think the same thing - Critical Mass just gets in everyone's way. I also used to ride Tri-Met and was upset with the bikes blocking my bus. "Why do these people care?" I asked myself, "Why don't the cyclists do something more effective with their time?"

Later on, I became more serious about bicycling, averaging about 30 miles a day, every day, around town. And then - I got hit. Some fucker rushed into an intersection and blocked my path, and I wound up with a broken collarbone.

After I started bicycling more, and especially after I got hit, I suddenly realized what Critical Mass was about. We're taking back our right to be on the streets, and to be seen. If there's a column of 300 bicyclists clogging city blocks, making noise, and essentially saying "HEY - We share the roads with you", that gets a very powerful message across. The average driver doesn't give a damn about bicyclists and considers them to be a nuisance. The only way to be treated more fairly on the streets is to beat them over the head with one strong, unified message - "We're here, and we're not going to be fucked with."

That's the end of my rant.

When CM blocks Trimet, it's usually because the Portland Police have ushured us there. True story: last year somebody took out a parade permit for CM and gave us the choice of following the route or doing what we normally do. We followed the route perfectly until the motorcycle cops blocked our way and forced us to ride down the bus mall where we didn't want to be.

CM inconvienences the most people when the cops are running the show.

When CM blocks Trimet, it's usually because the Portland Police have ushured us there. True story: last year somebody took out a parade permit for CM and gave us the choice of following the route or doing what we normally do. We followed the route perfectly until the motorcycle cops blocked our way and forced us to ride down the bus mall where we didn't want to be.

CM inconvienences the most people when the cops are running the show.