Portland Police STEAL ZooBomb Bikes

cropped, color-shifted, etc.

http://www.skylab.org/~heinz/cop.jpg

Wow. That's really screwed up. I'm really sorry for you bombers. I hope the above image gives you a little giggle :)

I have no idea what a zoobomb is. Sounds interesting but I am lost. If you are going to talk about obscure events, please explain it to us so that we can understand.

go to Zoobomb's web site.

Too, too cool.

"Obstructing the sidewalk" is a load of bull! If you look at the top center picture, which shows the mass of bikes, there appears to be plenty of room on the sidewalk to walk around them. It also appears the bikes are taking no more space than all those newspaper stands do all over the city.

Also, obviously if people are squishing their bikes up and attaching them to that stop sign, it means one thing: The city needs more frick'en bike locks!!

we need to all protest this loudly. write letters to the police and the mayor's office demanding the bikes back. make phone calls to the police and the mayor. show up in person at the hq. just make noise. this is arbitrary and intolerable. it is obviously retaliation for cm, which the police just see as bothersome rather than trying to make positive social change. and we need to show that the police are not right in supressing bicycle culture. the police are just following orders, and this is one reason i have no respect for police, but we need to make it known that they cannot stop us. MAKE NOISE!!!

Actions such as this are just another link in the chain of intimidation and fascism enwrapping us. They're hitting younger people like the Zoobombers to get the message out early: "if we can round up your bikes because we feel like it and threaten you with a taser for even questioning the action, just imagine what else we can and will do." It's another effort at stamping out all resistance.

The victims should go the papers and get some publicity about this. Even if the coverage isn't especially sympathetic, some readers will be pulled off the fence. Believe me, there are all sorts of people waking up to what's going on. A story such as this can be the final push to their saying "this shit is getting ridiculous." They should also contact Attorney Alan Graf or the Southeast Law Center on Belmont and see if there's legal help available. Don't do nothing. Resist.

Please tell me how the police action witnessed last night across the
street from Rocco's Pizza is justifiable. A Beaverton cop and a Tri-Met
employee deciding, without warning or any sort of attempt to communicate
with the owners, that bikes on this rack were to be impounded for
blocking the public right of way?

I have walked passed it many times and find it to be neither impeding,
nor a nuisance. Rather I see it as a living artistic symbol of our
city's values: biking, community, innovation, fun. All these ideals are
cherished and closely protected by the citizens of our fair city. Yet
somehow a pair of public servants we trust and employ to help protect
these values have shown us that they are not interested in serving nor
protecting.

I cannot fully represent a group as diverse as Zoobombers are.
Nevertheless, I am hereby taking it upon myself to request the immediate
return of said bicycles to their previous location.

Thank you,

Rev. Phil Sano

February 3, 1995

Dear Interested Communities:

Thank you for taking an active interest in the free community bicycling program initiated here in Portland by Joe Keating and Tom O'Keefe of the United Community Action Network (UCAN).

As Mayor of Portland, I am proud of what UCAN has accomplished. On the surface. this may appear to be a project that enhances the convenience of free outdoor transportation by weaving together the common threads of sharing and trust. However, it also produces many more community-wide benefits.

A local community bicycle shop is employing area youth to repair and maintain all of the bicycles; thereby giving these kids job skills, knowledge and ultimately self-esteem. It also teaches them the value of personal responsibility, and how assuming that responsibility can be a rewarding experience. Examples such as this are proof that the program is much more than free use of alternative modes of transportation.

Greatest of all, UCAN has proven that government does not have to be the only agent for constructive change. Strong communities and healthy cities are created by a courageous citizenship.

I encourage you take a close look at the model that UCAN has built. This program does not have to be unique to Portland. It can work anywhere.

Again thank you for your interest.

With warm regards,


Vera Katz
Mayor

Office of the Mayor
1220 S.W. 5th Avenue, Room 303, Portland, Oregon 97204-1995
(503) 823-4120, FAX (503) 823-3588, TDD (503) 823-6868



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ybp

Specifically, the City's ordinance states that it is "unlawful for any person to obstruct any street or sidewalk,
or any part thereof, or to place or cause to be placed, or permit to remain thereon, anything that obstructs
or interferes with the normal flow of pedestrian or vehicular traffic, or that is in violation of parking lane,
zone or meter regulations for motor vehicles."

Because many activities may reasonably and temporarily obstruct streets or sidewalks, Police officers are
required to warn any group or individual before issuing citations.

The police's action here is intoleratable for many reasons but here is one that is unlikely to be pointed out by others:
ZOO BOMB IS NOT AN ACTIVIST GROUP!
Zoobomb is awsome but it has always kept it's distance from being to heavily associted with the radicals (like crit mass). While many, many people who ride that hill (like me) are activists, zoo bomb has naturaly kept it's distance from identifying as an anarchist/leftist/political group as we are simply having fun on a hill and there is no reason to get cracked down upon for no reason...
Now the police have decided to harass zoobomb for doing nothing which will undoutably drive zoobombers closer and closer to being activists. Silly police.
So let the activist community show the bombers some soliderity!
We are with you on this!
Resist!

You are under the delusion that the cops should leave ZB alone because it is not an "activist group". Why should it matter if ZB is an activist group or not? Is it OK to for the cops to harrass activist groups but not non-activist groups?!?!

And if the cops are harrassing activist groups now (which appears to be OK with you) what makes you think they would stop at that and not go after any counterculture/shit-stirrer groups they want?

Sheesh, it this kind of thinking (or lack of it) that tacitly allows the cops to continue to harrass any group that doesn't conform.

you missed my point todd,
No i do not think it's right for the cops to harass activist or non-activist groups. Period.
However usually cops target groups that are political in this town and I believe that one reason why zoo bombers are usually left alone as compared to critical mass is that ZB is not a political group.
It is a fun ride down a hill and it rocks.
My point was that now the police have likely radaclized ZBers after this attack and the activists in town should be in soliderity.
Is this point really worth flaming me for? I don't get it.
peace

It sounds like the cops, or Vera, or whoever is pushing her buttons want to wipe out any personality this increasingly white washed city has to offer.

What is this, Singapore?

At least in Singapore they have healthcare for all.

What do we get in exchange for the stripping away of anything natural and real?

Nuthin'.

Portland is a joke. Vera has turned it into a joke. New Yorkers are fooled by all the articles in the NYTimes only as long as they stay in NY. Once they spend more than a few days here, they figure it out.

As I spend a lot of time in New York City, I have to disagree. There are similarities sure, as there is with any large western-european based city. The cops have and us vs them mindset, the politicians are on their knees for the bussiness people. But I think we should take a moment to appreciate the differences:

None of the Zoobombers was shot forty-one times

No one was assaulted with a plunger.

And in General:

We dont have a garbage dump visable from space.

The smell (if you have ever been in Manhattan in August youll know what I mean).

No piles of garbage in the streets.

No Rats the size of poodles

Forest Park kicks Central Parks' Ass

People dont go boating in our drinking water.

You can see the country just by walking to the top of Mt Tabor

Our cabbies are aware that life is not a video game (ie they dont get three lives for a quarter)

BAGBY HOT SPRINGS!!!!


Things are better here, although we are staring down the barrel of LosAnglacazation. Take a second to appreciate it. In NYC, If something like zoobombing was tried, the cops would simply start beating bikers like red-headed step children, and nothing would happen.

I wasn't making a direct comparison between NYC and PDX. I was just commenting on the false image that the city of Portland tries to sell, especially in the NY Times.

I was in NY recently and a woman asked me where I was from. I said that I live in Portland. She was immediately impressed and talked about that "bike thing," and how wonderful it was. I didn't really know what she was talking about, but assumed that it was just that Portland is a bikeable city. She asked me if I took advantage of it, and I regrettabley admitted that I don't ride my bike much (I have biked on safer streets). She wondered why I wouldn't take advantage of something so wonderful, then elaborated and it turns out she was talking about that yellow bike program that was started and quickly ended a few years ago, when all the bikes were either stolen or trashed. She thought Portland was such wonderful place that people respected the community use of the yellow bikes. When I told her that the program never worked she looked confused. I think she had believed that myth for so long it was hard to adjust to the fact that Portland is just a city with all kinds of people and not a utopia.

That's anecdotal for sure, but it describes what I see as elaborate myth-making on the part of Portland city leaders.

Portland tries to pretend that it is something it is not. It is a city of arts, that doesn't even fund the arts. It is the most bicycle friendly city in the nation, but bicyclists are one of the groups here most consistently harassed by the police. This city full of artists has to buy art from NYC just to show that it is on par, which only shows that it is (or rather it's city leaders are) woefully insecure about the city's real status and value. Showing the world that you can afford to buy art from washed up NY artists, only show that you are able to buy art from washed up NY artists. It doesn't say anything about your own capacity to create original art.

They are selling a false picture of Portland. They are buying a Portland that they wish they could be. Too bad the money has run out.

The REAL Portland is the one that they are trying to stomp out. The REAL Portland is the one that they should be embracing and promoting.

The REAL Portland includes creative groups like these Zoobombers. The REAL Portland are the protesters that protested the war BEFORE NY or LA got into the act. The REAL Portland are the protesters that showed how they feel about Bush on Aug. 21st. You know that the rest of the country is going to follow. The real Portland are independent thinking, creative people. But Vera and her crowd don't want that, in fact it seems that they want to stomp it out because it doesn't fit into the pretty postcard they are trying to create.

They should embrace it and be proud of it because it is unique, homegrown, and REAL.

They'd rather have something manufactured, safe and fake.

But nobody really likes fake, and most people see through it pretty quickly.

That's my opinion.

...the above comments about NYC. You are lucky to live in Portland. yes, Vera is trying to do some NY things to it, like make the center city sterile. My experience in NY with police is that they have no qualms about being rough and violent and there is not too much opposition unless there an overt act of violence and civil rights abuse. I got thrown against my car, handcuffed and held in custody for just driving with an expired registration!

I know how lucky I am to live in Portland. My posts don't indicate that I don't like Portland. In fact they indicate that there are a lot of things that I like about Portland. I just don't like the false image portrayed by city leaders. They think they're doing the right thing. I don't agree.

I think they should promote what Portland is really all about, sincerely. There is a lot to be proud of, but they seem ashamed and insecure.

As far as the protests go, I think that Portland is ahead of the game, usually the first and most aggressive to express the feelings of regular thinking Americans, but the crackdown by the police has taken a toll. People in Portland are independent and thinking people. That is a plus. It should be something that the government is proud of. But we are losing it. If left to their natural devices, there would have been many more people on the streets when Bush came to town this year. But I think the attempt to squash what I am calling the real Portland has worked on a good number of people. They have started to feel insecure about expressing their feelings. They don't want to get pepper sprayed or beaten, or put their children in harm's way. And they are allowing themselves to be polarized by divisive rhetoric.

There are antiwar SUV drivers in this town. Say what you will about them, but I wish they were still on the streets with the anarchists, code pink, and other diehards. Portlanders can be united by what we have in common, rather than divided by our differences. If Portland does that, it can really shine in the most real and beautiful way. But Vera and her group, lucky that they are using a city that is blessed with a wonderful climate and still many trees, rivers and mountains nearby, is trying to distill this city into a bland haven for unthinking people with money to throw. If they succeed in everything they want to do, there will be no creativity left here.

Beating down the Zoobombers is just another example. It's real, it's distracting... it's those damned kids and their bikes again. Get rid of them!

We should be proud of our damned kids and their bikes. Drivers should take critical massers in stride, sharing the road should not even be an issue. I don't think it would be such an issue if the Mayor hadn't listened to a few selfish whiners who don't like the bikes. Cars can share the road. But the police crackdown has just polarized the two groups.

Portland can be a leader, but Vera and company are trying to ensure that it will only be a follower, albeit with nice trees, and nearby rivers and mountains.

Say what you will about New York, but it doesn't pretend to be anything but what it is. Ranger's story would make some New Yorkers feel proud. You gotta be tough in NY, so deal with it.

But if Portland tries to be New York it will only be a failure. Portland should be Portland without shame, and put 100% effort into it.

Portland should be loud and proud, not beaten down by cops. Hey cops, you are a part of this city not a separate entity! Some of you know that. You should be marching with us! I loved that "Cops for Impeachment" sign. Whoever made that sign... that is the real Portand to be proud of. Smart and creative.

Okay that turned into a rant that fizzled. You gotta get my point. I'm not NY vs. PDX. Don't tell me what I know about the two cities. I know Portland is a nice city to live in... that doesn't mean I'm going to keep quiet about things I don't agree with.

ZooBombers, maybe you would've gotten beaten up in NY, but that's not the point. The point is, they shouldn't have taken your bikes, they shouldn't harass you. They should LOVE you for You are ZooBombers!

:)

Don't let them get away with it. Keep making noise.

Going to the ZooBomb site tells nothing to us who aren't cool enough to know already.

It's cool to have insider jargon and not tell what it means, I guess. But when it comes time to organize and get community support, like in this horrible infringement by the cops, I think it makes sense to tell. I am not the right person to tell, because I have never ZooBombed but since nobody else seems ready to, Here's my attempt:

I was told by someone who has done it that ZooBomb means taking a fast ride down a steep hill by the Zoo. Period. Did I get that right?

This odious action reeks of the same kind of harrasment that Peace Camp suffered all along! Is anyone else fed up? Boston Tea Party? Knocked over newspaper boxes all over the city? When no cops are watching?

It would be a powerful visual statement if we "confiscated" all the newspaper boxes and other commercial items on the streets, and put them right outside of the police office. They shouldn't have any problems seeing which takes more space, bikes or newsboxes,et al.

ZooBomb is a weekly community bike ride that takes the MAX up to the Zoo and rides down back to the city together on bikes. 800 vertical feet, 3.5 miles, downhill, no pedaliing. It is a nightime adult sport that has an open invitation for anyone who rides a bike to join the Sunday night adrenaline rush. Participannts who ride for their first time are coined "virgins". It only happens once, so embrace it. There are a few sharp turns, so be aware, and always let those in proximity know when you are passing them. If you are not a seasoned bomber, it is good to have a buddy for safety. People are encouraged not to go faster that they are comfortable with, and some people race each other down. It is high speed, but you don't have to go that fast. Paying MAX fair is required along with having a light and reflector unless , you want a ticket. We have been around one year as of August 31. Whaht has aided greatly in our sucess as a bicycle advocacy group is the People's of Greater Portland Bike Library. Those bike were used to bridge the gap between wanting to ride a bike and putting it into motion. There is no charge, although attending wrench sessions to fix flats is highly recommended and informative. I didn't know anything about bike mechanics before zoobomb.
Does that help?

first they came for the anarchists
and I actually got pretty pissed

then they came for Critical Mass
and I said nothing because CM is pseudo revolutionary and unwilling to fight back

then they came for Zoobomb
and I said nothing because those goddamn apolitical bourgie hipsters deserve a bit of harsh reality

and then they started rounding up hipsters wholesale
gradually extending their punishment to more and more privileged white yuppie larvae
and the anarchists lived happily ever after

keep up the good work Foxworth ;-)

that was pretty cute, but actually, I'd say that while zoobomb is nowhere near filled with anarchists, it does seem to me more revolutionary than either CM or any anarchist activity currently (can you name any, anyway?). The reason it is more revolutionary than any other activity currently is because it pretends to be non-political, but it is really a very good tool to use to recruit people into biking. Once they see how much fun biking can be going downhill in the dark with a bunch of friends, they might think that it should be that fun going anywhere anytime of day, with or without friends... and then they will realize it is not, but only because of CARS! Then they will be one more bicyclist wishing and acting to end the age of cars.


Just a theory I came up with. Basically ZB is good because it is a positive way of promoting something (bikes), rather than a negative confrontation against something (cars).

Y'all don't have to prove yourself to jealous haters.

Whomever posted the comments about ZooBombers being privilaged is appearantly unaware that of the that anyone with access to a computer is part of the economic overclass too. If there will be any round-ups, I hope it will be of humorless, self-rightous counter-revolutionary revolutionaries first. They're the dangerous ones, cause they hijack every movement turning it elitist.

I can't believe that they would confiscate the bikes without a reasonable amount of information given on the provacation that lead to the confiscation, or any kind of a warrant. In the Bill of Rights isn't there something about unreasonable search and seizure? What is this city and by extension this country coming to when people can't enjoy a ride down a hill on a bike after a peaceful critical mass protest without being punished? On another note, the other day I was washing the windows of the place that I work downtown when I witnessed five cops with guns pulled holding one person on the ground. One of the cops had a shot gun. I could hardly believe what I was seeing. Then two more cop cars showed up onto the scene. I couldn't quite make out whether the person on the ground was a male or female, or what their ethnicity was, but I looked over at another gawker and voiced my assumption that it was probably a black male. When three of the police went to hoist the non-resisting person of the ground I saw that the man was indeed black. And now from this article, and from reading several other articles I have come to the conclusion that the police dept. in Portland is a bunch of worthless, egotistical croonies with a conservetive agenda that will be forced upon everyone who has any dealings with them. Gives new meaning to the words "To serve and protect." It should really be "To oppress and agitate."

I have always hated the looks of the kid bikes chained to the corner infront of Rocco's. I have always wondered what their purpose have been, since I have never not seen them there. It's about time to clean up the city, especially the lovely growing Pearl district. These bikes were old, cheap, crappy and just plain ugly. They looked like garbage. Now there gone, so good. I hope nobody puts more there, because, they would probably be ugly too. And I cant wait until the New Seasons goes up on Division. No more Liberal dribble about gentrification. We're a growing city, live with it.

Okay... this will most DEFINATELY fall on deaf ears...but i needed to say something to feel better about myself. As i know none of the majority will agree with me... but i commend the police officers and what they do in that area of the world. They risk their lives for people who do nothing but scream violation of rights. And they get a little sick of it. I know youve NEVER thought of this but if they left their jobs and decided to uproot you people would be ina helluva mess.... but as i have already said you cant see this. and never will... so i am proud of the Portland PD and whoever else is involved in this situation. You cops have a rough job and get no credidation! Those of you who will most likely not agree.... your blind. blinded by either youth, bias minds, or plain ignorance! and i could care less of your opinion. Just hope to God one day you dont get your little self in a pickle... but most likely the underdogs will come and save your butt too.... cuz its thier job! PROUD OF YA PPD!

Yeah, Shannon, those pigs sure sound like they're risking their asses being a cop in PDX. Harassing cyclists and stealing their bikes is life-threatening work, right? I bet you feel a lot safer with fewer bikes on the road.

I agree with Shannon and Portland Resident. Portland is a beautiful city, and should not be trashed up by some thugs bikes that are chained up 15 bikes high and look like garbage. Not a one of those bikes was worthy of bieng called a bike. They were an eyesore and left there all the time not just for a short while. I am all for bikes and saving resources but that is not these peoples agenda. There agenda is to ride from the zoo to the bottom of the hill at 50 miles per hour, blowing stop signs and joy riding, and breaking the law with no sense of the hazard they cause to oncoming traffic. I am glad the bikes are gone!

On another note: Cecilia, the police in portland are not racially biased, you are! You just assumed it was a black person under there, therefore you assume that all black people break the law, you silly person, you put the stereotype out there, and you look for trouble, that is what is wrong with people like you! You have no Idea why that person was bieng arrested, for all you know he just killed someone, police dont just go around waving their guns and pointing them at people. I am sure you saw the "whole situation" thanks for bieng yet another thorn in the side of the good people of Portland, Hooray for you!

HS

Unite resist.
SMASH the pig scum that rapes our beautiful city by attacking the comunities that make this city what it is. great!
BOMB ZOOS
not iraq.
and bomb police stations.

Actually, I think most of us are aging Punk Rockers who've held on to our DIY values and skills. We are not thugs, but we can defend ourselves if assaulted. We are up there to have fun but in doing so we make a statement : it's ok to be different and have fun while looking a fool ( an adult on a 16" bike looks a bit foolish) , also it's OK to be Joe Normal and ride down the hill too. Zoobomb does not judge you for being poor and having a Goodwill bike,or for being rich and having a $2000 Cannondale. Hipsters can show up with their white belts and vintage Schwinns and not be harassed. It is a community and not a scene.

LMAO!!! this is so serious!!! my gosh you people are soooo upset by BIKES.... i really want to understand what makes you tick sometimes.... yeah you hurt me there.... im full of shit. and IM THE ONE thats spending my time being angry over this topic... i think your funny. and could care less... i praise the Portland Police dept. cuz they have to put up with people like you and do it everyday. hehehehehe.... go ahead give me your best shot!! too bad your too ignorant (hmmm or STUPID?) to find a cause that may better your state or country and put your time and effort into it like you do silly comebacks and precious time you spend on typing this crap.... im done. so have fun knock me down (as if you were) to make yourself feel better i look forward to reading the replys.... just proves my point. silly people... and yes im done. no more comments from me cuz i have better things to do with my time. but keep em coming i like a good laugh... seeing as how the cops are not worrying over your little situation (they have people to protect)... i wont either. way to go PPD keep the city clean and remember to laugh... just read these comments and get a GOOD LAUGH!!! CEEEYAA!!!

The reason that they can just walk up, cut a lock , take 20 bikes, and threaten people with violence if they interfere is because they are police. They are above the law , and they shouldn't be. The reason those bikes were there is so that anybody could show up sunday night, borrow a bike, and bomb the hill with us. An act of community, an act of trust. Maybe your opinion of Police will change when experience their abuse of authority firsthand. I'm not going to say that all cops are bad, but there are enough of those who are bad that it needs to be looked at and changed.

Since you can't spell, I'll just wait til the police take something of yours for no good reason. Hopefully they start towing cars downtown that go over their meter time. Wouldn't that be great, bet you would cry your little heart about that.

zoobombing is about bombing down a hill fast. and opening eyes.
zoobombing is something that is spoken of on all shores of america.
those who have zoobombed are anxiously anticipating july 4 2004
are you

I have just cancelled our planned biking vacation in the community of Portland for fear of an out of control police force. Our group of riders has visited Portland many, many times and have never witnessed any brutality like this before from the police department. However, until an through internal investagation is performed and presented to the public in regard to this incident our vacation dollars will be spent in a more bike friendly city. This incident leaves open too many questions and we do not wish to risk our vacation by such apparent brutality.

This incident will only hurt the local economy and continue to drive more tourists away.

J. Harlin, M.D.
New York, NY

It's November , is it all over now? Did you get your bikes? Do the cops still take them? Do we have freedom?

i recently had a run-in with the two officers mentioned (suttle and coulson); on my way merrily to classes, at p.s.u., i missed my stop and as a result was pulled off a trimet bus, searched without my permission, harrassed, and given the "teach him a lesson" treatment by two officers who are wildly drunk on their own sense of power; obviously not right in the head.... i realized this when, after falsely arresting me on grounds that i would not show them identification (bullshit), one of the two began insinuating i was a both an fraud artist (that i could have forged my passport--which they illegally took from me, destroying my backpack and wallet in the process) and an IV drug user (that a container in my back, which was also illegal seized, was lined with "residue" --for which i was charged....INVISIBLE DRUGS?)

anyway--i think these two are of the densest, dumbest, and most dangerous i've encountered since leaving the hicktown i grew up in. watch out for them. esp., if they make a habit (which is unconfirmed) of picking on people at the boarder(s) of fareless square.

sheesh! now i can't even ride the bus; exclusionary notice - my ass!