No bike license = CUFFED
Thread started by
Alex Thompson at 03.22.09 - 3:29 am
Reposted from my blog
You heard it here first - LAPD is still issuing tickets for not having a bike license.
This after the Transportation Committee pressured LAPD to suspend enforcement while they worked to remove the law (LAMC 26.01), which criminalizes most cyclists, from the book. In January (
Streetsblog) Chief of Police William Bratton issued
this memo which reported that he had placed a moratorium on enforcing the law:
Los Angeles Police Department is issuing citations for not having a bike license. This despite a memo issued by Chief of Police William Bratton which said:
“I have directed that Emergency Operations Division develop correspondence implementing an immediate moratorium on the enforcement of Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) section 26.01 requiring that all bicycles within the City be licensed.”
I guess LAPD itself didn’t get the memo. Espescially Officer Shube, the memo averse officer who issued the ticket.
How do I know all this? I spent 20 minutes in cuffs last night because I photographed it. While I was cuffed, and cited for crossing a crosswalk against a flashing red hand (which I didn’t do), Tom was being cited for:
* Not having a bicycle license
* Having an out of date address on his drivers license
These are petty citations. To cuff someone for 30 minutes, search their person and search their belongings for not having a bike license? Or a current address? Would LAPD ever do this to a motorist? These citations were issued to cover for the fact that they had no defensible reason to cuff and search Tom.
Which is probably the same reason I was literally grabbed out of the crosswalk and issued a bogus citation for crossing the intersection when the red hand was flashing. I’ll see you in court Officer Winter.
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Sounds like this citation needs to be contested and a copy sent to all the City Council members who received a report from Chief Bratton.
Here is the wording of his report:
I recommend that we follow other large municipalities and discontinue our bicycle licensing program. Additionally, I have directed that Emergency Operations Division develop correspondence implementing an immediate moratorium on the enforcement of Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) section 26.01 requiring that all bicycles within the City be licensed. It is important to note that per Information and Communications Services Bureau, they were only able to identify five such citations issued by Department personnel. If this recommendation is approved, the Department will move forward with eliminating the City's bicycle licensing requirement (LAMC section 26.01).
Full Story
LA City Council suspends Bike licensing program
skd03.22.09 - 10:19 am
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Jeez.
Ignorant police force.
No donuts!
Sounds like a must-fight ticket.
The law seems to be clear, the city council voted.. right!?
adamthelizard03.22.09 - 10:31 am
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What do we do about the bike confiscation that JB has warned as about?
Gav03.22.09 - 10:37 am
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aw fuck that sucks that it was Tom, hes the nicest guy too. doesnt deserve that. neither do you Alex.
tinycities03.22.09 - 11:13 am
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Hahahahaha, I'd say the same but I just can't hate on AT like I can on Dan B and PC.
toweliesbong03.22.09 - 11:19 am
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THAT SUCKS!!!
MAKE A COMPLAINT,
EVERY COMPLAINT COUNTS AND STAY ON THE COPS RECORD!
X-Large03.22.09 - 11:29 am
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Hey AT....
So they cuffed you because you were just taking pics? That's freaking ridiculous. Did they claim you were interfering? Just as long you were outside a police-secured perimeter then you're fine but trying to prevent you from taking pics is crazy. The same thing happened w/ RB during RWNN ride on friday when the cop asked him to delete the photos he took. I was like, "What? I can't believe this cop asked this." Shiet is wack AT...
digablesoul03.22.09 - 12:42 pm
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Fight it. Because you will win. I dont think anyone likes to argue with AT.
Tarmonster.03.22.09 - 2:22 pm
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I'm not surprised this happened, as absurd as these tickets are. Last night felt quite like an impending police state. I'm glad this community has many intelligent people that can stand up against these absurd efforts bring attention to them too.
kryxtanicole03.22.09 - 5:27 pm
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they had no right to search you for a minor violation. didnt they just rule that police couldnt initiate searches over minor infractions? this came out of bratton's skid row policy. i'd say these guys have several complaints against these officers.
and i highly doubt they'd show their faces in court. if you'd like, you can use this opportunity to subpoena any information from the LAPD you'd like, so i recommend you take advantage of this.
tortuga_veloce03.22.09 - 7:48 pm
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The cops usually fuck with people who are smart asses
Just to show who is in charge.
You must have been talking some shit for them to cuff you.
Lucky for you they only gave you a ticket, you could of been
charged with false charges and locked up for the weekend
or longer.
Dedicated81803.22.09 - 8:25 pm
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OK, obviously one should not be detained or arrested either for lack of a bike license or for attempting to document public police activities.
But I feel like we are missing some context here.
Was this part of a ride?
Was this person singled out for a reason?
Was there any other circumstances that may have led to the escalation of the situation?
I don't make any assumptions about all police being dicks or about cops never harassing people. I do think it helps to have a bigger picture before making an informed judgement.
AT to answer your question YES this does happen to motorists.
Ask some darker complected friends if they have ever heard of a motorist being pulled over for some bullshit reason, cuffed for some bullshit reason, harassed for some bullshit reason, or even arrested, abused, or killed for some bullshit reason.
I am actually shocked that you might think that this type of treatment is limited to cyclists.
trickmilla03.23.09 - 12:48 pm
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Was this during Crank MOB?
Anyway, I'm trying to avoid commenting anything about the LAPD because I could go on for DAYS, but this shit's fucked.
markedge03.23.09 - 12:54 pm
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trickmilla,
I'm not shocked. I'm shocked that we're so permissive of it. You allude to people being pulled over and cuffed for driving while black. I know that happens. Is that ok? Should we be less upset as cyclists when we are treated as 2nd class citizens just because non-whites are often treated as 2nd class citizens also? Should non-whites suffer harassment silently because cyclists also experience similar harassment. I don't follow your argument here.
Also, what does it being a ride have to do with anything? Not one of the people ticketed was given a moving violation. They were given tickets related to equipment, licensing, and what they possessed. How can an officer even assess what you are carrying concealed in a back pack by looking at you? How can they tell you don't have a bike license by looking at you? How can they tell you don't have a current address by looking at you?
If they want to ticket for being on CRANK MOB, well they'll have to find a code for that one. There is a code - it's the code for illegal assembly. All LAPD has to do is instruct the whole illegal assembly to disperse, along with reasonable instructions for dispersal and a reasonable time frame dispersal. Afterward, they can ticket people for participating in illegal assembly.
You can just give tickets for whatever you want. You have to give tickets for actual violations that occurred in the real world.
Instead LAPD's behaving like a bunch of children and pulling people off bikes and citing them for petty things, some of which Chief Bratton specifically placed a moratorium on.
Alex Thompson03.23.09 - 12:59 pm
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"current address on your drivers license"
that's just plain fucked up. I've moved so many times I don't even know what my current address is let alone put it on my DL.
toweliesbong03.23.09 - 1:09 pm
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this only applies to parking lot parties. and when the cops tell us to leave, have we ever failed to disperse?
407. Whenever two or more persons assemble together to do an
unlawful act, or do a lawful act in a violent, boisterous, or
tumultuous manner, such assembly is an unlawful assembly.
409. Every person remaining present
at the place of any riot, rout,
or unlawful assembly, after the same has been lawfully warned to
disperse,
except public officers and persons assisting them in
attempting to disperse the same, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
tortuga_veloce03.23.09 - 1:17 pm
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So what you're saying Tortuga, is that even the law for illegal assembly doesn't apply to Ridazz.
It's almost as if LAPD will have to do the hard work of giving legitimate traffic violations to cyclists. What a bummer, I was hoping they could find an effective means of collective punishment.
Alex Thompson03.23.09 - 1:20 pm
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So how do hell do i get a bike license is this like a motorcycle license? The DMV??????
pporras03.23.09 - 1:21 pm
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407. Whenever two or more persons assemble together to .... do a lawful act in a ... boisterous, or
tumultuous manner, such assembly is an unlawful assembly.
I don't think they'd have a hard time making that law fit.
Whether that law is constitutional is another question entirely.
JB03.23.09 - 1:29 pm
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well, here are my arguments
1. we're moving: since we are not occupying a static area, the law doesnt apply
2. there is no practical way that the police can notify 1000+ cyclists travelling at 12 mph to disperse, because they are moving
3. CRANK MOB is a ride to raise awareness of cycling as a recreational activity, this would fall into the "political free speech" category.
tortuga_veloce03.23.09 - 1:41 pm
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"CRANK MOB is a ride to raise awareness of cycling as a recreational activity"
no it's not
asparagus03.23.09 - 1:49 pm
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When LAPD goes after CRANK MOB as an illegal assembly, I'll go after them for doing it wrong (you know they will.)
Until then, I'm focused on how some officers are mistreating individuals. As far as I'm concerned, it's got nothing to do with CRANK MOB.
Alex Thompson03.23.09 - 2:09 pm
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it is a bike party. by definition:
-you have to bring a bicycle
-you have to ride a bicycle
-you are supposed to have a good time doing so
it gets people on bikes, if only for a night. that's the point.
while it's touted as a party, it think it's pretty obvious that it does get new and first-time riders on bikes.
it's not a protest, its a demonstration of fun. we are
demonstrating by our actions that you can have more fun on a saturday night by riding a bicycle with a bunch of people than by paying $70 to hang out at a bar.
tortuga_veloce03.23.09 - 2:10 pm
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and that's the main reason i'm still going, in spite of the fact that people act irresponsibly.
tortuga_veloce03.23.09 - 2:11 pm
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hehehehe,we could bring mini spikes and nails to drop at the back of the mob for the cop cars to get flats and water ballons with paint for the windows!
pporras03.23.09 - 2:16 pm
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"CRANK MOB is a ride to raise awareness of cycling as a recreational activity"
no it's not
asparagus
03.23.09 - 4:49 pm
...actually, partying is a recreational activity, and well, we're having a party on bikes, so it's awareness of the fact that you can have fun on a bicycle, i.e. recreation.
FuzzBeast03.23.09 - 2:39 pm
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@fuzzbeast
put that way, sure.. it's an unintentional result. i was countering a false statement of fact that attempted to merge crank mob into that critical mass type activism category.
besides, everyone knows that crank mobs purpose is to raise awareness about the perks of binge drinking and teenage pregnancy..
asparagus03.23.09 - 3:06 pm
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http://www.yelp.com/topic/los-angeles-jaywalking-in-l-a
So, apparently that whole "crossing against the light" ticket runs $164.00.
Ouch.
JB03.23.09 - 3:53 pm
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LAPD still issuing tickets to cyclists for no bike license
MY PHOTOS
(that photo is a split second before I get cuffed)
GARY'S PHOTOS
I'll be going to the police commission tomorrow at 9:45 to speak during public comment. Talking points
* Petty tickets
* Officer Schube
* Moratorium on bike license citations
* Officer Schube
* illegal search
* Officer Mcnulty
* difference between pedestrians and cars
* Officer Winter
* Officer Schube
* Officer Schube
* Officer Schube
* Officer Schube
ANGRY!! EXCITED! ANGRY!
Alex Thompson03.23.09 - 4:45 pm
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I'll be at the Parker Center in DTLA at 9:30am for the Police Commission hearing - tomorrow, Tuesday - for public comment. We may never hear about it, but I will make sure these officers get upbraided for this.
Alex Thompson03.23.09 - 6:00 pm
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We're rootin' for you Alex !!
dusky03.24.09 - 9:03 am
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@ AT
I thought that somewhere above you stated something to the affect of: "would this have happened to us if we were motorists?"
I don't have an argument there. Just to say yes this does happen to peds and motorists all the time. Just not quite so often to the younger, hipper, wealthier, and lighter complected CRANK MOB demographic. That is to say relative to the people who usually get harassed.
In the original telling of your story a lot of context is missing because cops don't usually start wildn' out for absolutely no reason.
Even if it is a bad reason or an inappropriate reason, there is usually a reason.
It is more clear now with a little more context this is an attempt to simply harass members of the ride ala SMPD because they couldn't pick out anybody that was actually committing a crime.
Of course thats wrong. Of course it is fucked up. Of course it should be dealt with in a driven and intelligent way that holds these people to account for abusing anthority.
Its actually some mafia type shit. they can;t get at the persons they want to punish so they just fuck with some of their friends and acquaintances to send a message.
but yeah no argument ... i was just pointing out that this is not unique to cyclists and asking for a bit more context so I could better understand what happened.
trickmilla03.24.09 - 10:58 am
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The police handling of all of this is wrong, unjust, and not in following of the law, and these infractions should be dealt with accordingly. Things like the bike license infraction and going through the crosswalk on a flashing hand whatever, are just dumb. However at the root of the problem is all the kids who blatantly antagonize the communities we pass through, cussing at random people, ride against traffic, shop lift, don't leave a lane clear on even very wide streets, and the real crossing the line to me was not moving over for an emergency vehicle with sirens on. Take those elements out of the equation and it's unlikely the cops would have shown up at all, and especially not in such force.
GarySe7en03.24.09 - 11:39 am
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this is america you god dam muther funcking pigs funck you and your moms for having you peices of shits im riding my fucking bike where ever the funck i want....WTF is this shit fuck you fuck you fuck youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu......with a passion.....im forwarding this to the president you know funck him too ......you know what funk the world. Fines for this fines for that im tired of this bull and then you muther fuckers come out by saying that people who dont want to eat at KFC or mcdonalds because the food there is unhealty and we protest it to eat veggies instead that we are considered terrorist....New world disorders oinksters......I am the LAw.......................................................................FTWFTWFTWFFTWFWFWTFWFTWFTWFTWFTWFTWFWFTWFTWFTWFTWFTWFTWFTWFTWFTWFTWFTWTFW...................................................
pporras03.24.09 - 11:54 am
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just venting i feel good now...time to skip trough the field of sun flowers with the glory DH .........
pporras03.24.09 - 12:04 pm
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These cops behave this way because they're absolutely positive they can get away with it. The only time they are held accountable is when they are caught on video either killing or badly injuring innocent people.. and even then most of them just get a slap on the wrist. They are just another dangerous street gang except they don't have to hide in the shadows.
But the police are not the problem.. just a symptom.
asparagus03.24.09 - 12:29 pm
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hahahah what ever i do what i want FTW
pporras03.24.09 - 12:46 pm
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Good luck with this Alex, I hope that everything turns out in your favor. This sucks bigtime. Please let us know the outcome.
Forgive my ignorance, but what is a bicycle license? Is it just registering with the police, or putting a sticker on your bike, or some card that you carry in your wallet? What if I have multiple bikes?
speedybrian200003.24.09 - 5:15 pm
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Ridazz Roulette!
FUCK THE PIGS..