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ok so today i was at Critical Mass because i didnt buy tickets for the film festival,
And I realized the main leaders of the ride weren't there (ex: User1, stilline, eddieboyinla etc etc). But it still got packed by teenagers that are mostly 16, Now im not going to be an asshole and say they came from K-Town etc etc. But these 16-18 year olds are stealing shit from Rite-Aid and other places. During Crank Mob one of them got stabbed because two different "taggers" got in an arguement, They represent their so called "Krew" and act tough about it, I dont understand why doesnt no one stop them or at least tell them to leave the ride. They are pretty noticeable with their black shorts dickies and their white tees. During the ride I heard a few of them talking on how it is so easy to steal bikes. Also some dont even understand what "hold your line", "slowing", or "stop at the red light means". These fucking kid are ruining some of the best rides out there like LACM and Crank Mob. Also Midnight Ridazz has become very popular and now its slowly getting ruined by these assholes. This thread goes out the original Ridazz(Roadblock ,Fuzzbeast,RBI,User1, etc etc) What are you guys going to do to solve this ongoing problem cause some of your fellow Ridazz are getting sick of people doing this shit on rides.
p.s. If you are going to troll please leave. I dont want to fight with none of you. I just want solutions or suggestions to this problem,
If this is the case, then we'll see if it really does happen.
In the event the local LE puts the clamp down on group-riding, I'm joining Sarah and July in Tejas.
We're all going to become rodeo clowns and shoot from the hip!!!
No, these troublemakers will eventually move onto something else, or die off completely.
Like Tyler told me, I guess we'll just have to play it cool and roll with the punches.
Actually that was one of the better LACM's I've been on. Over five miles of riding and at least 45 minutes before the first stop! Over 400 riders. There were a lot of new people and a lot of young people. I was in the last third, corking and honking my horn. Lots of happy pedestrians and not too many pissed off motorists. Lots of happy horns from passing cars. I left after the Rite-aid. I did get stringy towards the end and I was happy that people pulled a U-turn on Franklin. It allowed my section of the ride to reintegrate into the mass.
The death of the big rides does not equal the death of MR. Sure they're more iconic but there are other rides with the same people you love to ride with. I for one don't even care if the giant rides die down for a little while because I have lots more fun on the smaller rides. I feel way closer to MR when I'm on rides like Bear Cavalry or , even smaller, Cub Camp.
Just some bad ass kids fucking it up for everyone. We can't let them continue to run rampant, I for one am still riding on a daily basis and can't afford to let these chumps make me look bad. Cause we all know non-riders will assume us guilty by association.
Always call someone out, keep your eyes open and be vigilant on all rides. If the kids act up and disrespect you even after you try explaining to them why it's wrong yo steal, hold them and call the cops. Life lessons have to be learned one way or another.
I totally agree with you "Pal"(LOL, i had to make myself laugh) anyway, its blatant the way some of these bike thieves call out which bike they want. I saw that at the TATTOO ride.
yea, i saw a couple of them eyeing my shit. luckily i had the gat in hand (nah, just couple friends ready to fuck some thieves up) sad, isn't it? its the "do unto others..." thing you know, i wouldnt steal from anyone so i except the same level of respect
Deman responding to a comment by Adrian_The_BEAST
08.29.09 - 9:46 am
I say we bring back trash-cannings and locker-stuffings to deal with this sort of thing.
We could also pants them, give them wedgies, and towel-whip them as we roll by the burger-punks at high speed!!!
bentstrider responding to a comment by north_valley_critical_mass
08.29.09 - 9:58 am
Solution; don't go on rides where these types of people are. I'm sure there are a lot of rides you can go on where you don't have to worry about people jacking shit from stores, etc. And PS saying all those kids who steal etc only wear white tees and short black dickies is a horrible stereotype. Those kids are actually some of the nicest kids I've met oh and if you pay attention during rides you'd notice that these are the people nice enough to drop back all the way and make sure everyone is caught up and wait for anyone who may be going too slow to catch up.
We should be careful about using a broad brush to paint all these younger riders. The majority followed the leaders last night. Stopping at red lights and maintaining the pace.
There were a handful of troublemakers, but these types of people go on all the rides. LACM reflects our society as a whole. Most people are good, follow the rules. etc. But there will always be a small group who will cause trouble. Should we say all of society is bad. based on the two million people who are in jail?
It was one of the best LACM but too many idiots stealing i told this one kid on his blue stock bike you buy at walmart to quit cutting people off and stop talking shit then the dumb ass decides to throw a beer bottle into the croud so now when i see him with his friends and i know where he kicks it at ive seen him before imma beat the shit out the kid and most or the stupid riders i saw where from ktown why beacuse i live in KUSHTOWN but i ride on my own with the smart riders not theyse stupid little kids who i know steal because homies have caught em slipping the best part of the night theyse 2 riders where talking to to all girls we passed cops and just any one in particular they where hitting cars when they passed em going the cwrong way and cutting people of so the best part theyse two idiots crashed real hard into each other next to me and i laughed....
P.S THEYSE ARE PART RIDES AND LIKE A HOUSE PARTY OR A CLUB THEIR ARE RULES AND REGULATIONS SO DONT BE STUPID IF YOUR GONNA STEAL LEAVE THE RIDE I DONT CARE IF YOU DRINK OR SMOKE BE RESPECTFUL SHIT I BANG AND DO GRAFF BUT I DO THAT SHIT ON MY OWN FUCKN TIME STOPP BEING LITTLE FUCKNING KIDS
BLAHER responding to a comment by bentstrider
08.29.09 - 10:08 am
i met several people that said it was their first, and they were having a blast!
we saw some kids tagging the back of a white box truck, i yelled over "that is a bad idea.....not a good idea....etc." a few times, a couple of them looked my way but didn't say anything, they didn't tag it anymore that i saw.............i gotta' come clean here, i do love graffiti, even just shitty ugly street tagging, i don't write anymore, i don't like running from cops as i'm old and don't want any drama, tldr whatever
it's just bad to do on a group ride, makes the whole of the group look bad
as far as dickies and a white shirt, there were a few guys dressed in the homie uniform that i talked to and they were super chill, i look very cracker but i grew up around tons of fools in the homie uniforms, just like punk rock or raver looking people, some are cool as fuck and some are straight up assholes, people are people ;)
anyways, the stealing and throwing of glass bottles and rampant tagging makes the whole group look bad, it isn't welcome, come and have fun but keep that drama generating b.s. to your solo rides please!
LOLZ. Were those Dallas Cheerleaders or Vegas Show girls piling out of the buses on Highland. They were running alongside us, jiggling and cheering us. So yeah some kids yelled out..."show me your tits!"
another thing, please all you freewheel riding newbies get a brake. bmx bikes can get away with riding brakeless, but a ten speed that you don't even fit. mas puto
IT was a fun ride and everything but be respectful dont be little dipshits who think you kwel and all the people who smash wtf do wolfpack and on sunset keep your speed up the hill little bitches...... down hill they fly and straight but up hill they where way behind lmao .... haha yes get a fuckn break
Yea i saw him not that special remember where i work at i seen theyse famous people al lthe time oh yea i saw busta rhymes yesterday and that guy who plays the italian main head in american gangster
" ill stop posting eventually. MR is dying. Slowly"
thats the kind of attitude that is killing MR... start tying to make a difference rather then complaining...
i complained after i crashed on cmob then i realized thats not going to solve anything, so we started safe mob...
and user1 was here in lb for the crit mass here and it was great... i kinda like the 40 -50 person crit mass cause i know everyone and the people i dont know i get to meet, just one more reason i love long beach.
I appreciate your post, Palucha66, about the nature of LACM and certain groups that negatively affect the MR rides.
However, Critical Mass is not Midnight Ridazz. It is a different organism all together. Los Angeles version of Critical Mass is in much need of attention for guidance and support from other cities.
For example: I just finished Cicago Critical Mass last night and it went off without a hitch. there were many different types of people from all over town. The police was supportive and helped cork the streets in the major areas of downtown Chicago. The major of Chicago is in full support of Critical Mass and cyclists rights. Chicago CM follows a route that changes monthly and everyone is given route slips if they request it. There are still no "leaders" but there are core people who guide the ride along.
They have a phrase that everyone says to onlookers and drivers to either alleviate tention or to just be friendly and that phrase is, "HAPPY FRIDAY!"
Everybody uses Happy Friday while riding on Chicago Critical Mass. you can see how that simple phrase changes the expression on peoples faces from frowns to big smiles.
There are probably a lot of other factors that I am not considering. Also, I do kno about the disrespectful and ignorant gang mentality that exists on some of our current rides. I'm glad you brought this up and are promoting discussion and looking for solutions.
Please do not be excessivly negative about the direction of Midnight Ridazz. Let's accent the positive and illiminate the negative.
OK I gotta run.
Joe Borfo responding to a comment by palucha66
08.29.09 - 12:04 pm
to touch on what Mr. Borfo said about gang mentality....... i've noticed that people are more hesitant to call these so called thugs out. maybe their appearance, or that they travel in packs i don't know.
trust me if they were the true thugs they set out to be, they wouldn't rank their hood. last night i saw two of these thugs rocking the hommie uniform, get punked by some tagbangers. it has hilarious they got called out and raked, it was until they were 1/2 a block down the street that they started throwing their hood. mas putos
remember these thugs are kids, that were to weak to get in the hood, or suck enough to not make it in graffiti. don't be scare of them if anything you scare them more, than they scare you.
hey palucha... didn't you just start riding recently?
lacm went really well.... it could have been better... but with just a handful of us keeping everyone together, i thought it was pretty impressive.
i didn't have any problems with individuals. when it's a massive group of inexperienced ridazz... you can't expect to teach them all in one night. just pick out some people and talk to them on an individual basis. i talked to a first-time rida who was yelling at some people on the street. he felt sincerely bad for doing it and we slapped each other some five and that was that.
stop being drama queens guys.... everything is fine. but if you can't help it... post in that teenage drama thread!
what do you want to start an all out brawl? do you want to invite violence against MR on a whole? fighting is NOT the way to go.
if they got pissed and threw a bottle... maybe you don't know how to talk to trouble makers without sounding like an asshole. talk it easy.. just talk to them like they are your buddies.
snowcone responding to a comment by BLAHER
08.29.09 - 12:51 pm
Snowcone, you and whoever else was leading LACM, you guys did a good job.
Stopping at the red lights definitely made a difference.
It was probably one of the best LACM's. We really were a critical mass.
sgrant responding to a comment by snowcone
08.29.09 - 12:53 pm
@snowcone- yea i started riding recently and my first ride was LACM. I noticed it was a really cool ride everyone was having fun. But on this ride I saw people stealing and breaking shit. And your saying everything is fine. People's Ride was supposed to be lead by Fuzzbeast and right after sunset everyone got lost and I guess a mob of these kids took over the ride and we all got lost. Half of our Ridazz were dropped. Nothing is alright and you should be aware of that. I cant wait till i get kicked out of a store saying that most of us steal from here.
p.s. Also if you want to talk to these "troubled" I suggest you give it a try. Before you know it you will get 4 idiots around you saying were you from and other shit like that.
this isn't the first time people have stolen and broken shit... it's not a problem that's getting worse. new people will do it, and then after a while they either disappear or they learn better.
i do talk to the trouble makers and we are always friendly with each other... they are just normal people who don't understand what group riding is all about.
snowcone responding to a comment by palucha66
08.29.09 - 1:40 pm
"This thread goes out the original Ridazz(Roadblock ,Fuzzbeast,RBI,User1, etc etc) What are you guys going to do to solve this ongoing problem cause some of your fellow Ridazz are getting sick of people doing this shit on rides. "
To this I say" Ask not what MR can do for you,but ask what you can do for yourself."
I have seen thread after thread over the years about drinking,stealing,blah blah blah,and it's always the same thing someone post up saying someone should do something about this shit. Well why can't that person be you?
hey i think it is getting worse. How is it not? Comon during crank mob these little thugs got into a fight and one of them got stabed. They are always stealing or tagging on the rides. Now how does that make the mr rides not look bad to people seeing that happen on the streets or even to the cops?
good points. bad points. but please try and see this objectively, bad ppl doing bad things who would otherwise not now of these ride unless it had been for a MR forum. C'mon. even tho these ppl obviously do not represent the entire community their negative actions have a residual effect on all of us... think about it, its not that its definite but it does have implications...
What I thought was hilarious was that when LACM hit Hollywood/Highland
NO ONE knew what the hell a CIRCLE OF DEATH was...
Me and some guy corked the intersection and for about 20 sec some riders were just waiting at the light not really knowing what the hell I meant when I said "CIRCLE!!!!!"
The one thing that I didn't like about it was that many people were falling. There was literally a fall like every 10 minutes. I'm sure this is due to the fact that many of the riders were all fairly new to riding.
There were some young kids who I saw yelling out KUSHTOWN who I've never seen in my life. haha I thought that was funny..yet kinda fucked up because some of these kids were the rude ones. I don't understand why they even yell KUSHTOWN. IGNORE anyone who yells out kushtown, they are probably just people who've been on it a few times and think that they can just affiliate themselves with us, simply for that reason..
A lot of the people who regularly attend the ktown ride were the ones holding it at the lights and trying to keep the ride together.
My pet peeve is litter... When I see someone blatantly toss something in the street on a ride I always say: "dude, that's not cool" (funny, but I have never had to mention it to a female rida)
I think litter will burn a spot for us just as easy as theft. Speak your conscience when you see something is not right.
We have so much freedom on rides.. we do things that people in other places only dream of doing in the open! However, with that freedom comes responsibility. Every young person will test limits and act out. It is our job, the members of the Midnight Ridazz community, to tell the youngins' & newbies when they have crossed the line of acceptable behavior.
P.S. all freewheel brakeless cats need to go to their local Bike co-op and get them some brakes. Even if you are flat broke I am sure they will hook you up out of the simple fact that these folks don't want to be anywhere near you on your suicide machines.
Does LACM still do the Circle of Death? I never understood the concept of that. Yes, its a cool name and all, but all it does is piss off drivers and forces them to wait longer. Cant we come up with something way cooler and positive? C.O.D. is soooo 2004
Yep - hafta say it, RBI is right (again). It's actually a fascinating story, worth looking up. When my Mom was a waitress at Norm's he was a regular customer.
For what it's worth the litter thing has been with us at least as long as I've been doing MR (four years now). It used to be about the worst problem we thought we had, but that was in the days before stealing, tagging, stabbing, etc.
What to do about it? I don't have any quick & easy answers, but Blacklung is on the right track: don't ask someone else to fix it. It's just a shame that some people can't seem to realize that their behavior ruins a good thing for everyone.
You said: "This thread goes out the original Ridazz. What are you guys going to do to solve this ongoing problem..."
I'm bothered that you think this is 'someone else's' problem to fix so that your enjoyment on the rides can continue blissfully.
EVERY SINGLE PERSON that joins in on these 'rides' take an equal amount of responsibility to keep us, as a group, safe, courteous, respectful, and fun. The ones who have been around only have experience under their belts to help guide the rides and direction of the community.
If there is a problem, then it is up to you too to do something to fix it. We are only here to help you do something about it in the best way possible. Are you with us?
Kush-Town is a diversified ride. There are all types of people that show up to our ride.
If one ride can bring down a whole community, then the community is weak.
However I disagree. I don't think that one demographic nor one ride can cause the demise of MR. I don't think MR is breaking down. If you think that then maybe you should rethink what it is that you believe in, and what it is that you want from MR. If want something to change, you do something about it. You don't let a bunch of punks take away what you are truly passionate about. If you let them get to you, you're weak. And maybe bike riding isn't for you.
What I can agree on is that MR is changing. Not the site, but the real world and real community that it represents. Now it's up to the community, ALL OF US, to dictate how this change is going to come about and manifest itself. You can sit here all day long rambling about shit that bothers you, or you can go out and ride, and actually do something about it. I see a bunch of assholes out on the rides, but no one ever says shit to them, right then and there. Yet they come here at after the ride and complain about it for hours.
The people out on the street doing all that shit that bothers most of you, are not the people that read these threads.
godmode responding to a comment by Venomous_inches
08.30.09 - 11:53 am
midnight ridazz collectively died when the rides stopped being about riding and started being about getting wasted in parking lots. if you cant see this, then chances are, you started "riding" when the latter started happening.
For some of us, it's still about riding. I've been attending bike rides for about 2 years now. And ever since I started there were people drinking. It's not about getting wasted. It's never been about that. Shit, If I wanted to get wasted I could stay at home and pound beer all I want.
But no. I ride because I enjoy the thrill of it. I enjoy being with 300+ riders out on street. It's just so life fulfilling.
But to say that it's all because of ONE demographic IS racist. MR will die when the website shuts down. And rides stop happening. WHICH IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. And if you think it is, then I don't know what to tell you.
godmode responding to a comment by ruinedbyidiots
08.30.09 - 12:24 pm
racism
n.
1. The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
2. Discrimination or prejudice based on race.
a singular race of people do not ride with your group. saying that your group is the cause of all of our problems is not racist.
No one would have ever anticipated that it would ever grow this big. And now it's out of your control. It's no longer an elite group of riders, but a whole city of people on bikes. Different cultures, groups and traditions are now being clashed together under one.
It's a simple thing to observe when you attend a big ride such as LACM, PEOPLES, or CRANK MOB... If you look closely you can distinguish amongst the groups. All in their own circles, with little to no communication between most. And I think that's where the fault lies.
I think the ganster riders are here to stay. Just like many of us, it's their primary means for transportation. But since they're used to a whole different type of culture, they think they can act the same as they would with their friends...(Which is who they are with when they ride.)
I think it's a matter of time, before many of those riders get caught and in legal trouble. After that, many will realize that they can't be doing shit like tagging and stealing. It's a matter of time before undercover cops start showing up in rides and arresting people. In fact, I'm pretty sure there are already undercover cops at rides.
But it's also a matter of time until some of these 'so-called-gangsters' assimilate to this culture - where littering, stealing from stores and other riders, and tagging is unacceptable. If you see someshit happening, yell it out. Put the spot light on them. Don't be scared. There are hundreds of riders who feel the same way...
I am also tired of these freewheeling no brakes assholes, really freewheel single speed with no brakes who the fuck does that other than bmx riders. I saw a couple of these assholes hitting hills pretty hard and putting other people in danger, they also yell out " I have no brakes!" like its everyone else responsibility for that persons safety. Also the fact that they taunt the police and call them pigs. I hate the police just as much as everyone else but there is no need for name calling that just makes them want to crack down on the rides
apineda responding to a comment by godmode
08.30.09 - 2:11 pm
MR isn't dying, it is living. Like any young community, MR is growing, adapting, and ultimately evolving. But also, like any community, it has its ups and downs. It is how the community and its leaders deal that ensures the future of a community. Which, it is easy to tell, this community is rich in good people and good leaders.
so much worrying and grousing....there will always be fun stuff to do, bikes and all. People come and go. Things change. But, YOU (that means everybody) can do what you want.
tern responding to a comment by apineda
08.30.09 - 4:04 pm
there are poor people in k-town. people drive cars without insurance and the police leave them alone. neighbors steal from each other and the police tell the victims there is nothing they can do. it's not because they're bad people, or because they're korean or mexican or black or white, it's because they're poor, hopeless and desperate.
so if you want to solve the problem, try researching the causes of poverty and give opportunities to promising young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. yes, people make generalizations about people from poor areas. yes, there are many reasons why minorities ended up in certain areas.
you don't like it? help young people in poor areas get opportunities. we are all members of the communities we ride through. welcome to LA.
I say we play more country and start dressing like desert trash.
This will cause most of the troublemakers to leave and/or lose their stomach contents as the steel-guitar twangs transmit as horrifying bellow in their soft, virgin ears.
bentstrider responding to a comment by tortuga_veloce
08.31.09 - 7:41 am
why not start a ride with explicit codes of conduct (i.e., not littering, obeying traffic lights, being courteous to each other...)
kind of like a model ride, if its a huge turnout with ppl acting accordingly then the rest might follow
on several rides we have kiked kidz off the ride due to liquer store theft...I dont tollerate it and no rider should! if the group as a collective shuns this kinda shit, then they realize they slipped up. we are the adults and I try to act like one, when I tell a kid...thats not cool man you gotta get the fuk out of here....
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