SMCM - Halloween Keeps Going
Thread started by
Alex Thompson at 10.30.07 - 6:09 pm
Santa Monica Critical Mass
Friday, November 2nd, 2007
Gather 6:30pm, Start 7:00pm
Ocean & Colorado at the Top of the Pier
This ride is the Halloween ride. Get your XtraHalloween on 2 days after the normal Halloween. Bike proof that costume and help us take the streets in style. Who's coming?
SMCM roll call!!!
Spaghetti Monster OUT!
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Ill be there, and hopefully I can find monk garb before then, otherwise I''m just going as myself.
Jaz10.30.07 - 6:24 pm
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im gonna try to beat traffic on pch to get there. is there another all night party or something???
ruinedbyidiots10.30.07 - 7:21 pm
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I could go and offer to get a ticket from the police since Franz isn't here to get one himself.
stevo410.30.07 - 7:21 pm
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I should be recovered from last Friday by then.
alec10.30.07 - 9:33 pm
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hopefully i can switch shifts and make it.
dave c10.31.07 - 3:53 am
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bunnzbubblez?
damnit i hate these german kezboardyyy ßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßß^°°°°°°°°!"§$%&/()=
franz10.31.07 - 4:19 am
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I'm sick of your punk ass RICHIE!!!
IT R ON!!
U EATS MA HARBALLS
Knittens10.31.07 - 2:45 pm
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franz:
i feel strangely close to you because of all the time i've spent with your impersonator (marcus with a box on his head)...plus no one ever shuts up about you.
so, hi. i'm bunny bubbles (elizabeth)
:-)
BunnyBubbles10.31.07 - 4:26 pm
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may i humbly request that the santa monica critical mass stay in santa monica? not venice and mdr which are technically los angeles.
if people are worried about the cops in SM, let's weave in & out of city limits.
santa monica needs to get off our collective nuts, and they're not going to do that if they're not confronted.
hatehills11.1.07 - 2:56 pm
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COLLECTIVE NUTS HEHHEH,,,YO NOT STAY IN SM PLEASE THOSE DARN COPS MAKE ME PARANOID ,,AND I DONT LIKE PARANOID,,,NAWMEANN
skano11.1.07 - 4:18 pm
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then change the name to "The Santa Monica adjacent Critical Mass"
sexy11.1.07 - 4:21 pm
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OK ,,SEXY I PROPOSE VENICE CM HEHEHEH,,
skano11.1.07 - 4:23 pm
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Cool, SMPD effectively pushed you to support a move at of the city of Santa Monica. Don't fight it, just ride.
sexy11.1.07 - 4:39 pm
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Jooossseeee, need some. Skano I know u got some...
SONNY11.1.07 - 11:51 pm
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for sure sonny,,yo but ima try take easyy nawmean?
skano11.1.07 - 11:55 pm
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Oh yeaa, me for one goin back to LA for the Arc ride see yaaaa
SONNY11.2.07 - 12:19 am
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The ride says 'you know the drill'
well for us that don't where does it end up??
Limeyfly11.2.07 - 2:50 pm
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so what's the deal w/ the cops out there?
trekkie11.2.07 - 2:54 pm
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CRITICAL MASS
IT CANT HAS A SET ROUTE
ONLY CEILING CAT KNOWS TEH END
TEH COPS
DEY SIGHTS PEEPLS
BUT ONLY IF YOU IS CORKING
RIGHT IN THEIR EYES
THER IZ A SIGHTATION FUNDZ SO SMCM PAYS U BAKS UR MONIES
Knittens11.2.07 - 3:05 pm
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So, i saw BBD tonight at the Ride-Arc ride and he said that the SMPD were out in full force and giving out even more tickets, and looking for new creative ways to catch us. He said some people were in the bike lane but without headlights/taillights and getting tickets too.
This aggression can't stand, man.
stevo411.3.07 - 1:31 am
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I notice the Girraffe Mask is still in circulation.
They don't manufacture those things.
There's only like, five of them and everyone in the world borrows it at different times/days.
bentstrider11.3.07 - 1:45 am
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For those of you in attendance Santa Monica Criminal Mass (OCTOBER) I would like to extend regrets to those that were cited.
Recap:
Santa Monica Police Department was in full tactical alert upon commencement of the ride. A police cruiser set a camera to film pre-ride announcements and followed the ride as well. Also, police cruisers and police bicycle patrol was present.
It is my opinion that the Santa Monica police department violated our rights to the road by citing cyclists that either took the lane (adjacent bicycle), or passed vehicles (bicycle/cars) to the left. Also, police vehicles blocked the bicycle/car lanes and inadvertently forced bicyclists to take the sidewalk, which they also enforced by giving those bicyclists citations as well. Headlights and rear lights were an issue and citations were given as well.
Officers also questioned some bicyclists about the status of their bicycle licenses; State law requires you have one. This _WILL_ be an issue in the future.
I myself questioned officers how we could report motorists that violated the law and I was told to call the Santa Monica Police Department. One officer (Gallagher) told me to write the offending motorist a ticket myself. I told him that I placed the offending motorist under citizen arrest and that the suspect fled the scene. Officer Gallagher did nothing. I continued to point out motorists that violated the law and officers did nothing about it.
I'm absolutely sure that the Santa Monica Police Department has a task force that meets pre-ride. That's a given. Officers were very tactical about how they dealt with the cyclists. They responded to no questions only those that they were required to legally. They were very assertive and calm and didn't reply to most of the cat calling and complaining. (Except for the one smart alec remark from Gallagher, that I am aware of.)
I heard from one source that 35 citations were given. I counted about 11.
Aside from my personal feelings about peace officers... I'm really sickened by the presence, the police enforcement and the fact that they DO NOT ENFORCE THE LAW TOWARDS MOTORISTS.
We need to make a stink... We need to go to City Hall, City Council... send an S.O.S. - CALLING ALL RIDERS TO SANTA MONICA...
Welcome to the Santa Monica Criminal Mass
I'm not going to stop riding my fucking bicycle.
RIDE OR DIE.
------
riiiichieeeeeeeee weee laaaaaaaaavvvvv uuuuuuuuuuuuu!
boogalooSHRIMP11.3.07 - 11:20 am
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"We need to make a stink... We need to go to City Hall, City Council... send an S.O.S. - CALLING ALL RIDERS TO SANTA MONICA..."
When and where?
barleye11.3.07 - 11:53 am
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I have the contact information for the officers in charge of last nights operation.
Sgt. Horn (310) 458-8950
and
Lt. Keane (310) 458-8430
I'm working on getting a list of all the officers present so we can file a complaint against them individually.
God speed.
boogalooSHRIMP11.3.07 - 12:06 pm
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Sucks about all the citations.
But who still rolls w/o lights? Kinda silly. It's like driving your car at night with no lights on. It's pretty much the easiest way to get stopped by a cop.
As far as the cops, I don't know what to say. The cops really have it out for you guys, and that's half the reason that I stayed away from this ride. Sure, I would love to come out and support the cause, but I can't afford to pay (in the form of citations) to ride my bicycle in a completely legal manner.
kyber11.3.07 - 12:09 pm
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I agree with you Kyber, but cars come with headlights. Bicycles (for the most part) do not. It is my opinion that the SMPD should warn a bicyclist first, and then if they are stopped again and don't have their lights, then then a ticket is in understandable. Also, i'm pretty sure that most people aren't aware that they need head/rear lights adding.
See attached for complaint information against SMPD. (Hope the image comes out good.)
Wizzzzzzzzzzao!!!!!!!!
boogalooSHRIMP11.3.07 - 12:27 pm
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Eh.
The car headlight analogy is a poor one if you ask me. It's sort of like saying "My infant child died, because he didn't come with an instruction manual. I didn't know I had to feed him."
I thought the necessity for lights at night was just common sense honestly.
I was under the impression that the "no lights" citation was a fix it ticket that would be reversed once you could prove that you purchased lights. I may be wrong, but, I believe that this is one of the few times that the law is actually correct in their judgment. Riding without lights at night is just plain stupid. Especially when you consider how many riders have been struck by cars even when they HAVE had lights on.
But, at the end of the day you do what makes you feel comfortable. And if you don't value your life, I will not be the first one to tell you why you shouldn't receive the Darwin Award.
kyber11.3.07 - 12:45 pm
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I would suggest that you not make complaints about specific officers, who from what I saw were basically following very stupid orders.
The issue that needs to be taken up is why Santa Monica is actively trying to discourage people from riding bicycles through over enforcement of minor regulations, despite advertising itself as a "sustainable city" and a "bikable city" (I'm getting this off their own website), and also, whether that effort can possibly be a worthwhile use of taxpayer money.
Remember, a lot of the cops that you dealt with last night could just as happily been corking traffic for us, if we can get their bosses' heads screwed on right.
stevestevesteve11.3.07 - 1:05 pm
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oh and hey, if you got a citation, scan that shit in so we can all work on how to contest it, I'm sure there's a couple legal types around.
stevestevesteve11.3.07 - 1:07 pm
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Kyber. I agree, everyone should be riding with lights regardless of it being a law or not.
boogalooSHRIMP11.3.07 - 2:16 pm
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The SMPD just hog wild on us last night. They ticketed people for anything they could think of. At one point they ticketed a rider who rode outside the bike lane in order to pass a car which was stopped, or moving extremely slowly, in the bike lane.
Santa Monica is absolutely intent on getting rid of group rides within it's borders. BoogalooShrimp is NOT exaggerating. They are serious. They were filming us.
We're going to need all the support we can get from the Midnight Ridazz. Obviously it's Stephen Box time for SM City Council. We're gonna go every route we can until we can think of anything anymore.
Please call Lt Keane and Sgt Horn who organized this raid and complain. Do it. Take 5 min and leave a nice long voice mail. CALL.
Alex Thompson11.3.07 - 3:23 pm
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Yo,
I would have been out there last night to ride with ya guys but I was running late and just made the ride arc ride. First thing I'll be doing is seeing about this bike license crap on Monday. Is it a California license or a city license? If it's a city license, it doesn't seem like we would need it if we're out of towners. The lights are a given, every bike rider should have them, at least for this ride! The riding out side of the bike lane should be an easy one to beat if you were passing slower traffic on the right.
When you guys decide to organize the ride and ride it the way they want us to, I'll be the first one at the park! I would also like to see big ass signs that say, "Our Cops are Flops". Make it a our chant and post it on everything we hand out. Which brings me to handouts, once we get organized and bring traffic to a stand still, we should make sure we have fliers to hand out and explain what is going on to the locals peds and the drivers. Telling them that this is what to expect till our flops change their ways.
Oh yeah and hopefully we have camera documenting their actions too.
BTW, ride arc is shut down for two months. So that's 300 ridazz you could potentially have joining you.
User111.3.07 - 4:12 pm
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boy did we get fuckd with ,,,,still had fun,, and still attending nex months,,so fuuucckkk thammmmmmmm blood6y fuckkkmnnnkkkk pigzzzzzzzzz,,,word
skano11.3.07 - 4:28 pm
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did anyone find a set of keys last night?
pb73411.3.07 - 4:45 pm
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bummer times.
re - bike license
go to a police station and ask to register your bike. i think it costs a dollar. put the metal sticker on the underside of your bottom bracket.
ruinedbyidiots11.3.07 - 6:41 pm
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California Bicycle Laws & Safety
License Requirement. VC 39002
a) A city or county may adopt a bicycle licensing ordinance or resolution providing that no resident shall operate any bicycle on any street, road, highway, or other public property within the city of county, unless such bicycle is licensed in accordance with this division.
b) Any bicycle not licensed under this division may be additionally regulated or licensed pursuant to local ordinance or may be licensed upon request of the owner.
c) It is illegal for any person to to tamper with, destroy, mutilate or alter any license indicia (marking) or registration form or to remove, alter, or mutilate the serial number, or the identifying marks of a licensing agency's identifying symbol on any bicycle frame licensed under the provision of this division.
A culver city bicycle issued license will be valid in santa monica, vice versa...
boogalooSHRIMP11.3.07 - 8:43 pm
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Well looks like someone has to do some research and find out what the municipal code is regarding bicycle licenses. Find out what it states regarding no-residence. Also it would be helpful to find out what the violation was, the VC violation on the ticket regarding the peps getting the no license tickets.
Also if there's any other municipal code regarding bikes in SM would be helpful.
User111.3.07 - 9:44 pm
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Santa Monica sounds like a damned horrible place that is contrary to all the episodes of Pacific Blue I watched back in the day.
Tormenting groups of cyclists and forcing them to go "solo" is a damned human rights violation.
No rider should be subjected to "forced-soloing" unless they live in the sticks like I.
Oh, since SMPD get's all medieval on ridazz, I wonder if they dish this out to the groups of annoyingly loud, ricer gangs that love to revv the shit out of their weak-ass, four-bangers????
bentstrider11.3.07 - 10:01 pm
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If you got ticketed for no bicycle license, you may want to file a complaint against your cop for harassment, to wit: citing you for a long-dormant, unenforced, practically unenforceable bicycle licensing law in order to pressure you to leave town and/or stop expressing yourself politically. SMPD's use of this tactic can also be used to shame them and the mayor (an old lefty activist from the tenant's rights movement who should know better) at City Council meetings and in letters to the editor, blogs, etc.
PC11.4.07 - 1:52 am
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STEVESTEVESTEVE did you happen to find keys and or my flashlight at your place?
you know, during the 2 week early pre CRANK MOB party?
richtotheie11.4.07 - 7:23 pm
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I think if SMCM tries to make a statement in Santa Monica again we risk losing the large percentage of people who come to have fun. People who don't necessarily commute, etc., and aren't that interested in doing the ride if it gets broken up or if they're afraid of getting a ticket. I think we have to be very careful to keep this group coming because 1) they add a lot to our numbers, 2) a lot of them are SM residents, and 3) critical mass is an important ride to get people on their bikes and encourage them to bike more, as well as to get them to come on other rides, amongst other things. After all, I only got involved in all of this because I went to a critical mass. These rides are important for recruiting new ridazz.
I don’t say this because I don’t think we should make a statement. Rather, I want us to make a successful statement, and I think the way to do that is to rally the ridazz for another Santa Monica rush hour ride on another Friday with the sole purpose of taking a law-abiding ride around Santa Monica. This way we have a group of bikers who are all on the same page about what the purpose of our ride is, and we don’t have to worry about alienating the casual critical masser. Then (hopefully) once we've made our point we can bring critical mass back to Santa Monica.
What do you all think?
BunnyBubbles11.4.07 - 7:37 pm
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I got 2 flashlights, half a brake light, and some sort of Chinese Army hat. Oh and one glove. No keys...
I agree w/ bunnybubbles. I think if we keep doing our "fun rides", we'll keep building people up and that will only help the City take us more seriously down the road. Meanwhile, we can pursue our political options. Honestly, I do think this needed to happen just so we know how idiotic the SMPD wants to make themselves, but if we keep doing it less people are going to want to come for sure which is entirely their goal.
stevestevesteve11.4.07 - 9:09 pm
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the half brake light is mine! yay! i have a backup so i don't need it right away.
-elizabeth
BunnyBubbles11.4.07 - 9:18 pm
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Wait. So, in order to keep being able to make statements, people should stop making statements?
PC11.4.07 - 10:39 pm
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stevestevesteve wrote:
I would suggest that you not make complaints about specific officers, who from what I saw were basically following very stupid orders.
I would suggest "fuck that shit." Complaints against individual officers will make them a lot less likely to put up with such stupid orders in the future. As much as some of them act like robots, behind the scenes cops piss and moan about their jobs just as much as anybody else, and they have their own ways of making their displeasure known to their "superiors" when necessary.
If you actually want to win this fight, fight it on all fronts. Make life difficult for the police chief, for the mayor, and for the individual officers who were [exaggerated German accent] only folloving ordehs [/exaggeraged German accent].
PC11.4.07 - 10:58 pm
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one suggestion:
If the police give tickets for 'being out of the bike lane', lead the rides on roads with NO bike lanes.
OK one more, everybody beg borrow or steal, but get lights!! Forget laws, it just makes sense, esp. rear lights.
OK last one, I think we need to know, anybody?, what the actual laws are so that we know what we are or are not breaking. That way we can ride, make the point and acheive something.
I hope the next SMCM is a lot better.....
Limeyfly11.4.07 - 11:15 pm
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PC:
I just want to make sure that we don't lose CM riders by making the ride too "serious". That's why I think we should have another ride where all the ridazz are united about exactly what the purpose of the ride is. I'd love to be able to use CM to make this statement, but its just not really strategic in the big picture. If CM gets smaller because it stops being "fun" then the police definitely win.
If you have another perspective, definitely share it (I'm not being snarky, I really want to know what other people think, because I want us to be successful).
BunnyBubbles11.4.07 - 11:30 pm
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BunnyBubbles . . . keep an eye on your email.
Anyhoo . . . there are plans in the works for a "Storm the Bastille" ride to the SM City Council Meeting on the 13th. You'll all hear more.
I agree with PC that complaining about individual officers can be extremely effective. Internal dissent is often far more effective than external dissent = if the leadership of SMPD knows that their officers really dislike this kind of "sting" then they will advocate themselves for a peaceable solution with SMCM.
Bunny - I too am concerned about losing the fun riders. SMCM has been a great organizing tool, the catalyst for the creation of a independent Westside community, and for responsible by in large for Bikerowave.
But - I don't think they planned on us going North, particularly based on what I overheard on their scanners. Hence, my guess is they were planning to ticket us whether we went South or North, probably partly in response to the LA Weekly article. I'm starting to think we're going to lose all the "just fun" riders in SMCM regardless of our tactics . . . because I think the PD are in full scale crackdown mode.
So for new recruits I think we have to start looking at rides in West LA which avoid SM.
Limey - you're very right about the lights. It's too easy for them to give tickets for that and then whimper "safety first" when accused of selective enforcement.
Alex Thompson11.4.07 - 11:42 pm
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BunnyBubbles wrote:
If you have another perspective, definitely share it
My perspective is that CM, like life, is dynamic. If this episode of police harassment means that this particular Mass temporarily becomes a smaller ride made up of more militant riders, than so be it--it will get big again after the rabid cops are eventually brought to heel.
I don't think that's really necessary, though. There are other tactics that can be used on the rides to frustrate the SMPD's attempts to run CM out of town. Multiple routes, multiple starting points, Critical Manners, bluffing, feinting; all of these (and other things dreamed up by people smarter than me) can be used to throw the cops off and to make them look and feel ridiculous without necessarily confronting them directly. This will be easier, of course, if and when the legal and political actions currently in the works are successful at getting the point through their thick, stupid skulls that there is no law requiring cyclists to ride single-file or to ride in obstructed bike lanes.
PC11.4.07 - 11:57 pm
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This shit is the exact reason why I'm electing to be a law enforcement officer in an area where bikes are non-existent.
As far as I know, if I go the CHP or CDCR route, I wouldn't have to worry about busting anyone here, ever.
Now zoobombing down the Grapevine.........
bentstrider11.5.07 - 12:14 am
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stevex3, the Chinese military cap is mine. you can bring by to Bikerowave on Cubcamp day if you want. thanks!
.K
onethirtynine11.5.07 - 12:33 am
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bunnybubbles -
you guys will probably lose riders at smcm anyway if the cops keep handing out tickets and harassing you.
from what i've been reading around here, it seems they're not going to stop as long as they have something to write tickets for. i'm w/ User1 and PC on this one. hold up traffic downtown w/ a critical manners type ride - fuck the peeps/newbies who "just want to have fun" and "don't want to make a statement". they're probably the reason you alls are getting harassed anyway.
trekkie11.5.07 - 12:45 am
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P.S. whoever got the ticket for dodging the parked car in the bike lane:
(CVC 21208) Bicyclists traveling slower than traffic must use bike lanes except when making a left turn, passing, or avoiding hazardous conditions.
I'd say a car parked in the bike lane qualifies as a hazardous condition. The most important thing here is that you fight that ticket and don't just say "fuck it, i'll just pay it and get it overwith." You should also contact everyone who matters in Santa Monica (council people, the mayor's office, congress reps) and let them know that the cops are out there writing bullshit tickets.
trekkie11.5.07 - 12:58 am
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...and, above all, file a harassment complaint against the idiot who wrote you a ticket for doing something that is very obviously legal.
PC11.5.07 - 1:23 am
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http://www.smdp.com/article/articles/3878/1/Cops-crack-down-on-Mass/Page1.html
"Several prominent participants with Critical Mass did not return calls and e-mails seeking comment."
just my two cents, whatever it's worth - time to break this silence and make a fuss, especially when you have media contacting you.
trekkie11.5.07 - 11:34 am
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FYI Trekkie - the reporter called people on less than 24 hours notice, and called me when I was overseas. Anyhow - try not to be an idiot and note that there has since been written an article in the LA weekly with numerous quotes from participants and leaders. I appreciate some of your suggestions but when they're unfairly critical and misinformed I get pissed off.
Alex Thompson11.5.07 - 11:47 am
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hey alex - wasn't being critical - sorry you feel that way.
trekkie11.5.07 - 11:52 am
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also - try not to call people idiots who are concerned about your ride - it's kind of not nice.
trekkie11.5.07 - 11:55 am
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Trekkie - I'm sorry I called you an idiot. It's frustrating to get badly misinformed comments . . . and we're getting a lot of them. The article you pulled up was written by Melody Hanatani who has done 2 hatchet jobs on SMCM and generally not followed journailistic standards in terms of obtaining and verifying quotes. So that added to my frustration.
Alex Thompson11.5.07 - 1:34 pm
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You so much cuter when you be a little kitty.
kitties can get away with so much more too!!!
User111.5.07 - 1:58 pm
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Yeah, there is no California law REQUIRING bike licenses. Only local regulation. If you live in city that doesn't require these out dated forms of big brother spying (although they can be handy to find a stolen bike) there is no legal way they can require you to have them, however, if the municipal code where you live requires bike licenses then they can enforce the ticket. (Even if it IS complete bs and never enforced unless cops are LOOKING for a reason to ticket, LB cops do this on a regular basis, they don't really like bikes... wonder if SM's new police chief who came from such a city has something to do with this)
As for riding outside the bike lane, easy to fight. The law only states a bicycle must ride inside the bike lane if it is going slower then the rest of the traffic on the roadway, during CM the traffic speed is slower than the slowest riders. Also the bike lane regulations (probably made so that bicyclists don't interfere with cars, not for cyclist's safety) allow one to leave the bike lane when there is something obstructing it, be it a parked car (which is illegal btw) or debris, or other cyclists that one is overtaking (this being the standard case for CM).
Lights however, well, that's kinda your own fault if your riding without lights, maybe an announcement can be made at the beginning of cm reminding people about lights or something.
the entire California Vehicle Code for bicycles can be found here:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/vc/tocd11c1a4.htm
FuzzBeast11.5.07 - 2:53 pm
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OK seeing how nobody has really produced anything regarding the city of Santa Monica municipal code, I figured I'll go ahead and get this started.
from what I've found there's this,
http://www.qualitycodepublishing.com/codes/santamonica/view.php?topic=3-3_20&frames=on
If you look at the bicycle license section it makes no mention of residence or non-residence. It does look like the Bikerowave can be authorized agent, if there's a clarification on what exactly is an authorized agent and who does the authorizing. Either way, I'd much rather have bicycle retailer or authorized agent handling my info.
These references are far from a complete picture in SM. And good luck finding someone that knows the code! Yes that includes every person working in a bike shop in SM.
With that said, there are ALOT of resources that would be useful and interested in SM in what does get turned up in the research.
User111.5.07 - 4:05 pm
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We should check out the local bike shops and see if anyone can actually buy a license in SM.
stevestevesteve11.5.07 - 4:44 pm
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or everybody all at once go to you local SM police station to get a bike license. They will be so confused.
Joe Borfo11.5.07 - 4:50 pm
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actually that could be the next SMCM - ride to the station and make a big ass line to get licenses. i dunno.
Joe Borfo11.5.07 - 5:07 pm
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how bout a ride that breaks up into groups of like 50 - all ending at a santa monica police station to obtain licenses. har har
trekkie11.5.07 - 5:08 pm
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Hmmm, I wonder how many people out there have a bicycle that fits EVERY legal requirement set up by these fairly archaic laws, both local and state laws. It's pretty difficult when every town/city/municipality/whatever has their own codes. considering that the riding of a bicycle is not limited to a single city at a time, I would say this is near impossible anyway. This doesnt happen with cars, at least it's not enforced with cars. This usually doesnt happen with bikes either, until something threatens the nice quiet day to day activity of motorists, suddenly it's HORRIBLE and TERRIBLE and MUST be shut down, at least in the perspective of the fun police.
I don't need a license where I live, however SM and Long Beach require them, there are other requirements, such as in the equipment section of the CVC that most new bikes, other than wal-mart type bikes don't even pass (this includes pretty much every bike with clipless pedals), and when they do, such as having front and rear reflectors, they give the impression that things such as lights, aren't necessary.
These parts of the laws are poorly written, and unfollowed by most of the population, it;s almost into the realm of the "you can't sing while wearing a bathing suit" type of absurd laws you read about sometimes.
FuzzBeast11.5.07 - 5:31 pm
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I don't think we can wait until next Critical Mass. From the way they were acting on Friday, I think we'd better bike to the SMPD tomorrow so we have the licenses at the ready the next time they're waiting for us. Which would be at next Critical Mass at the LATEST.
Or will we be ticketed for biking to the PD? Since we clearly wouldn't have licenses yet if we're going in to get them. It's like driving to your driving test. If driving tests were held at police stations.
Best to walk, methinks.
katiepoche11.5.07 - 5:33 pm
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Well you should all go at once, somebody post it. This should be interesting.
Joe Borfo11.5.07 - 5:37 pm
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I want to be street legal.
How do I mount yellow reflectors to my MKS rx-1 track pedals?
kyber11.5.07 - 5:44 pm
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ride our bikes there all the way forsure,,,,,well i say lets organize a ride up there peacefully until we getz our licences,,then we'll talk shit for them raping us the way they did,,There (SMPD)actions were the exact example of a city stripping its citizens of the rights, there obivous discrimination toward cycles should not be tolerated by us the rightous citizen....let get together ,write letters, talk to lawyers, protest our rights. no sleeping time for action,,
skano11.5.07 - 5:48 pm
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I want to be street legal.
How do I mount yellow reflectors to my MKS rx-1 track pedals?
kyber
11.5.07 - 8:44 pm
>> I think you tape them to your shoes.
or wear those ankle bracelet things old bearded guys in yellow windbreakers wear, oh wait the code says on the pedal (under your foot)... umm..
yeah,
I'll just stick with a headlight, a blinky, and that reflectorized crap on my baileyworks and the back of my helmet.
FuzzBeast11.5.07 - 5:55 pm
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I want to be street legal, too. Good idea, looking ahead at what they're likely to start ticketing us for next.
Helmets are next, though right now you don't have to wear one unless you're a minor. 'Course, my thoughts on helmets are the same as others' on bike lights. Wear 'em because it's safe, not because the police tell you to. Precious cargo and all that.
katiepoche11.5.07 - 5:58 pm
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Fuzz -
I don't need a license where I live, however SM and Long Beach require them, there are other requirements, such as in the equipment section of the CVC that most new bikes,
Me -
Fuzz I'm not following you in your argument that LB has the same requirements as SM in regards to license requirement. The only code I have ever found in regards to LB's municipal code for bikes is here,
http://www.longbeach.gov/cityclerk/lbmc/title-10/chapter-10-48.htm
There's no mention of licenses. In all my encounters with the flops here, I've never had the issue of a license for the bike brought up. Do you have some other info that I'm not aware of?
What I think I'm going to do is call the police department and see if I can get an appointment to have someone look over my bike and tell me what about it makes it illegal to ride in SM. Hopefully there will be some paper work I'll be able to carry with me. At the very least I'll hopefully find out what the procedure is for making the bike legal. This is not to bow down to their wishes, it's more to see what exactly they are requiring. I'm betting their going to be scratching their heads on this.
User111.5.07 - 6:11 pm
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I dunno, I remember a while back the polar rollers ride got busted and long beach cops issued citations about licenses (same kinda bs giving tix for no reason shit), saying it was some lb muni code.
FuzzBeast11.5.07 - 7:05 pm
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I'm going to make a suggestion, AND IT'S JUST A SUGGESTION, about the licenses: don't go get them.
I really think that those people who have been ticketed should take the position--in court, in their complaints against the officers, in City Council meetings, and in the media--that the bike license law is an archaic one that nobody really enforces. Bike shops are supposed to give you a license when they sell you a bike, but if you ask them for one they will look at you like you're from Mars. Nobody has a bike license. This law hasn't been enforced in any meaningful way for decades.
By going out and getting licenses, it seems to me that you are sort of conceding that point to the police. SMPD needs to be shamed or forced into abandoning the politically motivated tactic of selectively enforcing dormant laws to suppress an activity they don't like.
Just a suggestion, don't lynch me.
PC11.6.07 - 12:35 am
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This was taken from the City of Santa Monica website:
http://www.smgov.net/FINANCE/licenses/bikelic.htm
The State of California requires a bicycle license for any bicycle used on any street. Licenses can be obtained for $3 from the city License and Permit Division at City Hall. They must be renewed every three years. Send the following information:
Bicycle's Serial Number
Owners Name
Owner Address
Owners Phone Number
Bicycle Make
Bicycle Model Name
Bicycle Type
Color of Bicycle
Wheel Size
Frame size
Include a check or money order for $3 and mail to:
City of Santa Monica,
License Division,
1685 Main Street,
P.O. Box 2200,
Santa Monica, CA 90406-2200.
Phone number is 458-8745.
A bicycle license and stickers will then be mailed to you. The stickers are to be placed on the vertical bar of the frame that supports the bicycle seat.
If your bicycle is stolen, contact the Santa Monica Police Department at 458-8426. Give the license or serial number, which will help the Police Department locate the bicycle.
Hopefully this clears up any allays about bicycle licenses.
boogalooSHRIMP11.6.07 - 12:42 am
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I've also purchased a bicycle license in person at SM City Hall years ago.
boogalooSHRIMP11.6.07 - 12:43 am
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I'd still like to know, other than the city of SM saying so, where in the CVC it says a license is required?
I've searched it thoroughly, never found anything stating a STATE requirement for licenses.
I have found this however:
License Requirement. VC 39002
a) A city or county may adopt a bicycle licensing ordinance or resolution providing that no resident shall operate any bicycle on any street, road, highway, or other public property within the city of county, unless such bicycle is licensed in accordance with this division.
b) Any bicycle not licensed under this division may be additionally regulated or licensed pursuant to local ordinance or may be licensed upon request of the owner.
c) It is illegal for any person to to tamper with, destroy, mutilate or alter any license indicia (marking) or registration form or to remove, alter, or mutilate the serial number, or the identifying marks of a licensing agency's identifying symbol on any bicycle frame licensed under the provision of this division.
found here:
http://www.bicyclesource.com/body/safety/laws/california-laws.shtml
or here:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d16_7/vc39002.htm
Note: NO state license requirement, only local.
Sounds like the recently updated (hmmm) page from SM is lying.
All the bike license stickers I've ever come across (all on old bikes from the 70's mind you) were all local stickers, none of them say "California Bicycle License" only "City X Bicycle License".
I agree with PC, argue that it's an archaic law that never gets enforced, only when cops are looking or something to write tickets about.
Also remember that CVC 39002 states that no RESIDENT shall operate, if anyone got a bike license ticket and is not a resident of SM, the ticket is groundless.
FuzzBeast11.6.07 - 1:25 am
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Why don't we all just make our own bicycle licenses, so if they start pulling us over, there are so many different ones that they won't know what to do. You know, stickers from Indiana, New York, Mars, everywhere. Fuck buying them, homemade ftw.
Jaz11.6.07 - 12:28 pm
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Fuzz makes a good point in the wording of SM code. There isn't any California VC that states it is required to have a license. That is a far better argument than this law is archaic. So the law is archaic, doesn't mean you're not guilty of the offense would be the courts position.
If anyone has gotten a ticket for no license, what does the ticket say is the violation? There should be a code number on the ticket stating the infraction.
User111.6.07 - 12:35 pm
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I agree with PC - caving on the bicycle license issue is defeatist. The fact is that they're using an old law, that no one adheres to, to ticket cyclists they want to ticket. It's a political use of the police, and it should be against the law. The bicycle license law itself is ridiculous as well, particularly when you consider the number of different cities some of us ride in.
Alex Thompson11.6.07 - 12:47 pm
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ummmmm can we get a clarification here? Who's promoting caving in to the license here? Caving in is paying your ticket without a fight. That makes it more difficult for the next person. If we put up a fight, then they'll see how expensive it is to enforce some of these senseless tickets and will stop. Of course they won't stop the harassment on their own, it will only be stopped by the public, IMHO.
User111.6.07 - 1:03 pm
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I think what Alex is saying could be translated into layman's terms;
"Fuck the POPO!"
Can you dig it? I can.
Joe Borfo11.6.07 - 1:07 pm
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User 1 wrote:
There isn't any California VC that states it is required to have a license. That is a far better argument than this law is archaic.
Well, no. It's not an argument at all. There doesn't have to be a CVC requiring a license. Cities are free to institute their own licensing requirements.
However, if cities don't enforce their requirements, then you do have an argument against them when they suddenly start enforcing them under high-profile (*ahem*) political situations. Do bike shops in Santa Monica affix license tags to every bike or bike frame they sell, and make a daily report to the SMPD of "all sales made by such dealers, which list shall include the name and address of each person to whom a bicycle was sold, the kind of bicycle sold, together with a description and the frame number thereof, and the number of the metallic license plate attached thereto, if any"? They're supposed to. If that's not being enforced, how long has it been since it was enforced? Are cyclists, outside the context of CM, being cited for no license? If so, how often? If not, why not, and how long has it been since such cyclists have been cited with any frequency? These are questions you can ask in the media, at City Hall, and
in court when cross-examining a ticketing officer.
(Note, though, that in the CVC that Fuzzbeast pulled up, the state only seems to allow cities to require
residents to acquire licenses. This may allow for a double-barreled approach: the law is archaic, and the law doesn't apply to some ticketed riders anyway.)
PC11.6.07 - 2:27 pm
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What I'm pointing out is that they, SM Bicycle Code, is building their code on false asumptions. As was pointed out above, SM code according to this link, http://www.smgov.net/FINANCE/licenses/bikelic.htm States inpart,
"The State of California requires a bicycle license for any bicycle used on any street. Licenses can be obtained for $3 from the city License and Permit Division at City Hall."
Which is false and makes everything in regards to this code fall apart.
Sure I would also argue your point in court too. I would also take it further and request the city records regarding their governing of this code. Obviously they, the City of SM is the governing body for the authorizing agents. The code was found here,
http://www.qualitycodepublishing.com/codes/santamonica/view.php?topic=3-3_20-3_20_020&frames=on
So since they are the ones doing the "authorizing" there should be records that show either they are or are not enforcing the law. If they are using this law under high-profile political situations, then the records will show it far better than cross examining the officer.
User111.6.07 - 2:52 pm
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U GAIS R TEH AWESUMZ
NEW ARGUMINTS HERE WE DIDNT THINK OF
Knittens11.6.07 - 4:36 pm
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User 1 wrote:
What I'm pointing out is that they, SM Bicycle Code, is building their code on false asumptions. As was pointed out above, SM code according to this link, http://www.smgov.net/FINANCE/licenses/bikelic.htm States inpart,
"The State of California requires a bicycle license for any bicycle used on any street. Licenses can be obtained for $3 from the city License and Permit Division at City Hall."
Which is false and makes everything in regards to this code fall apart.
Uh-uh. It's false, all right, but it's just a statement on a website. The code itself is justified by the CVC section that authorizes municipalities to require licenses (but again, it says for
residents). Calling attention to the false statement on the website is a good idea, but it doesn't invalidate the code. It's the selective enforcement of the otherwise unenforced code that is the most vulnerable to attack, which is why I'm suggesting it be attacked.
PC11.6.07 - 5:25 pm
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Well yeah, if you looked way at the beginning of this thread, I made a point that we have to see what the Municipal Code has to say. I don't even trust the city's own website for getting it right.
And if it is correct, then I would use this as part of my argument.
User111.6.07 - 5:40 pm
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well...
look at this:
Bicycle Licenses Required (LAMC 26.01) Requires a bicycle license for all bicycles purchased and ridden in the City of Los Angeles. Available from a bicycle dealer when a bicycle is purchased in the City of Los Angeles by the bicycle retailer or from local Los Angeles Police Stations.
http://www.bicyclela.org/Law.htm
boogalooSHRIMP11.6.07 - 6:53 pm
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i know there are many different opinions here and i personally am conflicted on which is the best way to proceed but on some small level, i'd love it in some idyllic world where every rider had one so next month when the 'smarter-than-us-lowly-riders Police Officer tries to pull us over and ticket us on some arcane law, we can all-together whip out our licenses and say' Fuck you Bitch!, Back-off!.
that would, at least for a split second, make me happy.
stevo
stevo411.7.07 - 5:48 am
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So who actually got pulled over for not having a license, or for passing a parked car when the bike lane was blocked? These seem like the two most outlandish charges. If we can take those tickets to the city council, and say,
"Hey, we thought we had a bike friendly city, a bunch of bikers got together and tried to ride legally, and your police department spent how many thousands of dollars bringing 20-30 officers down just to give us tickets for passing parked cars and not having licenses. Do you guys have licenses?"
It'd be cool if we could dig up how many bikes in SM were actually licensed , too, because I bet that number is pretty low.
stevestevesteve11.7.07 - 6:47 am
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no one that i'm aware of received a citation for not having a license... as i said earlier... i heard an officer ask a cyclist about their bicycle license.
that said, i made a suggestion that at least prominent riders or any one mediating with the police should get one, since I believe they might start enforcing the bicycle law in the future/next ride when and when the SMPD starts harassing prominent riders.
boogalooSHRIMP11.7.07 - 10:46 am
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Fuck getting licensed.
After looking at the Los Angeles MC, I found that the licensing requirements first popped up in 1981. If you actually read the code, instead of just skimming it and pulling out what you want from it, you will realize that most of it makes no sense. Furthermore, there is absolutely no way to enforce this law. It also requires retailers to report bicycle sales, and requires you to tell big bro-- I mean the city of los angeles, when you have sold your bike to your buddy down the street.
It's just another way to track and turn you into a statistic. There is no reason to get one of these stupid ass things.
Oh yeah, and a neat loophole. Apparently a 'mini' (a la PDX) is not actually considered a bicycle.
Bicycle Defined. For purposes of this section “bicycle” shall mean any device upon which a person may ride, which is propelled in whole or in part by human power through a system of belts, chains or gears and which has either two or three wheels (one of which is at least 20 inches in diameter, in tandem or tricycle arrangement) or a frame size of at least 14 inches.
Catch my drift?? They're clueless at city hall, and that's exactly how they should be treated.
kyber11.7.07 - 11:11 am
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kyber -
It's just another way to track and turn you into a statistic.
Me -
Keeping track of sales and buyers is not necessarily bad. If used properly, it could be used as an argument that there is a need for bike signage, bike lanes, bike blvds, etc etc. What do we have right now that we can argue we need more infrastructure for bikes? Visual clues is pretty much it. If I knew that each license was actually being used to calculate traffic funds with a percentage going to bike riders, I might consider getting the bikes licensed. Hard to make better call with no details though.
User111.7.07 - 1:55 pm
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User 1 wrote:
Keeping track of sales and buyers is not necessarily bad. If used properly, it could be used as an argument that there is a need for bike signage, bike lanes, bike blvds, etc etc.
The exact same thing could be accomplished by simply requiring bike shops to report
how many bikes they sell every week or month. There's no need to keep track of names and addresses, or to require people to put little stickers on their frames. And that's assuming for the sake of argument that there's even a need for that kind of record-keeping to justify bike infrastructure (hi, City Hobgoblin!), which I don't think there is.
PC11.7.07 - 2:17 pm
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I also love how the LAMC item BogalooShrimp posted compeltely violates the CVC...
All bicycles purchased and ridden in Los Angeles...
Hmm, CVC only allows for them to require licenses of RESIDENTS...
FuzzBeast11.7.07 - 2:21 pm
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Granted there are better ways to keep track of sales of bicycles than little stickers on bikes. There's practically zero desire for our cities to address the bicycle infrastructure. The majority of the cost incurred by them is in trying to control what small groups are out there. And I mean small in comparison to car drivers.
If they, the city, really wanted to use this system of bike licensing, they would devise a scheme to make us all want to get it licensed.
So I guess no one has gotten a ticket for no license huh?
User111.7.07 - 2:37 pm
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Wow, that response is so ignorant. It had me laughing the entire time.
I really think that we should listen to the police and residents (two ignant' groups) and ride single file and obey all traffic laws. Then we'll see how much "safer" (read: FRIENDLY FOR CONSUMERS) Santa Monica will be.
kyber11.8.07 - 11:50 am
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That's the best they could do for a rebuttal?????
OK so what happened last Tuesday?
User111.8.07 - 12:12 pm
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Haha, that same guy responded to Alex's letter-to-the-editor in September!
stevestevesteve11.8.07 - 1:03 pm
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Aye, this:
"Why is it so difficult/hard for Santa Monica Critical
Mass (SMCM) to understand this? Try going to other
large cities and do what they’re doing without a permit,
such as Beverly Hills, Pacific Palisades, Malibu or even
downtown Los Angeles. Without a permit you must
obey the rules and regulations of bicycling, and that’s
riding in single file, not grouping and stopping at all
stop signs and lights."
Isn't only ignorant, it's wrong toward the law. There is nothing in the law that says we can't ride in groups, and must ride single file.
Also, aside from PP and Malibu (which we haven't ridden in because they're what, way the fuck out in the middle of no-where) We have had rides of how man in all of those places? And we've been hassled by the copsin a SMCM manner in how many of them?
FuzzBeast11.8.07 - 2:48 pm
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Hey, even when the Fetish ride got hijacked and we went to Universal, etc. and the cops got involved, overall, they weren't total dicks. They certainly shortened our ride A LOT, but at least 1 of the Police cars and officers kept their humor about it and had some fun with us. And normally, they just leave the rides alone.
s
stevo411.8.07 - 2:57 pm
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i couldn't resist responding to that douchebag:
Editor:
(Re: "Critical Mass Bikers need to get real," Nov.8 letters)
Geno Schotte's letter to the editor reinforces the fact that we live
in a society rife with upside down priorities. If his opinion and
attitude towards Santa Monica Critical Mass, and cycling in general,
is representative of the general opinion and attitude of the people,
we have a long way to go before we can expect to see this world
getting any better. Consider this: We are neck-deep in our dependence on foreign oil, and yet, when a group of cyclists (who don't fuel their bikes with gas or emit harmful pollution) take to the streets for one night a month, we send the cops to get them off the roads in favor of the massive fleet of gas guzzling SUVs that normally rule the Santa Monica pavement.
The city of Santa Monica and it's Police Department are the ones who need to get real. Frankly, they should be ashamed of themselves for dispatching that level of enforcement, and dedicating that kind of time and effort to eradicating a harmless bicycle ride, when they can be focused on taking care of real crime and homeland security. If I was a resident of Santa Monica, I'd be embarrassed and outraged that my tax money was paying to support what comes down to motorist grudge against bicycles - in the form of police harassment and invalid ticketing.
Furthermore, I find it terribly ironic, and borderline comical, that
while Mr. Schotte speaks of bicycle "rules and regulations", he also
goes on to display a complete ignorance of what those rules and
regulations actually are. For one, there is no law, or anything in the
California Vehicle Code, that prohibits bicycles from riding two or
more abreast. In fact, a recently proposed Pasadena ordinance which attempted to limit cyclists to riding no more than two abreast
(notice: TWO, not ONE) was unanimously shot down by their city council for several reasons, including the fact that such an ordinance would be illegal under already established California Law regarding
bicycles.
Lastly, Mr. Schotte, I regret to inform you that many group rides
occur in the cities that you mention, without any incidents of police
conflict or harassment. For example, the riding group "Midnight
Ridazz" has been bicycling en masse all over the city of Los Angeles
for several years now without any major law enforcement fiascos
resembling anything close to what now happens in Santa Monica. On the contrary, the LAPD has been known to provide friendly escort, blocking major intersections for the bike ride, and never handing out tickets that were unwarranted (such as a recent ticket issued by SMPD to a cyclist for leaving the bike lane to avoid a car illegally parked - a completely legal maneuver on the part of the cyclist). I guess I should consider myself lucky for living in Los Angeles, where our police department is actually extremely friendly and supportive of our large group rides.
trekkie11.8.07 - 4:00 pm
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Nicely put.
And it still amazes me (or maybe not) that the general public doesn't know that bicyclists have the exact same rights as automobiles.
The very first line of the Cal Vehicle Code Bike summary states:
Bicyclist Rights (CVC 21200) Bicyclists have all the rights and responsibilities of vehicle drivers.
Yet drivers still tell us to get on the side walk...
s
stevo411.8.07 - 4:22 pm
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Good response trekkie! The only thing I would have probably included was asking where does all the overweight SUVs that are allowed on the residential roads of SM fit in the scheme of things? You guys do know about that right?
For those that don't, well there was a big stink awhile ago about the weight limits being broken by some of the SUVs on some of the residential roads of SM. Seems that some of the SUVs are way overweight to be navigating these residential roads. I'm just wondering where does this fit on this hierarchy of "protecting the public" the SM Police likes to point out. After all, you have to ask yourselves, what is a more likely event to occur, your little Mary getting run over and killed by a CM'er on the last Friday of the month? Or one of these MANY overweight SUVs navigating the back streets of SM EVERY day and night?
I might want to ask the good folks of the SM Police Department how they been doing on cracking down on these violators and do they see this as a problem?
And yes, you can freely use this and modify it in your letters to them.
User111.8.07 - 8:57 pm
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i guess we can expect a bunch of fucking anti's at tuesdays city council meeting.
boogalooSHRIMP11.8.07 - 9:16 pm
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I just hope we are careful in how we present ourselves and not come off as some wild-eyed fantatics or a bunch of wise-ass, loud mouthed riders (or hipsters). We need to get the city council on our side and join the ranks.
stevo411.8.07 - 9:34 pm
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Good point!!! We can make a bad scene as easily as making a "professional" appearance. Remember, we do have the California vehicle code on our side, but they can come to any conclusion if they're in power. Last thing we need to do is come off as nut jobs.
Would be nice to have our spokes person and make sure all points are raised. Not sure if the open internet is the best way to do that.
User111.8.07 - 10:12 pm
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I'm sure they'll all stop hating us if only we dress nicely.
PC11.9.07 - 2:56 am
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I vote for Soapbox and Alex. Both are well spoken and seem to have a grasp of the community and the situation. And i thought SB spoke very well getting his point across at the Bev. Hills City Council meeting earlier this year.
stevo411.9.07 - 5:43 am
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*** i'm reposting this from SMCM forum***
Good luck. Sincerely. However, what motivation does the City Council have to support a group of riders who create traffic congestion, anger drivers, and does not even add to the city coffers with permit fees. CM is primarily made up of people without city or business connections. In your forums SMCM and on ridazz, I can't even find anyone mentioning SPECIFICALLY what you are asking for... to simply have the police stay off our asses!?! The most you can expect is for the council to say, "you have the same rights as anyone. apply and pay for a permit, ride along a designated path on Sunday morning, and the police will supply traffic control and route protection." What do you think they are going to say to a bunch of roudy, grungy kids on bicycles? "Out of respect for your noble purposes and Santa Monica's long history supporting the underdog, we will ask the police to let you run amok on our streets." It ain't going to happen.
I admire your attempt to take the problem to city hall. If that achieves nothing, I'll volunteer to ride, cork, and take a few tickets. Maybe then the council may say,"uhh, we've got a problem here. let's work something out with these riders that will improve the situation."
indigis11.9.07 - 4:22 pm
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***reposted from SMCM***
The motivation for the City of Santa Monica to support Critical Mass is obvious: People riding bicycles.
Santa Monica prides itself on being a ecologically-conscious, bicycle-friendly community. They have spent tens of thousands of dollars trying to create a great cycling city and it shows. With all the bike lanes and bike paths, Santa Monica is probably the city best outfitted with bicycle facilities (though it's far from perfect). You'd think that the City of Santa Monica would be more supportive of an event that only encourages people to get on their bikes more.
Critical Mass is a collective form of expression celebrating the bicycle. But it's not just a rowdy party. It's the ONLY point where the Santa Monica bicycling community can build stronger bonds, unify, give support and find a voice. The phenomenon is self-perpetuating: the greater the noise CM makes, the more people come. The more people come, the greater the noise. And the most important aspect is that those people are riding bicycles, which supposedly falls under one of Santa Monica's priorities.
Oh and by the way, don't say that SMCM is comprised of people without any connection to the city. That is absolutely NOT TRUE. There are A LOT of SM residents on that ride and we all can see it. I would easily say AT LEAST 85% of the riders live, work or go to school in SM. (In any case, I would say that tourism is one of Santa Monica's most cherished industries so they should really be used to welcoming out-of-towners.)
So, yeah what we're asking is to have SMPD back off a little. Given the obvious community-building aspects in a such a pro-community, pro-cycling city, it would be nice to know WHY they don't support this ride. If they say they've been receiving complaints from drivers, they could at least back it up with hard numbers or documentation. We could probably provide a lot of first-hand, second-hand and third-hand accounts as to how or why SMCM changed someone's life by making them see the bicycle in a much brighter way.
BUT HERE IS THE REAL ISSUE -- What we saw during November's ride can be called by no other name but ABUSE OF POWER. The police are supposed to serve and protect the community by enforcing laws that were written to protect its citizens. Here we see police over-asserting their authority and perverting the laws in such a way that they can be used as weapons against SMCM. They refused to answer questions, gave no respect to reasoning and they used their presence to harass and completely obliterate the ride. And to add to that, in a recent article the police deny that they were attempting to disrupt the ride.
http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2007/... Anyone present during that ride could definitely see that it was a crackdown. They had more tax dollars assigned to the Critical Mass taskforce than they've had assigned to the Pico neighboorhood for the entire year. That is definitely what I call abuse of power and that's what I will be calling out at the Council Meeting.
.K
onethirtynine11.9.07 - 6:56 pm
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Anyone know how to get there on the train? Is it near any red line stop?
Cody11.9.07 - 6:57 pm
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Oops. Wrong thread.
Cody11.9.07 - 6:58 pm
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indigis wrote:
I admire your attempt to take the problem to city hall. If that achieves nothing, I'll volunteer to ride, cork, and take a few tickets. Maybe then the council may say,"uhh, we've got a problem here. let's work something out with these riders that will improve the situation."
That's, um, pretty much what people are doing right now. What special thing would happen if you started doing it?
PC11.9.07 - 8:28 pm
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Indigis,
Bicycle traffic moves faster than car traffic during traffic, so isn't car traffic creating traffic for bicyclists? Drivers also anger bicyclists, and I'm one of them. Traffic on Lincoln and the 10 freeway doesn't require permit fees and neither should we, since legally we're both vehicles under the CVC.
My mother (65), who rides a tricycle around Santa Monica is not roudy, grungy kid, yet she feels safer in a group of cyclists... me, herself and my girlfriend. Shall we require a permit when we ride to the SM Farmers market?
My personal gripe is that the SMPD states that they're doing this for public safety, yet they're singling out bicycles to cite for vehicle violations, not motorist violations.
boogalooSHRIMP11.9.07 - 8:30 pm
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-->
Ridazz Roulette!
If y'all are finished in time, head to Los Angeles City Hall East (next to Metro Red Line/Union Station) for RIDE-ARC.
man i was framed..