[CMI-CM] more on Madison CM ride and arrest

[Paul Riismandel]

 From the Madison IMC 
(http://madison.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=951&group=webcast):


Friday evening, about 50 or 60 bicyclists met in downtown Madison at 5:30 
pm for a once-monthly "critical mass" ride. The purpose of a critical mass 
cannot be distilled to one simple message, as each person has his or her 
own reasons for riding. Without leaders or hierarchy, a critical mass is 
organized only by the common goal to unite and move together in the street, 
for safety, protest, celebration, or all of the above. The group of riders 
changes from ride to ride, and anyone can put out the call to action. A 
critical mass ride is essentially a moment of self-governance in our public 
streets. Rides around the country have seen both fierce police repression 
and violent reactions from car drivers. Yet, from its origins in San 
Francisco in the early 1990's, critical mass has grown to be a vital 
component of worldwide direct actions against car culture.

Simply put, there are tainted people in Madison and around the world who 
have tasted the liberation of car-less streets. For whatever reason, they 
found themselves in a street that had been momentarily freed of car 
traffic
a street that was open and inviting and safe. There is no going 
back. A city without cars is a living city. A city dominated by cars is 
doomed to choke on itself. Critical mass dares to confront the car on its 
own terrain.

After gathering at the top of State Street, the mass circled the square to 
King Street, where they headed east down to Williamson Street. The group 
was full of different ages, with parents pulling kids in trailers and other 
kids on bikes. Many riders had spray-painted banners on their bags that 
read "One Less Car." It was a lovely afternoon of sun and cool winds. The 
ride continued east onto Atwood Avenue as far as the intersection with 
Cottage Grove Road when the group doubled back to return west on Atwood. 
The trip east had been pleasant, with little driver aggression, and no cops 
at all. Countless cars honked with smiling drivers raising fists and many 
people on the side of the road shouted and waved in support. Going back 
west to the Isthmus, this changed.

As we turned around on Atwood, the last biker stopped in his lane to hold 
traffic while the mass swung a 180. The driver in the car behind him revved 
her motor and nudged forward into his back wheel, jolting the biker in his 
saddle. I was right next to him as it happened, so I stopped to talk to the 
driver. I took a photo of her through her window and said, "You just hit 
him with your CAR!" or something like that. She rolled up her window and 
responded, "I really don't care," and looked calmly ahead. Then she got out 
her cell phone. This was when the tone of the ride changed for me.

Drivers on the return trip were less sympathetic, yelling and racing their 
engines, and they're probable the ones who called the police. According to 
officer #2408, we "upset people, and they're calling in droves to complain 
about this." And so, as we moved west in the late evening sun, the police 
found us. The first black car overtook us but it kept going; maybe it had 
more pressing business? Soon enough, a different striped cruiser slid into 
an intersection ahead of us. We rode around it. It followed with siren and 
lights. Somewhere near Fair Oaks and Atwood, another cruiser appeared in 
our lane, its lights spinning. We rode around it, too. Each cop we passed 
turned to follow in slow pursuit, with lights and sirens going. Somehow, we 
wove north, off Winnebago, along the Yahara River, across East Washington 
Avenue until we turned to go west on East Mifflin. There were three 
cruisers with lights and sirens on behind us this whole time.

We went one block on East Mifflin, when a single cruiser appeared ahead of 
us, alone in the intersection of North Baldwin and Mifflin. People in the 
mass yelled back and forth to just ride around, as we had done a few times 
that day. I was truly impressed by then that 50 or so middle class biker 
folks were so cavalier about the police sirens ordering us to comply. We 
were a good mass, sticking together and meeting the psychological hurdles 
of authority with glee. People whooped and barked in imitation of the 
annoying sirens, and we were ready to keep riding.

Just as we approached Baldwin Street, it fell apart. Five other cop 
cruisers blasted from out of view into their blockade position near the 
first. One rider in front got there ahead of the mass and was grabbed as he 
tried to ride between the cruisers to cross Baldwin. Arrested by officers 
with badge #2408 and #3093, he was pulled off his bike and handcuffed. 
Before we knew what had happened, an unmarked car lurched onto the yard to 
the right of us at the corner, and a plainclothes cop got out and held back 
the riders trying to skirt the knot of cops in the street. We stalled, they 
acted, and we were corralled. Someone started the "Whose streets? Our 
streets!" chant, and we huddled up as a group.

"Martin" was arrested sometime around 6:30pm and charged with "obstructing 
traffic" and "failure to obey an officer." The arrest was fairly peaceful: 
I didn't see pepper spray canisters on any of the cops, and they didn't 
force him to the ground to arrest him. He was put in a car and taken away, 
while the rest of us were still surrounded on the east side of the 
Baldwin/Mifflin intersection. I didn't see any cops with video cameras, 
which was just fine, but a little suspicious. They might have reacted 
differently if our crowd wasn't full of people taking pictures and video 
and audio. As we negotiated our departure and pressed for details about 
"Martin's" charges and detainment, the police engaged us with typical 
arguments about our safety and the laws behind the charge of obstructing 
traffic.

In my analysis, this logic falls short. The issue for the police is simply 
the control of the street. We took the streets, and they took it back with 
legal and physical intimidation. First, their claim to care about the 
normal flow of traffic is hollow. On Friday, and whenever the police get 
involved, they impede traffic. They slowed and blocked traffic on three 
blocks around us. Eight cop cars and at least 15 officers tied up the area 
for an hour. Second, their concern for our safety also rings false. 
Considering the statistics of traffic fatalities, if the cops were 
interested in our safety, they would cite the corporations who fill the 
public streets with speeding death machines. The auto industry levies heavy 
costs on both public health and budgets, but the police ignore the overall 
ambient risk we live in. Instead, they chase, corral and arrest bikers in 
order to keep us safe. Makes sense.

We were finally able to leave as a dispersed and single-file group. People 
drifted away in small clusters. As a mass, our power was absorbed and 
dissipated by the circle of police, the arrest, the boring explanations, 
and the lack of real dialogue with those who govern. Some went back to the 
Square, but most went their separate ways. But despite the frustration of 
being coerced and cornered by misguided cops, I loved this ride. I felt the 
joy that keeps me coming back for more.

This stuff is full of tricky questions. Did we actually make enemies today? 
Did some middling car drivers decide to hate all bikes because of the 
inconvenience we forced upon them? Did we do more harm than good for the 
ultimate acceptance of bikes? Maybe so. Protest is a confusing thing. 
Critical Mass or critical mess? Critical mass is both confrontational and 
celebratory. It is both chaotic and cohesive. It is both effective and sort 
of like shouting at a wall. In the end, I don't know why anyone else does 
this stuff. For me, I go to the street every day with my bike because I 
want nothing less than to see cars come to a dead stop. Car culture is 
death culture. Critical Mass.

Attempt Made to Arrest All CM Riders
by Martin 7:50am Sat Sep 1 '01
phone: 608.213.6345 tofubicycle at yahoo.com

First off, very nice piece. I think it very adiquately represents the 
evening's events.

I was the arrested rider. There is one extra thing I would like to add:

While I was in the squad car I could of course hear the radio. A male 
Officer -I think my arresting Officer- asked permission not once but twice 
to bring a Metro buss down to the scene and arrest the entire Mass on a 
"1019" (traffic violation?). His request was denied. He then requested to 
get a camera down on the scene to "I.D. people". I did not hear whether or 
not this request was actually denied over the radio but I am told by the 
riders who remained at the scene that no photos of any riders were taken.

Keep riding.

-Martin