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RR: March 2002 #10
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Summary of Critical Mass Ride on March 29, 2002 By Jessica L. Hayssen

On 3/29/02, approximately 60 Critical Mass bikers gather at Loring Park from 5:00 pm to 5:30p.m. We started to ride at 5:30p.m. headed south on Willow Street. CM turned left on Grant Street to encounter about 4 police vehicles 2 blocks ahead at approximately 5:32pm . CM quickly turned around and kept proceeding south on Willow Street towards 15th. At least 2 Minneapolis Police vehicles then drove up from Grant , the street CM first encountered them on. They told us to get in a single file line on Willow Street on their megaphone. 2 MPD squad cars then blocked 15th Street and Willow Street so CM could not exit the park area there. CM turned back into Loring Park headed Northwest to regroup. One MPD squad car followed CM on the grass into the park and waited there in his car. Looking around I witnessed that all exits to Loring Park were blocked off with MPD squad cars, approximately 6 or 7 cars, with the exception of Yale Place.

At approximately 5:38pm, CM started off again towards Yale Place then turned left onto 13th Street. 2 MPD squad cars were blocking the intersection of 12th and Harmon and asked for registration for bicycles. Looking behind me I noticed one MPD squad car then was blocking Yale and 13th, completely cornering CM into that block. CM stopped for about one minute, time is approximately 5:41pm then turned down an alley located East of Hennepin and 13th Street. CM turned right onto 12th Street and rode two abreast on 12th then turned left onto 3rd Avenue. CM continued on 3rd Ave two abreast with at least 2 MPD squad cars behind us all of those blocks.

Immediately after the intersection of 3rd Ave and 7th St S 2 Police cars rode up quickly to the left of me and other Massers. My bicycle had its back wheel lifted up and I fell onto the bar directly below me. I jumped off the bike immediately. I then walked to the sidewalk and turned around. People were getting their bikes taken from them everywhere. One rider was on the ground already. This took place closer to the next intersection of 3rd Ave and 6th St S. An officer came up to him from the second squad on the scene, took the bike away, put his foot on the rider's back and handcuffed him. This all occurred while the rider was still lying in the street belly down. The officer then lifted up the rider's head and then slammed it into the concrete. Myself and other witnesses then yelled "Police Brutality". The same officer then came up to another rider (Colin) and said something to him. I then hopped on the back of a friend's bike and ran away. It was about 5:50pm.