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RR: March 2002 #7
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MASSER REPORT by CodeC34W54YZ

I left the park, with a group of 50 people, at about 5:30 p.m. We headed > south on Willow, then turned left onto Grant. We saw that the police were > there waiting for us, so we turned around. Many in the crowd shouted "two > abreast". A few were stopped when police overtook us (we were not blocking > the roadway completely) as we headed south on Willow. We rode slowly into > Loring park and police cruisers entered from all sides. We talked to some > confused parkgoers about what was going on and then cut back through the > park to Willow and Yale.

Police followed, driving through the park. Although the critical mass > disdains leaders (as a xerocracy), I decided to ride to the front and > encourage the most conservative bike behavior. We were single file, and I > led everyone in a left turn onto 14th, toward Hennepin. A squad came from > Hennepin and closed off the intersection. I dismounted my bike and walked > toward them on the sidewalk. An officer whose name I didn't get (morbidly > obese, white, graying short black hair) laid his hand on my bike and said > "Is this bike registered?" I said "No." He said, "Say goodbye." He took my > bike ( a blue, vintage Schwinn Super Sport ) and laid it in the street. > Others were quickly piled on top of it. I waited for a ticket or receipt, > but when none came, I walked toward downtown, calling for a ride on my > cell phone.

At 13th and Nicollet, I encountered some cyclists who were not a part of > the critical mass ride. They rode to the corner where I was walking, came > up on the sidewalk and dismounted their bikes, walking a few steps from > the corner to approach me so we could talk. I started telling them what > happened, when suddenly a squad drove up on the sidewalk behind them. Two > more squads blocked the intersection, then a flatbed with a stack of about > 15 bikes rolled up. The police leapt from their cars and grabbed my > friends' bikes. The same question was phrased: "Are these registered?" >

One "yes." One "no." The outcome was the same. The bikes were thrown > onto the pile on the flatbed

> "Why are you taking our bikes?"

> > "For riding on the sidewalk in a business district"

> > "We weren't riding our bikes"

> > "I saw you ride up on the sidewalk"

> > "How do we get our bikes back. Besides, that's not illegal!"

> > "It's not my job to explain the law to you" (This was the same gentleman > (morbidly obese, etc.) who had taken my bike).

> During this incident, other pedestrians huddled against the glass at the > YMCA. Everyone was terrified, the atmosphere was brutal and contentious, > although the greatest brutality would happen later, as I have heard.

> Within two minutes, the police were gone, as were all of our bikes, and > people who had not been involved were approaching us on the sidewalk and > were asking what was going on. People expressed disgust, especially at the > waste of their money (this often occurs to people as the first objection. > I don't think it's the best.) We were left to explain the significance of > this action, and since the news -- papers and television -- didn't cover > the crackdown, this is the last narrative these people received about the > keystone-gestapo nonsense. I wonder what murmurs are coming up.

> When one of these friends went to city hall to try to retrieve his bike, > he was given a ticket for "obstructing traffic." Obviously, this was > irrelevant to the reason that his bike was taken. >

> I would like to emphasize that although there are some reports of some > cyclists running a traffic light later on, this was not the case with any > of the arrests/bike thefts reported here.