9/9/2002: Bad policing

In Portland, Oregon, they have a "Critical Mass" bicycling ride every month. The Portland ride apparently attracts up to 800 bicyclists and part of the point, it would seem, would be to promote bike usage over car usage.

Typically the ride would be policed by about 5 cops who would just make sure there was half-decent order, but at some point the city decided to take a harder line. It might have been the fact that many of the CM folks were also at the anti-Bush rally which preceded the last ride, and both sides were able to culture their animosity towards each other.

In any case, the cops decided to really crack down, with pepper spray, rubber bullets, etc. and wound up arresting 9 people and issuing 47 citations.

Apparently the problem was that the bikers were doing things like going through red lights. Once in a while a ride would include a few abusive people. Well hell, let's go crack some heads.

A full pictorial is available here.

Also a Portland Tribune story

Since we have some newbies, I'm gonna recommend The Immortal Class again. The writing is great, it touches on the CM movement, and if you don't ride it'll put you in the saddle hopefully long enough to gain some insight.

Cool image

But why the title: "Bad Policing"?

I read through the blindingly one-sided "Full pictorial" article, then the more middle-of-the-road Portland Tribune article. I don't see the police doing anything wrong.

Looks to me like a cool cause/movement, that involves tons of people and the police presence is required because of the amount of people and to help insure things don't get out of control between biker and motorist. I'm sure a minority (probably vast minority) of the bikers do things they shouldn't, and the police step in. Some resist tickets/arrest, they get forcibly arrested. Why is this "bad policing"?

-mike

There's a way to get that done that is effective, responsible, and respectful of both sides. In the middle of that Portland Tribune story is an explanation: there used to be a city commissioner who kinda negotiated with the cops about how the ride would work, but he left.

Philly just had a commish who understood how to police crowds: John Timoney. (No, Syc, not "T-Money.") There's a science to it, I should think. You'd want to target and isolate the *real* troublemakers, without making it an us-vs-them situation. The last thing you'd want to do is to randomly arrest people and use as much force as possible just to make a show of it.

Good policing means not getting angry; calmly assessing the situation and using the correct amount of force that's called for. These guys just made it worse. They've guaranteed a rematch, for one thing.

At the very least the bikers should have been made known what was going to happen and what conditions were going to be enforced. This could have been done in the name of public safety and in the understanding of the importance of organized civil disobedience. Instead they decided to create a most unsafe situation. Bad tactics, bad strategy, bad will towards all.

there's more to the story

Hi, I submitted this story for two reasons:

1) I think this photo speaks for itself.
2) I live in Portland, OR.

I like living here eventhough it rains 80% of the time. anyway, in the last few years the police have made some very bad decisions when it comes to controlling large crowds (protesters, rioters, mayday paraders, etc). I think the biggest black-eye for the cops started at the May Day parade in 2000.
<a href="http://fruitiondesign.com/eae/archive/mayday_1.php3">mayday 2000</a>

And more recently, president Bush was here to speak about his plan to cut more trees down to help "prevent" forest fires from causing so much damage, only to be greeted by a few thousand protesters. I work downtown right next to the hotel he was speaking at and I saw all the protester/police confrontations first hand.
<a href="http://www.koin.com/webnews/20022/20020829_bushvisit.shtml">bush's visit protests>bush protest</a>

A quick note about Critical Mass in portland. Within the last year, there have been many incidents between the riders and the police. The unfortunate thing is that it only takes a few bad apples to ruin the whole event.

I don't hate the police and I know there are many sides to every story but this abuse of power by the police has got to stop.

What I usually see to be the case is..

* People organize to protest something legit (and cool in this case!).
* For every hundred peaceful protesters, there are a couple of bad apples.
* Bad apples end up creating a problem during the protest of some kind that is against the law.
* Police move to enforce the law against those bad apples creating problems.
* Bad apples refuse and resist arrest.
* Police can either give up or use force to arrest those bad apples.
* When the force is used (no Jedi jokes, please), it gets photographed. People complain.

I think in some occasions police use excessive force. However, in most cases in which they use force, it's because a protester is breaking a law and refuses to obey the officer who is trying to enforce the law. So, officer tries to arrest the person and a scuffle breaks out. All I'm saying is that with all the photos on those two stories Undertoad posted, including the one at the top of this thread, I don't see anything to indicate that the police used excessive force, or used force when none should have been used. Could be inappropriate police brutality, could be police doing a great job enforcing the law against the bad apples. With all the crap that the police take, I usually take exception to an assumption of "bad policing".

The bad apples theory applies to the police, too. However, I would take a guess that the majority of instances of 'use of force' are justified. Just as most protesters aren't bad apples, just some.

-m

points are well taken

It's always easy to say what <i><b>should</b></i> have been done after the fact. But the street where a majority of the arrests were made in the august CM was Burnside which is one of the main arteries for cars. If the cops would have let the bikers go on their way they could have saved everybody a major headache on a friday at 5pm. I would think when someone in a car has to wait in traffic so the cops can arrest a dozen people for running a stop light on their bicycles, it makes us stop and think about our priorities.

You're both wrong.

As far as cops arresting dudes on bikes that run red lights - uh, why would this make us re-evaluate our priorities? I <b>still</b> don't want assholes running red lights, on bikes or otherwise. What if you hit one of those idiots - that's an hour or two out of your day now (and possibly more later on, if the bicyclist maintains it was your fault).

Red lights are <b>good things</b>. They help regulate traffic. And laws that make it illegal to run through them in/on your vehicle are <b>good things</b> as well.

Cops beat up on innocent people all the time during protests. I've never been to such a protest myself, but nearly all first hand accounts i've heard of have said as much. Some of the videos viewable on nyc.indymedia.org actually show such unprovoked attacks.

d,
This is a tough one. When I ride its usually alone or in a group of four or five. I generally follow traffic laws so I don't get splattered (with the exception of speed limits because I want that speeding ticket. )The thing is this is such an effective form of protest that its begging to be done. In most places, cyclists get left out of the transportation decision making process because the gas burners have the numbers, the power, and the cash. Its a failure of democracy and a particularly ironic one since originally streets were paved with bikes in mind. This is a self perpetuating problem since without bike routes etc.. its open season on bikes so folks that would ride are afraid to do so. They should be willing to accept the arrest, though, since clogging the courts is also an effective weapon.

True dat regarding red lights. My suspicion is that these bikers have run red lights every year for quite some while. I may be pissed if I have to sit in traffic because cops are arresting bicyclists, but I'm also pissed when I have to deal with bicyclists who disregard traffic rules, whether knowingly or not.

Don't get me wrong, I have no problem sharing the road with bicyclists who themselves obey the rules. I used to bike quite a bit in downtown Louisville, but I never ran red lights or otherwise broke traffic laws.

Yes, if they've done this for years without incident, and this year cops decided they should crack down, it would have been a good thing for the cops to make that known ahead of time. But I'd hardly call that "bad policing".

It's not brutality. It is an inappropriate use of force.

They ARE breaking the law; so do most vehicles on the road, in some way or another.

Regardless of the law, what makes us all get along is the unwritten codes and unspoken respect that we pay to each other.

If police enforced the actual law to the letter, we would all be screaming about the painful levels of enforcement we have to endure. What we tend to do instead is to give the cops a level of leeway: they're not the judge and jury, but they have a choice of various things to hook you on. they can decide to charge you or they can decide to look the otherway. They can hit you hard with the law, or they can warn you, or they can ignore you completely.

In response, cops should be looking to earn everyone's respect by managing that responsibility very carefully. "Yes, I know I'm the judge and jury sometimes. I promise never to use those powers inappropriately."

And they can't be selective at all, which is obviously what they were, if the law was not enforced at all for years and then suddenly enforced with arrests.

The "tough" part to me isn't the question of enforcing the law. The tough part is as a cyclist deciding whether or not to participate in something like this. Of course, its purely theoretical on my part since I live in the boonies.

Democracies often fail to protect minority groups. Its a basic weakness in the form that re-enforces mass culture. Over time the cyclist has been excluded from the roads since cars, which have there own set of problems in urban areas such as parking and air quality, are so efficient at moving us around. A CM protest is a good way to move the issue to the front burner. Who knows, it might even lead to a discussion about alternatives to our dependence on foreign oil. None of which says they shouldn't do their time or pay the fine. The brutality question is something for the locals to judge.

I would have to agree that this image and the accompanying information do not lead me to label this "bad" policing. That the CM folk are fractured within: those choosing to run a "wuss" ride, (obeying traffic regulations) and those wanting a more confrontational style of "action" leads me to believe that the confrontation, chaos, and reactions are just what was desired by the second faction. That the law abiding riders are labeled "wuss" is telling. Is running a red light effective civil disobedience? I can see carving out a bike lane where there is none, but I dont get the disregard for signals. Its a more visually impressive mass I suppose. Someone's spoiling for a fight, and perhaps it isnt the cops. Looks like potential for good people and assholes on both sides of this event. There seem to be several agendas going within the CM riders.

There are monthly CM rides here in Mpls, only a bit of police citations- to counter the "corking". There is more of an issue with car driver vs. biker road rage, and the cops have had to negotiate those incidents. For a while the police tactic was to have bike cops ride along, but that was perceived as an escort- a close relationship not desired by either side really- for the cops it seemed like partisanship, for the CM hardcore it was too "wussy".

Hey, I wuss ride everyday. And luckily I have bike lanes on most of the streets, that were won through neighborhood/city lobby and vote. Yes I hate it when I get cut off by a car or a bike, almost clocked by some biker going the wrong direction in the lane, threatened by a car door, or my lane is hogged by a bus. But that is traffic. I wear a helmet and try not to hit anything. And if any vehicle ran a red light at me, I hope the cops would catch 'em and cite 'em.

It's very obviously bad policing. Those cops could be off beating niggers or faggots but they're instead attacking God's People unprovoked. Oughta be leavin' them God fearin' folks alone if you ask me. Ain't nothin' wrong with riding a bike through a red light. Unless it's stolen, in which case you're probably a nigger deserving of a beating anyway.

look closer

The closer I look at dhamsaic's comments, the more angry I get about this whole event. I ride my bike often in Portland and I choose not to ride in the CM for the reason that I understand and respect the point of CM but I don't have to wave my dick about it. Sure these people get what they deserve, they are pissing at the base of a mountain built on internal combustion engines. Unless all cars and trucks are destroyed, in 100 years these events will be forgotton.
The point of my submission of this photo is that a man is being attacked by other men for riding his bike. Is this what we have come to? There are no winner in this incident. And to make things worse, this person's sex, race or religion is a not factor in this heinous event.

On a lighter note, the nude version of critical mass is called "Critical Ass" and it usually takes place once a year.

Re: look closer

I'm sorry, I misspoke earlier.

As I understand it, "Critical Mass" is a translation of a Chinese term which refers to when there's so many bicycles on the street that cars can't get through at all.

Critical Mass protests thus aren't just "for" bicycles. They're "against" cars (as you can see by the slogan on the arrestee's back). Their purpose is to create exactly that traffic-clogging situation.

As for police brutality... the picture doesn't show it. It shows some guy being arrested, and not particularly violently. Where's the jack-booted foot on the back? The PR-71 marks on the head? The arms and legs twisted into an unlikely position? The handcuffs so tight they are drawing blood? There may have been police brutality... I suspect there was, out of general distrust for police. But the picture doesn't show it.

more

warch:
a good portion of this event is populated by the bike messengers who in my opinion put up with the cars for 29 days of each month and this is their payback. there are also many other bike-conscience groups who are part of this event as well as the daily bike commuters and recreational bikers.

russotto:
you are right about most of the attitudes in the photos, it seems like everyone <i>except</i> the cops are making the best of this situation. let me direct you back to my first post with the URL's. the portland cops have a bad reputation of dealing with large groups of people whether they are peaceful protesters or CM riders and this is another bad mark for them.

dhamsaic & tobiasly:
portland prides itself on white middle-upper class diversity and our mayor and police chief have been making some bad police-related decisions inthe past years. there are too many cars in this little city, so my personal opinions are all over the map on the CM/police interactions. I dont praise the cops for a job well donw, they also pepper sprayed babies (who brings their baby to a protest?) in the Bush protest a few weeks ago, but I will post some photos on that if I can find them. I think I submitted this post with many intentions; CM being the first, how our police act and a sign for things to come in our town. I hate "what if's", but would that photo mean the same if the "one less car" guy was black?

all:
I like this board and dont mind the criticism.

So we know who's there. But why?

my point re: starting this entire debate was..

that there is no evidence of bad policing. could also be police brutality. Who knows. Either way, showing an activist getting arrested doesn't really mean: "bad policing", unless the photo shows something that really wouldn't be appropriate no matter WHAT the activist could have done.

For example, shoving a police baton up his ass.

Aside from that, it's hard to say the police were 'randomly arresting innocent people for no reason'.

-mike

BATTLE OF THE MONSTER ASSES!

I read the critical mass site.
Now I want to kick their asses.
http://www.subluna.com/CriticalMass/...ides.php?ID=49
Stopping in the middle of a busy intersection, putting down their bikes and dancing!?

Stomp they ass!

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy all types of cycling but fools like this are all on a power trip.
If guys on motorcycles assembled in these numbers, they would have ALL been cited for "parade without permit"

From the website mentioned above.

i swear we were invincible with that many people. went from park blocks to eastside hawthorne up and back around burnside to west 23rd and up. it was crazy. the slashed tire was certainly deserved. screw doing positive outreach to every single carheaded asshole who hates that we bike and can't stand watching us have fun while he's stuck in his box. what more does he want, he's already sitting on his fat ass anyway and the TV will still be there when he gets home. he was revving his engine all tough and making clouds of exhaust billow over burnside, yelling at us, flipping us off so he found his car surrounded by happy cyclists. he was being such an ass that a fellow in a white pickup next to him which was just as blocked as he was came out of his car. at first I thought he might be pissed at us too and ready to start some shit but he comes out and starts yelling at the asshole in the red station wagon all like "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?? SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU ASSHOLE!!!" just going OFF like caraaaazy and that got the crowd all sorts of riled up. guy was still all yelling though, "they have to move, they just have to get outta my fuckin way blah blah."......<<PHOOPH!>>...then the back end of his car falls a couple inches and after a tense moment the crowd of bikers cruise along down the lane, the perpetrator completely anonymous and let me tell you it was beeeeeautiful!!!!! nextime he see's critical mass he'll roll his windows up and keep his fuckin mouth shut, we don't need his sympathy or support....or maybe he'll be ready with a sawed off shotgun under his drivers seat....we'll see. as for the tagging cars, i dunno, didn't see any. and as for the smackin' the bus.....who gives a fuck, we smacked the bus. how unruly and violent of us. whatever.

The whole event has become nothing more than a scheduled riot. The police were justified in what they did.