A man was driving through the intersection of Stone Avenue North and North 50th Street at 7 p.m. Sept. 28 when several bicycle riders rode through the intersection kicking his vehicle.
One of the bicycle riders apologized to the man for the others' actions and asked him to let the bicyclists through the intersection.
The man followed the group, noting they consistently ran red lights, ignored stop signs and basically impeded the forward movement of vehicles.
A group called Critical Mass is suspected of breaking traffic laws and causing the damage to the man's vehicle, according to the police report.
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surlykat
Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 1:21 pm
Joined: 05 Jul 2007Posts: 658Location: in the CD
article wrote:
A group called Critical Mass is suspected of breaking traffic laws and causing the damage to the man's vehicle, according to the police report.
This statement just made me laugh. Arrest everyone involved in CM! Yeah!
J
Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 1:35 pm
Joined: 03 Aug 2007Posts: 179Location: by that one arco am/pm
It makes mass sound so .... sinister. Kinda awesome.
_________________ god damn problem bees
Raindog
Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 1:40 pm
Joined: 12 Sep 2007Posts: 51Location: Fremont
stinkbug wrote:
A man was driving through the intersection of Stone Avenue North and North 50th Street at 7 p.m. Sept. 28 when several bicycle riders rode through the intersection kicking his vehicle.
I remember this ass clown. He was driving West on 50th toward the intersection, which Mass was about halfway through. Coming down the hill, he laid on his horn and sped up towards us. He stopped short of hitting anyone, but he got everyone's attention so within about 3 nanoseconds there were 30+ bikes surrounding his SUV. I didn't see anyone hit or kick the car; we were mostly just shouting at him.
stinkbug wrote:
One of the bicycle riders apologized to the man for the others' actions and asked him to let the bicyclists through the intersection.
I don't recall this happening at all, but it fits with the general attitude of politeness and appreciation we expressed toward drivers during Mass, even if they weren't particularly excited about what we were doing.
stinkbug wrote:
The man followed the group, noting they consistently ran red lights, ignored stop signs and basically impeded the forward movement of vehicles.
No comment on running lights. I can neither confirm nor deny that any such illegal activity took place. "Impeding the forward movement of vehicles" is a load of shit. We were riding on vehicles, and moving forward. Riding bicycles on the street isn't a crime.
stinkbug wrote:
A group called Critical Mass is suspected of breaking traffic laws and causing the damage to the man's vehicle, according to the police report.
Critical Mass isn't an organized group, so I suspect that unless he got a name and/or description of the people who allegedly damaged his vehicle, he's not going to get very far.
By speeding up towards the riders and laying on the horn, this guy was threatening assault. Following us around in his car only makes his actions more suspicious. If he was a good citizen concerned about traffic laws, he should have called the police. He was trying to intimidate the cyclists with his SUV.
_________________ "I take it from your glum demeanor that your ill-advised foray into time-travel destroyed yet another reality."
stinkbug
Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 1:57 pm
Joined: 28 Aug 2005Posts: 36
Raindog wrote:
If he was a good citizen concerned about traffic laws, he should have called the police. He was trying to intimidate the cyclists with his SUV.
thanks for the better write-up on what went down. I wonder how much time passed between the incident and him calling the police and submitting a report. It sounds like he may have called after trailing the mass for awhile?
john
Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 2:17 pm
AAAARRRRRGGGGbllll pppphtt!Joined: 26 Aug 2006Posts: 725Location: In the lab.
stinkbug wrote:
It sounds like he may have called after trailing the mass for awhile?
I would suspect that this is true.
THere seems to be a new type of motorist evolving that feel they need to punish or admonish cyclists... I have had a larger than average number of people edging close to me in the past two months or so... and more than the usual actual swerves at me.... and I don't think I am riding like any more of an asshole than I usually do.... in fact I am running less lights...
Cars are ever more so the enemy. They are the key financial supporters of middle eastern terrorism a primary cause of cultural obesity, exempt from the clean air act but detroying the very air we breathe... they are the ultimate evil, a jihad is needed... they must be stopped! (I'm really actually not kidding, but Henry is going to call me a buffoon again so I will shut up now.)
_________________ In der Not frisst der Teufel Fliegen.
It sounds like he may have called after trailing the mass for awhile?
Probably, but I don't think it matters. He shouldn't have entered the intersection the way he did in the first place, and I don't think following people around after you threaten to run them over with your car paints a picture of someone who was just concerned for traffic laws.
If he wanted to complain, he should have safely stopped at the light when he saw us going through; then his police report could legitimately have been about naughty cyclists breaking the law (not that I'm admitting to any such thing).
_________________ "I take it from your glum demeanor that your ill-advised foray into time-travel destroyed yet another reality."
Finn
Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 3:12 pm
AlabamaJoined: 15 Sep 2006Posts: 303Location: Central District
I corked a belligerant guy in a pickup truck on stone way. He was a major asshole, so I was extra friendly and tried to reason with him, or at least coax him into backing out of the southbound lane. He never did. Southbound drivers thought he was a real ass-clown.
Otherwise, I talked with a lot of really friendly drivers. Most were happy to know how long a wait to expect, or just to have the phenomenon explained. A few told me that no cork was necessary, and they'd just wait for bike traffic to clear. It's a safety thing, not a control issue. Corking at CM is great way to talk with motorists for once and diffuse all that negativity.
There is a war of ideologies on. We've got to win the hearts and minds, not subject them to the same intimidation and anger that they show to us. Thanks to evrybody I saw being civil with the motorists!
By speeding up towards the riders and laying on the horn, this guy was threatening assault. Following us around in his car only makes his actions more suspicious. If he was a good citizen concerned about traffic laws, he should have called the police. He was trying to intimidate the cyclists with his SUV.
Assault = an act, physical or tortious that threatens physical harm to a person, whether or not actual harm is done
So he wasn't threatening assault. He DID assault the group if they had reasonable belief that he was going to do physical harm. Accelerating at a group, with a large vehicle, with a horn blaring... You be the judge of "reasonable"
.
Battery = the crime of unconsented physical contact with another person, even where the contact is not violent, but merely menacing or offensive.
If he actually hits a member of the group, or causes them to evade and thus crash, he has now committed "Assault and Battery"
Manslaughter = the crime of killing a human without malice aforethought.
If he kills the cyclist, he picks up Vehicular Manslaughter, unless you can prove he set out on that trip with the intent of killing or mortally injuring a cyclist. If you can, then it becomes Murder.
aelephant
Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 6:26 pm
Joined: 14 Jun 2006Posts: 31Location: UDist
In that case I was the victim of assault and battery this evening when a mother and her son tried to swerve into me on 50th and I-5. The son got out of the passenger side of their SUV and chased after me for a bit while the mother yelled "He's going to kill you!" out the driver's side window. When the son figured out he wasn't going to catch me on foot, he threw something and hit me in the shoulder. Turns out it was his cellphone and shattered into a million bits on the pavement behind me. I rode off into the sunset like the hero I am.
stinkbug
Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 6:26 pm
Joined: 28 Aug 2005Posts: 36
Raindog wrote:
stinkbug wrote:
It sounds like he may have called after trailing the mass for awhile?
Probably, but I don't think it matters.
Well I guess I'm just curious what he said that made the police come out and get a report from him (although it could have been just a phone report?). I know if I called the police and said that I just saw a bunch of cars blow through red lights that they likely wouldn't act. So maybe the "kicking the vehicle" is what made it report worthy. Were the police the ones that specifically inserted "Critical Mass" into the report or did the guy mention it to the officer? Did the police try to track down the mass (and then follow it for awhile)? (I noticed a police cruiser following the start of the Stoneway ride on Tuesday, although I wasn't able to ride that day. Did they follow for the whole ride that day? Was it at all in response to the CM report? etc.)
Seven
Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 6:33 pm
suddenly quite whiny!Joined: 24 Aug 2007Posts: 345Location: Cap Hill
aelephant wrote:
In that case I was the victim of assault and battery this evening when a mother and her son tried to swerve into me on 50th and I-5. The son got out of the passenger side of their SUV and chased after me for a bit while the mother yelled "He's going to kill you!" out the driver's side window. When the son figured out he wasn't going to catch me on foot, he threw something and hit me in the shoulder. Turns out it was his cellphone and shattered into a million bits on the pavement behind me. I rode off into the sunset like the hero I am.
Holy crap are you serious? What the hell is wrong with people?
FieryIrie
Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 11:00 pm
Joined: 25 Jun 2007Posts: 554Location: Wallingford
While we can't be sure this little police note is from the same incident... I was at the intersection of 50th and Stone that Raindog describes. If this is the same guy that article speaks of then his reporting of this incident would be greatly skewed.
This guy in the SUV didn't just drive into the intersection towards the tail end of mass, but came flying down 50th in the lane going the opposite direction laying on the horn and nearly hit a ton of people. The car, well into the intersection, was immediately surrounded in the front end by a hoard of unhappy bikers while a bunch more people turned around.
At that point a pointythree-er, who's name I'm don't recall, rolled through trying to herd people on. 'No point in getting in fights, guys.' Which may have been exaggerated into an 'apology' by some 'understanding masser.'
It was an example of a billigerant driver trying to intimidate some bikey protesters that were keeping him/her from guzzling their way through their intersection on their street.
I was totally freaked out. S/he nearly hit a lot of people at freaking high speeds due to uncontrolled road rage.
Sheesh.
Some people more than others just need to get stoned and take a bike ride around the lake.
john
Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 11:09 pm
AAAARRRRRGGGGbllll pppphtt!Joined: 26 Aug 2006Posts: 725Location: In the lab.
Seven wrote:
aelephant wrote:
In that case I was the victim of assault and battery this evening when a mother and her son tried to swerve into me on 50th and I-5. The son got out of the passenger side of their SUV and chased after me for a bit while the mother yelled "He's going to kill you!" out the driver's side window. When the son figured out he wasn't going to catch me on foot, he threw something and hit me in the shoulder. Turns out it was his cellphone and shattered into a million bits on the pavement behind me. I rode off into the sunset like the hero I am.
Holy crap are you serious? What the hell is wrong with people?
Yeah, I have been seeing all sorts of shit like this happening. it sucks.
I have had a LOT of 45-55 year old women swerve at me...
I'm not sure how this trend is occurring... but it is kinda freaky.
But yeah... Aelephant you should report that to the police and explain that this guy is probably going to be going in to get a replacement cell phone within 2 days. People can't live without their cell phones so that gives them something to go on. Actually throwing things... that is flat out assault and that guy should be getting up the butt in a showerstall down in county lockup.
_________________ In der Not frisst der Teufel Fliegen.
Joined: 18 Aug 2007Posts: 222Location: Seattle (Downtown)
john wrote:
Seven wrote:
aelephant wrote:
In that case I was the victim of assault and battery this evening when a mother and her son tried to swerve into me on 50th and I-5. The son got out of the passenger side of their SUV and chased after me for a bit while the mother yelled "He's going to kill you!" out the driver's side window. When the son figured out he wasn't going to catch me on foot, he threw something and hit me in the shoulder. Turns out it was his cellphone and shattered into a million bits on the pavement behind me. I rode off into the sunset like the hero I am.
Holy crap are you serious? What the hell is wrong with people?
Yeah, I have been seeing all sorts of shit like this happening. it sucks.
I have had a LOT of 45-55 year old women swerve at me...
I'm not sure how this trend is occurring... but it is kinda freaky.
But yeah... Aelephant you should report that to the police and explain that this guy is probably going to be going in to get a replacement cell phone within 2 days. People can't live without their cell phones so that gives them something to go on. Actually throwing things... that is flat out assault and that guy should be getting up the butt in a showerstall down in county lockup.
Also ... "He's going to kill you!"? We should all really start getting into the habit of memorizing the license plates of the last vehicles to pass (or get really close to) us. This shit is ridiculous. And since many of us have cell phones now, if something like this happens a call should be made right away.
I was once riding on a bus where a bicyclist successfully used this tactic on the driver. Apparently the bus was too close to the curve and clipped some guy, but not hard enough to knock him over, thankfully. The driver continued on to the next stop about a block down the road, and looked like he would have kept on going if the bicyclist had not shown up, talking into his cell, with the police on the other end. Needless to say, adding "hit-and-run" to "assault and battery" doesn't look very good on a bus driver's record...
Just a thought.
Happy Stick Person
Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 10:39 am
Joined: 20 Sep 2006Posts: 1168Location: Leschi
helmet cams = the new standard equipment...
laura
Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 11:12 am
Joined: 22 Jun 2007Posts: 1050Location: wherever the dance party is
Finn wrote:
Corking at CM is great way to talk with motorists for once and diffuse all that negativity.
There is a war of ideologies on. We've got to win the hearts and minds, not subject them to the same intimidation and anger that they show to us. Thanks to evrybody I saw being civil with the motorists!
Yes! Exactly! It's awesome to watch CM cyclists that take the higher road (har!) when interacting with peeved motorists. It's not a race to the bottom in terms of civility, who can scream the loudest, be more obscene, or posture the most. For the benefit of all, de-escalate! It will look great on the helmet cam footage.
_________________ alumni
mcrawfor
Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 2:32 pm
Joined: 09 May 2006Posts: 1039Location: Ballard
FieryIrie wrote:
At that point a pointythree-er, who's name I'm don't recall, rolled through trying to herd people on. 'No point in getting in fights, guys.'
Did that .83er happen to be riding a tandem? With their mildly freaked-out father stoking? ;)
_________________ -miles
Aaron
Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 5:23 pm
Joined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 4645
FieryIrie wrote:
While we can't be sure this little police note is from the same incident... I was at the intersection of 50th and Stone that Raindog describes. If this is the same guy that article speaks of then his reporting of this incident would be greatly skewed.
This guy in the SUV didn't just drive into the intersection towards the tail end of mass, but came flying down 50th in the lane going the opposite direction laying on the horn and nearly hit a ton of people. The car, well into the intersection, was immediately surrounded in the front end by a hoard of unhappy bikers while a bunch more people turned around.
At that point a pointythree-er, who's name I'm don't recall, rolled through trying to herd people on. 'No point in getting in fights, guys.' Which may have been exaggerated into an 'apology' by some 'understanding masser.'
It was an example of a billigerant driver trying to intimidate some bikey protesters that were keeping him/her from guzzling their way through their intersection on their street.
I was totally freaked out. S/he nearly hit a lot of people at freaking high speeds due to uncontrolled road rage.
Sheesh.
Some people more than others just need to get stoned and take a bike ride around the lake.
I concur with both accounts of the incident. Pretty much exactly what I saw too. That was Miles (the wise one!) yelling for us all to move along.
I did not see the driver, but someone said she was on the phone too!
koos42
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 3:00 pm
Joined: 10 Jul 2007Posts: 367Location: ON YOUR LEFT! your other left.
Happy Stick Person wrote:
helmet cams = the new standard equipment...
/me once again mentions his camera strapped to his chest on his chrome bag.
john
Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 4:56 pm
AAAARRRRRGGGGbllll pppphtt!Joined: 26 Aug 2006Posts: 725Location: In the lab.
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