Motorist Violence at Berkeley Critical Mass (May 11, 2007)

[deritastudio]

The driver (drunk?) tried to run over cyclists. Assault with a deadly weapon!

[PervertSama]

If your dumb enough to try and block traffic with your bikes then you deserve to get run over. The bicyclists in this video are arrogant and whiny crybaby's who would be no great loss to this world.

[Aaron518]

So by your logic,whenever I come across a car driving in or parked in the bike lane I should be able to smash it to hell because if you're blocking the lane with your car then it deserves to get vandalized? Right? Ok cool,just checking.

[gubenites]

Sadly, many motorists assume that bikes don't have the right to use our roads unless riding on the shoulder, or in the gutter. The truth is the opposite: bikes have the same right to use any lane of any road unless explicitly noted otherwise. They are to be treated no differently than slow motor vehicles would be under the law.

[gubenites]

There is some debate as to the legality of this tactic. Some claim that this can be justified if the cyclists are viewed as a ``slow moving body'' or procession, just as it would be legal for the back end of a large truck to still be in the intersection when a light turned red, so long as the front end of the truck was already in the intersection before the light changed. In any case, the goal here is not to flout the law or recklessly endanger anyone.

[socomcorky]

At this point I support the efforts of critical mass protests after 25 years of being attacked by angry idiots. I drive too, sometimes and if I have to be patient for a couple of seconds because a cyclist is sharing the road, whats the big deal?

[Rags1927]

Hey Owen, bikers are legally limited to riding in the street... but, they are also meant to follow vehicle codes including stopping for red lights and resisting the urge to vandalize other vehicles. WOC has said that CM answers to a higher law, so I guess they get to do whatever they want. Other bicyclists are considered vehicles under code.

[1965owen1965]

OK OK Just stay out of my way then...

Oh well...then can't we all just get along... snif snif

[1965owen1965]

I don't remember a bicyclist TAX, did I miss something am I in violation of not paying taxes? Because I remember when I'm at the gas pump I pay a TAX to maintain the streets. That is so funny I have 2 bicycles and paid no taxes for street repair or maintenance I see how your non tax paying group works. I think I will start riding my bike to work.

Thanks for you insight your group is the best !!!!!!

[WheelsOfChange]

Bicyclists pay sales taxes. Many also own cars and pay gasoline taxes. The biggest tax of all, however, are the "externalities" such as cancer, disabling injuries, and death, as well as global economic and environmental instability (and quite likely, collapse). Etc. Get real, if you look at the whole equation bicyclists should be paid for every mile they ride not just for equity but for the good of all.

[WheelsOfChange]

Once again this issue becomes the #1 most discussed in its category on youtube...fascinating priorities...

[BayBoy7]

The car culture types, who claim to be 'cyclists,' commenting on this incident here on YouTube, have come full circle from calling folks "pussies" and "faggots," to threatening violence: "I'll run 'em all down," to attacking the "left" credentials of folks (as if bicycling is exclusively a 'left' cause), to attacking their backgrounds and education, to attacking folks' credibility, claiming that I've "lied about the vehicle code." I'm waiting for them to pick nits on my spelling and grammar.

[WheelsOfChange]

I think it's interesting that there were around 40,000 views of the raw footage here and many more in other venues (it's currently been reposted without permission in order to lie about its contents), yet there are fewer than 500 views of this more clear piece, and my greatest work on this site has only 200 some views. Why is that? And why are there endless lying comments trying to brainwash the public about this piece, when most pieces on youtube get few to none?

[BayBoy7]

Excuse me, in this edition, the video just after the point in which the CM Critics allege the winshield is broken is (01:37), in the older video it's (01:42). So if you believe you can "hear" the winshield being broken, then Meggs had his camera rolling at this point and that segment is embedded in the 1st edition. So again, what and why exactly are you accusing Meggs of "editing out" of the video, or "destroying evidence." Those are some lofty allegations.

[pafoofnic]

Bicycles getting crushed, just bad acting. It reminds me of a bad 1950s horror movie. The monsters coming to get me so I'll freeze here and scream. I won't move or be evasive. Thank goodness is wasn't a monster or they may have been eaten alive. CM needs to get rid of the troublemakers in their crowd, apologise to the Heads and start over.

[WheelsOfChange]

This wasn't a hollywood movie. The first person hit in the video clearly had no option. You're yet another troll who is lying. Are you paid by the auto/oil industry? Don't want to relinquish any control of the media, do you?

[yourmomscooch]

who has critical mass on the 11th? i thought it was every last friday of the month

[wynderful]

It is the last Friday in the month in most cities.  But, here in the bay area we have one five times a month. [Yay!] The one in San Francisco is on the last Friday, but the Berkeley one is on the second Friday.

[yourmomscooch]

I'm from the BA and I had no idea.

[wynderful]

You should come check it out! Oakland is the first Friday.

[BayBoy7]

To any car culture TROLLS: YOUR NAME CALLING WILL NOT RUFFLE FEATHERS BUT ONLY DETRACT FROM YOUR CREDIBILITY, please speak to --the facts of the case-- If you are going to call someone a liar or unethical, please speak a point of fact. Your 4x4 and dip cup, sexual frustrations, and comments of: "I'd run over everly last one of them" is a tired lonely cry that does not contribute to a real transportation debate.

[wynderful]

A critical mass-terpiece.

[SkyTandberg]

Wheels of change: Why didn't you do this re-edit with voiceover earlier? It's much better than the terrible raw footage on the old video. Good job on the narration, too. By the way, I didn't know Dick Cheney lived in Berkeley.

[WheelsOfChange]

I was in finals.  Thanks!