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

A motorist deliberately ran into a bicycle demonstration, then plowed into helpless people without giving them a chance to move. The bicycle demonstration, now in its 15th year of monthly rides, had a green light.

For more information about this incident, please visit the Bicycle Civil Liberties Union website, http://www.bclu.org/

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• critical
• mass
• road
• rage
• police
• misconduct
• protest
• censorship
• cycling
• demonstration
• bicycling
• bike
• global
• warming
• climate

[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...

[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?

[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?

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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?

[1965owen1965]

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

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