Last week a critical mass of mostly black kids on BMX bikes swarmed the Cross-Bronx expressway in a glorious reclamation of space from the monopoly of the automobile. Predictably the mass ride quickly caught the attention of media and the NYPD, who arrested 16 of the teenagers, prompting outcry of a disproportionate response by law… Continue reading If You Can’t Bike On It, It Doesn’t Belong In the City
Tag: civil disobedience
Melbourne Rides Against Anti-Cycling Helmet Laws
This weekend a mass of bicyclists took to the streets of Melbourne to protest Australia’s regressive bike helmet mandate. They were, of course, riding helmet-free. The fine for doing so is an absurd $200.00 AU. Organized by the group Freestyle Cyclists, the protest ride drew immediate media local media attention, which was then magnified across the globe.… Continue reading Melbourne Rides Against Anti-Cycling Helmet Laws
Where Would George Hayduke Bike?
Earlier this month the LA Times reported dozens of luxury cars were torched in Berlin by a group calling itself the Social Democratic People’s Bicycle Commando. Clearly this sort of over-the-top name was meant to be cheeky, but their tactics were quite serious. The Bike Commandos claimed they “wanted to remove the windows from the luxury cars and scrap them… Continue reading Where Would George Hayduke Bike?
Liberals and their Love of Law Enforcement
Growing up I’d always thought of being Liberal as a virtue. During the last Bush administration, it was liberals who were anti-war, who marched for peace, who demanded action on global warming, who were the backbone of the struggling labor movement. With Obama in the white house, being liberal now means making excuses for war,… Continue reading Liberals and their Love of Law Enforcement