Comments on: Civil Obedience On Bikes in Santa Monica Today

By: luchini

luchini — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:42:18 +0000

FYI: You can bike all you want up and down San Vicente Blvd in Santa Monica. It’s a virtual bike track with bike lanes and everything. The SMPD do not hassle people that bike there. It’s when you amass a huge group of people to bike around a small city and disrupt traffic and safety on a Friday night when they get pissed. What’s the point? Anti car demonstration? We get it.
In the end these type of actions add less and less validity to your cause and marginalize you to a subculture of kids w/ nothing better to do. It’s laughable.

By: Streetsblog » Crimanimalz Host Create Traffic Jams to Protest Santa Monica Police

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:30:31 +0000

[...] the worst thing that can be done for traffic. In what MetBlogs described as an act of "Civil Obedience" 60 cyclists got off their bikes and walked them across an intersection. And walked them [...]

By: Cycling for Blahniks | Los Angeles Metblogs

Cycling for Blahniks | Los Angeles Metblogs — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:30:05 +0000

[...] Battles and skirmishes play out that, depending where your sympathies lie, can have as much relevance as one’s constitutional rights being infringed upon or as little dignity as a schoolyard brawl. Some times, they’re a mixture of both. [...]

By: katiepoche

katiepoche — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 19:19:56 +0000

As for alienating people, frazgo, it’s a risk we took. We relied heavily upon our ability to talk to people and redirect their anger. That was the easy part. The hard part was getting people to call in anyway. People really don’t like to talk to the police.

By: katiepoche

katiepoche — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 19:19:09 +0000

seanboonner: You’re 1/3 right. The intent was to create conflict, to point to the underlying cause of that conflict (SMPD’s unreasonable crackdown on Critical Mass — 14 cop cars at last week’s ride), and to rally support.

The 14 cop cars at last week’s "Critical Manners" ride (obeying the letter of the law) were the result of one resident complaint. So we used that. If resident complaints are what the police listen to, then let’s give them some resident complaints, goddammitt. They don’t want us biking. Let’s see how they like us not biking.

Meanwhile, we carried signs. We passed out fliers. We talked to motorists one-on-one. "There’s a reason for this snarl, and it’s the police’s unreasonable crackdown on a bunch of people on bikes. This is a last resort, after over a year of the police not listening to us. BUT … they’ll listen to you. Please call in. Yes. Call the police. We want you to call the police."

So yes, we created conflict where there was none. Because we’ve figured out who the SMPD will listen to. Speaking using voices we know they’ll hear. Hopefully, it worked.

By: Sean Bonner

Sean Bonner — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 05:27:59 +0000

Fairly certain the purpose of today’s activities aren’t to get anyone to support their cause, but rather to purposefully create conflict.

By: frazgo

frazgo — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 23:54:59 +0000

Aye aye aye, I certainly support bikes and their rights to be on the road safely.

But what have they got planned? If they want to get others in the city to support them is shouldn’t disrupt their day. All they will accomplish is pissing them off and alienating potential supports to help get things changed.

By: bromike666

bromike666 — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 21:08:04 +0000

I’ve got a better idea. Just walk up to a SMPD officer and say "Dude, pull out that baton and whack me."

By: mummey

mummey — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 21:02:30 +0000

Saw a crazy number of cops run up to the alley off broadway just west of the Promenade. No idea what happened but it did appear like later someone was being pulled into a squad car. By the look the the person though my guess would be that he’s not a bicycle enthusiast.