9 months ago
Monday, March 30, 2009
Video from the incident at CM
So here’s the video of the incident at CM this month. Doesn’t show the driver weaving in and out of the mass as many of the eyewitness reports have stated. It pretty much just consists of the driver calling the police as he gets grilled by some of the riders as they ask him for an explanation of his actions. From what I’ve heard, he decided to call the police because participants of the ride stood up to him. Before that happened, it appears he was all too willing to take the law in to his own hands. Guess he had second thoughts once he got out of the car... :)
So the question begs to be asked, what started all of this? Unfortunately, no one seems to know. I‘ve heard everything from the guy becoming hostile because he was stuck behind the mass to reports of some riders being confrontational with various motorists; this guy included. Perhaps it was both? I mean, what made him want to target JJ and not anyone else? Not trying to shift the blame but seriously, what happened? From everything I've heard, this guy had it in for JJ in a bad way...
There seems to have been a myriad of reasons that contributed to a chaotic ride this month and the lame thing is that they are all complaints we have heard before. It runs the gamut from some riders riding too fast or too slow causing gaps in the mass to not enough corkers blocking intersections to bad attitudes from both cyclists and motorists. It seems like every CM I do attend, I either have to let the front of the mass know to slow down or cork just about every intersection because some can’t be bothered to help. Unless all of you that participate get onboard with what the aims of this ride are, these kinds of incidents will only continue to happen.
Feel free to post any thoughts you may have in the comments section. CM hater comments are welcomed as well...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
11 comments:
Have you ever ridden around Jeremy? Shit, it's kill or be killed! I'd hit him with my car, if for no other reason than self defense..
Kidding JJ :)
I was really bothered by the lack of corking happening this past mass. I'm not sure what changed with everyone but I thought people found it fun to cork because then everybody rides by saying their thanks. I think lack of corking was a huge influence on the incidents that happened this month, because if no one's there to cork there's no one there to try to explain the situation to the motorists if they are getting antsy. I was farther ahead in the mass when this took place so I can't speak for what happened... but I can say that the mass definitely did begin to split in such a huge way that when I took the turn onto Virginia, the gap was so huge that the front half of the mass was already rounding the corner in that S curve to corrine. And at that point it seems pointless to try and yell for people to close the gap. I can honestly say this was one of the worst masses I've been to regarding gaps and lack of corking. People in front need to REALLY keep in mind how big of a group they're a part of and how easy it is to lose people.
re: JJ
Frazier and I have the "JJ" rule. He has to keep at least 10 feet away from us at all times. He's notorious for smacking the shit out of you with his bike right when you least expect it... :)
re: corking & the gaps
I've heard from a lot of people about how bad it was this month. Since I was not there I have no clue what happened but I know this is always a problem every month. The people up front need to realize two things; A) this is NOT a race and B) not everyone is on a fixed gear / road bike. As the CM ride continues to get bigger, expect more people from all walks of life to come out for the ride. As a result, greater emphasis needs to be placed on the pace and corking.
Keep those thoughts coming...
fuck yeah at getting the VIN
We should just make it a race. I always wished people would cork for me during an alleycat. Think of all the spoke cards you'd get each year!
so many cyclists, so little time!
wow, looking at some of the videos of the CM rides and it looks like I'm missing out on all the fun.
what the heck is corking? hope to make the May ride, can't wait! i can add CM to my repertoire next to centuries, trail rides, and commutes!
Seeing this hurts my heart.
Let me speak some encouragement into this conversation.
I was talking to my friend, Jake, two weeks ago. He lives in Savannah, where there is no Critical Mass. After hearing some of the stories of the division and angst in the bike community there, I really began to see how awesome it is to have such a great community here in Orlando.
Critical Mass is just one small example of that. While there are so many different groups of bike riders, there really seems to be a spirit of acceptance and camaraderie when we get together at the end of every month. We aren't divided by what type of bike each of us rides, but we are united in the fact that we all ride bikes. We aren't divided by age, but I think it's killer that my mom, in her fifties, comes out on her hybrid bike to ride with us. And there's nothing more encouraging that the smiles on the faces of the pedestrians (and most drivers) as we ride through downtown.
I'm thankful that we live in a city where the police haven't been unleashed to give us a hard time every month... and they even support us a little bit. Back at the end of last year, some city employees came to our meeting location and handed out several dozen rear lights for free.
I think we've begun to move past the elitist attitude often associated with riding fixed, and I see what seems like a genuine excitement that the Orlando bike community is growing. That's the goal right?
Guys like the one in this video have to be dealt with. His actions were unacceptable. But, I honestly believe that most sane people and the city at large will respond to how we treat them. So, let's keep looking ahead and be thankful that we have so much!
So I was there and filled out a full page witness statement. I had already made the turn and there was only a 4-5 riders behind me. The video starts a few minutes after it happened. That's why Jeremy is up and getting on his bike.
This is what I was told as soon as he hit Jeremy:
The driver was pretty agitated about being corked and was revving his engine. I was told Jeremy knocked on his window and told him to stop. As they started the turn the driver floored it and went after Jeremy.
This is what I actually saw:
I turned around and saw Jeremy peddling as fast as he could. The driver swerved to the right of one rider then swerved to the left to weave around me. He tapped Jeremy and sent him over the median, Jeremy's bike continued forward and caused another accident, luckily there was no oncoming traffic. The driver stopped quickly and I swerved right to avoid hitting the car. He got out and said he was calling the cops while he was pushing through Ryan and a few others.
I don't know if you can hear it on the video but the driver was demanding that Jeremy be arrested for battery. When authorities came he said that he just wanted to tell Jeremy that tapping on his window was wrong... even though we had videos, pictures, and a ton of people who saw different
trent got it right.
not really sure though why it escalated so badly in about 30 seconds though.
i think i just should have a back patch that says 10 feet, that would work out for all of us.
but in all honesty this really fucked me up and my bike. And i have to say i was really disapointed with this past mass for the lack of a lot of things. a) taking the street, where in past masses we usually just take a lane or two. b)the lack of corking; i had to basically fight my way through to help cork a lot of intersections. and c) the ridiculious ammount of road rage from both parties cyclists and cars.
yes i got hit by a car, i didnt get hurt to bad just some gnarly bruises and scrapes.
i think next mass we just need to tell people not to run redlights and if the light turns just please cork. i dunno i love this ride but to me now its just seems like a hassel
JJ
somebody should have beat the shit out of that dood.... street justice
(stating the obvious)
In order for Critical Mass serve its intended purpose, it has to be one unified entity. If the regular coordinators are not present or if you observe the mass dissolving, pretty pretty please, step up and fulfill the roll. As in the animal world, if the herd gets separated, problems will ensue. Keep it slow, cork intelligently, and stay together. When these elements are not executed properly, Critical Mass contradicts its core intended message of safety/awareness.
Post a Comment