Minneapolis police beat down those vicious ne'er-do-well cyclists?

[profundis]

http://articles.citypages.com/2007-09-12/news/vicious-cycle/

Comments

[crataegus.livejournal.com]

I've heard from folks in Midwestern cities that Critical Mass there is more than just a demonstration. It's a deliberate attempt to shut out motorists. Then again, these people are Midwesterners. They make Atlantans look like good drivers.

[profundis.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, well then they MUST be bad drivers. LOL

[lucentnotion.livejournal.com]

HAHAHAHA... I'm constantly saying how Atlanta drivers are the worst drivers I've ever seen... but I'm a midwesterner. LOL. pffft! they still are the worst I've seen.

[foeclan.livejournal.com]

As a Minnesotan, I'd like to agree wholeheartedly. It's rare that I make it home without wanting to kill somebody.

[flyrail.livejournal.com]

See, now I am all mad....

[sultmhoor.livejournal.com]

I've heard mixed things about that particular "non-group group" - they're very belligerent and do assault people and do property damage once they're past a certain size in L.A. and SFO. It's only a few bad apples, but in general they fall short of raising consciousness and start becoming nuisances.

[foeclan.livejournal.com]

I've heard conflicting stories on this one, but there seems to be consensus that the police REALLY overreacted. I don't particularly doubt their side of it, with someone harassing the officers, but macing and tasering people, including passersby, is ridiculous.

Of course, if this hadn't happened, I wouldn't have even been aware of Critical Mass, since I wasn't in the area. It's hard to imagine it being entirely unprovoked, considering the Minneapolis Park Board shut down all the parkways yesterday for bike use (without, sadly, posting any signs ahead of time, so I found out the hard way by not being able to get onto my primary route out of my neighborhood). Bike lanes are all over downtown, and particularly the area this happened, so it's a pretty bike-friendly city.