Comments on: Brooklyn Critical Mass: Feel the Love

By: roger m

roger m — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 22:22:42 +0000

The 7-27-07 Manhattan Critical Mass was way better thant any police controlled Brooklyn mass. Once the ride got underway, there were no police, so no problems. Beautiful, responsible community freedom and assertion of non-motorized wheels. And it's true, the more massers, the better. If there were greater numbers, the city couldn't f--k with our rights like they do. It would be in their best interests to deal with it intelligently. The recent roving street party, 'One Night of Fire' is the perfect example.

By: jTuba

jTuba — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 01:58:07 +0000

Hey, all, By way of a kind of Devil's advocacy, I think it's worth discussing some of this. If I didn't know any better (and, frankly, I don't), this video would make me believe that Brooklyn CM riders generally share three opinions: 1) Brooklyn CM is way better than that crappy Manhattan CM, 2) cops are great and we should all be really grateful that they're there every month because they cork for us and don't arrest us, and 3) this is how CM always was before the RNC. I haven't done either ride in a while and am pretty out of touch with riders' mindsets right now, so I'm sort of curious what regular attendees takes are. Do people generally agree with these, or have I misunderstood?

By: Ryan

Ryan — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 12:14:35 +0000

You rock, Clarence!
Bklyn Critical Mass is a fun ride -- hope to see you all there!

By: Efficiency Nut

Efficiency Nut — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 15:04:10 +0000

Clarence the commenter,
That's exactly the way it used to be in Manhattan up until the RNC--riders talking with cops, cops talking riders. The chill came from 1 Police Plaza, and could be lifted with an order.

By: Clarence

Clarence — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 06:10:32 +0000

Well maybe this can show it can be done. I noticed lots of riders chatting with NYPD on the ride which was nice. And the riders were all well behaved too. Normally on CM rides you can usually single out a few people who look like they could be trouble. None here, just people out to celebrate, let's hope they continue.

By: ddartley

ddartley — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 04:52:41 +0000

I mean, sorry to be all downer in response to such an upbeat video and all; it's just something I've spent a crazy amount of time thinking about, and I feel strongly enough about it to put in my two cents. But as always, good job, Streetfilms.

By: Elliot

Elliot — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 23:09:29 +0000

That looks awesome! I'm jealous of you, Brooklyn. Since the 10th anniversary ride back in September 2003 (I think that was the date) which hit a peak of about 1000 riders, the Portland mass has dwindled to a dozen thanks to police harassment.

By: david p.

david p. — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 16:10:24 +0000

i humbly disagree with ddartley. like most things in life, I think that in terms of critical mass, the more the merrier.

By: ddartley

ddartley — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 04:06:54 +0000

The only good Critical Mass is a small Critical Mass. When they get huge, like they had by the time the RNC came to town, then "ignorant armies clash by night."