Comments on: Meet the (Alleged) Road Rage Thug of Ninth Avenue: Gus Gonzalez

By: frank rothman

frank rothman — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:04:47 +0000

happy to inform you that all charges against Ray Bengen were dismissed today, as the prosecution stated in open court that they "could not prove the charges" against Mr. Bengen. The good guys win one.

By: Jeff Gurney

Jeff Gurney — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:42:38 +0000

I guess that buying an SUV allows you to be a complete idiot. Some people act as though they are the only ones on the planet, and that all things revolve around them and there rights to drive a car. I feel that most if not all of the people that act this way do not deserve to have a drivers licence or the right to operate a 7000 lb vehicle on public roads. Our legal system obviously does not work the way it was intended when the offender is patted on the back and the cyclist that has the right to be in the BICYCLE lane is penialized. This is just wrong.

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:06:25 +0000

The internet is awesome sometimes. Act like a douche these days and everyone -- including your friends, family and co-workers -- can find out about it.

By: citizenx

citizenx — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:30:37 +0000

Laura D Dispirito

home

4018 169th St

Flushing, NY 11358-2706

(718) 460-6588

By: kss

kss — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:41:15 +0000

Is that knuckle-dragger Gus Gonzalez a cop? If so, that would certainly explain a few things.

By: jon

jon — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:00:34 +0000

Until the cops start enforcing traffic laws in heavily travelled areas this type of thing will continue to occur.
I remember an incident a number of years back on Hudson Street just south of Abingdon Square Park. A similar situation with a red dodge Durango ( jersey plates ) was blocking the lane while owner was in his bodega/deli, I called him on it ( no obscnities), he said "get a cop" so I biked around the corner, found two cops in a van, told them about, the cops came over to where he had the lane blocked, he tried to get out but I was parked on my bike in front and a buddy was parked on his bike behind ( not touching the car) him so he couldn't leave. The cops were talking to him, me and my buddy started biking up Hudson street, next thing I know this person is driving up Hudson Street chasing us shakig his fist out the window. We turn left (the wrong way)onto to 12th Street to get away from this person. Guess who the same cops pulled over ? Me and my buddy for turning the wrong way down 12th Street, but they are "good" cops and only giving us a warning. They then proceeded to tell us that they know about this guy and that he had been given 5 or 6 warnings to date for exactly the same thing. I did not have the presence of mind to get their names and badge numbers and go to the Civilian Review Board to ask the obvious questions as to why 5 or 6 warnings and no tickets and why we were pulled over for a minor infraction ( from my law school days, escaping from aniticipated bodily harm is a defense for minor trafic infractions) and he was not pulled over/ticketed whatver for threatening us.
Don't even get me started about the tour buses idling in the bike lanes on 6th Avenue in plain view of cops sitting in their cars on the other side of 6th Avenue, and the cops are totally surprised when you approach them politely and ask them to enforce the law.

By: Josh

Josh — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:54:55 +0000

You couldn't have found a picture of him with a shirt on?

By: gowanut

gowanut — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:59:46 +0000

Apropos of nothing, the subheadline of the wcbstv.com post is somewhat misleading:

http://wcbstv.com/local/ray.bengen.bike.2.1058298.html

NYC Biker In Legal Spat With SUV Driver

Ray Bengen Was Summoned To Police Station After Unknown SUV Driver Allegedly Threw Him To Ground, Stole His Bike

By: gary fisher

gary fisher — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:52:53 +0000

anybody remember those ESSUVEE commercials where SUV's were giant hairy beasts? Its sad that the truth is that these metallic beasts have more rights than organics.

By: Fritz

Fritz — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:28:21 +0000

This is what it is going to take

This War is ongoing

Must be Vigilant and Steadfast in Your Resolve

SUVs Do not have Divine Rights

By: Ken

Ken — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:03:27 +0000

I want all the candidates for Manhattan D.A. to go on the record with their view of the priorities that Marty so trenchantly cites: let a killer of kids walk but send the cops after a cyclist who touches a 7,000-pound "car."

By: herenthere

herenthere — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:18:07 +0000

Wow, I think this sends a message out...get caught doing something bad, and with all this modern technology (+massive readership, kudos) and you're screwed. Safer society though.

By: thegreasybear

thegreasybear — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:13:37 +0000

Gus Gonzalez is one of the douchebags who intentionally makes cycling more dangerous, whether he's arbitrarily shutting down the bike lane out of pure selfishness and laziness, or using his planet-wrecker as a deadly weapon to assault anyone who challenges his illegitimacy.

By: Charles Siegel

Charles Siegel — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:13:19 +0000

Vigilantes punish people without due process of law.
We are just calling for the due process of law to occur.

PS: It is Merriam, not Miriam.

By: nyc biker

nyc biker — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:33:24 +0000

nice work. let's keep the bike lane's safe!!!!

By: Eddie

Eddie — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:25:48 +0000

What a douchebag

By: Max

Max — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:11:52 +0000

This is disgusting! However I have a court date for something similar - a driver almost ran me down driving on the wrong side of the street while I was crossing a residential street with my 2 small dogs. Long story short, I told him off for driving so recklessly (but without obscenity, epithets or abuse) in an area with young children (we were next to a kindergarten and park), mothers with strollers, joggers etc... Later that day while again walking my dogs, the police stopped and arrested me - the driver had told them that I had hit his car and apparently there were "scratches, dents and scuffs" on it. An outright false and/or misleading statement. The driver had been driving very aggressively and been agitated and angry while I was talking to him. His actions were a passive aggressive form of road rage and borne out of a complete lack of understanding of how dangerously he had been driving.

By: J-Uptown

J-Uptown — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:02:35 +0000

I believe what is occurring here is called reinforcing social norms. Gus committed a very public action. We are pointing out that we as a society deem his behavior unacceptable and we are therefore publicizing it. If Gus doesn't think he's done anything wrong, then he has nothing to be ashamed of. If he is ashamed, then we want his friends, family, and acquiantances to know about it, so maybe he won't act like this again. If he wants to improve his name, he should simply apologize and drop the ridiculous charges. I'm sure Streetblog would happily print an article about a reformed road rager. God knows we could use some positive news on that front.

By: gary fisher

gary fisher — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:53:38 +0000

Ditto Marty

By: Marty Barfowitz

Marty Barfowitz — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:39:37 +0000

Yes, Miriam, It seems to me that Gus Gonzalez is the one who initially appointed himself the "doer of justice" when he summarily punished a cyclist for touching his precious truck. Go ahead, make my day, cyclist. What was Gus yelling as he stood over the biker he'd just knocked to the ground with his 7,000 lb. crapmobile? "Don't even think about it! Don't even think about it!" But, one thing is clear for sure: The processes of law are clearly inadequate when we have a district attorney who won't lift a finger when a van driver runs over and kills pre-schoolers walking on the sidewalk and yet sends the cops to arrest a cyclist who slapped the side of an SUV in self-defense. So, perhaps, vigilantism is entirely called for in cases like these. The NYPD and the DA's just don't seem to care to enforce the law when cyclists and pedestrians are hurt and killed.