I am forwarding this and am curious if anyone reading this was at the "Crtical Mass" ride today and can offer their perspective to this evenings events.
It would be nice to hear some personal accounts. "Critical Mass" is (as I recall) a monthly group bike ride in downtown started about a year ago to call attention to the need for alternatives to auto transportation. Cam Gordon Seward ---------- Forwarded message ---------- [EMAIL PROTECTED] story on twincities.indy http://twincities.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=4485&group=webcast The Critical Mass that started a few hours ago is currently on foot toward a booking station on 5th near Hennepin in Minneapolis following several arrests. The Critical Mass started with about 60 people and was riding along the right side of the road, two riders abreast, with cops following them. When half the bikers had gone through a traffic light, the light turned red and the rest of the bikers continued in order to keep together. Apparently, the cops used this as an excuse to attack and arrest the bikers. At least one person was tackled off his bike and bloodied. The bikes were then impounded, placed on a flat bed truck and taken to an undisclosed location. No one is sure how many have been arrested. Of the original 60 people, there are now 25 on their way to the Booking station to find out how many were arrested and what they are being charged with. UPDATE 6:52: People at the booking station have been threatened with arrest due to "unlawful assembly." People who had registered bikes can get their bikes back from the MPD - but they will have to also get their citation which will be for "interference" or "blocking traffic" or whatever the police are charing the bikers with. People who had unregistered bikes will have to wait until later in the week as well as pay a $100 impound fee in order to recover their bicycles. There is still no word on those who were arrested. The cops claim that they issued citations to them and released them but no one has made contact with any of the missing people as of yet. There will be a meeting tonight at Caffetto, at 9:00 PM to discuss what the next step should be. Caffetto is located at 22nd and Lyndale in Minneapolis. UPDATE: 6:59 PM: One person is reported to be in the hospital. He had been tackled off his bike and was bleeding from his head when last seen. As they were arresting him, he screamed that they were breaking his arm. One other person is in jail currently also. The citation that those with registered bikes are receiving appears to be for "interference with traffic." This information was given to me by a witness at the event, I was not actually there. ------------------end forward message--------------------- _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
