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I am sending the following two letters (one within another) to the List for consideration. They were written by Mark McHugh, a Minneapolis resident who is a friend and coworker of mine: * * * * * *
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"Monday April 22 a letter appeared in the Skyway News Minneapolis community > newspaper....... This was the letter: 'Critical of Critical Mass
Allow me to comment on the Critical Mass movement and their motto "Bicycles don't obstruct traffic - we are traffic" (Skyway News, April 8-15, 2002). I didn't see the March 29 Critical Mass ride, but I did see them in operation last year on Washington Avenue. I was bicycling on Washington Avenue when I came across a wad of 40 or so Critical Mass bicyclists with naughty/mischievous little grins on their faces blocking four lanes of traffic on the bridge over the Mississippi. The grins were apparently inspired by the fact that they were not only blocking all motor traffic on a major artery, but were crawling along at about half the speed any able-bodied cyclist could go. (I was in no hurry and I was going twice as fast.) To top it off, their "protest" was on Washington Avenue Bridge, one place where bicyclists need not fear cars at all thanks to its special second level for bikes and pedestrians. I'm a treehugger. I bike Downtown to work every spring, fall and summer weekday. I use my bike whenever I can. There is nothing I'd like better than easier, safer infrastructure for bicyclists and fewer cars polluting the air and gobbling up land for roads and parking. But as far as I can tell the official purpose of Critical Mass - a righteous movement of bicyclists asserting their right to a fair share of the road - is a media sham worthy of Enron. Causing a traffic jam and pissing off motorists isn't an unfortunate byproduct of lack of bike lanes - it's the whole point (and the fun) of Critical Mass rides. It's a way for arrested-adolescence cases to pretend they are fighting for the environment while thrilling to the power they feel from creating a traffic jam. Maybe the cops in Loring Park were using excessive force (and maybe they weren't), but if they weren't trying to stop Critical Mass, they weren't doing their job. Mark McHugh, Downtown worker' > This letter pointed out the fraudulent character of a so-called bicycle activist> group by the name of `Critical Mass,` who had recently made press for > blocking traffic, resisting arrest, and generally creating a nuisance. The > next day the concerned citizen who authored this letter (yours truly), > arose to ride to his weekly school volunteer tutoring job only to find HIS > BICYCLE HAD BEEN STOLEN FROM HIS GARAGE! > > Coincidence? I think not. The letter mentioned the author's ownership of a > bike and his address was listed in the Minneapolis phone book. Break-ins > are infrequent in the author's peaceful neighborhood. His car parked next > to his bike had not been tampered with. Nothing else appears to have been > taken from the garage. > > Let the hoodlums responsible for this crime know the author will not be > silenced by their act of political terrorism and will not rest until they > have been prosecuted to the full extent of the law! I hereby offer a $20 > gift certificate to Manning's Bar and Grill for information leading to the > arrest and convictions of the perpetrators of this larceny. > > Sincerely, > > Mark McHugh" * * * * * * * *
Of course there is absolutely no proof that this theft had any connection to Mark's letter to the Skyway News and he's keeping his sense of humor about it. However, it is a tad suspicious that the bike was stolen the very night after his letter appeared in print. It had been stored safely in his garage for years without incident. If anyone has any information on this, I hope they will contact him. If it is a prank, I hope the person responsible will return the bike to him. He uses the bike all the time and just spent 40 bucks on a new freewheel and chain! Thank you Wendy Adamson Seward
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