Police Abuses at Sacramento Critical Mass

(Sacramento, the State Capitol)

Is it the Capitol of Car-ruption? Of conformity? Of corporatism?

Friday, September 7, grassroots activists braved the pattern of unchecked police abuses at Critical Mass rides in Sacramento, the Capitol of California.

Trying to put the best effort forward, Bicycle Civil Liberties Union activists had called for changing the starting location to the steps of the State Capitol, and acquired a permit for a rally for alternative transportation before the ride. We even had two groups coming from the Bay Area, one by train and one by bicycle! We had met with City officials, spoken with City Council, filed Office of Police Accountability (OPA) complaints for some past abuses, and had spoken with the police Captain for the Metro Division. We were promised that we could hold a community bicycle ride and would not be ticketed unless we broke the "rules of the road".

They lied.

Uncounted citations and at least one rather cruel and unusual arrest later (see photos), it is becoming evident that Sacramento Police Department is accountable to no one, and that while the car critical mass may proceed unchecked on a daily basis, the nonviolent, peaceful, healthy, people-powered modes of transportation will be persecuted.

A much more complete account and many photos are posted at the site automatically linked from http://www.bclu.org/sactocm/

Come out next month!

There may be a ride, but there will definitely be an Amtrak group. Come to the Emeryville Amtrak station at 1:30 PM (to coordinate boarding and discount tickets for the 2 PM train) on the first Friday, October 5, 2001. Emeryville station is roughly downhill from the Ashby BART station, take MLK or Adeline South, turn left onto Adeline/Stanford just past where the BART tracks come out of the ground, follow Stanford all the way down past San Pablo, and just past Hollis before the overpass turn right at the sign for Amtrak. Alternately, get off Macarthur BART and take 40th to San Pablo, turn right, go to Stanford, turn left, to the Amtrak sign. Yes you can go at other times, ride alone, or get on at other stations, but it's a lot cheaper if we get you a discount ticket.

One ironic thing: the television news media was upset with us for changing the route after police abuses began. Yet he refused quality hi-8 footage of the arrest (see photos on http://www.bclu.org/sactocm/).