FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 9, 2003

Police Harassment Continues at Sacramento Critical Mass Bicycle Demonstrations

A group of twenty local bicyclists attempted to peacefully demonstrate for safer streets and against war for oil on Friday, March 7, 2003. They were met with fierce discrimination from local police which included at least ten citations and instances of physical abuse against two young women.

"We expected a possible return of the problems of the past," said Jason Meggs of the Bicycle Civil Liberties Union, which is coordinating a lawsuit brought by Critical Mass riders against the Sacramento Police Department after a long run of abuses from May through September of 2001. "The past two months there has been a return of an excessive police presence, and last month there were four citations which broke up the ride. There is no question that their goal is to crush First Amendment protected free speech in Cailfornia's Capitol."

The demonstrations gather to rally for sustainable transportation at the north steps of the Capitol building on the first Friday of every month. The rally is permitted through the CHP. After the rally, the group asserts its right to the road by bicycling lawfully and peacefully on city streets, chanting slogans and passing out flyers to cheering passersby.

"We aren't blocking traffic, we are traffic!" stated one young woman who rode in the group.

Police did not respect the demonstrators' right to the road, issuing many citations which were false on their face. At one point, because bicyclists had been stopped by police all along J Street, the remaining cyclists stopped and walked on the sidewalk in front of a gas station chanting, "No War For Oil -- Stop Harassing Bicyclists!" while police drove about the gas station lot and filmed them.

On Friday's ride, bicyclists primarily occupied the right lane on larger one-way streets and stopped for red lights and stop signs. Some cyclists at times occupied the left lane on one way streets with two or more lanes, as authorized under CVC 21202(b).

Nevertheless, police exercised what amounted to zero tolerance with malice against the group. In contrast, officers ignored violations by motorists who repeatedly ran red lights, drove under darkness without headlights on, and more. In one instance, SPD Sgt. Huff claimed that one young man's brand new light, purchased in a bicycle shop, was not street legal because it "did not illuminate the road". Observers were flabbergasted because the light did brighten up a long oval patch of pavement in front of the demonstrator's bicycle.

"They said they were specially assigned to Critical Mass and were not supposed to worry about anything else," stated another young woman who was cited on the ride when she allegedly failed to turn her headlight on when first mounting her bicycle. "They even drove a car down the sidewalk and when we pointed out that they could have hurt a disabled person they ignored us. It's an outrage that all these police are following us around, rather than doing something helpful for the community."

Background information including past press releases and links to photos and video can be found at http://www.bclu.org/sactocm/

Contact: Jason Meggs, (510) 816-2453, email jmeggs -a -t- bclu dot or g
BCLU and NLG attorney Larry Hildes, 360-715-9788