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Indybay Feature

Halloween mass hotel tour gridlock

by cp
Like always, there were many riders at the Halloween critical mass. It wasn't daylight savings time yet, but it was still dark by seven, so it was more difficult to take pictures.
For the first two hours, we stayed in the downtown, Nob Hill, shopping district area, going to all the hotels where workers are locked out.
cmtunnel.jpg
This created for a fun ride with minimal athleticism, maximal gridlock, and time to look at people's costumes and listen to music.
Everyone made lots of noise by the hotels. I hope it helps. Many of these downtown hotels charge $200+ per night, and their costs for paying workers can't be that much higher than ordinary Motel 6 in a rural area. It isn't so plausible to believe that San Francisco hotels are right at the financial edge. Hotels in Gallup New Mexico charge about $25/night. When I was on strike, it got boring after a couple of days, or even hours, so it is great to see them keeping up the energy for so long. The economy does not require slaves to stay afloat. In fact, with mechanization of many tasks, the average workweek should be going down and material standard of living should be rising, rather than the opposite.
Most of the focus was on halloween and fun, but the election with its ensuing chaos left people in a sort of political mood. There were a few political costumes- fascists, Woody Guthrie, Gavin Newsom. I was a Burger King worker. Sorry that I have no pictures of that. It was dark.
At the Hyatt, a police officer blocked more people from getting close, but there seemed to be a 'left them go' type of chant. At Nob hill, we slowly circled the square and stood around forever, and people got into diversions like getting naked. We went down the hill, and slowly, the 2000 (guessing) riders went through gaps between stuck cars. Who drives around Union Square at that time anyway. We cheered on hotels in this area, and one on the south side of Market.
Police have been very well behaved, for the most part, to the central part of the group. While in New York this month, the police department tried to ban an injunction banning critical mass rides, the police here directed traffic and let people do dancing and rapping in the intersection by Dolores park.
§oil tanker bike by hotel
by cp
cmhotel.jpg
§Couldn't figure out what was going on down there
by cp
cmhyatt.jpg
§thousands of bikers going by Hilton
by cp
cmhilton.jpg
§Crowd on nob hill
by cp
cmnob.jpg
§more nob hill
by cp
cmnob2.jpg
Add Your Comments

Comments (Hide Comments)
by Un-Fairmont water man
'Thank You' for cycling in support of locked out workers. We will keep up the fight until we win a fair contract for hotel workers. We are energized by the critical mass in San Francisco.
by Loco2 banquet waiter
Hey waterman at the Un-Fairmont Thanks for the water. Such a dry throat getting up to the Nob and then joining in with the jubilant picket line there. Stellar Critical Mass ride! Party for free on Nob Hill with Critical Mass and Local 2.
by cp
cmtunnel.jpgfqnqhi.jpg
where did that picture go?

Here is the disappeared first picture
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