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Sacramento Police Meets Critical Mass With Brutal Force. 4 arrests. 1 Felony
last night at critical mass in sacramento, 4 people were arrested. one is being charged with a felony and a misdemeanor, one with a misdemeanor, and two were let off with infractions.
Last night's ride started out beautifully from cesar chavez park at about 5:30 with about 40 riders. We headed down the main downtown street (j street) for about 5 blocks, headed down 15th street, then zig zagged around the city for about a half hour before the police began their brutal and ruthless repression of the critical mass bike ride.
It started when an officer in a police car jumped out and attacked a rider who was stopped at a red light. For what was (arguably not) an infraction, the officer pulled the rider from his bike, cuffed him, and put him in the back of his cruiser.
The mass, which had picked up about 5-10 more riders since it started, was furious, and demanded an explanation for the actions of the police. There was no obvious reason to single out that particular rider, nor was their violence justified.
As we all waited in the intersection of 15th and J, a second rider was singled out and attacked by the police. And then a third was pulled from his bike and taken to another cruiser.
At about this time, a half naked man ran to the middle of the intersection, pulled his pants down, and raised his arms in celebration! Riders cheered, cars honked, and the pigs watched in utter dismay.
Two cops began to head towards the triumphant naked guy, who immediately pulled up his pants and took off running. The police jogged for about 20 steps, then realized that to chase down a half naked man would probably stir up their repressed homosexual desires in public, and ceased their pursuit.
The anonymous naked guy reigned victorious!
Out of nowhere, the fourth rider was viciously attacked by the police. The rider (who was standing on the sidewalk during a red light), was grabbed by the arm, his wrist was forcibly twisted into "pain compliance holds," to which the rider responded by repeatedly asking what the officer was doing. The officer stood there, twisting his wrist back and forth, obviously not trying to do anything except cause pain and injury. There was never any sort of communication from the officer to the rider, telling him what to do, so he just stood there, the officer making no attempt to either cuff him or give him directions.
The situation escalated further when several more officers ran over and tackled the rider to the ground. There were 4-5 officers pinning the rider to the ground, some kicking, others twisting his wrists, and yet another putting on handcuffs.
Muffled screams of "YOU ARE HURTING ME," and "PLEASE STOP," could be heard from underneath the pile of officers. Finally, an emotional cry of desperation, followed by and then outright bawling could be heard as the rider finally broke under all of the pain.
The officers dragged him (he was unable to walk) through bushes, over concrete, and to a cruiser, where they literally threw him into the backseat.
After things had seemingly finally reached the climax of energy and excitementy, the window of the police cruiser exploded outwards and shattered onto the sidewalk.
Everyone stood silent, shocked and amazed, not knowing what to do. A head poked out the window, slowly looking around and what had just happened, and ducked back inside as several officers dove into the police car to hog tie and get some easy cheap shots in on the still handcuffed individual.
By this time, there were approximately 15 police cars (including several undercover police cars) and dozens of cops swarming the area. Traffic had still not moved for about 15 minutes, as the police and the crowd clogged the street.
More and more pigs continued to arrive, some armed with pepper ball guns (similar to a paint ball gun, only substitute the paint in the balls for pepper spray chemicals), and several were armed with tazers, ready to blast 10,000 volts into unsuspecting nonviolent bicyclists.
The situation finally began to calm down and the crowd slowly dispersed over the next hour. The happy gas guzzling community was free to continue destroying the earth on their way home, the happy pigs had their taste of blood and wanted more, and the bike-ride was finally over.
The first arrestee was charged with misdemeanor resisting arrest. (arrested for resisting arrest.... try to figure that one out); he was finally let out of jail at approximately 6 am today.
The next two arrestees were driven several blocks away, given traffic tickets, and sent on their way.
The final arrestee was charged with FELONY VANDALISM for allegedly breaking the cop car window, and with misdemeanor resisting arrest. THIS FELONY IS BULLSHIT! Felony vandalism is defined as over $5,000 in damage. One window? $300 at the MOST! It is absolutely ridiculous and disgusting that the police would be so bold to charge this individual with a felony after literally attacking him with no provocation. His bail was set at $5,000, he himself paid the 10% of that needed for his release. Several people have already pitched in what they could so he does not have to carry the financial burden on his own. If you can make any sort of donation to help out, PLEASE EMAIL sacmass (at) hotmail.com
Are we scared? Did the police win? Did their show of force destroy the newly revived critical mass bike rides in sacramento?
FUCK NO
ON THE LAST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH (JUNE 24), WE WILL MEET AT 5PM at FREMONT PARK IN SACRAMENTO, AND RIDE AT 5:30.
fremont park is located between P and Q streets, between 15th and 16th streets in midtown.
WE NEED TO SHOW THE PIGS THEY HAVEN'T STOPPED CRITICAL MASS, AND THAT THEY'VE ONLY STRENGTHENED OUR RESOLVE AND DETERMINATION TO RIDE.
The more riders that come, the safer it will be for everyone: Safety in numbers.
This type of brutal police behavior is absolutely unacceptable, and we will not stand for it. See everyone on the 24th.
sacmass [at] hotmail.com
It started when an officer in a police car jumped out and attacked a rider who was stopped at a red light. For what was (arguably not) an infraction, the officer pulled the rider from his bike, cuffed him, and put him in the back of his cruiser.
The mass, which had picked up about 5-10 more riders since it started, was furious, and demanded an explanation for the actions of the police. There was no obvious reason to single out that particular rider, nor was their violence justified.
As we all waited in the intersection of 15th and J, a second rider was singled out and attacked by the police. And then a third was pulled from his bike and taken to another cruiser.
At about this time, a half naked man ran to the middle of the intersection, pulled his pants down, and raised his arms in celebration! Riders cheered, cars honked, and the pigs watched in utter dismay.
Two cops began to head towards the triumphant naked guy, who immediately pulled up his pants and took off running. The police jogged for about 20 steps, then realized that to chase down a half naked man would probably stir up their repressed homosexual desires in public, and ceased their pursuit.
The anonymous naked guy reigned victorious!
Out of nowhere, the fourth rider was viciously attacked by the police. The rider (who was standing on the sidewalk during a red light), was grabbed by the arm, his wrist was forcibly twisted into "pain compliance holds," to which the rider responded by repeatedly asking what the officer was doing. The officer stood there, twisting his wrist back and forth, obviously not trying to do anything except cause pain and injury. There was never any sort of communication from the officer to the rider, telling him what to do, so he just stood there, the officer making no attempt to either cuff him or give him directions.
The situation escalated further when several more officers ran over and tackled the rider to the ground. There were 4-5 officers pinning the rider to the ground, some kicking, others twisting his wrists, and yet another putting on handcuffs.
Muffled screams of "YOU ARE HURTING ME," and "PLEASE STOP," could be heard from underneath the pile of officers. Finally, an emotional cry of desperation, followed by and then outright bawling could be heard as the rider finally broke under all of the pain.
The officers dragged him (he was unable to walk) through bushes, over concrete, and to a cruiser, where they literally threw him into the backseat.
After things had seemingly finally reached the climax of energy and excitementy, the window of the police cruiser exploded outwards and shattered onto the sidewalk.
Everyone stood silent, shocked and amazed, not knowing what to do. A head poked out the window, slowly looking around and what had just happened, and ducked back inside as several officers dove into the police car to hog tie and get some easy cheap shots in on the still handcuffed individual.
By this time, there were approximately 15 police cars (including several undercover police cars) and dozens of cops swarming the area. Traffic had still not moved for about 15 minutes, as the police and the crowd clogged the street.
More and more pigs continued to arrive, some armed with pepper ball guns (similar to a paint ball gun, only substitute the paint in the balls for pepper spray chemicals), and several were armed with tazers, ready to blast 10,000 volts into unsuspecting nonviolent bicyclists.
The situation finally began to calm down and the crowd slowly dispersed over the next hour. The happy gas guzzling community was free to continue destroying the earth on their way home, the happy pigs had their taste of blood and wanted more, and the bike-ride was finally over.
The first arrestee was charged with misdemeanor resisting arrest. (arrested for resisting arrest.... try to figure that one out); he was finally let out of jail at approximately 6 am today.
The next two arrestees were driven several blocks away, given traffic tickets, and sent on their way.
The final arrestee was charged with FELONY VANDALISM for allegedly breaking the cop car window, and with misdemeanor resisting arrest. THIS FELONY IS BULLSHIT! Felony vandalism is defined as over $5,000 in damage. One window? $300 at the MOST! It is absolutely ridiculous and disgusting that the police would be so bold to charge this individual with a felony after literally attacking him with no provocation. His bail was set at $5,000, he himself paid the 10% of that needed for his release. Several people have already pitched in what they could so he does not have to carry the financial burden on his own. If you can make any sort of donation to help out, PLEASE EMAIL sacmass (at) hotmail.com
Are we scared? Did the police win? Did their show of force destroy the newly revived critical mass bike rides in sacramento?
FUCK NO
ON THE LAST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH (JUNE 24), WE WILL MEET AT 5PM at FREMONT PARK IN SACRAMENTO, AND RIDE AT 5:30.
fremont park is located between P and Q streets, between 15th and 16th streets in midtown.
WE NEED TO SHOW THE PIGS THEY HAVEN'T STOPPED CRITICAL MASS, AND THAT THEY'VE ONLY STRENGTHENED OUR RESOLVE AND DETERMINATION TO RIDE.
The more riders that come, the safer it will be for everyone: Safety in numbers.
This type of brutal police behavior is absolutely unacceptable, and we will not stand for it. See everyone on the 24th.
sacmass [at] hotmail.com
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Too many beatings and too much silence. The Nazi regime reigns supreme. Critical mass should be done with explosive, bayonets, and a couple of rich bastards as hostages and a few more as bait.
Over throw the regime, the dictatorships.
There is no more love in America, only the lusting for the big battle.
Over throw the regime, the dictatorships.
There is no more love in America, only the lusting for the big battle.
For more information:
http://www.angelfire.com/zine2/democracyor...
nd after last month's Sacto CM ride was reported as so uneventful
vido taping this would help a c mass rides should be v taped to prevent this from happinging or at least being able to get your side of the storie out
unfortunately it appears that before very long we're going to have to begin training for some true defense-tactics. This cannot continue on. Reading the arrestee's pleas for the cops to stop inflicting injury makes my blood boil and heart cry. We need to up the ante again...I hope you people understand this. The whole "non-violence" thing will not work once the real revolution commences.
"unfortunately it appears that before very long we're going to have to begin training for some true defense-tactics. This cannot continue on. Reading the arrestee's pleas for the cops to stop inflicting injury makes my blood boil and heart cry. We need to up the ante again...I hope you people understand this. The whole "non-violence" thing will not work once the real revolution commences. "
There are no self defense tactics that will work w/o leading to a cop using deadly force, or at the very least threatening to. That is, unless you _want_ a firefight. Cameras. Lots of cameras. Everyone wearing a camera and the video stored on robust media, think a flash chip. Cameras and lawyers. Sue, get money, use money+lawyers+camera evidince to file complaints with real teeth.
Soon the cops will have to act correctly, or your cause gets more resources (settlement/judgement cash). If you retain the same successful lawyers from case to case, they will be crack legal stormtroopers that specialize in your cause.
Soon it won't matter anyway. Nonlethal crowd control has some very up and coming technologies (acoustic/rf/chemical) that will obsolete demonstrations. It's hard to ride a bike when your skin feels like it is on fire : (
There are no self defense tactics that will work w/o leading to a cop using deadly force, or at the very least threatening to. That is, unless you _want_ a firefight. Cameras. Lots of cameras. Everyone wearing a camera and the video stored on robust media, think a flash chip. Cameras and lawyers. Sue, get money, use money+lawyers+camera evidince to file complaints with real teeth.
Soon the cops will have to act correctly, or your cause gets more resources (settlement/judgement cash). If you retain the same successful lawyers from case to case, they will be crack legal stormtroopers that specialize in your cause.
Soon it won't matter anyway. Nonlethal crowd control has some very up and coming technologies (acoustic/rf/chemical) that will obsolete demonstrations. It's hard to ride a bike when your skin feels like it is on fire : (
Demonstrations are already obsolete. This was proven beyond all doubt in March of 2003. Our rulers don't give a rat's ass what we think, or how loud we chant it. Th's time to switch to Plan B.
Right now, I think the critical massers need to be making friends, not pissing people off. The more people are pissed off, the less people will care when police abuse happens and when plans b,c,d,etc come around, the more time it will take to make allies. As the police state grows, those who don't agree with you will have more and more tools at their disposal to hamper your efforts. I suggest this: work for everyone's best interest. I know getting SUVs off the road and cleaning up our air IS in everyone's best interest, but hear me out. Communicate in language everyone understands. Money and patriotism/nationalism are popular languages at this time. Pick a _single_ topic, I'll use SUVs for this example. Find or do your own honest, verafiable total cost analysis of owning a suv: purchase cost/fuel/tires/insurance/maintenance/the works. Come up with a one page flyer that gives away free financial advice regarding suv ownership vs 5 great alternatives, graph the savings invested over 7 years @ 10% (think average life of the vehicle). On critical mass day have every participant print 10. Call the media, say "demonstration planned, last time there was police action and a cruiser was damaged. it should be exciting!" When the cameras show up state the clear purpose "We are trying to save Californians money and mitigate the strategic weakness of foreign oil dependence and the strategic weakness of a poluted environment."
(see pentagon report here http://www.ems.org/climate/pentagon_climate_change.html )
If the police act up under that context, the media may be swayed to your side and a clear goal can be accomplished.
(see pentagon report here http://www.ems.org/climate/pentagon_climate_change.html )
If the police act up under that context, the media may be swayed to your side and a clear goal can be accomplished.
Unfortunately, several riders tried contacting local media about the event, but were turned down. It is not in the interests of power to portray it's protectors in a bad light. And I suspect that if any did cover the story, it would be about how the police saved the day and stopped the "crazed bicyclists" from taking over the city and creating anarchy.
Does anyone have contact for people involved in the incident
ive tried the email, no reply want to interview on Free Radio Santa Cruz http://www.freakradio.org sometime on tuesday 5-30
ive tried the email, no reply want to interview on Free Radio Santa Cruz http://www.freakradio.org sometime on tuesday 5-30
Jail Solidarity/Support
Sometimes, instead of paying fines and bail - an outpouring of phone calls to the DA's office can have charges dropped and fines reduced or dropped, sometimes within hours of arrest.
When any group is going to stage a "illegal" rally or meeting and there is any risk of arrest, establish some communication lines (via email addresses is pretty handy). When participants get arrested, support then (sometimes with protests outside the jail even) and kick the phone calls into gear. In my experience, we have had MANY arrests (with anti-war and anti-globalization protests) and most of the time our people are out within 12/24 hrs and the charges are dropped. The arrests are more of an show of power by the police and a desire to stop the action from happening... the are very rarely able to stand up to a courtroom and the DA knows that.
Know your rights - know what they can and can't force you to do/say in jail - Stay strong and support each other. It makes all the difference when you place yourself directly in the way of the police, who have sadly become tools of the corrupt corporation/politicians and no longer serve the masses they came from in the first place.
Sometimes, instead of paying fines and bail - an outpouring of phone calls to the DA's office can have charges dropped and fines reduced or dropped, sometimes within hours of arrest.
When any group is going to stage a "illegal" rally or meeting and there is any risk of arrest, establish some communication lines (via email addresses is pretty handy). When participants get arrested, support then (sometimes with protests outside the jail even) and kick the phone calls into gear. In my experience, we have had MANY arrests (with anti-war and anti-globalization protests) and most of the time our people are out within 12/24 hrs and the charges are dropped. The arrests are more of an show of power by the police and a desire to stop the action from happening... the are very rarely able to stand up to a courtroom and the DA knows that.
Know your rights - know what they can and can't force you to do/say in jail - Stay strong and support each other. It makes all the difference when you place yourself directly in the way of the police, who have sadly become tools of the corrupt corporation/politicians and no longer serve the masses they came from in the first place.
Critical Mass as a monkey-wrench style event is past its sell-by date. The chaos in this public protest has made about as much of an impact as it ever will. It needs to move beyond being a thorn in the side of downtown areas once a month to being an example of how large numbers of pedestrians and cyclists can commute together without the chaos and hijinks. Obeying the traffic signals and other laws will do more for the image of the event, the cyclists involved and the cyclists not participating. It will bring credibility to the group when it wants to lend its voice to issues on transportation planning and traffic issues. Sadly, I think too many involved do it for the chance to act out, rather than advocate for a cause with specific, acheivable goals.
start the revolution you idiots! Talk,Talk,Talk, but never any action worth a shit.....
Shit or get off the pot...
Shit or get off the pot...
thanks to sacmass for that detailed synopsis of the events.
it pisses me off just thinking about what went down on that friday evening. we all know the pigs are lapdogs for the ruling class. the militarization and paranoia of the police was quite evident on that night which i can attest to firsthand. but, we ain't gonna win against the cops. next month when they show up during our ride, we gotta split to an agreed-upon meeting place and continue the ride from there. who wants to be arrested and slapped with a fine? that's more money for the pigs and the state. let's be smarter next month and not give the pigs an opportunity to catch us. know what i mean?
it pisses me off just thinking about what went down on that friday evening. we all know the pigs are lapdogs for the ruling class. the militarization and paranoia of the police was quite evident on that night which i can attest to firsthand. but, we ain't gonna win against the cops. next month when they show up during our ride, we gotta split to an agreed-upon meeting place and continue the ride from there. who wants to be arrested and slapped with a fine? that's more money for the pigs and the state. let's be smarter next month and not give the pigs an opportunity to catch us. know what i mean?
self defense tactics should be learned by everyone. fuck letting these bastards beat us down like that. they will throw in jail anyway so i say go down fighting or take em down and run.
Self defense such as not consenting to search, not giving information, leaving a scene when not detained, and wearing a hooded windbreaker are wise. You should be aware that slightly tapping an officer can be legally construed as a felony with much higher charges than fighting with another person, much less being beaten at elementary school or by a parent (not even illegal).
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