If you weren’t one of the million people that watched this video of an NYPD Officer body-checking a guy off of his bicycle in the last week, check it out now.
It happened while we were taking our cruise about Harrisburg and I have to say that we have it easy here. When I saw this I just felt appalled, and as Internet justice goes this officer lost his badge this week. As it turns out, this kind of thing isn’t rare and NYPD has had it out for their Critical Massers the last few years. Their tactics are interesting: use of mopeds, confiscating bikes (even cutting locks), arresting cyclists at stop lights and take note of the car-cutting-you-off tactic. Just saying, they’re cops and they do this for a living. After years of harassment and misunderstanding, it isn’t surprising that an officer could feel correct in body-checking a cyclist into the air and arresting him.
That being said, NYPD is missing a real opportunity to be part of the community it serves and protects. By all means, the Critical Mass movement is meant to bring awareness that might serve to protect the approximately 800 cyclists who die on our roads a year. Perhaps the cops could help bring awareness? Could they maybe get on their bikes and ride along? Probably not, but it would be better than ruining a good thing.
August 19, 2008 at 10:05 am |
[...] I’ve been putting posts up there and here. [...]