car mows down criticalmass ride in brazil

[Sasha]

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Driver plows into Critical Mass bicyclists in Porto Alegre, Brazil

Posted by William Goodman (http://www.cbsnews.com/8300-504784_162-10391705.html?contributor=10469987) 3 comments (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504784_162-20037322-10391705.html#addcomm)

(CBS) - Nine bicyclists in a Critical Mass ride event in Porto Alegre, Brazil, were injured after a driver in a VW Golf car drove into the group at high-speed. According to Sky News (http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Brazilian-Car-Hits-Cyclists-Injuring-Dozens-Of-People-at-Critical-Mass-Event-In-Porto-Alegre/Article/201102415942687?lpos=World_News_Second_Home_Page_A rticle_Teaser_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15942687_Brazilian_Car_Hits_Cyclists_I njuring_Dozens_Of_People_at_Critical_Mass_Event_In _Porto_Alegre_), the driver of the car, 47-year-old Richard Neis, has been apprehended by police and is claiming self-defense after being threatened by some of the cyclists.
Critical Mass, a world-wide bike protest that typically occurs on the last Friday of each month, has had similar incidents of aggression occur in the past to some of it bikers. One of the most famous incidents occurred in 2008 when an officer with the NYPD, Patrick Pogan, was caught-on-camera (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUkiyBVytRQ) shoving a protester from his bicycle, leading to a large public outcry and investigation.

Pogan resigned from the NYPD in the aftermath, and was later acquitted of a reckless assault charge, but found guilty of filing a criminal complaint containing false statements about the incident.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504784_162-20037322-10391705.html

[Wanted Man]

Looks like the Dutch colonist mentality has exported another exciting concept (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_attack_on_the_Dutch_royal_family) to the rest of the world.

[The Man]

That is just sick.

The guy is claiming it was self-defense too?

[redasheville]

I saw this on Al Jazeera. As someone who bikes everyday (in major city traffic) it certainly made me weak in the knees.

[Smoochy The Rhino]

I'm not familiar with critical mass. What's it all about?

[Magón]

I'm not familiar with critical mass. What's it all about?

It's sort of like a bicycle version of a flash mob. Some are done for a charity or awareness for something, while some are just to have a flash mob of bike riders, ride through the city or where ever for fun.

[Rss]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUkiyBVytRQ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUkiyBVytRQ)

Something similar happened back in 2008 in New York, only that it was one cop on foot. Shame that this pig wasn't bea- accidentally clobbered within an inch of his life with U-locks.

Just check some of the comments, are americans really this hostile to bicyclists? This frothing, autocentric rage is like from another planet. I really can't wrap it around my head.

[graymouser]

Well, this is unfortunate, although given the tactics of Critical Mass it seemed like something like this would happen eventually.

The problem is, Critical Mass isn't just bike flashmobs. The riders are deliberately taking up a busy street on the last Friday of the month, riding in such a way that cars have to follow after them. They'll also stop up side streets to allow the bike riders in the main group through. It's an intentional tactic to try and build recognition that cyclists are part of normal traffic and bring attention to riders killed by motorists.

People in cities where Critical Mass is a big thing get polarized about it - and some people get really, really pissed off. I mean, if you've got any tendency toward road rage, the fact that a bunch of bike riders are intentionally blocking up traffic at rush hour on a Friday has got to set that off. This isn't to excuse it at all, but if your action is to basically provoke people every month, it becomes a real possibility that someone will act out harmfully.

Again: nothing excuses driving into bicyclists. But people should understand that Critical Mass has been deliberately risking an incident like this for years. Fortunately nobody was killed - but people going to things like this should understand that it's not risk free.

[Drosophila]

The asshole should be charged with 40 counts of attempted murder.

[progressive_lefty]

Absolutely shocking.

This is off-topic, but Porto Alegre is a hot-bed for white-supremacy.