The whole US Police force seems to be made up of the bullies everyone ran from in high school.
Now they have the law behind them and they are still up to their power trips.

I can't see any reason why that cop shouldn't be in jail. He didn't issue any warnings to that cyclist (and if he did, it wasn't nearly loud enough, and he made no hand signals). I can't see any excuse for that.

wtf was that all about? Maybe he did something out of frame...? regardless, that's no way to apprehend a suspect. I bet the cyclist could sue the NYPD for police brutality.

that was one of the greatest PIT maneuvers I've ever seen, excellent job by the police to get that criminal to the ground without incident

Slammed down onto the curb. Could have broken anything. I smell a lawsuit and a hefty payout.

I dont know much about NY law but I guess in most places, short of the cyclist having committed a violent crime, that was an assault, and could result in dismissal.

It will probably result in the policeman getting a paid vacation and a promotion when he's back to work. He should be dismissed from the force with disgrace and fined heftily or jailed for this assault. It's not like there's a shortage of witnesses. However, police forces seem to endorse this sort of behaviour from the sociopaths they recruit.

Again we all judge with zero information outside of a short clip. The only news release on this so far has come from Time's Up, the environmental group involved. There has been conflict between them and the NYPD for years. It is possible that its a completely unprovoked assault, but the NYPD has only ticketed/detained riders in the past.

I wonder why he would do that. Maybe I have more faith in cops than the rest of you, but would he really have done a take-down on that guy without a reason? Those two cops standing in the middle of the street like that checking each passing biker almost seems like they were looking for someone or something specific. I don't agree with him just going all WWF on him without telling him to stop first, but I guess we can be thankful he didn't decide to just taser him off the bike as he went by, right?

There is nothing that cyclist could have done to provoke that reaction. I don't care if he flipped off the cops while wearing a Fuck the Police shirt and eating bacon; there was no justification for that.

The TV show 'South Park' provided a clever commentary about exactly this sort of situation;

"Respect-My-Authority!"

Upon a second viewing it might simply be the case that the assaulted was near the back of the pack, and had no video camera person biking behind him (nearest one can be seen at 14sec).

Unfortunately for the assaulter, it was in Times Square, America's tourist Mecca, where every third hand grasps a digital camera to soak up the visual violence.

Here are links to two news articles regarding this "police operation":

WCBSTV

NY1

That cop had a perfectly legitimate reason to knock the cyclist down: So it would be easier to tase him.

Never let the facts get in the way of a good story, eh Bill O?

Police have placed the officer, identified as Patrick Pogan, on desk duty pending the outcome of a department investigation. Pogan told officials that [the biker, Christopher Long], was obstructing traffic and that the biker was actually trying to run him down.

Long, 29, was charged with attempted assault, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct.

He'll make an appearance in court on August 5.

If they keep this bullshit up Im gonna go back to college and add a law degree to my accolades (how I despise lawyers, and college) and I'm gonna bring down the system. Or die trying, because some one has to.

How I would love to ravage these tough guys in court and leave them in the fetal position in the corner of the court room while the Judge screams "Order in the court!" and the jury laughs at his pink polka dotted underpants.

>> ^chilaxe:

Police have placed the officer, identified as Patrick Pogan, on desk duty pending the outcome of a department investigation. Pogan told officials that [the biker, Christopher Long], was obstructing traffic and that the biker was actually trying to run him down.
Long, 29, was charged with attempted assault, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct.
He'll make an appearance in court on August 5.

What a prick. If your source is accurate chilaxe, that dickhead's lies were caught on camera and he should be punished as any other criminal assaulting an unarmed civilian.

Yeah stripping him of his gun and badge is good though he still has a job and is getting payed. If you watch the CBS news story about it the officer claims that the cyclist was stopping traffic which the bikers claim is impossible.

Now speaking from my own experience here in LA there are 2 main bike groups that once a week shut down major streets of Hollywood with hundreds of bikes. I believe one of them calls themselves Critical Mass as well. Now I have personally seen them YES send a biker into the street (doesnt matter if its green light or red light) and sit in the lanes making sure all the other bikers get through and stay together. This action doesnt change due to red lights or turn arrow or even walk signs, no. So yes they do break the law and sit in the lanes obstruct traffic by using their bodies. It pisses everyone off, could really hurt someone, and cripples traffic for a good chunk of the night.

Am i saying the biker deserved that, no and that cop better get whats coming to him, but do the bikers break the law (and know it), yes so the group hopefully wont try to totally milk the whole innocent victim routine.

Ok, that would appear to be borderline psychotic. Just tags the guy for no apparent reason. At first I seen it looks like it is going to be a collision, but then the cop has to take a little skip and a good reach to get the guy.

"Pogan told officials that Long was obstructing traffic and that the biker was actually trying to run him down. "

So the cop gave a false account. At the very least the cop should be charged with filing a false report.

Kind of reminds me of a National Geographic video.

Obviously shooting into a crowd of protesters is wrong like at Kent state... but every once and awhile, you gotta expect a little bit of tear gas, after all what's the fun in doing something that's not technically legal, if it's not a little bit dangerous too. So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and if you got a scar... well thanks for playing.


For a little more info on Critical Mass

Alright, I guess I have to admit I was wrong when I claimed he must have had a good reason. Or at least, not a bullshit reason. Trying to run him down? The biker was obviously dodging left as the police officer was walking across his line of travel. Even after the dodge, the officer had to take two quick steps to intercept him. From the video I was betting that they were looking for him specifically, but if they're trying to nab him on some phony assault charges I hope justice is done and this video or another like it is shown to prove otherwise.

I bet the cop targeted one of the traffic stoppers that Jordass mentioned. He would then charge him with all sorts of trumped up crap to make an example.

To serve and protect...

Well, that's infuriating.

Yes, it is infuriating.
1) How could that moron cop not realize SOMEONE would get him on tape?
2) The entire internets always assumes that because they see a video of a bad cop, the rest of them are just as bad and corrupt.
That's not the case. You only see bad cop videos because Mr. Polite officer doing his job properly just isn't interesting.
3) This asshole just makes it harder for everyone else to do their job.

But yet it's okay for these pricks in Critical Mass to disobey traffic laws, block traffic and cause general mayhem?

Hmmm... Some logic clearly dismisses all logic.

>> ^Sagemind:
The whole US Police force seems to be made up of the bullies everyone ran from in high school.
Now they have the law behind them and they are still up to their power trips.


In my experience, the problem officers are the ones that spent high school unsure of themselves or had Napoleon complexes. They couldn't convince their peers to respect them on an even playing field, so as adults they assume the automatic respect conferred by their profession.

A free and democratic state in action? The US is not.

Let's assume for a moment that the cyclist was the known ringleader of an extremist animal rights terrorist organisation, and that this officer was on a stakeout, and he spotted the suspect and took him down before any innocent pharmaceutical industry employees got hurt....


Nah i also go with the "policeman is a prick" theory.
Try pushing a policeman off his bike and then claiming it was self defence, see how far you get.

And by the way they are not "blocking traffic"... they ARE the fucking traffic, morons.

I think the Marine makes a really good point. And, it gets worse. The bad cops incite the public into anger against them, even further making into an us-vrs-them situation, and making the police even more insular. From what I have observed, that attitude (us vrs them) is getting steadily worse and worse in the police forces, and this kind of stuff just makes it all the worse. Unfortunately, they are hesitant to take very firm action to get rid of the idiots (for some good and not so good reasons) and the cycle goes on (or not, as the case may be....)

New York is a special case - the cops handling those events are usually not the regular "beat cops". It appears that these are officers trained for anti-riot activity, and they use a LOT of violence at any point of disorder.
Since some of the critical mass people are known for baiting cops, it could be that the cop was responding to something off camera - e.g. the rider throwing something or hitting an off-camera cop - since the first rule is NEVER let anyone who assaults or insults the police get away. That's one of the reasons NY today is safer then it was 15 years ago...
On the other hand, a lot of those cops are sadistic assholes (unlike most beat cops).
In either case, don't expect the truth to come out at court - everybody is too well practiced for it to happen. Instead, just assume that a regular risk of protesting in NYC is broken bones and arrest.

rightwinger: it could be that the cop was responding to something off camera - e.g. the rider throwing something or hitting an off-camera cop

If that was true, those things would have been part of the complaint filed against the cyclist along with the made-up charges. The entire complaint was false. Even the part about obstructing traffic couldn't be true -- the cop is only looking in that direction for 5 seconds before he singles out the cyclist. Nothing you can do for 5 seconds, among a group of parked cars, can be obstructing traffic.

100 + cycles going through an intersection takes a LOT longer than five seconds, so yes, it is obstructing traffic.

Yup, divide and conquer. That's the whole idea.


>> ^pmkierst:
I think the Marine makes a really good point. And, it gets worse. The bad cops incite the public into anger against them, even further making into an us-vrs-them situation, and making the police even more insular. From what I have observed, that attitude (us vrs them) is getting steadily worse and worse in the police forces, and this kind of stuff just makes it all the worse. Unfortunately, they are hesitant to take very firm action to get rid of the idiots (for some good and not so good reasons) and the cycle goes on (or not, as the case may be....)

>> ^MarineGunrock:
100 + cycles going through an intersection takes a LOT longer than five seconds, so yes, it is obstructing traffic.

i prefer the word "redefining".

Am I the only person here who knows what RAVAGE means? How has this cop caused wholesale destruction and devastation to the countryside around this bicyclist?

He got PWND pretty bad, but it was little more than a hearty shove. Looks to me like he had a bunch of soft, squishy onlookers to fall on.

See that's why we shouldn't have bicycles on the road: I don't know a single cop who would try that if that guy had been in a car.

I'm seriously starting to think Olbermann (or his staff) are frequent visitors to Videosift. Usually his "Oddball" segment is entirely comprised of vids that can be found here, but tonight this was part of his worst person segment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsJstdZEJh0

>> ^Payback:
Am I the only person here who knows what RAVAGE means? How has this cop caused wholesale destruction and devastation to the countryside around this bicyclist?
He got PWND pretty bad, but it was little more than a hearty shove. Looks to me like he had a bunch of soft, squishy onlookers to fall on.


Main Entry: 1rav·age
Pronunciation: \ˈra-vij\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Middle French, from ravir to ravish — more at ravish
Date: circa 1611
1 : an act or practice of ravaging
2 : damage resulting from ravaging : violently destructive effect <the ravages of time>

Main Entry: 2ravage
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): rav·aged; rav·ag·ing
Date: circa 1611
transitive verb
: to wreak havoc on : affect destructively
intransitive verb
: to commit destructive actions
— rav·age·ment \-vij-mənt\ noun
— rav·ag·er noun

What are you people whining about? If I was on duty I would have maced and tazed every cyclist within range ... you're all weak

no excuse is valid here. that cop should be suspended asap

He should be givin a medal

I try to give police the benefit of the doubt when it comes to situations like this, but in this case the only thing in the policeman's own report that might necessitate such an action, was clearly not true in the video. The cop claimed the cyclist tried to run him over, the video clearly shows the cyclist trying to avoid hitting him as opposed to trying to run the officer over. The only charge the officer cited not related to him knocking him off the bike, was obstruction of traffic. Assuming the cyclist did do something that obstructed traffic, the officer never made any signal to the cyclist to stop beyond body checking him into the curb. So in this case going by the officer's report and the evidence in the video I'd say this was completely 100% unwarranted.

>> ^Jordass:
Yeah stripping him of his gun and badge is good though he still has a job and is getting payed. If you watch the CBS news story about it the officer claims that the cyclist was stopping traffic which the bikers claim is impossible.
Now speaking from my own experience here in LA there are 2 main bike groups that once a week shut down major streets of Hollywood with hundreds of bikes. I believe one of them calls themselves Critical Mass as well. Now I have personally seen them YES send a biker into the street (doesnt matter if its green light or red light) and sit in the lanes making sure all the other bikers get through and stay together. This action doesnt change due to red lights or turn arrow or even walk signs, no. So yes they do break the law and sit in the lanes obstruct traffic by using their bodies. It pisses everyone off, could really hurt someone, and cripples traffic for a good chunk of the night.
Am i saying the biker deserved that, no and that cop better get whats coming to him, but do the bikers break the law (and know it), yes so the group hopefully wont try to totally milk the whole innocent victim routine.



Can you point me to the new york statute that forbids the assembly of a protest group in a public road, the illegality of the individuals actions, as well as the constitutional basis for such a law? Can you also point me to the statute which enables the officer to utilize the amount of force displayed in the enforcement of said law?

Hi, just making an appearance. I agree with what he/she/it said above. Except for that one comment.

-->100th upvote.

>> ^NetRunner:
I'm seriously starting to think Olbermann (or his staff) are frequent visitors to Videosift. Usually his "Oddball" segment is entirely comprised of vids that can be found here, but tonight this was part of his worst person segment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsJstdZEJh0


Agreed.

Well I'm going to complete the cycle by sifting his video up.

http://www.videosift.com/video/New-York-Cop-Patrick-Pogan-Worst-person-in-the-World

What is it with people who think that they can fuck things up for everyone else? Just because you're a mob doesn't mean that you have the right to mess around with traffic in NYC. If you fuck with me I will fuck with you back. Every one of those cyclists deserved to be harrassed; it's simply what they're doing to everyone else who had to sit around and witness their self indulging spectacle.

Can you point me to the new york statute that forbids the assembly of a protest group in a public road, the illegality of the individuals actions, as well as the constitutional basis for such a law?

>> ^imstellar28:


Yeah sure you have the right to voice your opinion. But no matter how legit your greviance is, that doesn't give you the right to mess around with other innocent people. I am not the cause of your present predicament and if you want to inconveince me without my consent then fuck you. You are acting like a spoiled brat whose motto is: "if I'm not happy then no one else should be". And people like that deserve to get some manners beaten into them.

>> ^mentality:
Can you point me to the new york statute that forbids the assembly of a protest group in a public road, the illegality of the individuals actions, as well as the constitutional basis for such a law?
>> ^imstellar28:

Yeah sure you have the right to voice your opinion. But no matter how legit your greviance is, that doesn't give you the right to mess around with other innocent people. I am not the cause of your present predicament and if you want to inconveince me without my consent then fuck you. You are acting like a spoiled brat whose motto is: "if I'm not happy then no one else should be". And people like that deserve to get some manners beaten into them.



How in posing a question did I express an opinion or grievance? There are several issues being discussed by posters, of which I brought up two: 1. was the bicyclist acting legally 2. was the amount of force appropriate in the circumstance. Several posters seem to have concluded the biker was acting illegally, and I was merely inquiring as to what information they were basing this assessment on.

You, for example, appear to believe the bicyclists are somehow infringing on the other motorists rights--can you explain how?

An argument one might raise would be that the bicyclists are blocking traffic--which is causing an inconvenience for the motorists. However, the bicyclists aren't blocking traffic...they *are* traffic.

1. bicyclists can legally ride on public roads, except where posted (i.e. freeways)
2. a bicyclist can advance through a red light if they come to a complete stop first
3. the right to assemble is a constitutionally protected right

Imagine if instead of those 200 bicycles riding around, they decided to protest by having each member put their bicycle on a bike rack and drive around in their car instead--what would the traffic look like with 200 cars on that same road? Which would be more of an inconvenience for the other motorists? What if instead of riding their bikes at all, they did this every single day?

Your personal feelings towards bicycles, traffic, or protests have no bearing on the legality or morality of the situation--nor do they have any place in a rational discussion.

What a title, "ravages". haha
Stupid wimpy bicyclist. They do not know there are laws and they can not block traffic when they go through lights and have their buddies stop cross traffic which the do everywhere.

^imstellar28:

... I am not the cause of your present predicament and if you want to inconveince me without my consent then fuck you.

Then I'm sure you won't might when someone fucks you because they feel inconvenienced by you. Maybe someone will post a video of the beating.

After reading the discussion here, I came across this from the Know Your Rights Manual for New York City Messengers and Cyclists:

"What’s the Law?
Many cops don’t even know the law. How many times were you pulled over for
something that you swore that the cop made up? Know the law, and you will
have power. This information is from Transportation Alternatives/

Rights and Responsibilities
You must obey traffic laws. Every bicyclist and in-line skater has the same
rights and is subject to the same duties as a driver of a vehicle, with certain
exceptions. (NYS 1231)

Where to Ride
Ride in the bike lane if provided, except for safety, turns, etc. (NYC 4-12, p)
On a wide one-way roadway, ride on either side. (NYC 4-12, p)
Ride on the right side of the roadway, with above exceptions. (NYS 1234)
Where Not to Ride
Don’t ride on the sidewalk unless you are twelve years old or younger. (NYC 4-
07, c)
If you ride on the sidewalk, your bike can be confiscated. (NYC Admin Code
19-176)
Don’t ride on expressways, highways, interstates or thruways unless authorized
by signs. (NYC 4-12, o)

How to Ride - How Not to Ride
Don’t hitch your bike or cling to any other vehicle on the roadway. (No skitching.)
(NYS 1233)
Don’t ride more than two abreast. Ride single file when being passed. (NYS
1234)
Use hand and arm signals to indicate turns and stops. (NYS 1237)
If you’re carrying packages, keep at least one hand on handlebar. (NYS 1235)
Don’t ride friends on the handlebars or seat. Carry only the number of persons
for which your bike is designed. (NYS 1232)
Ride with your feet on the pedals. (NYS 1232)"

For the record, I agree that the use of force here was excessive and unlawful and just plain disgusting. So onto the legalities! I can't see how biking en masse in this manner, especially on what appears to be a multiple lane one-way road, is technically legal due to the above. Can someone also explain how this falls under freedom of assembly? Disrupting traffic and ignoring cyclist laws, possibly causing collisions with other drivers and or/other pedestrians, somewhat negates the "whole assemble peaceably and in an orderly manner" under which any other protest would have to abide by. If I'm misinformed in my attempt at ascertaining the situation on a subject I have literally zero experience but am interested in, please inform me. In no way am I defending Captain McClusky's actions.

The issue has got me thinking about my own state's laws on cycling. Should I ever need to know.

"YouTube video exposes cop who attempted to cover up assault on bicyclist"
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/YouTube_video_exposes_cop_who_attempted_0730.html

A New York City police officer has been placed behind a desk after being caught on tape deliberately pushing a man off of his bike during a Friday Critical Mass event in Times Square.

"See that's why we shouldn't have bicycles on the road: I don't know a single cop who would try that if that guy had been in a car".

As for judging the cop, walk a mile in their shoes then come back here and bitch. Until then, appreciate that someone will do a job; that 98% of the general population won't do; for next to nothing in pay and then have every action they take examined under a microscope on a daily basis.

We're not judging all who have worn a badge throughout history; we're judging one person who decided that shoving someone off their bike was an appropriate action. The act of being a police officer is not a crime, but the act of potentially harming someone who is not an imminent threat to your personal well-being IS a crime. And it doesn't matter if someone is wearing a uniform or not. Criminality is found in the mind, not in the clothing.

it's not legal, it's civil disobedience.

the force used here by the officer was excessive and totally ineffective at solving the "problem", in fact I bet $1000 that the next critical mass is an even bigger "illegal annoyance" to other road users, because of this video. People riding bikes do not pose a threat to anybody's life. Traffic from private cars, however, DOES.

one thing you're all forgetting is that a big aim of the protest is to reprioritise the roads in favour of pedestrians and cyclists, and improve public transport to get cars off the road. if you think that's a bad thing then good luck with your diabetes and asthma.

Fuck cars. You moan about bikes blocking the road for an hour but you say nothing about the insane amount of horrible death that results from cars.

Assholes like this cop do make it harder for other cops to do their job. If people can't trust their police to react appropriately (the police officer could have motioned for the cyclist to pull over) in a situation, who the hell can they trust?

The level of force used was disproportionate and inappropriate. There was no order to stop and the cyclist did not represent a threat (hell, my neighbours 4 year old manages to go faster than that guy on her trike...).

And because the dumbass was stupid enough to get caught on camera and then lie on a report, chances are if this doesn't quiet down (and I don't see protest groups and civil liberties mobs letting it die down) he will probably be punted to save face more than to punish him (whether he serves time for assault is another matter).

The cyclist was acting illegally and may be charged, or not, depending on how embarrassing this gets for the NYPD.

"The cyclist was acting illegally and may be charged, or not, depending on how embarrassing this gets for the NYPD."

What are you basing this assessment on? There is no evidence in that video that the cyclist is acting in an illegal manner. Do you have other evidence we have not seen? From the video it is apparent the traffic signal is indicating red--but there is no indication as to where the bicyclist originated from (a sidewalk, a side street, or the roadway) or whether he stopped at the traffic signal before preceding (as he is legally permitted by law).

Furthermore, the question could be raised as to whether the NYPD was acting legally (excessive force aside), as they may have legal obligations to control or direct the flow of traffic during an assembly, protest, or parade.

imstellar, read a few comments up that quoted NYC LAW stating that cyclists are not to ride more than two abreast or other than the side of the road.

Follow up: http://politics.videosift.com/talk/Charges-Against-Shoved-Cyclist-Are-Dropped-NY-Times

Tags for this video have been changed from 'critical mass, cyclist, nypd, wear a helmet next time' to 'critical mass, cyclist, nypd, wear a helmet next time, ny, new york, police' - edited by Ornthoron