You may have caught the beginning of the annual (25 plus years) "Isle of Manhattan" ride on New Year's Day ... as several dozen motorcyclists gathered on Avenue A between Sixth Street and Seventh Street and rolled up Avenue A as they began their lap around Manhattan.
The ride had the attention of the NYPD. In the video below, a member of the NYPD Highway Patrol is seen driving at a high rate of speed going the wrong way on Avenue A between 10th Street and 11th Street — eventually moving into the bike lane — while keeping tabs on the motorcycles...
In the YouTube description, participants claim they were harassed by the NYPD throughout the ride ...
This year, NYPD Highway decided to make a show of force. Marked and unmarked cars (ironically, no police motorcycles!) trailed the ride. Half way around Manhattan, the police set up a roadblock, and directed all motorcyclists to stop. The riders were 100% legal, law abiding, and wearing excellent protective gear. Nevertheless, our ride was disrupted by the police, and we were told "the ride is over" and "get off the highway and go home."
Suffice it to say, we did not. We are all adults, and serious people. Many of us are professionals, with kids and homes. We didn't break any laws. The US Constitution's First Amendment grants us the right to freedom of assembly. Without reasonable suspicion of any crime, it is a violation of our first amendment rights to harass us as the NYPD did.
If the police truly were interested in increasing motorcycle safety, they should engage in conversation with us – not set up roadblocks, which do nothing to improve safety, and only create a hostile atmosphere between riders and the police.
Critical Mass is in 4 weeks!
ReplyDeletehere we go AGAIN---entitlement---F**K how absolutely inappropriate this is in a densely populated area.......
ReplyDeleteWhy are motorcycles so loud? Over the summer in the middle of the night someone outside my window, was revving their engine for five minutes before they left. So annoying.
ReplyDeleteNYPD does this ALL of the Time! If you knew how many times I have nearly been hit by NYPD cars running the light. No wonder no one follows Laws here since they cant seem to.
ReplyDeleteSince NYPD feels its ok to go the wrong way in a non-emergency situation, I think I'll follow suit. Law enforcement is a joke nowadays. NYPD is a glorified frat.
ReplyDeleteDoes this group need a permit to gather like this? I know some of the marches I have been involved with got paperwork for City Hall and yes we had a police escort.
ReplyDeleteSo the NYPD's logic is to obstruct traffic and increase danger on the streets because people ride motorcycles once a year around Manhattan? What a waste of tax payer funds as usual.
ReplyDeleteDon't feel much empathy for these loud polluting motorbikes which disturb thousands of people as they race by. Agree that this is about entitlement. That said, of course the police are control-freak a-holes, and are out of control.
ReplyDelete@noble: no, they do not need an assembly permit.
ReplyDeleteHow many people do you think this is, anyway? Does a church need an assembly permit to put people in 2-3 vans for a field trip? "I don't know, they could do a terrorism with all those people!"
Biking home down Avenue A yesterday, I encountered an NYPD double parked in the bike lane out in front of the 7-11, then observed as the cops trundled out with a tray of donuts. Message: “LOL bike lives don’t matter, fuck you get a cat hippy loosers”
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of arrogant and LOUD motor vehicles (particularly motorcyclists), showing off and disturbing the peace. I like the facy that the NYPD was doing something proactive here. With them on this one.
ReplyDeleteFuck the motorcyclists! Who the hell do they think they are, especially to decide that New Year's Day somehow "belongs" to them, that they have some divine right to make unnecessary & excessive noise that the rest of us have to deal with? Screw them; take it to NJ where you'll be right at home.
ReplyDeleteVery happy the NYPD interfered with this, and I hope the super-smug entitled motorcyclists GROW UP. If you want to be taken as "serious people" (what a joke!), "many of us professionals"(another joke), "some with kids and homes" (well, whoop-de-do)" then stop pulling BS stunts like this. MANY of the rest of us are also professionals - some with kids, BTW - and we don't behave like teenage boys who need to make extreme noise to get attention. Nobody wants the Hell's Angels equivalent of Santacon on New Year's Day. Enough already!