critical mass 7/29

Last week's Villager has a lengthy article on the Critical Mass where this author was arrested for "parading without a permit." Yours truly was not charged with a violation or a crime. After being held in police custody for about three hours, I was released and my bicycle returned. All 33 other detainees were given Desk Appearance Tickets and will be charged with disorderly conduct and parading.

How It Happened

According to Jefferson Siegel, the ride left Union Square when the Free Speech rally ended at around 7:30. It seemed like around 15 minutes into the ride,

At 8 p.m., as a small group approached Seventh Ave. on 14th St., police blocked off the intersection and started placing riders under arrest. ... [One rider] said the group she was riding with was very small and stopped at every red light. “The people who obeyed the law are the ones they arrested,” she said.