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In the opinion of this author, these articles contain mostly one-sided accounts of Friday evening's events, relying more on official police reports than on eyewitness accounts. The first article, by Ferdinand M. de Leon, is a happy exception to this.
Copyright 1997 The Seattle Times CompanyFeb. 2, 1997
Rush-hour bicycle ride that turned into melee is part of world protest
by Ferdinand M. de Leon, Seattle Times staff reporter
Once a month, in cities around the world, groups of bicyclists converge to ride together through traffic-jammed streets.Intended as a show of solidarity among bicyclists railing against an auto-centric world, the movement -- called Critical Mass -- has steadily gained support in Seattle, where the rallies have been a monthly occurrence since fall.
But during the local group's most recent ride Friday evening in Seattle, Critical Mass' lofty aim of supporting an environmentally friendly alternative to cars and boosting unity among bike-riders degenerated into a melee.
Police and bicyclists give conflicting accounts of what happened, but by the end of the confrontation, four men and one woman, ranging in age from 23 to 29, had been arrested for allegedly assaulting officers. All five are bicycle messengers. Three police officers suffered minor head injuries and were treated at Harborview Medical Center, police said.
"This wasn't a demonstration, it was like someone said, `Let's cause chaos,' " Seattle Police Lt. Steven Paulsen said yesterday.
According to police, the ride, which included 100 participants, started around 5:30 p.m. near Westlake Center. At Fifth Avenue and Virginia Street, the riders "began being aggressive with traffic," Paulsen said.
The group encircled a tourist bus and reportedly banged into the bus with their bikes. The bicyclists also ran through several red lights, according to police reports.
Near the 900 block of Madison Street, an officer tried to arrest one of the bicyclists for running a red light but he wouldn't stop, Paulsen said. When the officer was able to stop the rider, the officer was surrounded by bicyclists, who allegedly hit him with bike pumps and other accessories, Paulsen said.
As other police officers attempted to control the crowd, the other officers were injured, Paulsen said.
Yoram Bauman, 23, a participant in the rally, offered a different account of Friday night's fracas, disputing the police contention that the bicyclists assaulted officers.
"I didn't see anybody hitting any of the officers," Bauman said. "That first officer wasn't touched. He was surrounded and I can see why he may have felt intimidated, but no one touched him. I have no idea how the officers got hurt."
Bauman, who describes the Critical Mass events as peaceful, social gatherings with a political agenda, blames police overreaction for the confrontation.
"I think it was a sad development to get 20 police cars chasing about 100 people in bikes. It seems a vast use of power that's not necessary, but I also feel that it's symbolic of the way bicyclists get treated. They're marginalized and they don't get respect," Bauman said.
Critical Mass rides typically draw those who use bikes to earn their living, like messengers, and those who rely on their bikes in their daily life. Bauman, for instance, uses his bike to get to his job as a bagger for the Puget Consumers Co-op. The informal group has no leaders and often passes along news of upcoming rallies through word of mouth.
"We have the bike rides so people who are on bikes all day don't have to feel they're the only ones out there, suffering discrimination from the car-riding population," he said.
During their monthly rides, the bicyclists achieve brief parity with other vehicles on the road, and feel less at the mercy of cars, Bauman said. That the rides often worsen rush-hour traffic jams is minor payback.
Critical Mass bike rides began in San Francisco in September 1992. According to Web sites about it, there are now regular rides in more than 100 cities. In London, the monthly rides attract 800 people.
Seattle had Critical Mass rides for about two years, but they died off some time ago. In October, the rides started again and have been steadily drawing more participants, said Bauman, a regular participant since then.
Aside from occasional run-ins with police, previous rides have been largely uneventful, Bauman said.
But confrontations with police have become enough of an issue that Critical Mass founder Chris Carlsson of San Francisco has addressed the group's ambivalent relationship with police in a Web-site essay.
"The tension provided by police attention has been an attraction to some Massers and a disincentive to others," he wrote. "In any case, it, and our varied responses to it, have shaped our political culture."
Police say Friday's incident was sparked by the riders, who disregarded traffic laws and created a hazard on busy city streets.
"We don't have a problem with most demonstrations, they're usually peaceful and they just want to put out their message," Paulsen said. "This is not the right approach to take on these things."
Those arrested are being held on investigation of assault and felony assault and were booked into King County Jail Friday night, Paulsen said. Their jail status was unclear yesterday. Three others were issued traffic citations.
Copyright 1997 The Seattle Times Company
Copyright 1997 The Seattle Times CompanyFeb. 1, 1997
4 arrested in assault on officers: Cyclists' protest turns violent
by Seattle Times staff and Associated Press
Four people were arrested for investigation of assault lst night after allegedly attacking a group of Seattle Police officers who were attempting to control a demonstration by 75 to 100 cyclists.Police said the cyclists headed south on Fifth Avenue from Virginia Street into rush hour traffic shortly before 6 p.m. and severely slwed traffic through the business district.
The group then turned uphill on Madison Street and some of them assaulted seven officers near the 900 block of Madison, police said.
The officers suffered minor injuries and were not hospitalized.
The violence erupted when an officer tried to stop one bicyclist who was hitting a vehicle, police said.
"And then as the other officers approached, they were assaulted, kicked, struck with bicycles and threatened," Lt. Jerry Adams said.
Police dispersed the crowd with pepper spray.
A witness, Karen Johanson, said she did not see officers assaulted, although some of the cyclists did question officers about their handling of one cyclist who put his bike down in the street and then lay down beside it.
Some of them struggled a little when taken into custody by police, she said.
Four of the demonstrators were arrested and taken to the police West precinct for interviews and processing and then to the King County jail, police spokeswoman Carmen Best said.
The police precinct was closed to public access after the demonstration "to get everything stabilized and under control," Best said.
The cyclists are believed to be members of a group called Critical Mass and were protesting bicycle conditions downtown.
Johanson, who knows some Critical Mass riders, said she believes they are seeking higher visibility as roadway users and are exerting rights to use the streets in safety.
Information from Seattle Times staff reporter Dee Norton is included in this report. Copyright 1997 The Seattle Times Company
Copyright 1997 The Seattle Post-IntelligencerFeb. 1, 1997
News Brief: Five police officers hurt while trying to stop demonstration
Five Seattle police officers were slightly injured last night when trying to break up a demonstration of bicycle messengers.The officers were assaulted by a group of demonstrators at about 5:45 p.m. at the corner of madison Avenue and Terry Street, police said.
Four demonstrators were taken into custody. The officers were not seriously harmed, but police did not give out details.
Police also did not say what the demonstration was about or what prompted the altercation.
Copyright 1997 The Seattle Post-Intelligencer