Home > Bikers busted in rally: 5,000 bikers swarmed out of Union Square Park
Bikers busted in rally: 5,000 bikers swarmed out of Union Square Park
by Open-Publishing - Saturday 28 August 2004BY LUIS PEREZ AND PETE BOWLES
More than 250 people were arrested Friday night when a bicycle rally turned chaotic and riders ignored traffic laws in what became an anti-Bush protest.
The cyclists, part of the Critical Mass group that rallies monthly to promote pollution-free transportation, had been warned they faced arrest if they broke traffic laws but roared through red lights, blocked intersections and chanted anti-Bush slogans.
They were charged with disorderly conduct and breaking traffic laws.
The ride began peacefully as about 5,000 bikers swarmed out of Union Square Park at 7:30 p.m. under watchful police officers who trailed them on scooters and followed them overhead in three helicopters and a blimp on loan from Fujifilm.
As the night wore on and the riders continued to traverse Manhattan, several dozen people were arrested in incidents on Second Avenue near 10th Street, at 34th Street and Seventh Avenue and East 10th Street and Avenue A.
There also was a report of a minor accident involving a Land Rover and bikes at West Houston and Mercer Street.
The rally ended about 9:30 p.m. at Second Avenue and East 10th Street in front of St. Mark’s Church, but the bikers continued to block traffic on Second Avenue.
Police in riot gear moved in to disperse the crowd.
The street was cleared by 10 p.m. and several bicycles were confiscated.
Earlier, at East 12th Street and Broadway, a truck driver shouted insults at the protesters as a woman on in-line skates and three men on bikes blocked auto traffic.
"Move it, move it, let’s go," shouted the driver between expletives. "You don’t even know who is running against Bush."
When the driver was unable to move, he jumped out of his truck, picked up one bicycle and threw it into the street.
Two uniformed officers broke up the argument, and no arrests were made.
Many of the riders - who usually join forces on the last Friday of each month to promote the rights of bicyclists and pedestrians - wore anti-Bush buttons and shouted anti-Bush slogans.
But before the rally began, they laughed at a puppet show in the park that mocked John Kerry, as well as George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.
At Union Square, police handed out fliers to bikers warning that they faced arrest and the loss of their bicycles if they violated traffic laws, rode on sidewalks or rode more than two abreast.
The accident at West Houston and Mercer Street occurred when a motorist and several bicyclists collided.
No injuries were reported but the protesters walked away with crumpled bikes.
Warren Karp, 44, of Cobble Hill, a free-lance theater set designer on a mountain bike, said he was not afraid of being arrested and said that the bikers were being peaceful.
"These people are not the kind of people who are going to fly planes into buildings or blow things up," Karp said. "Most of these people are hard working people."
Although the ride ended at St. Mark’s Church, some riders reversed course on Broadway and rode up to Times Square, shouting "Who’s Streets? Our Streets."
One truck driver, who was stalled in traffic for 10 minutes, said he disagreed with the tactics of the protesters.
"I don’t mind people protesting in a respectful way, but when it starts to harm and hurt people then it’s not right," said the driver.
Many bystanders cheered on the riders. Among them was Reggie Bennett, 24, a graduate student at New York University.
"I think people feel that even if they vote, they don’t have a voice," he said. "They have to do this."
Staff writers Graham Rayman and Rocco Parascandola contributed to this story.