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Bike National Convention – Pedals to political mettle; An environmental group tries to make inroads with rides through the city to protest GOP event Newsday (New York) News Section Pg. A19 June 23, 2004 By Joshua Robin They will claim the war was all for oil and offer plenty of anti-Bush invective – all while… read more

‘It’s a shameful abuse of power’ Viewed as “arrest evidence,” the City will not return 338 bikes seized until the court cases are resolved New York Newsday By Graham Rayman September 9th, 2004 http://www.newsday.com/news/it-s-a-shameful-abuse-of-power-1.707217 Katherine Roberts flies home to San Francisco today minus her beloved folding bicycle. Police arrested Roberts, 51, an alternative transportation advocate,… read more

Cops: We’ll Break Cycle of Protests New York Daily News By Greg Gittrich and Pete Donohue September 23rd, 2004 Cyclists and cops are headed for another showdown in the streets tomorrow night. Bike riders who take part in large group rides called Critical Mass the last Friday night of each month are vowing to pedal… read more

Bike Rally Gets NYPD Warning New York Post By Zach Haberman September 24th, 2004 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/item_gstQFc4JSlXQQDh0e0wSDP The NYPD yesterday warned bicycle riders who intend to participate in to- night’s monthly trek through the city’s streets that they will be arrested if they fail to adhere to the rules of the road. Thousands of cyclists will gather… read more

Police Warn of Arrests at a Mass Bike Ride The New York Times By Thomas J. Lueck September 24, 2004 http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/24/nyregion/24bike.html The police warned a group of 1,000 cyclists expected to congregate tonight at Union Square for a monthly ride that they faced mass arrests like those that occurred last month if they did not… read more

Cops warn cyclists not to break the law New York Newsday By Luis Perez, Staff Writer September 24, 2004 The police yesterday sent a message to bicyclists planning to attend tonight’s Critical Mass ride: If you break traffic laws, you’ll ride straight to jail. Police arrested 264 people and confiscated their bikes during the Aug.… read more

Bike Protestors and Police Talking about Tonight’s Rally in New York WABC New York By Eyewitness News’ Kemberly Richardson September 24, 2004 It has been a monthly ritual for the past six years: Packs of cyclists gather in Union Square and pedal throughout the city. They are advocating non-polluting forms of transportation. Up until last… read more

NYPD Says No Arrests Made at Cycling Protest Anticipated Problems Apparently Avoided WABC (New York) Not Credited September 24, 2004 Riding for ‘Critical Mass,’ hundreds of bicyclists took to the streets Friday night in Manhattan. The riders were protesting for better riding conditions and fewer cars on the streets of New York City. Despite the… read more

Hundreds Of Cyclists Gear Up To Swarm Streets Of Manhattan NY1 (New York) Not credited September 24th, 2004 http://www.ny1.com/content/43562/hundreds-of-cyclists-gear-up-to-swarm-streets-of-manhattan Hundreds of protesting bicyclists are getting ready to swarm the streets of Manhattan again Friday night, and police say they are ready. The environmental activist group Critical Mass plans to hold another one of its monthly… read more

Police, bike riders brace for Critical Mass NYPD issue stern warning but activists not deterred. Metro New York September 24th, 2004 By Joshua Rhett Miller MANHATTAN — Not even 264 arrests, hundreds of confiscations at the Republican National Convention and a stern police warning will deter members of Critical Mass, an ad hoc activist group… read more

Advocates Say Mayor Could Do More for Cyclists New York Newsday By Graham Rayman – Staff Writer September 24th, 2004 With a confrontation looming Friday night between cyclists and police, advocates of alternative transportation said Mayor Michael Bloomberg could do more to improve bike access for New Yorkers. But they also said that because prior… read more

9 Arrested During Mass Bike Ride Between 800 And 1,000 People Took Part In The Ride WCBS-TV New York September 25, 2004 Not Credited A mass bicycle ride ended with nine arrests on Friday, a month after police arrested hundreds of cyclists who mobbed streets the weekend before the Republican National Convention. “We think the… read more

Cyclists roll out peaceful protest New York Daily News September 25th, 2004 By Kerry Burke and Maki Becker http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/cyclists-roll-peaceful-protest-article-1.611340 Protestors on bicycles took to the streets of Manhattan last night, but it was a smooth ride compared with what happened before the Republican National Convention. The 800 cyclists who turned out yesterday wheeled around town… read more

Critical Mass Ride Lots of bikes, but far less drama New York Newsday September 26th, 2004 Reported by Sean Gardiner, Dan Janison, Rocco Parascandola and Graham Rayman Written by Beth Holland Closely watched by police on the ground and in helicopters, about 700 bicyclists rode from Union Square through midtown and down Fifth Avenue Friday… read more

Nine Arrested During ‘Critcal Mass’ Bike Ride 1010 WINS September 25th, 2004 5:43 pm US/Eastern New York A mass bicycle ride ended with nine arrests on Friday, a month after police arrested hundreds of cyclists who mobbed streets the weekend before the Republican National Convention. “We think the ride went really well,” said Leah Rorvig,… read more

City Wheelie Going After Bike Protests New York Daily News October 27th, 2004 By Thomas Zambito http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/city-wheelie-bike-protests-article-1.575613?print The city wants to shut down a mass bike ride scheduled for Friday, saying the monthly event has grown so unwieldy that organizers should apply for a parade permit. But the riders say they deserve the same access… read more

33 Arrested at Critical Mass Bike Ride 1010 WINS October 30th, 2004 8:05 am US/Eastern New York Police arrested 33 people Friday during a monthly bike ride that attracts hundreds of cyclists, a day after a federal judge ruled that the “Critical Mass” event did not need a parade permit. Most of the bicyclists were… read more

Big pack of bikes piques police http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-11-15-bikes-new-york_x.htm USA Today November 15th, 2004 By Martha T. Moore Once a month for six years, Jym Dyer, a 44-year-old software engineer, hopped on his candy-apple-red bicycle and joined about 1,000 other riders to pedal through the canyons of Manhattan. There was little organization and no route other than… read more

Can Critical Mass Negotiate a Truce? (Unedited Version) Gotham Gazette By Jen Benepe November 22th, 2004 NEW YORK The recent Halloween Critical Mass unleashed a pissing match among competing newspapers in New York City. Alex Storozynski, AM NewYork’s editor, published a front-page op-ed that criticized “anarchists” in the group, and accused them of beating a… read more

Can Critical Mass Negotiate a Truce? Gotham Gazette By Jen Benepe November 22th, 2004 NEW YORK   When some 400 New Yorkers took to the streets on their bicycles in 2000, in a ride they called Critical Mass — an effort to dramatize their claim to roads they see as overly dominated by the automobile… read more

17 Arrested at Critical Mass Ride 1010 Wins November 27th, 2004 9:05 am US/Eastern New York Seventeen cyclists were arrested in Manhattan on the night of the monthly Critical Mass bike ride, police said. About 500 cyclists gathered in Union Square Park for the Friday night ride, but police said they would be arrested if… read more

For Activists, a Place of Aid and Comfort The New York Times By David Gonzalez Published: November 30, 2004   http://nytimes.com/2004/11/30/nyregion/30wide.html Twenty years ago, Steve Stollman decided he wanted to do something positive for himself and for the city. After fighting without luck the city’s plans to slather advertisements on bus shelters, he was looking… read more

Law Center: Police and Cyclists continue legal battle over Critical Mass Rides By ELIZABETH LeSURE Associated Press Writer December 7th, 2004 On the last Friday of every month, New York City’s abundant yellow cabs, buses and delivery trucks are briefly forced to yield to a phalanx of bicycles — a gridlock of pedals and handlebars… read more

Police and bikers take stand in Critical Mass case http://www.thevillager.com/villager_85/policeandbikerstake.html The Villager December 15th, 2004 By Lincoln Anderson Top police brass and determined bicyclists testified last Wednesday in the ongoing federal trial on whether the monthly Critical Mass bike rides in Manhattan need a permit. The witnesses were questioned and cross-examined by city attorneys and… read more

25 Ways to Spend New Year’s Eve New York Metro December 15th, 2004 Here’s to a night of posh parties, cheap cheer, and running starts in no particular order. (3.) Think you’re gonna hail a taxi tonight? Yeah, right. So why not join hundreds of avid cyclists and inline skaters in the 7th Annual New… read more

Gridlock Sam Daily News December 28th, 2004 By Sam Schwartz It was 20 years ago Tuesday that Sgt. Pepper predicted a gridlock day. Okay, it was more like 30 years ago, and it wasn’t a Sgt. Pepper but a Chief Ryan of the NYPD, who warned me about the Wednesday after Christmas. He told me… read more

Critical Mass gets Ride of Way; Injunction Denied The Villager December 29th, 2004 http://www.thevillager.com/villager_87/criticalmassgetsrideofway.html By Lincoln Anderson It looks like it may be a happy new year or at least New Year’s Eve ride for Critical Mass. On Dec. 23, U.S. District Court Judge William Pauley III denied a request by the New York City… read more

Cyclists, City Set for New Year’s Eve Face-Off Newsday December 29th, 2004 By Graham Rayman and Daryl Khan The running duel in and out of court between Critical Mass cyclists and police officials will receive yet another airing on New Year’s Eve. Critical Mass is typically held on the last Friday of each month. And… read more

Freedom To Ride http://www.nypress.com/18/13/pagetwo/newshole2.cfm New York Press March 30th, 2005 A few weeks shy of the NYC Critical Mass’s 12th anniversary, the monthly bike ride is once again under attack. On March 15, Ray Kelly, Parks Commish Adrian Benepe and the City of New York filed a fresh complaint to shut down the ride. (The… read more