[LibWhacker]

Okay, lots of quarreling about this yesterday, but it does in fact appear Long was given a lawful order to cease and desist an illegal activity; namely, weaving his bicycle down the center of the street to impede traffic. He did not comply. Pogan moved to intercept and arrest him. Thereupon, Long attempted to go around the officer and avoid arrest and when it became obvious to him that he would not be successful, swerved at the last second to ram Pogan. That's my interpretation, supported both by video and Pogan's sworn complaint, and I'm sticking to it!

[Eddeche]

“swerved at the last second to ram Pogan. That’s my interpretation, supported both by video and Pogan’s sworn complaint, and I’m sticking to it!”

you’re nuts.

[YOUGOTIT]

Sounds like a lie to me!

[dmz]

That’s my interpretation, supported both by video and Pogan’s sworn complaint, and I’m sticking to it!
_______

Object lesson in why eyewitness testimony is deemed so unreliable. Our personal biases color our perceptions. And it’s not just you, it’s both sides of yesterday’s debate.

Those who are inclined to view the cops as JBTs saw one thing, those who are inclined to intensely dislike the biking protesters saw something quite different.

[Blood of Tyrants]

You are insane. The officer allowed 40 cyclists to go by and then simply crowded the guy to the edge or the street and knocked him down. There was no command to halt or anything like it.

[PC99]

I usually give cops the benefit of a doubt, but the video speaks for itself.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Watch the video link at Smoking Gun, especially the slow motion. The cop watches dozens go by and then stares the one guy down, starts walking towards the curb as he is staring. The guy on the bicycle tries to avoid him but the cop body checks him for no reason.

If there had been no one with a camera, the cop would just be another thug with a badge still on the force, assaulting people and arresting them and putting them in jail simply because he could.

But don’t worry, this cop will end up on some small north eastern town’s police force within a couple of months.

[WayneS]

I’m no fan of liberal weinie activists, but if you think that video supports the officer’s account of the events, then I recommend you have your eyes checked.

[TexasCajun]

As an impartial observer:

I witnessed a road-hog bicyclist swerve right into that officer's stiff arm, attempting to run him down and hurt him. Then the drugged-out hippie Obama supporter fell down on purpose to exaggerate the incident in an attempt to have the brave young police officer's career ruined.

[sailor4321]

Does anybody think the guy dove off his bike and onto the sidewalk, unlawfully pulling the cop after and on top of him?

I’m thinking of a longshoremen’s strike in SF back in the 30’s when the media reported that some strikers threw themselves onto the bayonets of national guardsmen.

[4yearlurker]

Looks to me like the cop walked in front the cyclist to make it look like the guy on the bike was trying to run him down. The cyclist then receives a well placed elbow to the face. Only problem,the incident was filmed. Cops story and video evidence are two different things. Only the officer's split second decision making saved him from harm. I'm sure his father is very proud.

[OA5599]

I’ve seen a NYPD scooter cop ram a Critical Masshole of his bike a few years ago. I guess it’s a mob mentality that keeps the Masshole from obeying the officer’s commands.

Once force was used to stop that cyclist, a female Masshole whined, “Why are you doing this to us!?!” The way she said it was as if she really couldn’t put together the massive gridlock they were creating plus ignoring a police officer’s command with the officer’s actions.

[Monitor]

If the video contains all contact and communication between the cop and the cyclist, then the cop is a thug and a liar.

However, after seeing articles on this event yesterday, I started doing some research on Critical Mass, and learned a few things. There is no organization, there is no set route, and they can occasionally do what they call a Cyclone in order for the slower cyclists to catch up to the group.

The cop and the cyclist could easily have encountered each other, where that lawful order was issued, minutes or hours prior to the video being shot, if the cyclist was on a second (or more) trip around the block.

[SJSAMPLE]

Stupid and corrupt cop clearly lied on a sworn affidavit.
He let three charges be filed based on his lies.

I hope he does prison time in a pound-me-in-the-ass facility.

[GloriaJane]

The officer looked to me to be in the wrong. It looked to me like the officer deliberately hit the bike rider.

[evets]

I watched the video on rewind,
it’s obvious that the officer was
helping the cyclist up off the ground.

[tet68]

Just watching the vid, the kid kept moving toward the curb to avoid the officer, who then lengthened his stride to intercept, no gesture of command to stop, no audible command that I could hear. The officer let his frustration overcome his training.

He’s going down.

[READINABLUESTATE]

I’m sticking to it! with you!
We can’t see in the video what made to cop single out that cyclist, not to mention what he said when taken down “you are pawns in the game, I’m gonna have your job” sounds to me like he knew exactly what he was doing, civil disobedience / set the police up for a law suit.

[gilor]

There’s only one problem here...the Jackboot should have first asked “Vere are your papers?!”

[Dr.Zoidberg]

I'm not one to ever support these stupid critical massholes, but after looking at the video, it's clear the cop attacked the bicyclist.

It was an assault, but that little tin badge makes it all o.k..

[YOUGOTIT]

The video shows the evidence that the SS is a lair and should be in jail for assault on a citizen.