Posted on 04/04/2007 7:37:15 AM PDT by SmithL
It was supposed to be a birthday night out for the kids in San Francisco, but instead turned into a Critical Mass horror show -- complete with a pummeled car, a smashed rear window and little children screaming in terror.
The spontaneous Critical Mass bike rides, in which thousands of free-spirited cyclists roam the city, have been a fixture on the last Friday night of the month since the early 1990s. But even bike-weary cops, who have seen their share of traffic disturbances and minor skirmishes, weren't prepared for what happened during the latest exercise of pedal power.
Here's the story:
Susan Ferrando, her husband, their two children and three preteens had come to San Francisco from Redwood City to celebrate the birthday of Ferrando's 11-year-old daughter. They went to Japantown, where they enjoyed shopping and taking in the blooming cherry blossoms.
Things took a turn for the worse at about 9 p.m., when the family was leaving Japantown -- just as the party of about 3,000 bikers was winding down its monthly red-lights-be-damned ride through the city.
Suddenly, Ferrando said, her car was surrounded by hundreds of cyclists.
Not being from San Francisco, Ferrando thought she might have inadvertently crossed paths with a bicycle race and couldn't figure out why the police, who she had just passed, hadn't warned her.
Confusion, however, quickly turned to terror, she said, when the swarming cyclists began wildly circling around and then running into the sides of her Toyota van.
Filled with panic, Ferrando said, she started inching forward until coming to a stop at Post and Gough streets, where she was surrounded by bikers on all sides.
A biker in front blocked her as another biker began pounding on the windshield. Another was pounding on her window. Another pounded the other side.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
HypoCRITICAL MASSholes are a San Francisco value.
“Japantown”
Is there a Japantown in San Franciso? I’ve heard of Chinatown but never Japantown.
Geez, what a raft load of jerks.
What a bunch of morons. Note my name. I’m a serious cyclist but have absolutely zero respect for these idiots.
Before this devolves into a “I hate Spandex” rant, let me define the crucial differences between a cyclist these critical mass doofi.
A cyclist will be seen riding a good bike, usually on the higher end with a known brand name that does not include Huffy, Pacific or Magna. He will be brightly clad in breathable fabric, will be wearing a helmet and cycling gloves and will generally be connected to the pedals by clelats that are on his cycling shoes. The Spandex shorts are for function, because otherwise, they certainly are not good looking.
The criticl mass moron will be riding a busboy special bike that he got from a garbage dump and doesn’t care if one of his oh-so-enlightened compatriots steals from him. Unkempt hair, dirty smelly, wearing a brown faded T-shirt and grungy tennis shoes.
Please do not confuse good cyclists, who while we may blow through a stop sign once in a while are actually busy enjoying the road and the land that God created and getting a good workout too.
That’s what happens when breeders trespass in Sodom.
Those freaks are terrorists and deserve what they get.
But the cyclists leave no carbon footprint compared to that big mean mini-van. /s
Let jackasses completely flaunt the law for years, and then are suprised when they go violent?
Round all 500 of the jackasses up and toss em in jail.
Just because you are on a bike does not mean you own the road or don’t have to obey traffic laws.
But of course, this would require actually expecting adult behavior and personal responsibility, something San Francisco cannot do.
San Francisco is insane! Too bad she wasn’t armed and could’ve shot a couple of the a-holes. That would have learned them.
Mister 30 lb. bike, meet mister 4,000 lb. van!
She should have just run him over and claimed she was scared for her life
More open minded acceptance and tolerance from your friends on the American left. Don’t like it? F*ck off and keep voting Democrat. :D
Unfortunately, this occurred in San Fransicko, California. The obvious, sane response to an assault by overwhelming numbers (lethal force in self defense: I feared for my life, and my childrens' lives) will likely result in prosecution.
Memo to FReepers: dropping tiddlywinks in front of bicycles = short periods of very concentrated entertainment.
My son is a very serious and very good cyclist in San Fran.
I was thinking the same thing. I live in TX, and carry. But If I felt my live and the lives of my wife and kids were in danger my minivan just became a weapon.
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