Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

SAN FRANCISCO: Mayor vows 'a good look' at Critical Mass
San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 4/4/ | Cecilia Vega and Marisa Lagos

Posted on 04/04/2007 3:24:43 PM PDT by SmithL

Redwood City family's van damaged after being caught up in ride -

SAN FRANCISCO -- Mayor Gavin Newsom said today that he plans to take "a good look" at the city's response to Critical Mass after bicyclists allegedly smashed through the window of a minivan caught in the monthly bike ride, terrorizing an unwitting family from Redwood City.

Police said the bike ride, in which thousands of bicyclists take to the streets, spun out of control on Friday, with bicyclists surrounding the van and using their bicycles as weapons. No one was hurt, although cyclists told police at the scene that driver Susan Ferrando should be arrested because her vehicle allegedly bumped one of the biker's tires.

Ferrando told the Chronicle that she didn't known she was driving into the path of thousands of cyclists. She said the car -- carrying herself, her husband and five children -- was suddenly surrounded by bikers who pounding on the vehicle, and that one person eventually threw a bike through the rear window, shattering it.

Today, Newsom said he would address the incident.

"It's a terrible incident and I don't want to overreact to it," Newsom said. . . .

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Government; US: California
KEYWORDS: anytwosomenewsom; baghdadbythebay; hypocriticalmasshole; sanfranciscovalues
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-38 next last

1 posted on 04/04/2007 3:24:45 PM PDT by SmithL
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

Follow-up to SAN FRANCISCO: Minivan's rude introduction to Critical Smash.
2 posted on 04/04/2007 3:25:09 PM PDT by SmithL (si vis pacem, para bellum)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SmithL

Hey Gavin, check out the street feces while your out there!


3 posted on 04/04/2007 3:26:08 PM PDT by samadams2000 (Someone important make......The Call!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: SmithL

Liberals are often not the peaceful people they make themselves out to be.


4 posted on 04/04/2007 3:26:39 PM PDT by Jedi Master Pikachu ( What is your take on Acts 15:20 (abstaining from blood) about eating meat? Could you freepmail?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SmithL

I’ve been caught in one of these bike-fanatic-festivals visiting my sister, who lives in SF. Absolutely ridiculous - brings already crawling traffic to a dead stop.


5 posted on 04/04/2007 3:26:40 PM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: SmithL

Today, Newsom said he would address the incident.

“It’s a terrible incident and I don’t want to overreact to it,” Newsom said. . . .

It is just as bad a sin to “Under react” which Gavin the Coward is doing...Just Like Nancy Pelosi and Syria.
Licking the boots of a Tyrant.


6 posted on 04/04/2007 3:28:52 PM PDT by LtKerst (Lt Kerst)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: SmithL

I’m a pretty avid cyclist. Spent several years putting 7,000+ miles a year on the bike and less than 2,500 on the car.

I am somewhat skeptical of this story, as I find it difficult to imagine using my expensive bike to smash a car window, regardles of how angry I was.

Maybe somebody else’s bike...

But then I’ve never been on any of these massed rides and don’t really know what they’re like. Not my style.


7 posted on 04/04/2007 3:31:42 PM PDT by Sherman Logan (I didn't claw my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SmithL

I’ll bet a lot of the bikers were also mad becuase she was one of those ‘breeders.’

5 kids. That must have sent them into a tizzy.


8 posted on 04/04/2007 3:32:45 PM PDT by JRochelle (RudymccaINrOmney)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SmithL

They have these freaks in Seattle too. A couple of years ago several CM freaks tried to stop a van full of under-cover cops in Downtown. The cops used their PA and grille lights ordering the pukes out of the way, nothing worked until several under cover cops jumped out of the van and gave some of the pukes a hickory shampoo.

Cops got into some heat over it too if I recall.


9 posted on 04/04/2007 3:33:07 PM PDT by bigfootbob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: SmithL

I live in the Sierra’s and bikers come up here all the time. Only problem I have with them is when they get on a two lane mountain road. If I’m hauling a 20 foot stock trailer, going down hill and around curves and these nuts are all over the lane, it’s tough to stop that rig. They don’t seem to care either. I think they should be kept to bike lanes or they have no rights on the roads.


10 posted on 04/04/2007 3:35:57 PM PDT by RC2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AnotherUnixGeek

I believe this particular event happens every last Friday of the month at or around 5 pm so bikers can affect the maximum number of cars on the road. It is deliberately provocative and its intent is to block all the major intersections in the city to vehicular traffic. The naive can easily be caught unawares. I live an hour from the City and I avoid going there as much as possible, and when I do go, I use BART. The traffic is crazy even in good conditions. Wouldn’t be caught dead there the last Fridays.


11 posted on 04/04/2007 3:36:39 PM PDT by caseinpoint (Don't get thickly involved in thin things.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: bigfootbob
"...hickory shampoo.."

You are my new hero!!!
12 posted on 04/04/2007 3:37:20 PM PDT by conservativeharleyguy (Technically, we're all Republicans.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: SmithL

Someone needs to find the flush handle on the city of San Francisco and dispose of this waste


13 posted on 04/04/2007 3:38:12 PM PDT by muir_redwoods (Free Sirhan Sirhan, after all, the bastard who killed Mary Jo Kopechne is walking around free)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sherman Logan

Don’t be skeptical, their mission is disruption. They ride “specialty” disposo bikes for these organized events because they WANT confrontation. In Seattle they are always during a peak commuter hour. Someone is going to get killed at one of these events.


14 posted on 04/04/2007 3:39:09 PM PDT by bigfootbob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: SmithL
"What happens in certain circumstances like this is the bicycle community, the bike advocates, do themselves a remarkable disservice when they allow bad actors to come in and break the law in an aggressive manner," Newsom said. "I would encourage the bike coalition to come up and say, 'Hey, we won't put up with this. Enough is enough.' "

...and that's all that will happen about it. As far as Newsom is concerned, uttering that statement constitutes 'taking action'.

15 posted on 04/04/2007 3:39:24 PM PDT by Riley (The Fourth Estate is the Fifth Column.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: SmithL

I’ve ridden in Critical Mass years ago. It is fun and almost all of the riders were pretty reasonable. In the last few years it has become far more politicized and focused on things other than bicycling. The level of Bush Derangement Syndrome is off the charts and has led to a rather nasty vibe and this violence. It is up to the bicyclists themselves to respond to this or else the S.F.P.D. must crack down. Newsome should issue an ultimatum: next time anything bad like this happens the next five rides will feature dozens of police officers doling out scores of stoplight tickets. (The ride does not stop for lights, and these tickets are very expensive and carry “points” on your license.) They don’t have to try to prevent the ride (they can’t, anyway) just hand out tens of thousands of dollars worth of citations and let the riders themselves figure out what to do.


16 posted on 04/04/2007 3:39:47 PM PDT by rogue yam
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: muir_redwoods

It was going to be nuked, but that danged Jack Bauer got in the way...


17 posted on 04/04/2007 3:41:19 PM PDT by rottndog (WOOF!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: RC2
I think they should be kept to bike lanes or they have no rights on the roads.

The California Highway Code says otherwise.

18 posted on 04/04/2007 3:41:34 PM PDT by rogue yam
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: SmithL

Run some “Black Ops” on the CM goons.


19 posted on 04/04/2007 3:46:14 PM PDT by lormand (Michael Wiener - the tough talking populist moron, who claims to be a Conservative)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sherman Logan

This article isn’t an attack on cyclists, it’s an attack on liberals (and the liberals deserve it).


20 posted on 04/04/2007 3:49:50 PM PDT by conserveababe
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-38 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson