Peaceful Bicycle Advocacy Group Attempts to Persuade a Motorist to Abandon His Gas-Guzzling Ways (genghis)

BUMPED for update.

By beating the shit out of him and trashing his car.

“Seattle police said they were still looking today for one of a group of Critical Mass bicyclists who attacked and injured a driver during a violent altercation on Capitol Hill Friday evening.”

“Two other bicyclists have been jailed. But some riders in the event have said the driver was the aggressor.”

“Just after 7 p.m. Friday, the group of at least 100 bicyclists was moving en masse down East Aloha Street when a man and his girlfriend in a Subaru station wagon tried to pull out of a parking spot, said Seattle police spokesman Mark Jamieson.”

Clearly the driver was in the wrong here. Parking spots are for parking, not for leaving. The bicyclists helpfully suggested some other options and tried to dissuade the driver from leaving:

” According to Jamieson, as the Critical Mass group moved down the street, blocking traffic, some riders got in the way of the Subaru and prevented it from leaving. Some bikers sat on the car and were banging on it, he said."The driver was pretty fearful that he was about to be assaulted by the bicyclists," Jamieson said. The man tried to back up, but bumped into a biker. "This enraged the group," Jamieson said.

Several of the bikers bashed up the Subaru, shattering the windshield and rear window, Jamieson said. The driver tried to drive away, but hit another bicyclist, Jamieson said. Still, he drove about a block, to the corner of Aloha and 15th Avenue East, before the Critical Mass riders cornered the car again and started spitting on it and banging against it.

One bicyclist punched the driver through his open window, and another used a knife to slash the Subaru's tires, Jamieson said. The driver got out of his car, and was hit in the back of the head, opening a large gash.”

Obviously he had it coming to him. Sometimes there’s just a failure to communicate and gentle persuasion doesn’t quite get the job done. An alternative point of view regarding the intervention is provided here along with many useful comments.

UPDATE: A little more on the story including an interview with the driver and one of the people he allegedly squished is here. (There's a video of the interviews but no video of the actual events)

Strangely enough, I haven't been able to locate any videos of the incident online. Why do I say strangely? Because Critical Mass usually films their monthly rides and posts them on YouTube and congratulate themselves for their brave actions against...well, whatever it is they're against this particular moment. Yet now they're screaming bloody murder that the driver was the aggressor. If that were the case, wouldn't they post corroborating evidence to back up that claim?

In the interest of fairness, a post at Seattle Indymedia explains to us how the "corporate media" got this story all wrong. I urge you to share your thoughts, condolences, best wishes and "get well soons" to the victims of this tragedy who may be scarred for days with road rash.

While you're there, signing the guestbook, feel free to troll around on the site and check out the other fascinating stories posted there.

posted by xgenghisx at 01:19 AM

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