Critical Mashed

As a cyclist, I have mixed feelings on the whole Critical Mass phenomenon. While I agree with the message, I know nobody ever changed my mind by antagonizing the crap out of me--no matter how right they were. Maybe I'm just not the punk I once was, but the idea of Courteous Mass seems like a much more effective tactic.

But that's beside this point. On a recent Critical Mass ride in New York city, a rider was intentionally creamed by a cop who dropped his shoulder and unleashed a viscious football-like hit on him. Naturally, the rider was charged in the incident and held in jail for 26 hours. Then a videotape emerged which appears to contradict the police report...



Now the officer in question has been suspended from active duty and put on a civilian desk job while the incident is investigated....you know, because it's so difficult to see what happened.

Many people have called for the officer's dismissal. I actually think he should be required to keep his job...and complete the same football-style hit to whatever is coming by that same spot during rush hour.