NYPD Clipping and Taking Bikes Again?
Bike month is over, break out the chainsaws!
According to Time's Up! there appears to have been a bike sweep last Wednesday Night in which Police clipped the locks and confiscated bikes along a whole block.
The bikes were on 6th Street between 1st avenue & 2nd avenue were allegedly taken by the police without notice. Time's Up! says they have received phone calls and emails from four witnesses. Time's Up! says the first witness to contact them said the police allegedly clipped her lock even when she approached the police and offered to unlock the bike. Time's Up! and civil rights attorney's are interested in hearing from other witnesses or anyone who had their lock clipped or their bike disappear. You can email Time's Up! at timesup@panix.com.
At this time the Police do not seem to have posted any warnings or notices to alert bikers not to chain up on the block. Time's Up says they canvased the street Friday and did not see any notices. There were mixed reports why Police might have confiscated the bikes - one reason heard was that the bikes were chained to public property. Another was that the community board had complained bikes are an eye sore and that bikes were even taken from bike racks. In any case, in general, it is a violation of the 4th amendment to seize property in this manner.
Again Time's Up is interested in hearing from witnesses or if you had your bike taken Wednesday night from 6th street.
Police Arrest Witness
According to Time's Up a witness was also arrested Wednesday night who was attempting to video tape the confiscations. Time's Up says it is reviewing raw footage today. As soon as that video is available it will be posted here.
He was arrested after asking for the officer's name.
UPDATE: First a correction, this incident was WEDNESDAY May 30th, not Thursday as originally reported.
And video of a videographer being arrested after he asked for a plain clothes officer's name.
And more details from Time's Up!:
"Witnesses state that without any prior notice, the NYPD used circular saws to cut the locks off of about 50 bicycles on 6th street and allowed people to walk up and take bicycles without showing any proof of ownership. The NYPD then took away approximately 15 of the bicycles in an unmarked van. Bikes locked to D.O.T. bike racks were also seized. In at least one case, the NYPD sawed through a $100 lock even as the bike's owner showed the police her key to open the lock.
Cinematographer Robert Carnevale was arrested while videotaping the bike raid after he asked one of the officers for his name. Carole Vale, a nurse observing the scene, was also arrested when she asked why Mr. Carnevale was being detained. Mr. Carnevale was held for 22 hours and Ms. Vale was held for 13 hours."
And video of a videographer being arrested after he asked for a plain clothes officer's name.
And more details from Time's Up!:
"Witnesses state that without any prior notice, the NYPD used circular saws to cut the locks off of about 50 bicycles on 6th street and allowed people to walk up and take bicycles without showing any proof of ownership. The NYPD then took away approximately 15 of the bicycles in an unmarked van. Bikes locked to D.O.T. bike racks were also seized. In at least one case, the NYPD sawed through a $100 lock even as the bike's owner showed the police her key to open the lock.
Cinematographer Robert Carnevale was arrested while videotaping the bike raid after he asked one of the officers for his name. Carole Vale, a nurse observing the scene, was also arrested when she asked why Mr. Carnevale was being detained. Mr. Carnevale was held for 22 hours and Ms. Vale was held for 13 hours."
According to Time's Up! there appears to have been a bike sweep last Wednesday Night in which Police clipped the locks and confiscated bikes along a whole block.
The bikes were on 6th Street between 1st avenue & 2nd avenue were allegedly taken by the police without notice. Time's Up! says they have received phone calls and emails from four witnesses. Time's Up! says the first witness to contact them said the police allegedly clipped her lock even when she approached the police and offered to unlock the bike. Time's Up! and civil rights attorney's are interested in hearing from other witnesses or anyone who had their lock clipped or their bike disappear. You can email Time's Up! at timesup@panix.com.
At this time the Police do not seem to have posted any warnings or notices to alert bikers not to chain up on the block. Time's Up says they canvased the street Friday and did not see any notices. There were mixed reports why Police might have confiscated the bikes - one reason heard was that the bikes were chained to public property. Another was that the community board had complained bikes are an eye sore and that bikes were even taken from bike racks. In any case, in general, it is a violation of the 4th amendment to seize property in this manner.
Again Time's Up is interested in hearing from witnesses or if you had your bike taken Wednesday night from 6th street.
Police Arrest Witness
According to Time's Up a witness was also arrested Wednesday night who was attempting to video tape the confiscations. Time's Up says it is reviewing raw footage today. As soon as that video is available it will be posted here.
He was arrested after asking for the officer's name.
List Blogs
Comments
SEE.........
it is a bit astounding
Re: it is a bit astounding
The plainclothes cop has all the characteristics of a anabolic steroid user
Re: it is a bit astounding
I think we as a people need to specifically identify who is in charge and form community watch groups on the cops. Seriously. These pathological assholes are not being held accountable. I say ID them and either wack 'em or beat them up as a message from the people to the precincts: see what happens when your people get out of line?
Maybe I'm going a bit too far. I'm just tired of seeing peaceful bystanders get arrested or pushed aside. It makes me want to justifiably kill them. And I 'm sure I wouldn't feel or express remorse.
The offending cops must be shamed if not beaten and publicly branded as being what this society can do without. It is they who need to be marginalized, for they have not even treated anyone as a civilized human being. Is there any other way? I'm running out of patience and we as a people are running out of time. These incidents do, either indirectly or directly, destroy the way we live as citizens of EARTH, by consuming precious resources from our future and instill a mentality that might makes right and only the select rich few are immune to any consequences. We are basically instituting the normalization of psychopathic methods of thought and interaction. This is merely indicative of a deeper pathology, which, if not addressed, also exacerbates the violence with every passing moment the prevailing fascist ideology remains unchecked. Honestly, now...what do we do?
Re: SEE.........
Maybe he thought, like many paranoid, non-thinking cops do, 'ohmygod the city's in chaos.' etc. Cowards.
It's poor leadership when the city hires cowards who don't know when the appropriate situation is to use physical restraint/violence, and other physical methods. The arrest-first method shows a clear lack of sensitivity and enforces a lack of respect for the law, not further respect for it. So many sympathetic people took my picture, but fortunately I was let go. Anyway, I sometimes am tempted to think that the only way to stop this harassment is to physically fight back, and I mean with knives, sticks, ax-handles...whatever means necessary to defend oneself. I know what that means in the state's eyes and I just find it hard to care anymore. Just work on the escape plan as good as the counter assault, I suppose.
-Nonviolentguy turned fuckitman
this is outrageous
why do cyclists lack rights?
why are car drivers not treated with the same disregard?
this is bullshit!
at all costs... avoid risking having a discussion with a police officer
the combination of stupidity and power scare me
at al levels
-zilla
gwadzilla.blogspot.com
a bicycle blog
who do you call?
who do you call when the police are threatening you?
that video is disturbing
it makes me awkward to watch
the show COPS never appealed to me
-zilla
gwadzilla.blogspot.com
Gorillas in the Midst
strangelife
2wheelspot.blogspot.com