Critical Mass : AZ IMC

In solidarity with the hundreds of bicyclists in New York City (http://www.nyc.indymedia.org) that were arrested at the largest Critical Mass to have ever hit the streets in North America, Tempe bicyclists organized a local chapter to show our support.

15 bicyclists from across the Valley met in Tempe, AZ, on August 29, 2004, to demonstrate solidarity with NYC bicyclists by participating in a local Critical Mass. Although is was a mere 15 people, our presence was something new to most Tempe motorists; even fellow bicyclists were surprised to see a small flock of bikes slowing traffic and creating backups for unsuspecting drivers. Most passers-by were very supportive (aside from those in vehicles) and had great enthusiasm for our cause. However, the majority of the people were not the usual crowd of folks out on a Saturday night.

ASU hosted a football game in the Devil?s Stadium, and with this, come mobs of frat boys and high-testosterone men driving gas-guzzling trucks to allegedly demonstrate their masculinity and superiority of those around them. These people had no patience for a group of seemingly intrusive bicyclists riding in car-lanes to intentionally backup traffic. But we didn?t falter at their honking, screaming, or roaring engines. We were consistent, and remained on the streets that should rightfully be to the access of those not polluting surrounding neighborhoods, not inadvertently supporting oil-driven wars, and to those creating a sustainable alternative for local transportation. It is for these, and various other reasons, that Critical Mass is so essential at a time when society has prioritized automobile industries and not the environment and the needs of its people.

Shortly into the CM, a motorcycle Police officer threatened to arrest us if we did not restrict ourselves to the narrow confines of bike-lanes. In order to regroup ourselves back in the streets, we remained on the bike-lane until this officer was out of sight. By this time, we approached the Mill Avenue Bridge that crosses the bourgeois Tempe Town Lake, created in 1999. Some bicyclists remained in the bike-lane in order to avoid a possible ticket or arrest, while others, however, regrouped in front of vehicles to proceed in crossing the bridge at our chosen pace. Some of the motorists that were forced to drive less than 15 mph behind casual bicyclists seemed enraged at this direct form of resistance against motorist domination.

Once we had crossed and began to merge onto the median to go back south on the bridge to downtown Tempe, a bike cop, and then several bike cops, prevented the second half from leaving the median and joining the rest of the group across the two-lane road. By this time, some had left to escape any legal risks, and six of the Critical Mass bicyclists were ticketed for unreasonable speed, and are due to appear in court. That was the end to our NYC solidarity Critical Mass.

This CM is only the most recent of many others in the near future for Arizona. We will grow in numbers, better organize our strategical front, and adopt a predominate existence in the streets of the Sonoran Desert. To get involved with the Arizona Critical Mass, keep yourself posted on AZ IMC for action alerts.

We are the alternative to automobile prioritization, we are the solution to global warming, we are the end to needless deaths that occur for and because of motorists, we are the manifestation of a conscious people, a people working for coexistence with ourselves and one another, not with death machines and environmental devastation. We are traffic!

The amount of traffic behind us can somewhat be seen here. You'll notice the black block joined us.

While some cars quietly drove slowly behind us, others were honking and some attempted to cut through our group, putting some people in danger.