Wuss Ride 4ever
author: diversity of tactics
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The monthly Portland Critical Mass ride has split into two separate rides - the "regular" Critical Mass and the Wuss/Courteous Mass. Here's an explanation on the Wuss Ride and its motivation to clear up some apparently common misperceptions that have been posted on Indymedia.
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I recently read an Indymedia post with comments that claimed that the Wuss Ride "only had 10-12 riders" and that we "dangerously split up the Mass by stopping at every light" and other misperceptions that I'd like to clear up. To start with, the Wuss/Courteous Mass ride meets at NW Park and Couch at the same time as the regular Mass, at 5:30 pm on the last Friday of every month. The last Wuss ride had about 120 people on it, up from 50 the month before; it will probably continue to grow.
I've ridden on the Wuss/Courteous Mass for the past few months since it's reintroduction and am posting my own observations about its purpose and necessity. I'm not an official "representative" of the Wuss Mass, just a regular participant. The split with the regular CM is probably going to be permanent, because there are groups which have vastly different perspectives on what CM is all about. There is no one "right" answer. A large section of the regular Mass views it as a protest and opportunity to aggressively assert their right to be on the street. Most of the people on the Wuss Mass view the event as a celebration of bicycling and want to show drivers/pedestrians/mass transit users that biking is a helluva lot of fun.
The basic "rules" that Wuss riders follow are:
1.) The front of the Mass does not ride through red lights.
2.) If the light changes, riders block off oncoming traffic with their bikes (it's called "corking") and the Mass rides through in order to keep the ride together.
3.) Participants do NOT ride into oncoming traffic.
4.) No pounding on cars or other unprovoked aggressive behavior.
Note that most of this is for the sake of personal safety, and it's not set in stone. This is simply what people who participate in the Wuss Mass have agreed on so far. Blasting through red lights can get you run over or cause an accident as drivers swerve to avoid you. Same with riding into oncoming traffic. A few months ago, a bicyclist rode the wrong way on the Fremont Bridge, crashed head-on into a car, and went through the windshield. The driver was killed instantly and last I heard the bicyclist was in critical condition. Not sure if he/she lived. I think that's a horrible and unnecessary way to die.
Another big reason for the split is the question of empowerment. When you have a large group of people acting in unison, such as a Critical Mass ride, there's a strong feeling of solidarity. There's a sense that you can push the envelope because there are hundreds of people around to back you up. In many cases, that form of empowerment can be liberating and productive. In the case of the regular Critical Mass rides, a lot of people have observed that it can be rather dangerous and counter-productive, by encouraging unnecessary recklessness and stupidity.
Here are a couple of cases in point: On the July ride, the regular Mass caught up to the Wuss Ride and absorbed us. As we rode over the Morrison Bridge, I noticed a pair of intellectually-challenged young ladies riding in the oncoming traffic lanes. I pointed out to them that these drivers had probably never seen bicyclists on that bridge before, certainly weren't expecting to see them this evening, and were also driving into downtown with the sun right in their eyes. They were sun-blind and could barely see a damned thing as they sped over the bridge. The girls gave me the standard aggro-kid response: "Go fuck yourself." Later, these two decided to cork off traffic on Hawthorne Blvd at SE 7th. The rest of the Mass was slowly creeping along two blocks behind us, nowhere near close enough to necessitate corking. Several other people and I pointed this out to them and asked them to simply let the cars through until the Mass caught up to us. Again they told us to fuck ourselves, but finally relented when the Mass paused for an impromptu dance party at 7th and Madison.
Their behavior (and numerous other examples like it) are not the kind of behavior that I want to empower. If people choose to ride into oncoming traffic and act aggressively toward drivers, then that's certainly their choice. I don't believe that I have the right to tell them otherwise or attempt to restrict their behavior. But I do have the right to withdraw my support as part of the crowd that allows them to get high off of the sense of empowerment. By the same token, I wouldn't empower people whose idea of protest is smacking themselves on the head with a hammer. I think that's dumb, pointless, and likely to injure them, but if that's what they want to do, so be it. A number of Wuss Riders have similar thoughts. We can't tell people what to do and how to behave, but we can certainly choose to organize a separate ride where people don't indulge in that behavior. That's diversity of tactics.
It's also a lot more fun to be cop-free. We're out there to have fun because most of us have other outlets for protesting. We're not riding to intimidate or harass anyone, so the cops have left us alone so far, and will probably continue to do so. There are quite a few folks on the Wuss Mass who have been riding for years and years, and simply can't afford any more tickets or arrests. Same with people who have had other altercations with the law and have to worry about parole violations, etc. And there are those who are dead broke and simply can't afford the cost of a ticket or arrest. Wuss Mass gives them the option to ride in solidarity without fear of being nailed by the cops again. The people on the regular Critical Mass ride are free to act in whatever aggressive and reckless manner they choose, but they're also forced to deal with the fact that the police are going to spank them back into line intermittently. The methods the cops have used are horribly brutal, reckless, and inappropriate, but they feel empowered to act with that degree of force because of corresponding aggression from riders.
Besides, two big rides can be more fun than just one. Portland Critical Mass is now strong enough that we can sustain two independent rides, and those will both continue to grow. People aren't forced to put up with situations that they believe are intolerable - either too much restraint or not enough. For example, I was so sick of dealing with the aggro-kids that I stopped riding for a few months, until the Wuss Ride began.
If you're in the mood for a fun and celebratory ride, join the Wuss Ride. If you refuse to respect any guidelines and want to aggressively promote your right to the road, then join the regular Mass. I enjoy rolling down NW 21st or 23rd and watching people's reactions, knowing that the Wuss Ride is a prelude to the bigger ride that will be coming through shortly. We have options now. Please don't condemn those options or attempt to restrict anyone's right to ride in the manner that they choose.
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