The Largest Problem In Milwaukee…
Achtung! Bikes are worse than violent crime, vandalism and Spivak & Bice's blog…
With the recent announcement that all murder has been eliminated in Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Police Department has begun focusing it's phalanx of respectful, tolerant officers towards reducing the rapidly increasing scourge of bike-riding in the city. Showing little respect for the tax-payer funded roads created solely for motorists and frequently-shitting police horses, this new trend of "bike riding" is luring many innocent families onto a perilous bike ramp of crime.
Yet the question remains: how do people become addicted to bicycles? According to MPD meteorologist and Senior bike specialist Stephen Badstache, as the temperature rises outside people also prefer to be outside, in some cases on bicycles:
Officer Stephen Badstache
"Ever since we solved all known homicides in the city, we've noticed that there's a large void in our usual job duties. With the weather improving, though, we've noticed a dramatic increase in bike riding incidents. I cannot stress this enough: bike-riding on city streets is highly illegal. If an officer sees an individual out "biking," we will have to suspend all other police operations and investigate. Did you spit in this burger?"
Fortunately for the many bike-fearing citizens of Milwaukee, our police department is doing their best to keep bike riding, specifically group bike riding, off public property. According to JSOnline:
Riders called it overkill and harassment, saying they purposely stayed on the county's Oak Leaf bike path to avoid confrontation with officers. But police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz described the group as known traffic scofflaws who "came barreling down the path, forcing other cyclists and pedestrians" out of their way.
Not all of the bike riders stayed on the trail, she said.
"They were going into the city streets and then back into the path," she said.
Six riders were arrested, taken to the District 5 police station on N. 4th St. by police vehicle and released later Friday evening, police said. Fifteen others were cited, but not taken to the station. The municipal offenses ranged from riding a bicycle without a city license to disorderly conduct and obstructing police.
[snip]
"It was ridiculous. There was no reason to stop us," said Evershed Mattingly, 21, who said he spent five hours at the police station where he was photographed and fingerprinted before leaving with a $56 ticket for operating a bicycle without a license.
"It's funny that they're out there asking us for licenses. . . . But they never go around badgering families or groups of four or five," he said.
Schwartz defended the officers: "History shows us this group does not follow the laws."
"The Milwaukee Police Department is not interested in upsetting people out for a nice ride on a beautiful day," she said. "That's not what this was."
The Milwaukee chapter of Critical Mass, like others around the world, stages regular rides to promote cycling as an alternative mode of transportation and to assert cyclists' rights to the roads.
Some groups are more confrontational than others, blocking drivers and defying traffic laws to make their points. The tenor of Milwaukee's rides depends on the night and who turns out, said Shea Schachameyer, 22, of Riverwest, who said she was ticketed for riding without a license and disorderly conduct.
"But that was definitely not the spirit of last night's ride," said Schachameyer, who also works for the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin. "We were on the bike path. . . . It was completely legal."
Schachameyer called it ironic that riders were arrested two days after Milwaukee was designated a bicycle-friendly community by the League of American Bicyclists. And rider Aytan Luck, who was ticketed previously but not Friday, questioned how local police will respond when 70 out-of-state cyclists in Milwaukee for a conference next month join the May ride without city licenses. Milwaukee ordinance requires anyone who rides a bike in the city to first obtain a license.
"I can't imagine the negative publicity Milwaukee would get nationally" if they were arrested, he said.
According to Schachameyer and Schwartz, officers were waiting at Riverside Park when riders began arriving about 5:30 p.m. Friday.
Schachameyer said she was told by an officer that police would be "enforcing traffic laws."
To avoid risking violations, she said, the group decided to ride the bike trail instead of city streets. She said four squad cars followed them on the trail until they reached the Brady St. Bridge, then circled around to cut them off at the southeast side of the lagoon.,
"All of a sudden this guy in an SUV comes tearing across the field and slams on his brakes," Schachameyer said. "I'm two-and-a-half feet from the hood of his car. . . . There were skid marks. . . . It was incredibly dangerous."
Schachameyer said she was arrested for refusing to provide her name and address when asked.
"He said, 'Then I'm going to have to arrest you.' And I said, 'OK, arrest me.'
"I don't think you can be more orderly than that," she said.
Sarcasm aside, this is complete bullshit. They were riding on a bike trail, not in the streets. To pursue a group of bikers with such zeal is not only ridiculous, but an incredible waste of taxpayers money. MPD apparently needs to pull it's head of out it's ass and figure out, once and for all, whether it actually wants the respect of anyone in the city. MPD, please focus on crime, not bike riders.
While we're on the subject of ways Milwaukee can scare off intelligent and socially-aware young people, Nickelback is coming to Summerfest.
I have mixed feelings on this one. Now, I am not saying all those that wear spandex are reckless, but even in peaceful bicycle loving Madison, you run into those (they tend to wear spandex) who feel the bike paths are their own personal racetrack. I guess my point is just like we have road rage, it is not unreasonable to assume there is bike rage on the paths.
In either case, I find the police approach really off base. It is not even a good way to solve the problem if genuine ones existed. It certainly smells of harassment rather than an approach to address commonsense safety concerns.
How would you address those who are “speeding” on the path, and create an atmosphere where all feel safe useing the paths?
Good points, Nate.
First, I’d bet you wouldn’t have found any spandex at Critical Mass
I’m sure if someone showed up with spandex on that’d be fine, but it seems to be more about the group dynamic than professional bike riding.
Secondly, I’m also certain there was no racing going on. I don’t know how many people were at this particular event, but considering a turnout of 40 or more people, the pace isn’t all that fast. So your concern, at least in this case, should be calmed.
In cases of racing like you mention, though, I would completely agree with police involvement. Maybe not a fine, but at least communicating to the biker that they shouldn’t be speeding on trails or unaware of their biking environment.
Finally, stories like this affect the perception of our city. There’s a history of MPD antagonizing Critical Mass riders and I think that’s why this story is frustrating (check out the first link in the post). If a squad wants to follow them to make sure they’re safe as they ride on city streets, then I’m all for it. But when they’re riding on a park trail (far from the street until the Brady St. bridge area) and are harrassed or bike riders are physically tackled from their bikes I find MPD’s presence to be more harm than it’s worth.
If we’re going to transition from decaying industrial city into a more professional and creative city, which I believe is in all of our best interest, we need to have a police force that isn’t stuck in a past mindset. This specific example is small, I’ll admit, but it goes to the heart of the matter. When police do not show respect for harmless groups of citizens, they cannot demand respect in return.
Maybe I am just a little bit more proletariat, but I always shed a tear going through Milwaukee seeing the decaying industrial base. On our last visit we stayed at an overpriced downtown hotel and walked to Goerge Webb’s for a nice proletarian dinner.
What is a professional and creative city anyway?
Not enough bikes around where I live to make a judgement but i can say I liked the post my friend… I own a bike. Just to loan my comment some legitimacy. :>
What is a professional and creative city anyway?
I think have a P&C city involves encouraging growth in urban areas, attracting young adults in order to offset aging populations, and overall just appealing to a younger generation. I know that’s overly general, but I came up with the phrase rather quick…
The way I see it, and I may be wrong, is that the city simply has horrible marketing. We’re run by an aging demographic that, for the most part but not entirely, isn’t receptive to attracting young adults. The exmple in this post, the annual stories about our disgusting city-wide segregation, combined with the paranoid hostility of outlying regions leads to a city that underfunded, devoid of genuine diversity and abysmal with regard to progressive (not liberal) policies.
If the image people get of our city before setting foot here is one of rampant corruption, unprincipled police and serious racial identity issues, it discourages the predominanly progressive younger adult generation from considering this area as home.
Maybe I’m combining two entirely different issues, but I think how our city treats it’s minority (only for now) populations will signal where we’re headed in the future.
Bikes or not, poetryman, your comments are always welcome!
Also, I should mention again that Nickelback is coming to Summerfest. That will put us back about 20 years right there
It believe it all starts with schools. Awhile ago I was talking with a cab driver and he was telling me every Friday night he picks up two guys working in Las Veges and Houston. Eventhough the commute is long, they both live in Madison because of the schools.
Madison’s problem is its difficult to make a living if one does not have a professional or creative job.
You’re very correct, Nate.
Perhaps I should adjust my definition of “professional and creative” to include educated as well. Not just college-educated, but simply well-educated in whatever field, technical or professional, one works in.
Partially proving my point, by focusing on progressive policies like a minimum wage increase (inflation has wiped out any gain from the last increase 10 years ago) and some form of national health care, Madison/Milwaukee could make it easier for those who aren’t in an emerging field to contribute to the community. Relieving our lower/middle classes of these burdens would alleviate some transitional pain.
…That’s a very interesting commute, but considering housing prices/schools in Vegas I can see why someone might prefer to do it that way.
They should leave the bikers alone and focus on the companies falsely selling that canned pisswater as “beer.”
And a license to ride a bike? Instead, they should be giving tax breaks to people who do.
This is how you reminded me, robola, of a band I wanted to forget forever, ever since my roommate freshman year of college would loop the same few Nickelback songs for hours straight, day after day, until it made me want to set myself on fire and leap out of my 3rd story window. I’d rather watch a whole season of Mama’s Family than listen to five seconds of a Nickelback song.
Now is not the time to be targeting bikers. They’re only going to increase as the price of oil keeps ratcheting up.
Ever notice how 95% of my comments on here drift into mentioning oil? Bad habit, I guess.
And another thing to be pointed out: The Oak Leaf trail is partially on city streets (because the city doesn’t have adequate enough trail infrastructure), so if you’re riding on it, you can’t avoid going on streets some of the time!
And the JS Online article provided the perfect definition of “asshole”: a guy who drives his SUV across a field and cuts off a group of cyclists, causing them to slam on the brakes and nearly get in an accident.
Thanks for posting that on here, robola.
…but I think how are city treats it’s minority (only for now) populations will signal where we’re headed in the future
agreed - but we are already a ‘minority majority’ city.
have we crossed that line already? Maybe that’s where all this white paranoia over immigration is coming from