This video shows a NYPD officer body-checking a cyclist during a "critical mass" ride:
Good thing this video exists. Why? Because the cops (a) dismissed his complaint against the officer, and (b) filed charges against the cyclist for obstructing traffic, and said he steered his bike into the officer.
To be as generous as possible, let's say the video doesn't support the claims of the cops. Well, good news. Officer Pogan has been indicted (though "of what" is not clear.)
But there's a broader point to be made here. Our dear Mr. Pogan body-checked that cyclist because he was certain he had the authority to get away with it. The authority to override the eyewitness accounts of everyone else on the scene. And were it not for this video, Mr. Pogan might have gotten away with it.
This is why authority must be challenged and checked at every step along the way.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
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2 comments:
i remember seeing this on treehugger or something when it first hit the internet. good thing it's out there, although i could picture some of the more anti-cyclists on the buzz doing this when they come down flat shoals for critical mass (heh).
Yeah, but if it were a situation like that, it's citizen v. citizen, and game on. But when it's a cop, there's a whole new level in play.
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