Repost: Open letter to the Critical Mass/Midnight Ridazz who staged an “action” at my home tonight

Earlier today a resident of the apartments at 17th and Rio Grande sent me an open letter addressed to the cyclists that briefly took over their swimming pool around 10pm last night. Here's what she has to say:

Open letter to the Critical Mass/Midnight Ridazz who staged an “action” at my home tonight

Yeah, not really impressed with your action on Tuesday, July 21.

I live in the apartment building you guys attacked.

We have rather loud pool parties all the time, so at first I didn’t think anything of it, but it quickly became apparent that this was some sort of organized “action.”

As more and more riders trampled over the flowers and plants I keep outside my front door, jumped over our gates and fences, and began to jump up and down in our pool while yelling, I was alarmed. A double murder was discovered earlier this evening a few blocks away on Pearl/21st. I was left feeling less than safe as more and more loud, seemingly drunk, people flooded into the place I live.

I have a bike. Like most of the people who live here. And I walk to work, neither ride nor drive.

I am a wage slave. Like, so far as I know, everyone who lives here. We are all renters.

I happen to be an anarchist, which I can’t say about anyone else who lives here (though they may well be, and I can certainly comment that most of the residents would otherwise be pretty open to the message of Critical Mass/Midnight Ridazz, being a generally “liberal” and pro-bike, anti-authority crowd). We are very hesitant to call the police around here.

But things went from bad to worse. Riders, now numbering at least 100, began knocking their bikes (and, presumably, limbs) into my front windows and door, knocking over and uprooting my plants, hitting my bike with theirs as they scrambled over the balcony, and taunting the few residents who were not too intimidated to go out and see what the ruckus was about.

I repeat: so far as I know – and I have lived here for more than three years – the residents of this building would generally be sympathetic to your cause.

Problem is, we weren’t sure what your message was.

I overheard the following insults yelled from riders to residents:

“Ooh, well, at least we’re not sitting at home on a Tuesday night! Boo hoooo!”

“What are you gonna DO? You can’t make me leave! I’m not leaving just because you say so!” (yelled intimidatingly and into the face of a single, totally unarmed and unsupported woman who dared tell him to leave her front door)

“Oh, you’re gonna call the police! Oh, I’m so scared! Ha! Ha! Ha!”

“Fuck you!”

“Oh, get a life!”

“Oh, no, I ran over some plants! OH NO!”

“Lighten up already!”

I agree that calling the police is lame (as well as pointless, as evidenced by their late arrival and refusal to do anything tonight), and that people are sad saps who have to work all day and collapse at home in bed by 10pm on a weeknight. And that private property is a fiction. And that bikes are far superior to cars, and have an equal right to the road.

But I am not impressed.

This “action” did nothing to further your cause with the lower and middle class folks who live in this particular building. Why don’t you go do this in West Austin, Tarrytown, Westlake? Go jump in the pool at the fucking country club with all your juvenile taunts and hollow slogans. We’re on your side. Arbitrarily coming to our houses after nightfall, waking everyone up, destroying our meagre personal property, and insulting and intimidating us doesn't help anyone or change anything.

Your “action” was immature, mean-spirited, and counterproductive. You made a mockery of real cyclists and activists.

Oh, and: fuck you.

Thanks for writing and sharing your experience from last night. Our actions weren't an "action" per-se, rather we were just pool hopping and yours was selected as our first stop. If it means anything to you, we did also end up hopping into a pool just off of Far West, which was in a much more upscale and affluent apartment complex.

What is it about the mob mentality that makes us think it's ok to behave like that? Remember folks, you're visiting, they live there. Don't be an asshole to the residents, clean up after yourself, and treat their shit with respect. You wouldn't want a bunch of people showing up at your pad and trampling your flower beds, so don't do it yourself. C'mon y'all, we're a bunch of adults, lets fucking act like it!

Now I do want to say that a lot of the residents were very friendly/supportive, and a lot of the cyclists were well-behaved and apologetic to the renters who had issues, and I appreciate that. It only takes a few bad apples to spoil the bunch, get the cops called, and ruin the fun for everyone. I'm all about hopping pools, drinking beer, fucking around and having fun after hours on bikes, just be mindful of others when you're doing it, please. The world doesn't revolve around us cyclists, and the sooner we remember that the better off we'll be.

P.S. photographic evidence. Thanks as always, Doug!