You may have already seen this, it was uploaded on May 29 and has had quite a few views. We found it on Streetsblog LA and Bikeside LA, where the story is that a May 28th Los Angeles Critical Mass ride took a turn for the worse when the LAPD started tackling, attacking and restraining riders, throwing batons into wheels and driving squad cars into the groups of riders.
Beyond being mindblowingly stupid actions, they came shortly after police chief Charlie Beck made a public service announcement (video after the break) telling Los Angelinos to share the road and be courteous to cyclists, making the actions all the more baffling.
Now, it appears several of the riders that were attacked have filed suits for injury and violation of constitutional rights. The videographer responsible for the video above called out to the police asking why they had just attacked the riders and was subsequently tackled himself.
Follow some of the news on the LA Critical Mass twitter account. If you’re in the LA area or just want to voice your opinion to the authorities there, Bikeside LA has a list of contacts and options at the bottom of their story.
