Comments on: APD Chief Art Acevedo speaks at ACA http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/03/03/apd-chief-art-acevedo-speaks-at-aca/ The Online Magazine of Austin Cycling Culture Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:04:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: marcus http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/03/03/apd-chief-art-acevedo-speaks-at-aca/comment-page-1/#comment-2295 marcus Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:31:55 +0000 http://austinontwowheels.org/?p=4306#comment-2295 I think both of you are right, it's a gray area of sorts. Officially though, I feel like Acevedo should have given a little better answer on Critical Mass than he did, one way or the other. I think he was just holding his tongue as to not piss us all off. By the way, one of my favorite books is <a href="http://www.momentumplanet.com/arts-culture/nowtopia" rel="nofollow">Nowtopia</a>, by Chris Carlsson, one of the founders of CM. Highly recommended, especially if you're into anti-capitalist/post-capitalist thinking. I think both of you are right, it’s a gray area of sorts. Officially though, I feel like Acevedo should have given a little better answer on Critical Mass than he did, one way or the other. I think he was just holding his tongue as to not piss us all off.

By the way, one of my favorite books is Nowtopia, by Chris Carlsson, one of the founders of CM. Highly recommended, especially if you’re into anti-capitalist/post-capitalist thinking.

]]> By: D'Amico http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/03/03/apd-chief-art-acevedo-speaks-at-aca/comment-page-1/#comment-2285 D'Amico Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:42:23 +0000 http://austinontwowheels.org/?p=4306#comment-2285 I don't think CM is actually much of a flaunting of the law anymore. There's too much traffic out there, and most of the ride is just going through stacked cars! I look at it as an "expression." I don’t think CM is actually much of a flaunting of the law anymore. There’s too much traffic out there, and most of the ride is just going through stacked cars!

I look at it as an “expression.”

]]> By: Patrick C. http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/03/03/apd-chief-art-acevedo-speaks-at-aca/comment-page-1/#comment-2281 Patrick C. Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:35:33 +0000 http://austinontwowheels.org/?p=4306#comment-2281 I feel like the cycling community kind of have APD and Acevedo by the balls when it comes to Critical Mass, and while as a participant in CM I won't be losing sleep over the situation any time soon, I'm broadly sympathetic to their frustrations. APD's job, obviously, is to enforce the laws for the ENTIRE community, and not merely for a particularly passionate special interest, which we definitely are. And if that massive LiveJournal shitstorm from a couple of days ago is any indication, there's an awful lot of pent-up anger from Austin's motorists (understandably, I'd argue) towards Critical Mass. And I'm sure Acevedo has to deal with a tremendous amount of those complaints and concerns, which must be wearying. Of course, there's not a whole hell of a lot APD can do about Critical Mass — they're sure as hell not going to arrest 500 cyclists at once. Hell, if they arrest even one the entire "junior anarchist" (to appropriate a M1EK-ism) community comes down on them like a hurricane. And that's a unique dynamic — if a motorist gets arrested, they can bitch to their wife and (for a fee) their lawyer, and that's pretty much it. If something happens to a cyclist, Jason Abels can sic an entire community on APD. Which is kind of cool, but, from their perspective, probably a hassle. They basically have to stand idly by while Critical Mass commits what HAS to be the largest, most public, most organized flaunting of the law in the entire city, receive God only knows how many calls and e-mails and complaints about it, and do... absolutely nothing, because there's nothing they can do. It's tricky. Like I said, it doesn't keep me up at night, but I feel kind of bad for him. I feel like the cycling community kind of have APD and Acevedo by the balls when it comes to Critical Mass, and while as a participant in CM I won’t be losing sleep over the situation any time soon, I’m broadly sympathetic to their frustrations.

APD’s job, obviously, is to enforce the laws for the ENTIRE community, and not merely for a particularly passionate special interest, which we definitely are. And if that massive LiveJournal shitstorm from a couple of days ago is any indication, there’s an awful lot of pent-up anger from Austin’s motorists (understandably, I’d argue) towards Critical Mass. And I’m sure Acevedo has to deal with a tremendous amount of those complaints and concerns, which must be wearying.

Of course, there’s not a whole hell of a lot APD can do about Critical Mass — they’re sure as hell not going to arrest 500 cyclists at once. Hell, if they arrest even one the entire “junior anarchist” (to appropriate a M1EK-ism) community comes down on them like a hurricane. And that’s a unique dynamic — if a motorist gets arrested, they can bitch to their wife and (for a fee) their lawyer, and that’s pretty much it. If something happens to a cyclist, Jason Abels can sic an entire community on APD. Which is kind of cool, but, from their perspective, probably a hassle. They basically have to stand idly by while Critical Mass commits what HAS to be the largest, most public, most organized flaunting of the law in the entire city, receive God only knows how many calls and e-mails and complaints about it, and do… absolutely nothing, because there’s nothing they can do.

It’s tricky. Like I said, it doesn’t keep me up at night, but I feel kind of bad for him.

]]>