Santa Monica Critical Mass

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Santa Monica Critical Mass, aka SMCM, is a monthly bicycle ride celebrating the joy and virtues of bicycling. Apart from small Critical Masses which did not survive, Santa Monica Critical Mass is the 2nd oldest Critical Mass in the Los Angeles Metro Area, only younger than Los Angeles Critical Mass. The ride started in February 2005, and it meets on the first Friday of the month at the top of the Santa Monica Pier. Historically the ride draws between 100 and 500 participants. Since the July 2007 Mass the ride has conflicted with the City of Santa Monica, whose Police Department has issued approximately 70 citations (as of June 2008) to ride participants.

Like most Critical Masses, SMCM rides according to the group consensus. Typically this is realized by riders at the front choosing the direction of the ride. Occasionally riders will vote to take a particular route, and it's very common for the ride to take a voice vote to decide the initial direction.

Contents

History

The ride was founded and initially organized by Zack Beatty in early 2005. Since then, participants have ridden on every first Friday of the month, even in cold rainy conditions. The ride history breaks down into two eras; Pre and Post Santa Monica Police harassment.

Before the Police Conflict

The first ride took place on February 4th, 2005, and was attended by between 5 and 7 riders. The ride rapidly grew with approximately 13 riders in March, 24 in April, and 45 in May.

Bike Summer came to Los Angeles in 2005 and SMCM hosted the Bike Summer Kick Off party with approximately 150 participants, and an afterparty at the Santa Monica Pier.

Santa Monica Critical Mass had an atypical amount of organization, in that riders, most often Zack Beatty and David Benoff would often organize after parties.

The ride continued to grow and oscillated between 100 and 500 riders when weather was good, until June 2007.

Conflict with SMPD

The ride has been harassed by the Santa Monica PD since the June '07 ride. During the first year of this confrontation the SMPD issued approximately 70 citations during 7 rides. The confrontation peaked during the November 3rd ride with SMPD giving riders 32 citations. In the first half of 2008 many riders reported that they fought their tickets and won.

During the June '07 ride two straggling participants were cited for moving violations, probably by Santa Monica PD Sgt Larry Horn. At that time Sgt Horn told Matthew Sablove, who was ticketed and briefly taken into custody for fleeing the scene, that the SMPD would try to shut down the ride.

Between the June ride and July ride Sablove emailed a group of informal organizers a summary of his experience. The organizers were skeptical of his account, particularly since SMPD had never scrutinized the ride in the past, excepting the ticketing of one straggling rider for blowing a red light to catch up to the October '06 ride.

When cyclists gathered for the July '07 ride several motorcycle cops were conspicuously lurking near the start. This lent veracity to Sablove's account and several riders concluded it would be best to head South so that it would easier to exit Santa Monica should the police harass the ride. The group approved the move, and so the ride headed South on Ocean, deviating from the tradition of starting East on Colorado. However, by the time the group reached Pico Blvd motorcycle cops began buzzing past the ride, and shortly thereafter ticketing riders.

Since that time, excepting June 2008, SMPD has always been present at the beginning of the ride. Riders have made a number of adaptations. Firstly, riders have learned to observe red lights

Summaries of Individual Rides

Citation Summary

The information here was gathered informally and is largely from Alex Thompson's cobwebbed memory.

2007

  • June: 2 citations
    • Alan Allesio for running a red light
    • Matt Sablove for running a stop sign
  • July: 10 citatons (approximately.) 7 during the ride, 3 participants tickets approaching the ride.
  • August: 1 citation, and numerous warnings to other cyclists.
  • September: 3 citations (approximately.)
  • October: 3 citations (approximately.)
  • November: 32 citations, verified by SMPD at the request of freelance reporter Jorge Casuso.
    • Kieron Menzies for riding outside the bike lane
    • Josh Gelfand for riding on the sidewalk
    • Hanako Moondance for no front light
    • Paul Bringetto for no front light
    • Eddie Murphy for no front light. Murphy was walking his bicycle when he approached two bicyclists who were being ticketed. He then received his citation. He was not operating his bicycle at the time of the citation.
  • December: 8 citations, presumably verified by SMPD at the request of then Santa Monica Daily Press editor Michael Tittinger.
    • Grace Denis for running a stop sign (light?)
    • Alec (last name unknown - not Alec Schwarz) for running a red light
    • Alejandro Cantarero received a citation for not having a forward facing front light, although he had two forward facing headlights.
    • "Sexy" for not riding to the right

2008

  • January: No citations. Only 20 riders participated as it was raining very hard and it was cold. The cruiser which customarily waits at the start elected to leave after following for a mile.
  • February: 1 citation.
  • March: No known citations
  • April: No known citations
  • May: A handful of citations
  • June: approximately 5 citations
  • July: no police presence, no citations

Common Route Features

Traditionally Critical Mass is described as "leaderless" without a preplanned route. More often than not a CM ride will go where the whims of the riders at the front of the ride lead them.

SMCM follows that tradition by not using any set route, lately even polling the crowd by yell to decide the initial direction. However, there are certain traditional haunts or practices that are common to most rides. Also, there have been times when organizers have deliberately tried to steer the ride in one direction or another to make citing riders more difficult for Santa Monica PD.

Third Street Promenade & the Start of SMCM

Shortly after the ride began it became customary for the ride to go East on Colorado, and then wind back and forth through the Third Street Promenade. The route below was typical:

Image: Old start.jpg

Windward Circle in Venice

Almost every SMCM in the since 2006 has gone around, and around, and around, the Windward Circle in Venice.

Heading South since the Police Presence

At the July 2007 ride, when SMPD first showed up in numbers to police the ride, riders made a collective decision to head South. After that heading South at the beginning of the ride became a common occurence, and the ride completely abandoned it's traditional zig zag of the promenade at the start. However, beginning in November, SMCM stopped ride South at the beginning of the, and in November, December, February and March 2008 it began by heading East into Santa Monica.

Influence

Prior to Santa Monica Critical Mass there was virtually no cycling culture in West LA, other than the monthly ride founded by the Smell Segundo Crew, WestSIDAZZ. At that time for Westsiders participating in the bike culture meant attending WestSIDAZZ each month, and then riding East to the monthly Midnight Ridazz Ride and Los Angeles Critical Mass, and perhaps volunteering at the Bike Kitchen. The lack of a Westside culture became self perpetuating, riders didn't start new rides because there weren't many riders, and the culture didn't grow locally because there was only one ride a month. In essence the Westside suffered a cultural brain drain.

Santa Monica Critical Mass began the reversal of this drain. It provided Westsiders something to do on in West LA. Within a few months SMCM hosted the Bike Summer 2005 opening party on the Santa Monica Pier, after a record turnout of 180. Unfortunately it was not followed by the creation of other rides, and until 2007 was more or less the only regular bike culture activity.

List of frequent or notable riders

Santa Monica Critical Mass Elsewhere

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