September 06, 2004

Photoblogger Mike from Satans Laundromat gets arrested at the convention.
posted by Argh 20 years ago
  • sickening.
  • sickening.
  • If the internet didn't exist, no-one would know. The information age is our great saviour, but the information it gives me, scares me greatly.
  • And people wonder why I emigrated from the failed experinment that is the U.S. My advice to the sensible people who still live there -- get out now, while you still can. The religious right and the corporate overlords aren't going to stop at just arresting a few cyclists for long.
  • Cyclist's and photobloggers are soooo dangerous.
  • I suppose it is sadder that I am not surprised. Of course, let me mention one more time that American citizen Jose Padilla has been held in custody since June of 2002 and has STILL not been CHARGED. I mean how sad is it when Saddam Hussein is undergoing trial and this guy has to fight to even have access to a laywer?
  • While I agree his arrest was both unjustified and unnecessary, let's not lose all perspective. Having a bike at the Critical Mass did increase his odds of being rounded up. It's the guys just trying to get home or buying groceries that I really feel for. And while his arrest here was certainly uncalled for, the whole arrest idea/process should not be too unfamiliar for him. His photoblog does feature shots (arrestingly beautiful shots ... no pun intended) of places that are not normally open to the public. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Of course, I imagine the indignation level would be lower if here were arrested for breaking into an abandoned subway tunnel as opposed to a public street.
  • A reporter was talking on NPR Sunday about being on a bus full of press heading for the convention. They were headed into bad traffic, but a cop signaled to the bus driver, told him he could take them on a quicker route. Before too long they were out in the middle of nowhere. They asked the cop why the hell he'd taken a busload of journalists so far off the track. His answer? "Oh. I thought you guys were protesters." Somebody beat this prick, and all like him, please.