roundypndr 

I suspect that this group didn't pick this couple and their vehicle at random, and I feel that the driver struck a nerve within the group of riders. I don't condone the type of action the riders carried out, but a number of motorists' actions finally made me invest in a decent video camera system.

DorkDisk

I live in NYC and have worked alot in the neighborhoods where these kids live. They are generally youth with no guidance whatsoever in life who like to do wheelies and get in people's faces just to get a reaction. If they weren't on bikes, they'd try to start **** with whatever they have. A faked basketball throw to your face is a favorite; fake sucker punches, whatever. They are sucky people and have nothing to lose, and like to bait people who have everything to lose by fighting a gaggle of underage boys.

Iride01 

I do admit that I do get fanciful with thinking about such things. And I do imagine that this is just a group of individuals behaving badly.

However I will consider it bad practice if the authorities did not consider if there was not some larger thing involved based on evidence and any histories of the parties involved. I'm not making an accusation I just saying that every incident needs to be tested to see if it there is merit for other reasons that might need investigating.

Iride01 

One of the things that put a little more money into my flight school and charter service I had in the 80's was figuring out how to give people a reason to use our service. One way was setting up classes for SCUBA diving certification and then offering a charter flight to the Florida coast to do the open water certifications. I suppose I could have gotten my dive master and instructor cert then taught the classes myself, flown the airplane and kept all the money myself. But then I wouldn't have time for the other revenue streams I was managing. Also, you wouldn't believe how many people will rather work for someone than do it on their own. Maybe one of the couple handfuls of people that worked closely in my business ever went on to set up their own business.

But of course there are a certain number of users stealing stuff themselves. But not as many as our war on drugs that has not had any effect on the number of people using drugs will lead you to believe. I'd be willing to bet that most in jail for drug use were using their own money and their only crime was buying illegal drugs.

njkayaker

If you think about the money involved in drug sales and the likely difficulty of selling used/stolen bikes for any money (that doesn't even come close to the money for drug sales), your idea (such that it is) makes even less sense.

And, no, every nutty idea does not need to be investigated.

Iride01 

I is my understanding that stolen bikes is a big organized business in large cities. Stolen bikes are traded by the truckload by certain persons. How organized is it? I don't know. But when a truckload of anything is involved, I wouldn't imagine just a simple one person.

njkayaker

This is a significant retreat from your initial idea.

Were stolen bikes even involved it this incident?

And information about these "bike cartels" beyond your "understanding"?

​​​​​​

Iride01 

I don't see it as a retreat at all. What I stated initially was not an accusation of them or something I believed they were. It was just one of many many things that swirl around in my mind when I see something.

I only put that up for conversation. If instead I'm supposed to just say how emotionally distraught I am, well I can't do that. I'm one of those that keeps emotions bottled up too much.

njkayaker

The second thing doesn't appear to involve drug dealers. It's not the same nutty claim.

So, it's not something you understand. That's another retreat.

This is a false dilemma.

CB HI

So what do you suspect the reason was they also attacked a cab a short time later?

CB HI

In the late 1960s early 1970s, there were groups that would steal bikes off of Colorado University campas, take them to Denver University to sell them. And as part of the return trip they would steal bikes off of Denver University campas, take them to Colorado University to sell them.

There was a shop on the Big Island of Hawaii, that rented bikes to tourist (mostly Japanese tourest). He had duplicate keys for the locks he gave them which some of his buddies used to steal the bikes and bring them back to the shop so the owner could charge the tourist the full price of a new bike.

njkayaker

That's one thing (no one was saying this sort of thing didn't happen). These two examples also don't establish it's the usual thing.

This is not the same thing at all and has no decernable relation to the even being discussed.

roundypndr 

I have no idea on the specific reason, but the cab driver, or his vehicle, seems to have struck a nerve within the group of riders as well. I still do not condone the actions by the group of riders.

Iride01 

Based on the posts title
I don't think the OP intended for there to be an in depth discovery of the events surrounding this.

And for certain we aren't going to get enough information about this to make any other observation than these people are behaving badly and should not do that. So staying on topic ends pretty quickly in my opinion.

njkayaker

So what? There's nothing wrong with a thread ending quickly.

Headpost

This is pretty much my opinion too and I really shouldn't have made light of the incident(s) or situation in any way.


Also, while it is hard to imagine the average person confusing this group with your average commuter or roadie, the bicycles here are undeniably used as weapons and escape vehicles so it's not such a stretch to imagine more incidents like this one leading to more laws, licensing, etc. which is my worry. (This is also why, although I marched a few times, I never participated in any of the Black Lives Matter protests that were carried out on bicycles. Such protests--a new phenomenon, as far as I know--sent the wrong message about bicycles.)


Also, I see no reason not to believe the driver of the BMW. He stated in a different article that all he did was hit the brakes after the boys surrounded his vehicle to hitch on it, which in turn caused one of the riders behind him to crash.


And I'd also just like to point out what a shame it is that these boys have come to associate their riding with violence and the harassment of strangers.

rydabent

I still hope the actual thugs that did that to that car are caught and are jailed.

Comfort is King

You must live in a cruel, deranged universe.

rydabent

I have heard rumor that these days when aliens pass by in their flying saucers, they lock their doors.

downhillmaster

Not thugs.
Cyclists.

ridelikeaturtle

"Animalistic".

You can taste the racism in that statement.

Paul Barnard

No I can't. It looks to be a fitting descriptor irrespective of the race or ethnicity of the criminals.

ridelikeaturtle

Wow, you cannot even admit it.

Zero progress. Zero.

Notso_fastLane

I've punched and broke the driver's side mirror of cars that were being driven by asshats (one actively tried to run me off the road) on 3 separate occasions on my motorcycle.

SurferRosa

Maybe the animals thought Damien was in the car.