Bipedal, By Pedal: A History of Bicycle Activism in Portland, OR

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It's the second issue of the Expozine Award WinningBipedal, By Pedal. Last time around we got a social history and tactics lesson about the Critical Mass bicycle activist movement. For this issue,editor Joe Biel collected legal documents pertaining to the Portland Police Department's "interest" in the local Critical Mass movement. Obtained by Freedom of Information Requests, Biel shows through once-secret police and court documents that Portland Critical Mass may not have simply died out, rather "from reading their internal files, the Portland Police department was highly wary of Critical Mass from day one and went as far as illegally spying on the group with their anti-communist 'Red Squad' and forever cementing the meme that Critical Mass' goals were rioting, blocking traffic, and antagonism with the public." Portland is, of course, one of the best North American cities for cycling. This zine is a rally call for bike activists and is a companion piece to Biel's upcoming documentary, Aftermass: Bicycling In a Post Critical Mass Portland.

Reviews

There is a lack of understanding on the part of the police department about what Critical Mass stands for. It appears the amount of arrests made were excessive considering the minor amount of misdemeanors involved. - Riot

A collection of police documents dating from 1993 to 2005 keeping tabs on the Rose City's burgeoning Critical Mass bike ride, it reveals the cops' growing paranoia that this parade of scruffy two-wheeled activists would 'start a riot that would endanger the lives of families and children.' It's a hilarious read. - John Greenfield

One of a small crop of books on Critical Mass or, more accurately, law enforcement's overreaction to the cycling group's occasionally dubious decision-making. - Dotrad.com

Local zine legend Joe Biel, has a knack for making transportation activism interesting, fun, and sometimes funny. Biel's latest zine is an ingenious handling of hundreds of internal police documents about Critical Mass in Portland. He's uncovered police spies that infiltrated Critical Mass meetings, lots of fear and hysteria about crazed bike 'anarchists, ' and more. - Bikeportland.org

Author Bio

Joe Biel is the founder of Microcosm Publishing and creator of the documentary about the DIY music scene,If It Aint Cheap, It Aint Punk. He is the coauthor of 13 Years of Good Luck and the author ofBipedal, By Pedal!; all volumes of the The CIA Makes Science Fiction Unexciting series and The Perfect Mix Tape Segue series; andYou Can Work Any Hundred Hours a Week You Want (In Your Underwear)!! He lives in Portland, Oregon.