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what about the cops kicking all the bikers off the finish line?
Some prick cop kicked everyone off the finish line after nearly terrorizing a woman who put her backpack down at her feet while a friend took her photo.
Several THOUSAND people biked the marathon that night and most of them didn't get to cross the line or take a photo.
They also blocked the road with their cars, something that hadn't been done last year
Bicycles, super dangerous instruments of terror.
Oh, the Humanity!
The entire region gets to breathe and have the first "normal" Patriots Day in years, and some spandex-clad weenie is offering whine and cheese about some bicycle issue?
As usual, the bike brownshirts here on UHub are all about the big picture, and not about themselves.
Could you not throw us all under the bus?
(Figuratively of course.)
I mean I rode the Midnight ride for the first time ever, made it to the finish and while I was bummed that we couldn't ride that last block over the finish line, the majority of us were fine with it.
Keep Calm and Bike On
I have ridden that midnight marathon ride before. It's a great experience. However, getting all bent out of shape because the police are doing their job is not helpful.
Harassing people for doing
Harassing people for doing things that aren't dangerous is not the job of the police.
Harassing? Methinks not.
Ok, anon, most of the time the police are there to enforce rules that are being broken by the "rules don't matter to us" crowd (and notice, I said "most"). It does not matter whether the "thing" is dangerous or not. The police have their reasoning and probably are upholding BAA rules. In the original post cited, the police are probably being extra sensitive to those who have backpacks (during the marathon you can only carry see through bags/backpacks) and those who tend to place them down on the finish line of the marathon because, well, if you don't know. And keeping the area secure probably necessitates that the 1000 or less cyclists would not be able to cross the finish line that night. Security is much tighter now because of, well, you do know what happened in 2013, amiright?
This is somewhat tongue-in-cheek...
What, the fancy intelligence command posts and IED-proof vehicles missed the fact that 3,000+ people were about to attempt to access the finish line?
If the cops had taken 10 minutes to let the ride organizers know that they were restricting access to the finish line after 12am or something, there would have been no "harassed" cyclists and no cops worried about bombs. This is the 7th marathon ride, I think--these types of conflicts should be completely avoidable by a little planning and communication. If you're trying to circumvent the cops' barricade though, you've got to be prepared to be kicked out in a less-than-polite manner.
so as long as the police
so as long as the police justify their own actions, whatever they do is OK?
Marathon finish line and backpack....
No big deal....
Actually, that's like 90% of
Actually, that's like 90% of their job.
"doing their job"?
How was that cop "doing his job"?
How is it the police doing
How is it the police doing their job? Boylston Street did not close to car traffic until 6 AM. The police coming out and blocking cyclists from a road that was still open to traffic is not "doing their job."
The horror
The entitled biking community wasn't allowed to participate in a road race.
But they had been doing this
But they had been doing this for almost a decade without incident until Monday.
The MBTA used to provide a special train and everything for the Midnight Marathon Ride.
Without incident?
Wasn't there some kerfuffle in Framingham with this crowd 5 or so years ago.
Perhaps if the group got organized and worked with law enforcement, like a certain local athletic association does, things would go better. For instance, the local constabulary might mention that leaving a bag at the finish line is verboten.
> Perhaps if the group got
> Perhaps if the group got organized and worked with law enforcement
Maybe, if you were informed, you would know the ride has talked to MEMA every year; MEMA basically has said every year "just be safe, have lights and reflectors". They also have said "the hours you are riding are not hours when the course is closed to any traffic, so you are free to ride".
MEMA is central command for marathon security. They have no problem with it. Why should a Boston cop decide he has a problem?
I don't know MEMA
But I was in Copley Square on Saturday, so I know the finish line was closed to traffic and barricaded. I guess that makes me a little more knowledgeable than the cyclists.
Because it's all about you
Because it's all about you
Uh yeah, sure.
Sad to hear about one jerk on
Sad to hear about one jerk on a bike... everyone has to follow the rules at the marathon... just because you're on a bike doesn't mean you're above everyone else. I live near tons of college dorms, frat houes, etc. and the drinking was way less than marathons of years past, which was great. Everyone was in such a great mood, cheering on the runners and the wheelchair racers -- it was awesome.
My cousin ran the marathon and raised nearly $10,000 for charity. That's really the story -- the thousands of runners who raised money for Dana Farber and other worthy causes.
**sweeps crowd with assault rifle**
yep, the masses sure are behaving this year.
we must inspect your fanny pack DO NOT RESIST, CITIZEN **nods towards armored IED thing they borrowed from an occupational military force**
yes, people were very well behaved!!
It's a little sad that the
It's a little sad that the behavior standards of the Boston mob are so low that no arrests during a daytime road race can be a victory.
The marathon may be becoming
The marathon may be becoming a victim of its own success.
What's next, homeland security making runners take off their sneakers before crossing the finish line?