Briefs from my attorney and a second party brief were served ahead of time. The prosecution brief was due on Dec 31st, but they petitioned the court for an extension to further prepare their case.
I am happy to share that the amicus brief was supported by a number of generous individuals through BIKEAMICI.ORG, and with substantial support by the International Bicycle Fund, League of American Bicyclists, and the Minneapolis Bicycle Messenger Association. Thank you to all- this cause is for the civil rights of us all.
(for newcomers, you can scroll down to 'older posts' for the full story)
Sunday, January 13, 2008
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8 comments:
I hope your appeal goes well, and I also hope you press for charges to be filed against the "officers" involved in the incident. As an aside, I cannot believe the amount of comments from people who feel you should have "just done what the officer told you." Whenever a cop abuses his authority, there are too many people who feel that the citizens should accept whatever the cops do, and try to deal with it later. What if the cop told one of these persons to perform oral sex upon him (upon the cop)? Would these people do it, then file a complaint later? Where do they draw the line for allowing the police to violate the laws? I love that you are fighting the abusive powers and liars that are among the police force, but it sickens me how many people will just lay down and take a verbal or physical beating from police, just because the police feel they are immune from the laws themselves.
I agree with the previous post, many police officers show signs of a sort of pent up homosexuality, even though they come on as tough guys. I am very afraid of the Minneapolis Police Department and especially Sgt. Garcia.
Good luck on your appeal
I find it funny how everyone assumes the police are all bad and homophobic. Lets get real here people. The issue at hand is a man who attempted to ride his bike from the airport and the only access from the road he was on was onto the highway which forbids bicycles. That is at the heart of this story. It gets a little old hearing how it is all the cops fault. Do you think that maybe your behavior and manner of speaking was a provoking factor? Why is it that people seem to think that it's the cops who think the laws don't apply to them? In this case it is obvious that you did not think the laws applied to you or you thought the law was stupid.
Anonymous 9:56,
The police reaction was *overreaction* and poor policing. What else could have happened?
They let Steve ride, possibly providing an escort if they were so worried for his safety.
If he got hurt or killed?
He was responsible for his own actions.
They would be found innocent, especially after the advised him to do otherwise.
But no, they hurt him. They felt justified, but the law may find otherwise.
Guess what? Police aren't perfect, and that's normal and okay. They have enough trouble as it is and do a heck of a lot of good.
But this force should learn what they can from this incident about interacting with the public.
They are getting more of a black eye in the public perception than they should because of this incident. They don't need it.
They can prevent that in the future.
And Anonymous 10:17, being homosexual does nto proscribe being tough. Hypermasculinity is often highly regarded in homosexual communities.
Machismo is taken to heart by those with all sorts of sexual preferences.
Keep up the fight, Steve.
Incredible story and a fabulous job in documenting! You are performing a priceless public service.
Isn't it tragic that even with the clarity of the narrative you provided, someone posting on this board wants to "get real" and assert, completely against all the evidence, that you rode your bike on "the highway which forbids bicycles"!
This kind of ignorance is annoying but when it becomes the basis of a jury verdict (guilty of Failure to Comply with a Lawful Order - can you spell Nuremberg?) it is outright dangerous. But the problem goes deeper than a few 'over-zealous' cops. We need to start asking some more basic questions; the first being: how do we have a free society when the 'service' of 'protecting' us is provided by people who threaten us with violence. Would you hire someone who claimed the power to set their own salary, their hours, working condtions etc. and then threaten to kidnap you (prison) if you didn't pay them? We need to take off the rose colored glasses of "this Great Constitutional Republic" and take a good look at this humoungous elephant in the room called tyranny. And since you have been so thourough with the legal references (massive props to you for the level of detail!), I thought I would share this gem:
http://faculty.msb.edu/hasnasj/GTWebSite/MythWeb.htm
and finally:
www.adventuresinlegalland.com
So let me get this right. You were trying to bike the wrong way down a one-way, the cops said no. then they said, well, okay, but just this once and you said "But what about next time i'm here?" So they said, okay, forget it, walk back to the terminal and take a bus like everybody else since you can't appreciate a favor (yeah, its a favor since they are the authority at the airport, they enforce the rules whether they are posted or not) and you said, "no thanks, have a good evening." and biked off into the sunset.
Did you really think that was gonna fly?
Imagine the same scenario but with you being pulled over in your car. "no thanks, officers." And driving off after being stopped. It really illustrates just how ridiculous you were acting.
Bikers are subject to the same rules of the road as motorists. And most people who've had any kind of interaction with police know its best to shut up and do what they say. Your actions constituted resisting arrest or fleeing and in both of the cases officers are entitled to use force. Obviously they really took it over the line, but you gave them the opportunity. In effect you provoked them.
I ride my bike all over this city and a lot of times people in cars yell at me or honk in my face. I can't help but think that bikers like you have something to do with their attitude towards all of us.
I hope they are held accountable for their use of excessive force, but you need to hold yourself somewhat accountable as well. I find it hard to believe at your age that this was the first time you realized sometimes you have to go with the flow and suck it up. rude awakening, i guess.
To Paul who wrote, "Incredible story and a fabulous job in documenting! You are performing a priceless public service.
Isn't it tragic that even with the clarity of the narrative you provided, someone posting on this board wants to "get real" and assert, completely against all the evidence, that you rode your bike on "the highway which forbids bicycles"!"
I read his narative and I also live in Minneapolis and am more than familiar with the road he was on and before you rush to accuse me of not knowing the facts you should maybe think that I read his account read the police report and I also know the roadway very well!!! Unfortunately there is no direct way out of the Airport other than to enter a clearly marked highway that states motorized vehicles only no pedestrian or bicycle traffic allowed!!!! Get your facts right and not just one side and assume that it is the gospel!! I found in life that there are always 2 sides to a story!!! You should learn that too!!
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