A cyclist riding in southeast Portland at night was tasered by police for riding without a headlight. Police said he was “combative.” The cyclist said he had no idea why the police were tasering him — or even, at first, that they were police.
A witness said she saw the police yell at the cyclist to stop. When he didn’t stop immediately, “the cop took two steps after him, grabbed him by the shirt, yanked him off the bike, ran him up the sidewalk and slammed him against the wall and then right away started tasing him.” The cyclist had been drinking before this happened, but still. . . .
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Back in the day, when cycling was merely a mode of transportation and not an ideological movement, I was cycling at night when my headlight bulb burned out. A patrol car stopped me and let me off with a warning. Now, I guess the police have to make an example of people. One more reason why the Antiplanner is happy to no longer live in bike-friendly Portland.
This needs to be split into three parts.
Part 1. It is illegal to ride without lights, as it is in the UK. Cyclists argue that they don’t need lights, since they can see the cars ok. The problem is that road safety is a two person event. If either party (car driver or cyclist) makes a mistake, the other party has a duty to correct for this. If the car driver makes a mistake, the cyclist can correct for this, since they can see where the car is going. If the cyclist, without lights, makes a mistake, the car driver won’t see them in time.
Part 2. It is difficult to tell from the sources what happened. All the accounts seem to be partial. What it is possible to determine is that the cyclist , well known to the law authorities, reacted in an unacceptable manner.
Part 3. It is wrong for the police to use a taser in this case. The taser is intended to be used to deal with criminals pulling a knife, and there is no mention of this in any account. What does the police officer do if someone pulls a knife on them? – if they pull a gun, this is excessive, if they get close they can get hurt, and a taser seems about right.
When tasers are used on people who aren’t wielding a knife, this is excessive. The police should be trained properly on how to restrain a suspect. The British government are trying to get tasers for all of the police, not just the firearms units, which to my mind risks just this outcome.
Francis King;
Tasers are not intended to be used with suspects carrying a knife. A knife is a deadly threat and can be met with deadly force. Tasers can be used any time pepper spray or batons would be used. They are “less lethal” devices and are used to force compliance. Simply refusing to get on the ground or up against a car is grounds for a tasing.
Assertive government policing is a good (and necessary) complement to strong planning.
That cop deserves a raise. I’d love to see a group of them in riot gear break up one of those “critical mass” rides.
Am I really supposed to believe that someone who has a “fuck work” sticker on his helmet is going to tell 100% truth when it comes to how he was interacting with authority figures? What are the chances that he really just happened to ride by a few of the thumpers on the Portland PD?
johngalt—> I”m with you. I love cycling and frequently do it even just to get around town. But I totally disagree with Critical Mass in their approach.
In any case, assuming things happened as the post implies,…
I still don’t understand what are the unbearable externalities (externalities experts should be able to find some) of a cyclist riding without lights, that the rule must be so adamantly enforced. Isn’t the risk internalized by the cyclist who makes the choice? Motorists annoyed that their bumper got a dent breaking somebody’s spinal cord?
Motorists suffereing PTSD after breaking somebody’s spinal is more to the point. Not everybody can cope with this sort of event by saying “he deserved what he got” or “that’ll teach him to ride without lights”.
Is this also your attitude to drunk drivers or someone driving without lights in a fog?
First, how all the folks around here aren’t complaining that the cops aren’t patrolling the light rail stations to prevent the rampant crime going on there, instead of the horrible menace of no front light*?
Am I really supposed to believe that someone who has a “fuck work†sticker on his helmet is going to tell 100% truth when it comes to how he was interacting with authority figures?
Gee…let’s see…are you really supposed to believe that someone who has a “fuck work†bumper sticker is going to tell 100% truth when it comes to how he was interacting with authority figures?
How about…are you really supposed to believe that someone who has a “visualize world peace†bumper sticker is going to tell 100% truth when it comes to how he was interacting with authority figures?
Or maybe…are you really supposed to believe that someone who has a “Free Tibet!†bumper sticker is going to tell 100% truth when it comes to how he was interacting with authority figures?
Or perhaps…are you really supposed to believe that someone who has a “Bush Cheney 04†bumper sticker is going to tell 100% truth when it comes to how he was interacting with authority figures?
Whatever. That sounds really credible. Sure.
I guess it’s OK then to roid rage and taser people if they’re not in a suit and tie if you’re a cop.
Oh, I see they’re not pressing charges.
DS
* All 4 of the bikes that I’m riding now have front and back lights. Perspective, pee-pul.
Ettinger wrote:
“In any case, assuming things happened as the post implies I still don’t understand what are the unbearable externalities (externalities experts should be able to find some) of a cyclist riding without lights, that the rule must be so adamantly enforced. Isn’t the risk internalized by the cyclist who makes the choice? Motorists annoyed that their bumper got a dent breaking somebody’s spinal cord?”
There are several people involved…
The cyclist, who, by not using a front light, is making a serious error of judgement for reasons stated above. The police have a duty of care towards him.
The car driver, who doesn’t want to run any cyclists over has an objection too. I’ve come across cyclists without lights, and it annoys me as well.
The friends and family of the cyclist may wish the police to exercise a duty of care.
Finally, all those damaged by the fact that there are too many cars, and too few cyclists, on the grounds that cycling is too dangerous will want the law upheld.
“less lethalâ€Â
Just makes you feel all warm and fuzzey inside. I did not realize there were degrees of lethal.
In view of all the externalities presented…
Why then let anyone ride bicycles at all? Even if all rules are followed, some accidents will still happen and cyclists are inherently vulnerable. Why let people ride motorcycles which are inherently an order of magnitude more dangerous than cars, even with the safest drivers? Why let anyone get too much sun? Not eat vegetables? Grandma will be sad if something happened to you and your guardian angel will become unemployed – all kinds of externalities – Let’s regulate everything.
Ettinger, So alternative are you proposing? That everybodies going to die someday somehow so lets not regulate anything.
If your home’s previous owner did his own electrical wiring and it burns your house down with your wife and kids inside, hey you can always sue for compensation.
Alternative I suggest is we simply back off from trying to regulate activities that affect primarily those who choose to engage in them.
Killing somebody else’s family is quite different from betting against some risk that involves only yourself and perhps loosing the bet.
I too, a few years ago, on a bicycle trip with friends in southern Utah, rode 20 miles one night with full moon, with no lights and no helmet, on a mostly deserted stretch of open road. In my view, the experience was well worth the small additional risk. Why restrict that freedom, especially since only I can know the magnitude of the reward portion of this tradeof ?