The most persuasive reason yet to wear your bicycle helmet — the NYPD:

As a frequent bike commuter, and someone who has participated in many a Critical Mass ride, this makes me furious. A comment below the video sums it up for me: “My family is filled with decent, hard working police officers. So, I know a pig when I see one.”

Critical mass has long been plagued by tension with the police, starting in San Francisco but escalating in New York. However, after years of mass arrests and lawsuits, the city and bike organizers reached a reasonable understanding — no civil disobedience, no arrests, no harassment. The cops got what they want, which is an orderly procession. The bikers got what they wanted, which is a reclamation of the streets for a brief moment every month.

My read of this video is that cops are still suspicious and resentful of the semi-chaotic nature of Critical Mass. That makes sense to me — its hard to impose order on loosely joined crowds of highly mobile people. But taking it out physically on an innocent participant? Completely wrong.

Hope someone got the guy’s badge number.