Bicycle Culture Rising #3: A History of Bicycle Activism in Portland, OR
by Joe Biel Author
In this, the third issue of Joe Biel's award-winning, ongoing look at the Critical Mass movement, we are given a well-researched analysis of the history of bicycle activism and police spying in Portland, Oregon. The result is an engaging and readable combination of story, activism, and history. Over the course of 44 pages, Biel looks at why a city so bike-friendly as Portland has virtually no Critical Mass ride, while cataloging the ways the Portland Police Bureau has interacted with local riders and historic activism. Says Biel, "It's concerning how many times a cyclist has repeated to me the police's version of Portland's cycling history or how years later new rumors are created about what happened." Strange and inspiring, Bipedal, By Pedal #3 is essential, illuminating reading for cyclists and non-cyclists alike.
by Joe Biel Author
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Comments & Reviews
Joe Biel has written a fairly extensive history of the movement in Portland from its beginnings to where it stopped in the latter part of the '00s.
First hand accounts of the people from the Critical Mass-ers and the culture of political awareness and activism that has grown out of this particular gathering...a great read both for those with knowledge and history of Critical Mass, as well as the uninitiated.