He Must Have Done Something

Sorry for absence. I was working hard on the Unmarriage and also last week things just seemed so depressing! Now they are really depressing, yesterday a federal judge ruled that parade laws limiting gatherings of 50 or more pedestrians or cyclists in New York City are constitutional. So 50 people cycling together DO need a permit. The ruling definitely empowers the New York Police Department in their general quest to destroy Critical Mass and demonize cyclists. As if the situation in public space weren't bad enough.
We laugh that there are only about 50 people who ever show up on the street in NYC for anything anyway so who cares, but the thing is ITS NOT FUNNY, there really are only 50 people who show up on the streets for anything, and thats in large part due to the overly-aggressive enforcement of permit restrictions and the broad crack down on public gathering. The citizens of this once great city are demoralized. The sad thing? They don't even know it. We don't even know it.
We are walking around in a state of economic nuerosis, status panic, future shock. But look around New Yorkers, look around. Stop and Frisks were up 8% last year, 87% of those frisked were black and hispanic. The crime stats are a sham. And now the NYPD can dominate our political gatherings with impunity. Our security apparatus is out of control.
I am thinking of a jury selection process I witnessed in Los Angeles, when Billy was on trial for sexually harrassing a cash register-- a nice woman said, " well honestly, if he's standing here, I mean if its come this far, he must have done SOMETHING."