Bike-Shove Cop Did Nothing Wrong, Say Jerks

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Hamilton Nolan

04/19/10 10:08AM

Filed to: jerks

Anyone possessing the power of sight and a rudimentary understanding of right and wrong can see that Patrick Pogan, the cop videotaped knocking a bike rider down for no reason, is an asshole. Not his fault, say his asshole defenders.

Patrick Pogan, an adult human employed as a police officer by the City of New York at the time he decided to wantonly assault an innocent cyclist in public, did not do anything wrong, according to the types of seedy police apologists who view police brutality as a fiction in all cases. The reasons that Pogan did the right thing by hammering Christopher Long to the ground:

1. Seven years prior to being pushed off his bike by Officer Pogan, Christopher Long was discharged from the US Army for possessing marijuana.
2. After being pushed off his bike by Officer Pogan, Christopher Long was found to possess rolling papers. Which are legal.
3. "Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, has insisted that Pogan had instructions to stop dangerous riders — and that Long was weaving through traffic while steering with just one hand."

Also it was dark and Christopher Long sort of looked black. Don't forget that one, Patrick Lynch, you unrepentant jerk.
[NYP]

The following replies are approved. To see additional replies that are pending approval, click Show Pending. Warning: These may contain graphic material.

Magister Hamilton Nolan 04/19/10 10:40AM

Because I'm not familiar with "Critical Mass", I clicked through and though I didn't learn a lot about the event, I found out that it's taken two years for this story to come to trial? WTF?

(Oh, and I'm also reminded of how long HamNo has been a welcome part of my Gawker day and that unthreaded comments are really hard to read)

AndPreciousLittleofThat Magister 04/19/10 10:53AM

@Magister: Yes, Critical Mass is an...interesting phenomenon.

On the one hand I support its aims; namely, encouraging urban bike riding and carving out parts of major thoroughfares for bike lanes.

However, I think they're going about it in the most ASS way possible. Over-running whole sections of roadways for sometimes half an hour (and, in the case of me and my wife, causing us to be late to the fucking hospital and forcing us to reschedule) and threatening people in cars who have the temerity to honk at them is NOT a way to get the public on your side.

None of which is in any way a justification for some asshole cop to knock a kid off his bike.

But I do firmly believe that the Critical Mass people need to think very strongly about how they're alienating the public (pedestrians and drivers alike) to achieve their aims.

DennyCrane Hamilton Nolan 04/19/10 10:24AM

The PBA can say whatever the hell they want. That video speaks for itself.

hairbrushmicrophone Hamilton Nolan 04/19/10 10:32AM

It wasn't until this viewing that I noticed that lovely Officer Pogan seems to have had his sights on Christopher Long long (hehe) before he was within striking distance. Pogan is standing in the middle of the street and then seemingly out of nowhere begins drifting to his right - the reason only becoming clear when Long finally enters the frame and then Pogan (very premeditatively) takes him out.

Does this have anything to do with bullshit reason #3?

Rhymenocerous hairbrushmicrophone 04/19/10 10:36AM

@hairbrushmicrophone: Yeah, I think the "swerve" was to avoid crashing into the police officer moving directly into his path.

hairbrushmicrophone Rhymenocerous 04/19/10 11:02AM

@Rhymenocerous: Indeed.

MyrtleWilloughby hairbrushmicrophone 04/19/10 11:25AM

@hairbrushmicrophone: I noticed that too. I can't figure out what's going through Pogan's head but the intensity of his look says: "Hey! That's the guy who knocked up my sister!"

SavetoFavorites Hamilton Nolan 04/19/10 10:33AM

Not his fault, say his asshole defenders.

Coincidentally, "Asshole Defenders" was my second-favorite Gaytari game growing up, behind "Fire Island BBQ-Bert."

eXo SavetoFavorites 04/19/10 02:13PM

@SavetoFavorites: I never got past the wave of hemorrhoids. They were such a pain in the ass.