Movement of the People

In the last month or so I have had the pleasure of experiencing two events that were extremely mind blowing. The first was the Bay to Breakers Run, which was more of a big moving house party than a marathon. This event, which starts at eight on a Sunday morning, must be one of the larger moving parties in the country. Swarms of people come in costume (or nothing at all) and bring floats with bumpin' sound systems and full bars. The amazing thing is that the cops standby and let the madness ensue. Granted the occasional asshole gets popped for being a complete moron (Like the couple I saw arrested for having sex in the bushes right next to a playground!), but for the most part it is fair game to drink from a keg in a shopping cart for the 7 1/2 miles that make up the route. I am still blown away by this event and if you ever happened to be in San Francisco the 3rd Sunday in May I highly recommend it.


The second event is one actually quite common throughout the country and world: Midnight Riders. In fact, the first midnight ride I took was in Surabaya, Indonesia. But the Midnight riders I experienced last night was a little different, more like a critical Mass with alcohol during peak party hours (10-12), not traffic hours. Everyone gathered at Pioneers Chicken in Echo Park, strategically located next to a liquor store. At 10:15 the exodus began, probably 500+ by the time the ride started. We road down Sunset Blvd. and eventually to the South Central Farm (R.I.P.) and finally back by Union Station. The amazing deal with this ride is the masses of bikers with their flashing red lights (obviously) and how the chaos is so magnificently organized. When a green light turns red random people will stop in front of cars physically blocking the vehicle so the masses can pass safely. It is a lovely experience for those riding bikes, the camaraderie and motivational propagandists with their megaphones, but a very shitty one for those in cars waiting 20 minutes for the stream to flow. Tough shit eh? Get a bike.

Any large movement of people seems to have a massive affect on those participating and watching. Those participate have the sense or illusion of being part of the something huge and meaningful. Those watching wonder why this many people would bother getting together. I'm a sucker for both the illusion and the wondering. - Z