First Friday Wicker Park Chain Gang

This was the saddest mass I've ever participated in.

Such an oppressive police presence, I felt like I was on some sort of work release bike program...

Imagine 3-4 dozen riders with full-on police escort, bikes and cars (I kept looking up waiting for a ghetto-bird to blot out the sky as well). Corking was unnecessary due to the fact that we were lead and herded through one intersection after another by cops.

One 2-wheeled robo-cop spent his night barking incessantly at people for straying over the center line (even when there was no actual painted line to see) and threatening tickets and arrests. Travis tried to engage him in conversation but just kept getting shot down until he'd finally pushed too many buttons and robo-cop took him out. I didn't see Travis again afterwards to know the final score. Several others were stopped or cited for running red lights, etc. How can one spend most of their working hours peddling the streets in the saddle, and not find joy in seeing a mass of cyclists out for a pleasure cruise on a beautiful night?

I imagine the CPD is worried that multiple masses will actually occur in multiple locations at multiple times on frequent occasions, and that they will lose control. They may be trying to take the joy out of neighborhood mass quickly before they can take hold and become a regular happening. At least with the last Friday mass they know what to expect and when to expect it.

My friend and I couldn't take it anymore and broke off. Our mass of two meandered the side streets of Ukrainian Village and West Town minus the seizure inducing red and blue flashing entourage.

I'm definitely looking forward to more mass, and I hope the other neighborhood rides had a better time...