Hipsters Busted For Repainting Bike Lanes City Removed At Satmar Request

Hasidic street patrol calls cops, nabs hipsters. [UPDATED.]

Sources: Men Arrested Trying To Repaint Bedford Bike Lane
Gothamist

We haven't been able to verify this one with the NYPD yet, but sources tell Gothamist that police — and South Williamsburg's Shomrim Patrol — arrested two men suspected of attempting to repaint the recently-removed Bedford Avenue bike lane this morning.

According to tipsters, the neighborhood's volunteer community watch group responded to reports at around 4 am that two men were using spraypaint to recreate a section of the bike lane, which the Department of Transportation controversially removed from a 14-block stretch of Bedford Avenue last week. Police arrived at the corner of Bedford Avenue and Rutledge Street and arrested two suspects, sources said. That story lines up pretty well with this posting by Twitter user WMSBG, which went online about two hours ago: "Police arrested this night two goiyem for re-painting the bike lane on Bedford ave with the help of Shomrim."

According to Williamboard, cycling activists had already repainted some of the recently-removed bike lane late last week: "A few hipsters took on the initiative and repainted the Bedford av bike lane with paint and brushes late Friday night and it looks pretty charming." Another commenter on the messageboard said: "i rode bedford this morning and kind of loled at the new bike lane markers. then some jackoff yelled at me in hebrew and did a fake-out move, like he was going to shove me off my bike." A spokesman from the NYPD's press office said he had not been briefed on the reported arrests and that crimes of this nature aren't always brought to the attention of his office. Sources at Williamsburg's 90th Precinct did not immediately respond to calls.

Anyone have any more information?

I was told yesterday that the repainting would happen overnight. These hipsters, I think, are Jews. So, using haredi parlance, Satmar mossered on them.

UPDATE 3:50 PM CST – Here's an update on the story from StreetsBlog:

Hasidic Cyclists Joined Up With Secular Riders in Bedford Ave Re-Striping
by Jack Savage • StreetsBlog

The guerrilla re-striping of a portion of the Bedford Avenue bike lane at 4:00 a.m. this morning was the work of both secular Williamsburg residents and members of the Hasidic community, according to Baruch Herzfeld, a local bike-shop operator and cycling advocate with ties to both communities. 
Views of the bike lane within the Hasidic community are hardly monolithic, Herzfeld told Streetsblog. "Scores of people in the Hasidic community are actually pissed about this bike lane being eradicated at the behest of traditionalists," he said. "These members of the community may not want to 'come out' as bike warriors just yet, but they're promising continuous action until the bike lane returns."

DOT removed 14 blocks of the bike lane last Tuesday, infuriating cyclists on both the north and south sides of the Williamsburg Bridge.

This morning's display of unity between cyclists from inside and outside the Hasidic community drew officers from the NYPD and members of a neighborhood security patrol. Several people were given summonses, but no one was arrested, according to Herzfeld, who operates a bike clubhouse at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge that is frequented by secular and Hasidic customers.

Herzfeld was not present at the re-striping, but says he received text messages early this morning from those who received summonses. At one point during the confrontation between bike advocates and the neighborhood watch, a female activist was pushed off her bike by a member of the patrol, he reports, adding that the neighborhood watch also held two bike lane advocates by force until the NYPD could arrive to issue summonses. Requests for confirmation from NYPD have not been returned. 

Herzfeld, who is an observant Orthodox Jew, but not Hasidic, says he's heartened by the group's move, and says the action is a sign of things to come.

"The combined efforts of bike advocates and progressive Hasids to reinstate one of the borough's safest and greenest transportation arteries has huge implications for South Williamsburg," he said.

Comments

[Critical_minyan]

According to my sources, one of the people arrested was Jewish, a ben Acher ben of reb elimelech of lezenskh.
In that case members of the shomrim are mosrim, chayiv misah and should be put in cherem.

[Mr. Apikorus]

This reminds of an old one. Happened many years ago:

There is (or was) a restaurant in NYC named Billy's. Basically it's an Irish bar which serves good food, especially the lamb chops.

According to the Daily News, Billy's had a fake fire hydrant which they put out in front of the place during business hours, so nobody would park there. Eventually, the scheme was broken up by the cops; I believe it was in the 1960's when I was in HS.

As for the bike lanes, primarily they are a scheme for traffic agents to give tickets to motorists who stop in one to drop somebody off, etc. Doesn't matter if it's raining, snowing, zero degrees, that SOB Bloomberg is out to get you.

This is an issue with which I totally side with the Haredim, and it has nothing to do with bike shorts.

[seymour]

I think all Shomrim Patrol should always ask are you Jewish so not to be a mossar which according to them is the worst crime a yid can do

[effie]

They should recruit Critical Mass to their cause. Besides exerting power due to their sheer numbers and obnoxiousness, they are also amenable to cycling naked.

[Shlomo]

If you're not Satmar you not really Jewish so they weren't really Mosser on them.

[R]

well the twitter did say it was goyim who did it, so that proves they weren't jewish.

Do you think they will start a new biker gang? Except this gang will ride BMX (with the stunt bars) and they wear hoodies.

[pierre]

Better call out that Golem...

http://vimeo.com/5248526

[effie]

The city really had no right to remove the bike lanes without holding a publicized in advance public hearing with invited commentary by the public.

[WoolSilkCotton]

What would Officer Glauber do?

Officer Glauber update:
http://www.lohud.com/article/2009912070341

[Chabadnik Attorney]

the GOLEM - Ancient clay man OR New Boro Park club ?

[SJ]

Government "shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

[danny]

Satmar Tipsters Moser Yiddishe Hipsters. Whose gonna draw the line?

[concerned]

who owns the streets? Is this NYC or Tehran? critical mass ride would be a real circus event in williamburgh. Maybe they can drive around in cars only wearing swimsuits. then cars can be banned also???

[dsghh]

Take your bikes back to the midwest, hipsters. no one likes you.

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