It looks like the real action on Sunday night’s Zoobomb started after I left…
Portland Mercury reporter Matt Davis has the story about what happened when they did a run down Highway 26 from the Zoo to Goose Hollow (affectionately known as the “Hellway”):
(File photo)
“Portland’s Zoobombers allege they were stopped “extremely dangerously” on highway 26 on Sunday night by a Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy…
The abrupt stop caused all the Zoobombers to take a spill, swerving frantically on the highway to avoid running into the back of Sheriff’s Deputy Adam Rorick’s car. Several had cuts and bruises and all say they felt lucky nothing more serious happened.”
Davis says the Washington County Sheriff’s Office has not returned a call for comment.
Check out the full story over on the Portland Mercury blog or get the lowdown on this thread in the Zoobomb forum.
Editor’s note: The original title of this post was, “Sheriff’s move endangers Zoobombers”. I changed it because I feel that Zoobomb is more of an activity than a label for a certain group of people.
Thanks for reading.
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ok, sorry zoobombers but bombing a HIGHWAY is retarded. somebody is gonna die. stick to the zoo you boneheads!!!
Just to clarify. This happened after we were off the highway and onto SW Canyon RD / SW Jefferson St. A fall in the highway would have been much worse. Still, this just not justify this nut job cop slamming on his breaks. A few of us broke off and jumped the median and into Washington Park as to avoid any issues with him.
hahaha @ tomass! Hilarious
From what I’ve read and seen, this seems like a young rebelious “I’m not going to conform, but stand out” co-culture.
who in their right mind takes the side of the cops here? they give highway car chases the max consideration out of so-called respect for human life….ARE THOSE NOT HUMANS ON THOSE BIKES????
btw, bombing the zoo is an old and wicked tradition. if you don’t like it, don’t do it. but make sure your cops are protecting and serving, not harrassing and intimidating. crime is in old town, coppers, get a clue.
I don’t believe that he directly sided with the police, only that the roadway in example isn’t safe for bicycles.
Is this section of HWY 26 an offramp with no other connecting roadways? Don’t vehicles run through there at high speeds?
I think there’s a common theme here. It is a young, rebelious, non-conformist culture and people are resentful of that. When people take a “you deserve it” attitude it simply reveals an underlying lack of respect for human life that should exist regardless of the perceived stupidity of someone’s actions. I don’t know the Zoobomber folks, but I think they could easily take some actions that would result in appropriate censure of this officer’s behavior.
I can’t remember the the posted speed of the exit section that takes you away from 26 on to Jefferson, but I think it’s 35mph. As ‘jefe says, there’s no connecting roadways, so you can leave the hwy at 60 mph, continuing on at that speed until you get to the hairpin curves across from the reservoirs in Washington Park. There’s been construction there too, reducing the roadway to one narrow car width. Basically though, this part of the run should be relatively safe compared to the 26 section, even with it’s huge emergency lane to the right of the main lanes of traffic.
I don’t even like taking a road bike down the 26 downhill section approaching the Vista tunnel when there’s intense traffic. It’s dirty, noisy, and drivers commonly have accidents there because demands on driving skill in this section is greater than on other roadways. But then, people like to get their thrills in different ways, and it seems as though riding 26 on a bike is legal.
I was invited a number of times a while back, but I never did the bomb. My impression is that they ride late in the evening, so traffic should be manageable.
The bombers on the odd little bikes and the complaints from the West Hills neighbors as a result of them going through their neighborhood probably bugs the hell out of the cops. The cops are probably frustrated by not having been able to figured out an interpretation of their regulation book that could kick these guys off the road, so the occasional cop pulls these harrassment stunts.
Ya, the cop was most definitely out of line with his little stunt and I have to believe that his act was intentional. However, zoobombers are irresponsible cyclists and they, by nature of their actions, give me a bad name as a cyclist.
It was a lose/lose situation here but the cop should have known better and carried himself with a bit more dignity. We expect antics out of the zoobombers, they will always be ageless punks.
I say let the bombers start at the top of Sylvan hill and go for the ride of their lives. Those who make it get “no more harassment” passes, and the others get a nice funeral procession down the same route. Not if…but when the first casualty comes to these crazy PBR drinkin’ thrill seekers, I hope they don’t start pointing their fingers at everyone else. They know the risks…cars are cars, the fact that a cop was the driver this time is a bit disturbing, but hey…I’ll bet on the cars in these battles every time.
Anyway, all you haters step off. Come do HELLWAY and see what its about before you run your mouths ;)!
This is a clear case of police brutality, we should get out to the streets and protest immediately. The cops will not stop until everyone is off of their bike and in a car.
felix…Hope you’re not implying I’m a hater like some of the other comments. I just can (unfortunately) see the night when one stupid driver or one tweak of the handlebars sends bomber bodies flying everywhere. And would hate to read the unpleasant war of words in the aftermath between all involved- and subsequently, the demise of the zoobomb.
ME,
crashes are a normal part of zoobombing. they will not result in “demise of zoobomb”.
1. It is legal to ride highway 26 east of the jefferson street exit. It is actually one of the safest zoobomb runs, as it doesn’t involve any sharp turns or intersections and it has good pavement and only has one direction of traffic on it.
2. ZooBomb has been running for almost five years. Make no mistake, there is an element of danger and there are occassional mishaps; but overall, the risks are known and can be managed, and the ride in general has an excellent safety record.
I should mention that bombers do have mishaps. I know of one: not a regular, not the brightest person maybe, but this person goes out on a first run (I think it was), crashes up in the neighborhoods by Washington Park if I remember correctly, has a concussion, loses 4 teeth. Could be kind of rough if a bomber were to take a dump on a lane of the downgrade on 26. Bomber Pizza!!
Ya, the cop was most definitely out of line with his little stunt and I have to believe that his act was intentional. However, zoobombers are irresponsible cyclists and they, by nature of their actions, give me a bad name as a cyclist.
Well…*maybe* they give you a bad name as a cyclist. I don’t ride tiny bikes crazy-fast down super-steep hills in a crazy getup, so I doubt anything the Zoobomb folks do does any damage to my rep as a transport-centric cyclist. If anyone worries me about that, it’s the *normal* looking folks on *normal* looking bikes blowing lights, riding against traffic. Zoobombers will usually outright acknowledge that they engage in risky, sometimes illegal and very dangerous behavior for the sake of a thrill (and possibly ritual); the everyday scofflaws are either ignorant of the law, stupid or just don’t give a crap.
That said…yeah, I agree. This cop’s stunt was way out of line. It’s very much from the “Dang, drunken, possibly-underage students dancing on the edge of that rooftop…how do I make them stop this dangerous business? I know, I’ll start throwing rocks at ’em!” line of reasoning.
Hm, should’ve scare-quoted “rep” above. Sounds egocentric without. But you get the gist, surely…
The thing about this incident that makes it less of an “accident” or “self-induced” was that the cop was at the front of the column of bikers and was driving erratically (gunning the engine then braking and swerving). As we passed through the tunnel of the exit ramp I was face to face with the officer through his window along with a few other bikers.
He had his window down and looked over and made eye contact with me. Then he gunned his engine and sped off. I figured that since we were off 26 by that point he would just leave.
But No, He chose to wait until the group was rounding a “blind corner” to slam on his brakes (which you can’t really see since all the cars flashing lights were on).
He saw a large group of bikers, 20+ with flashing lights in a brightly lit tunnel right behind him and then rounded a dark corner and slammed on his breaks skidding to a stop just a few meters ahead of all of us.
I watched many of my friends go down and slide on the asphalt. Thankfully most experienced bombers wear full-face helmets and padding or at least thick clothes. It could have been much, much worse. And just think what would have happened if one of us had struck the back of the car instead of taking every evasive action in our power to avoid a head-on collision with his bumper.
I can see the headlines now “Zoobombers attack police cruiser using their bodies as weapons”.
Bombing is as safe or dangerous as you make it. Personally I think riding on the side of a highway like 99W (or skyline for that matter) by yourself is way more dangerous. I have had cars intentionally (I know cause they were yelling get off the road as they tried to clip me) try to run me off the road in the country in broad daylight.
Re: tomass
I rode out to the Oregon coast on highway 26 two weekends ago and took it back for the return trip on my bicycle. There were uncomfortable points on the trip and the usual share of jackasses who somehow have managed to hold onto a driving license, but it was a relatively straight forward and awesome ride. Bicycles using the highways, as is generally allowed under Oregon state law, is not the problem. I have not Zoobombed in over four years so I can’t comment with any authenticity on this particular case, but often its cars and the drivers who believe their vehicle is the only legitimate mode of transportation that are the problem.
Zoobombers are irresponsible cyclists…
Especially when we are putting on benefits for bike co-ops, organizing events for Pedalpalooza, volunteering for Multnomah County Bike Fair, and cleaning up graffiti on Washington Park.
Yes, Zoobomb itself breaks a few traffic laws, but that is the nature of a downhill race.
Nobody who Zoobombs rides like that all the time, and judging by the risks we take and the fact that we can live to tell, we must be damn good and damn safe riders on the whole. If you rode like *that* all the time you would have a zillion tickets, or you would broadside a car at some point. There is a reason Zoobomb happens late Sunday night, because there is less traffic.
If we are such irresponsible scofflaws, why do we encourage people to wear helmets and other safety equipment?
“We expect antics out of the zoobombers, they will always be ageless punks.”
Huzzah for ageless punks!
I haven’t zoobombed yet, but someday I’ll get the guts and make the time. And ride a tallbike. And a unicycle.
Thank the maker / God / gods / Gaia / universe / Carl Sagan for people who rock the establishment, or are just plain weird.
Hitting the brakes in front of a bunch of minibikers to get them to stop is like firing your gun into the air – reckless and stupid.
Hellway is slower than Fairview, Salmon, and Burnside. It has had the least number of crashes, and yes there have been crashes on Hellway.
#18 5th para….”And just think what would have happened if one of us had struck the back of the (cops) car”. That’s my point in #12 Jonathan. What happens next when fingers are pointed at the cops for a fatal injury to one of the ZB’s, and the cops come back and blame the reckless abandon of the group for it?..all spilled and fought out in the media. For the sake of safety, what would keep the cops from pulling the plug on the bomb?
“What happens next when fingers are pointed at the cops for a fatal injury to one of the ZB’s”
The cops would only be blamed if they actually caused the fatality. The city is in no way liable for what happens to people that ride their bikes down hills.
“what would keep the cops from pulling the plug on the bomb?”
Last time I checked, to Zoobomb was not illegal. It is simply riding your bike down a hill. Therefore, the cops can not “pull the plug” on it.
But who can say for sure who “actually” caused it… dumb move by cop or bikes speeding down hill? I see your points J, but man there’s alot of “what ifs” and “whys” that could one day be pulled from a bureaucratic hat. Not just cops v. zb’s, but any bicyclist for that matter. I do know it’s a legal ride, but my theories stem from the past aggressions that some cops used to show the zb’s. Hopefully all is cool with it now…for the most part.
“But who can say for sure who “actually” caused it…”
Ultimately, a jury would decide. If the cops want to avoid being accused, perhaps they should not pass the bikes then slam on their brakes at close range. Yup, that should take care of it.
I have issues with the zoobombers, but DISREGARDING THAT FOR THE MOMENT, consider the Oregon Revised Statutes. If the officer didn’t brake for a squirrel, he may ALSO be guilty of a traffic violation. I believe that the zoobombers are also at fault, but two wrongs do not make a right.
811.500 Unlawful stop or deceleration; penalty. (1) A person commits the offense of unlawful stop or deceleration if the person is operating a vehicle and the person stops or suddenly decreases the speed of the vehicle without first giving an appropriate signal to the driver immediately to the rear when there is opportunity to give the signal.
(2) Appropriate signals for the purpose of this section are as designated under ORS 811.395 and 811.400.
(3) The offense described in this section, unlawful stop or deceleration, is a Class B traffic violation. [1983 c.338 §657; 1995 c.383 §77]
Isn’t that move kind of like the swoop and squat (with normal 26 traffic being the squat) on an Allstate commercial somewhere?
Perhaps the good officer was simply checking to make sure all bikes complied with applicable brake laws.
ooohhh! this zoobombing hellway deal sounds fun! Are middle-aged fat guys welcome?
middle aged fat guy
hey Jason – the Zoobombers were legally on the road, they weren’t speeding, and they weren’t informed by the cop to pull over when he had the opportunity. Face it, the cop was a dick, and your ‘issues’ with the zoobombers are irrelevant in view of these facts.
““But who can say for sure who “actually” caused it…”
Ultimately, a jury would decide.” Attornatus O.
Oh just forget about that. Assuming the highly unlikely possibility that such a case would ever go to jury trial, don’t expect any justice. There’s virtually a zero chance that the jury would be provided with facts that would allow them to decide in the plaintiff’s (zoobombers)favor.
Look… . I don’t claim to be the brightest guy around, but I can clearly see that this incident was just the most recent case of kix for creepy cops. You zbombers better watch your back. I’ll bet the cops laughed their heads off about this for days in the police lounge. And now, I can just imagine some of the more warped minds in the force upping the ante for the next encounter.
If one of you ever get run over by a squad car in one of these encounters, it doesn’t matter how many witnesses verify the cop was in error, I have a very bad feeling the cop will come out scot-free, having been found to have “acted reasonably in the line of duty, etc, etc.”
“Assuming the highly unlikely possibility that such a case would ever go to jury trial, don’t expect any justice.”
I’m not sure what to make of this, wsbob. I would hate to live in a society where I had absolutely no faith that justice could be done. I agree that the cops are harassing, unconstitutionally brutal, and, in at least one verified case, Nazi. Unfortunately, the police enjoy broad immunity for acts taken in the line of duty. But if there is nothing we as citizens can do about this type of behavior, we are completely f*cked, my man. Please don’t give up; we need ya.
http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_053107_news_tram_jacking.2649205.html
It seems like a battle of wills between two immature and unlikeable factions. On one hand, jerky cops with an agenda. On the other, riders acting like junior high kids. Very hard to pick sides on this issue.
Thankfully Commissioner Adams is a level headed guy. Most politicos would have used this incident at OHSU to justify a full crack down on all bike activities. I just hope no one watched a loved one slip away and their enduring memory is a bunch of loud a-holes with mini bikes acting foolishly outside in the hall.
There it is in a nut shell, you said it Attornatus O. I bet the cops were high fivin’ their brother over a few beers on this one…who’s next? As wsbob said…watch your/our backs.
Brad beat me to it with his posting the link to the Tramjacking Zoobombers story.
Seems that the fine line between “free spirited cyclist” and “moronic jackass” has been crossed by at least a few of the Zoobombers.
please!!!! tramjack was so long ago and its just now making the news? We never claim to be the model cyclists nor do we aim for it. Little bikes, BIG FUN! Now watch the real tramjack not the one the media wants you to see!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=KErbWi7AV9M
by the way.. I just edited the title of this post. I replaced “Zoobombers” with “cyclists”.
In that spirit, perhaps “Sheriff’s” should be changed to “Public Employee’s” to avoid any negative assumptions people may have about law enforcement?
who appointed Brad to be the morality police and fun monitor combined???
I hear you Brad. I admit that making that change opens up a can of worms and we can split hairs and debate semantics forever (which I actually enjoy doing!) … But I think it’s important to do some critical thinking about how we label ourselves and to what extent we allow others to label us.
It is too easy to fall back onto labels and more often than not I have found that negative consequences are the result.
Labels to me are often shorthand to discrimination. I realize it can get tricky and there’s definitely a limit (as in, “I’m not a cyclist, I just happen to choose to use a bicycle as my transportation.”) but I still want to try and be very careful on how and when I use them.
How about if we label the action and not the participants?
If I have the wife drop me and the trailer off at the top of the hill (no six-oclockers allowed on Max yet) and I take our two boys swooping down into town during the daylight, are we not ZooBombing? I’m pretty sure we’re not ZooBombers by any stretch of the imagination (alas, not one minibike or tattoo among us).
Whaddya think?
Come on…zoobombers are a self titled group of cyclists that get a thrill out of cruising hills. I don’t remember any negative renegade stuff in most of the previous comments, until we were again reminded of the tram jack incident. There is a bit of non-conformist type attitude with SOME zb’s, and believe me, most of my cyclist friends bend over backwards to be courteous and law abiding every time they jump on their bikes.
Yeah, despite what Barnum and Balzer seem to think, I hear PDX has some of the most courteous and law abiding cyclists around. And that includes ZooBombers.
viabledaddy, I’m a middle-aged fat guy, and I’m welcome, for the most part.
wsbob : I was there and I was keeping a safe following distance, and I slowed down until a 16″ hit my back end at which point I released my coasterbrake and passed the Police car on the left. I rode motorcycles for 13 years and this was the safest course of action for me. The Sheriff’s oficer (deputy?) stopped as fast as his ABS would allow him. You must be coming in late on this because we have experienced far worse from the Police and we have also experienced co-operation from Portland Police and especially Tri-Met. It is because of the mixed opinions within law enforcement about how to deal with us that this incedent occured. And when you consider that this is all about a bunch of people riding little bike down a hill, it seems ridiculous that law enforcement has to wastes their time on it.
“The Sheriff’s oficer (deputy?) stopped as fast as his ABS would allow him.”
Wow.
I think that’s all the evidence you need for establishing criminal intent. The DA should be investigating this.
It was just a boner move by an overzealous cop. Nobody really got hurt. Read the last sentence in that post, typos and all, Attornanus.
Not for “establishing” criminal intent…”to alledge” criminal intent. And then you would need independant witnesses to establish motive and intent to inflict harm, etc.. And even then…
Injury-in-fact is not an element of a crime. If I shoot past your head, it’s still attempted murder. Sometimes boner moves are criminal and this is one of them, IMHO.
And yes, I meant for *establishing* intent in court. Testimony regarding the abruptness of the stop would be evidence relevant to the intent element of the crime. I think this is what wsbob means by “intent to inflict harm,” as there is only one intent element in a crime. And it’s simply “intent,” not intent to inflict harm.
And like injury, motive is also not an element of a criminal charge, so you would not need anyone to establish that.
If all the details here are accurate, criminal charges are warranted. Also, I believe given the number of people who witnessed this act, there is sufficient evidence to establish assault in a civil suit by a preponderance of the evidence. Injury is also not required for liablity for civil assault.
The Police have bigger fish to fry, and so does Zoobomb.