Last Saturday the Westside Critical Mass ride was pulled over by Hillsboro Police Department officers. The group of about 15-20 riders was headed westbound on East Main Street between NE 6th and 7th. Participants in the ride believe the stop was unnecessary and have filed a complaint with Hillsboro PD.
To learn more, I spoke with Washington County cycling advocate the Westside Critical Mass organizer Rob Lewis (watch a video of our conversation below). Lewis volunteers with Ride Westside and he’s the founder of the Westside Bike Happy Hour. Lewis wasn’t on the ride, but as a leader in that community he’s spoken to a number of folks who were there.
“From what I hear, the police were a bit aggressive and came in kind of hotheaded,” Lewis shared with me Thursday. Thankfully, he added, the ride leaders handled the interaction well and were able to deescalate the situation. How? They were calm and prepared…