I called Ron Branson last night to see what he was up to. Since he has no driver's license - the state won't give him one because he has no Social Security number - he does alot of bicycling. He says alot of people in California have resorted to this means of travel as the conditions of the roads are poor, and people are poor too. He would have been with this group of bicyclists, but his bicycle was run over in a parking lot just hours before the mass ride took place.
I found this video about the confrontation. Ron tells me some of the cyclists have been told they must have lights on their bikes... can you imagine this group meeting traffic, each with a beaming light? It would blind motorists.