COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT RIDES
On Tuesday, September 9th, Critical Mass NOLA will convene a Community Engagement Ride to confront one of the gravest injustices of our time: Mass Incarceration in Louisiana. We will meet at 5:30 PM at 500 Poydras Street. Critical Mass NOLA will stand with the N.O. Alliance in declaring that we do not want the National Guard in our city — and that we demand community control of the police.
We have an incredible ride and program planned for Tuesday, where we will confront several issues tied to mass incarceration in Louisiana: live surveillance technology, the Fair Chance Amendment, nitrogen gas executions, non-unanimous juries, and more.
No society in human history has incarcerated so many of its own people as the United States. And among all fifty states, Louisiana holds the shameful title of the highest incarceration rate in the nation—an open-air prisonhouse where punishment substitutes for justice, and profit outweighs humanity.
This raises urgent questions—Why is our incarceration rate so obscenely high? Who benefits from this punitive system? And what are the people of New Orleans doing to resist and transform it?
As we ride together, we will stop and be engaged by organizations working on the frontlines of this struggle— @eos_nola, @freedomtogrownola, and the @justicespromise —each offering visions of resistance, abolition, and transformation.
This is more than a bike ride. It is a mobile classroom, a moving assembly, and a collective act of refusal against a system that cages Black and working-class communities at staggering rates. It is also an invitation to learn, to organize, and to become an agent of change in a city whose history has always been defined by struggle and resilience.
📍 Meet us at 500 Poydras St. at 5:30pm.
🚲 We roll out at 6:30pm sharp.
Ride with us as we pedal through the streets, visit sites tied to this crisis, and ask together: What is the route to justice?
*Critical Mass Nola is a volunteer-led, informal community ride. All participants ride at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety.
What Are Cooperative Economics?
Coming off the heels of Black Men Build-Bvlbancha’s Maroon Camp gathering, Critical Mass Nola is partnering with BMB to host a community engagement bike ride exploring the meaning of cooperative economics.
In the Greater New Orleans area, Maroons—escaped slaves—found refuge among the Native people of the region. Maroons would dress like Natives and “mask” to blend in with Indigenous communities. The earliest recorded uprising by Natives against French colonists was the Natchez Revolt of 1729. Among the Native rebels, escaped slaves were counted among their ranks.
Our narrative during the ride will shed light on New Orleans Maroon leader Juan San Malo and illuminate the alternative economy he and his band of Maroons organized.
Join us on Monday, August 11th at 6:00 PM at the entrance of Congo Square on N Rampart Street—the same place where Juan San Malo would come to sell vats and troughs he carved from cypress trees in the 1780’s.
We’ll depart at 6:30 PM and visit three community gardens owned by local Black and Indigenous leaders. This will be a typical Critical Mass ride asserting our right to the road, but with intentional stops along the way:
* Ms. Gloria will give us a presentation of her work at Ms. Gloria’s Garden in the 6th Ward.
* Chef Jas will share about her work at Earth Seed Food and Earthseed Gardens in the 7th Ward.
* Lastly we will visit Land Back, where Jenna Mae from Bvlbancha Collective will speak about cooperative economics in the 9th Ward.
Grease your chains, check your tire pressure, charge your lights, and join us as we take the streets and learn from our local community leaders!
⏰ Meet at 6pm | Roll at 6:30pm
📍Entrance to Armstrong Park
📆 Monday, August 11th
* Critical Mass Nola is a volunteer-led, informal community ride. All participants ride at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety.
Join Critical Mass NOLA for a powerful ride rooted in the spirit of revolution and transformation.
The storming of the Bastille was more than a historic moment-it was a grassroots uprising that sparked global change, including the Haitian Revolution, which in turn reshaped the destiny of Louisiana.
As we reflect on these revolutions, we recognize that the same spirit of collective action and justice still lives on in our streets today.
On this ride, we will learn about pressing local issues:
Mass incarceration in the most imprisoned state in the U.S.
Immigration and detention injustices in Louisiana
The fight for safe, accessible bicycle infrastructure
And the urgency of environmental justice in frontline communities
Let's honor the legacy of rebellion not just with memory—but with motion. Together, we ride to raise awareness, build solidarity, and create a more just New Orleans.
Meet at 6:00 PM | Ride at 6:30 PM
Barracks St. side of the French Market
Bring a white flower for a special moment of remembrance (if you can't find white any color will do)
Change begins when people move together. Let's ride in solidarity.
*Critical Mass Nola is a volunteer-led, informal community ride. All participants ride at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety.