Last week senior James Most began giving away refurbished bicycles to fellow students. Most received the bikes from the Walla Walla Community Center for Youth. Previously, the Center had a program called the Bikery in which they taught youth how to fix up old, donated bikes. They then sold the bikes and used the profits to benefit the center.

Now that the center is moving, they no longer have space for all of their bikes. They had planned to simply send all 50 bikes to a landfill and they would have, until Most stepped in.

Most decided to give away the bikes on one condition: Students had to promise that the bike would remain a free bike in Walla Walla even after they graduated from Whitman.

“I think it’s great that he was able to save these bikes from destruction and recycle them in a way that is and will continue to benefit students,” said sophomore and bike recipient Alex Kerr.

As of last Tuesday, over 20 students had received free bikes. Most hopes that in giving out bikes, he will encourage students to decrease their reliance on cars.

“I like bikes because they are not an internal combustion based mode of transportation. Internal combustion engines are ultimately leading to the destruction of humanity as we know it,” said Most. “By giving away these bicycles I’m hoping to fight inCARceration.”

As a protest against what he refers to as “the age of automobile tyranny,” Most participates in Critical Mass. Critical Mass is a pro-cycling event that occurs the last Friday of every month. They meet downtown at 4 p.m. between First and Main Street.

The first Critical Mass was held in San Francisco in 1992 and was made up of a mere dozen cyclists. Now Critical Mass is held throughout the world and numbers of participates range in the thousands. For some, Critical Mass is a form of peaceful protest against cars, for others, it’s merely a celebration of bicycles.

Most describes Critical Mass as an “empowerment activity” where scores of cyclists “take back the streets of Walla Walla.” Cyclists wear the most colorful clothing possible and chant things such as “keep the fun between your legs” or “cars cause cancer.”

Most is one of the founding members of the Walla Walla Cetacean Society. Cetacean comes from the word cetus, which means whale in Latin. However, this society has nothing to do with whales.

“Free fun for all” is the mission of the Walla Walla Cetacean Society. Most said they are “hell-bent on liberating creativity from the evil clutches from normalcy.” They are a secret society but are not exclusive. Those wishing to join should prove that they are dedicated to fighting normalcy.

“The Walla Walla Cetacean Society is all about free fun and so are these bikes,” said Most.