by Crimethinc. Workers' Collective
Available in 284 free installments
Owner:
Don't accept any money. It will be tempting, particularly because some people will feel intrinsically incapable of accepting your drawing without paying for it. And hell, you probably could use the cash?you're an artist, right? The problems with payment are serious, though. It sets a precedent of expectation both for you and for those being drawn. Placing your artwork within a financial framework will force a cold professionalism onto your intentions, and before long you'll lose context and become just another street vendor. As if that's not reason enough to avoid the green, the moment you accept a cent from anyone you play safely into the game of law enforcement. Any cop can then forcibly remove you from the premises for soliciting business vidthout a license.
Strategize what can be done with the information you collect. My recipe, in this way, is gloriously unfinished. I'm sure there are dozens of possible ways to see this through to beautifid and effective conclusions.
Portrait Exchange 420
Reclaim the Streets
Lots of fun people
Material for roadblocks ? e.g,, couches, junker cars, tripods and experienced people to be on the tripods
Well-scouted meeting spot, route,
AND destination
Handbills, posters, and other
PUBLICITY announcing THE EVENT
Fliers to pass out to passersby during the event, inviting them to join in
AND explaining THE EVENT
Bullhorns
Banners and flags bearing messages
Chalk, spray paint, stencils
Mobile sound system ? this could range from a truck with a disc jockey and sound system inside to a bike cart with a hoomhox; remember, whatever it is, it could be confiscated by the cops
Decorative props-? e.g., inflatahles, puppets, fiags, enormous metal icosahedrons, large paper mache suns, moons, and animals
Games ? e.g.. Twister, jump rope
Polaroid camera and photos to give away ? and perhaps stickers to put on them
Free food, massages, etc.
Ingredients
A Reclaim the Streets action hijacks public space to show some of the ways it can be used that are more creative, exciting, and community-oriented than mere commerce or traffic; essentially, it is a radical, do-it-yourself street carnival. It is not a protest confronting the authorities who inhibit such activities so much as it is a demonstration that sidesteps their control to provide a temporary example of what we're all missing. This can be an excellent way for a radical community to have a good time and practice
Instructions
You can entertain everyone by putting
dishwashing detergent in public
fountains.
Reclaim the Streets 422
reinterpreting and rearranging public life, while breeding new desires and an expanded sense of the possible in passersby.
The most basic element of such an action is a terrain to be reclaimed. Before you select a location, determine how much of a challenge you're ready to take on. There are many parks and sidewalks that deserve to have new life breathed into them, and it's wise not to overextend at first: if your city or town is devoid of social life, it's probably better to start out getting people together in a risk-free, low-key manner than it is to cut immediately to big confrontations with police. At the same time, if your community is ready, there's a lot to be said for highly visible, ambitious takeovers of areas that no one could imagine being used for anything other than the purposes to which capitahsm has consigned them. One hundred people dancing, pla3dng kickball, and picnicking in the middle of the freeway while everyone else sweats and swears in traffic certainly puts the conflict between the partisans of business and pleasure in clear terms. Such an occupation is bound to be frustrating for at least some of those who have cast their lot with the status quo; as a rule of thumb, it's generally best to go ahead and piss off the bosses and bureaucrats, while being careful to entertain and engage Joe and Jane Public instead of infuriating them.
