confusion seems to reign in all the protest "gatherings" i have attended this year. people who are not aligned toward a single purpose and who would never be seen in the company of each other set up booths as if it were a street fair.
a PROTEST is a PROTEST not some goddamn concession. money raising should not be permitted at a protest. sell your signs and slogans elsewhere. sell your ideology and re-affirm your beliefs in freedom with your voices and your bodies if necessary. WE SHALL OVERCOME,but only if we stay true to the exercise of FREEdom of SPEECH. SPEECH IS NOT FREE IF YOU PAY FOR A PERMIT AND TELL THE ESTABLISHMENT WHEN AND WHERE YOU ARE GOING TO BE - that is a block party.
once upon a time freedom of speech was taken by people who gave body and soul to get it. students did more, and gained more in the '60s than all of the groups 'protesting' today. so-called anarchists, revolutionaries, reactionaries, etc. lack direction and apparent leadership.
i have called on my brothers from the '60's to come out of our 'progressive' closets and the warm womb of apathy into which we have fallen, with our monetary gains and middle class life- styles. once more we must engage the class battle between rich and poor that is being perpetrated by a government ruled by multi-national corporations. the BLACK PANTHERS, BROWN BERETS of la raza unida, the RED GUARD, SURVIVORS OF WOUNDED KNEE, and the WHITE RADICAL UNDERGROUND had a significant impact on social change in the sf bay area, and we can do so again. WE MUST DO SO AGAIN OR DIE KNOWING EVERYTHING WE FOUGHT FOR IS GONE.