 |
How to sort a street party
|
1 |
Get together with some like-minded people. Possibly your
friends. Work on a plan of action. Sort out different roles, jobs
and timescales. Imagine. What's possible?
|
2 |
Decide on a date. Give yourselves enough time. Not too much - a "deadline" is a great motivator - but enough to sort the
practicals: materials, construction etc. You may need money.
|
3 |
Choose the location. Your street, the town centre, a busy road or roundabout, a motorway! A separate meeting place is good:
people like a mystery, bureaucrats don't.
|
4 |
Publicise! Word of mouth, leaflets, posters, e-mail, carrier
pigeon. Make sure everyone knows where and when to meet. Posters
and paste go well on walls, billboards and phone boxes.
Leaflet shops, clubs, pubs - everyone, and your mum.
|
5 |
Sort out your sound system. A party needs music - rave, plugged-in, acoustic, yodelling - go for diversity. Invite
jugglers and clowns, poets, prophets and performers of all kinds.
Ask campaign groups to come along and set up a stall in the
middle of the road.
|
6 |
How will you transform the space? Huge banners with a message
of your choice, colourful murals, bouncy castle, a ton of sand
and a paddling pool for the kids, carpets, armchairs. The
materials and money from earlier may come in useful here. Print
up an explanation for this "collective daydream"
to give to participants and passersby on the day.
|
7 |
For opening the street - or rather stopping it being re-closed by the traffic - ribbons and scissors are not enough. A large
scaffold tripod structure with a person suspended from the top
has been found useful. Practice in your local park. Blocking the
road with a car that can then be dismantled is nice. Even the
traditional "barricade" will do.
|
8 |
Rescue some young trees from the road of your local
"development" and have them ready for planting. You may need a
pneumatic drill and safety goggles for the last bit.
|
9 |
Have a street party!
Enjoy the clean air and colour full
surroundings, the conversation and the community Bring out the
free food, dance, laugh and set off the fire hydrants. Some boys
in blue may get irate. Calm them down with clear instructions.
|
10 |
At least a couple of the boys in blue will fail to get the
point and nick people - six is generally the minimum to convince their paymasters it was worth all that overtime. Of course you found a solicitor who understands about street protests and distributed a bust card with their number, a phone number to collect details of arrestees, and basic advice - the
Release bust card is a good basis in the UK. Make
sure someone stays awake, alert and near that phone to take messages, gather names, and organise a defendants' meeting a week or two later.
|
 |
Get together with even more like-minded friends and plan the next one. Organise in your community, workplace, school & street.
|
![[INDEX]](rtsg.gif) [index]
Or hit your [back] button...
|