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Fri Dec 3 2004
Borderland Film/Arts Festival 2004
The Borderland Film/Arts Festival is a rich multi-layered exhibition which began on 11/29/2004 with a series of interventions in San Francisco. On 12/02 the program opened on a wider front with a film festival, gallery reception and live radio broadcast by Enemy Combatant Radio. The Borderland Collective has gathered a diverse range of multi-disciplinary artists and participants to "share an understanding of both the physical Mexico/U.S border and the more implicit socially constructed borders that surround us all." The month-long exhibition investigates a multitude of perspectives "of borders or borderlands and how the artist either contests the border construction or has been shaped by it." Related Indymedia coverage: Juarez caravan | AFTA
Mon Nov 15 2004
Video Riot 3: "Last Gasp of Freedom"
In San Francisco's annual Video Riot, now in its third year, video artists come from all over the Bay Area and beyond to transform an entire inner city wall into a gigantic drive-in theater. The wall becomes a montage of numerous video projections, lasers and a low power FM station transmitting the soundscape for the event. This year’s video riot, “Last Gasp of Freedom,” was held on 11/07/2004 in the wake of the presidential election. With the Video Riot having survived four years of the incumbent regime, and faced with persevering another four years, video artists made a statement to the nation in the way they are most fluent. Photos
Thu Nov 11 2004
We The Planet 2004: "A Festival of Music and Activism"
Thousands of music fans convened at Oakland's Henry J. Kaiser Center on Saturday, November 13th for the second annual We the Planet Festival of music, consciousness and activism, which was organized by Circle of Life and the Spitfire Agency. This year's groundbreaking concert featured The Roots, Mickey Hart, Michelle Shocked, The Coup, and Third Eye Bind, and was co-hosted by activist Julia Butterfly Hill and spoken word poet Aya de Leon. this zero-waste event also included Pushing the Boundaries for a New World: A Series of Rabble-Rousing Interactions with Today's Leading Activists and Visionaries (daytime activism workshops on Music, Arts & Activism, Indy Media, Beyond Voting, and Direct Action & Civil Disobedience). The afternoon workshops took place at Laney College. More event info. Photos: 1 | 2 | 3
Fault Lines newspaper and Indybay were present with an outreach table. Catch us again at another event...
Tue Nov 2 2004
Artists Organize to Bring out the Youth Vote
The National HipHop Political Convention was held in Newark, New Jersey in June, and it came out with a 5-point agenda: Education, Economic Justice, Criminal Justice, Health Care, and Human Rights (plus amendments). The Bay Area Local Organizing Committee (BayLOC) came out of the Convention and planned events here in the Bay. BayLOC called for a demonstration at 12 noon on 11/2 to "Get Hype and Vote." Photos: 1 2 State of Emergency: the SF Bay Hip Hop Summit was held at Laney College in Oakland on October 3rd. Also that weekend, the San Jose Hip Hop Coup held “Beyond the Elements: Reconnecting Hip Hop and Social Change” was held on Saturday, October 2nd at the San Jose State University Union, and continues to organize events in San Jose. Both groups had recommendations for how to vote on propositions on their websites.
The League of Pissed Off Voters, which was founded by writer/graf artist William Upski Wimsatt and others, has done national voter-organizing, with a goal of engaging "pissed off 17-35 year-olds in the democratic process to build a progressive governing majority in our lifetime." The tools that they used were: the book How to Get Stupid White Men Out of Office, the website www.indyvoter.org, Progressive Voter Guides, and coalition building through events from brunches to book clubs in your living room, and more, with the building of voter blocs in mind. They have also called for a November 3rd National Day of Truth and Accountability, as part of This Time We're Watching. Search for Local Actions
Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Citizen Change worked with meetup.com to organize young people and youth of color to vote. The two groups joined forces because they felt that joining a group that focused on community organizing along with an online meeting service would be useful. Citizen Change is a national, non-partisan and non-profit organization created to educate, motivate, and empower the more than 42 million "forgotten" Americans aged 18 to 30 who are eligible to vote this fall. Everyday young cultural leaders influence millions of young people to exercise their $890 billion in buying power to purchase the latest fashion, music, cars and bling. Citizen Change used the same kind of marketing, via MTV, ClearChannel, and others, to promote the urgency to vote on Election Day. Citizen Change is known for its "Vote or Die" t-shirts. Notable spokespeople for Citizen Change included Jay-Z, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Ellen DeGeneres, Ashton Kutcher, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige and Drew Barrymore.
Other notable campaigns included Rock the Vote and Rap the Vote. People for the American Way, the Drug Policy Alliance, and ACORN were just some of the organizations involved with Rock the Vote.
The HopHop Summit Action Network is the movement that hip hop mogul Russell Simmons was involved in starting in 2002. HipHop Summits and voter registration events were held all over the country in 2004, including one hosted by Eminem in Detroit. HSAN and America Coming Together joined up for a 1--state Get Out the Vote tour.
DaveyD Reflects: Hip Hop Where Do We Go From Here?
The League of Pissed Off Voters, which was founded by writer/graf artist William Upski Wimsatt and others, has done national voter-organizing, with a goal of engaging "pissed off 17-35 year-olds in the democratic process to build a progressive governing majority in our lifetime." The tools that they used were: the book How to Get Stupid White Men Out of Office, the website www.indyvoter.org, Progressive Voter Guides, and coalition building through events from brunches to book clubs in your living room, and more, with the building of voter blocs in mind. They have also called for a November 3rd National Day of Truth and Accountability, as part of This Time We're Watching. Search for Local Actions
Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Citizen Change worked with meetup.com to organize young people and youth of color to vote. The two groups joined forces because they felt that joining a group that focused on community organizing along with an online meeting service would be useful. Citizen Change is a national, non-partisan and non-profit organization created to educate, motivate, and empower the more than 42 million "forgotten" Americans aged 18 to 30 who are eligible to vote this fall. Everyday young cultural leaders influence millions of young people to exercise their $890 billion in buying power to purchase the latest fashion, music, cars and bling. Citizen Change used the same kind of marketing, via MTV, ClearChannel, and others, to promote the urgency to vote on Election Day. Citizen Change is known for its "Vote or Die" t-shirts. Notable spokespeople for Citizen Change included Jay-Z, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Ellen DeGeneres, Ashton Kutcher, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige and Drew Barrymore.
Other notable campaigns included Rock the Vote and Rap the Vote. People for the American Way, the Drug Policy Alliance, and ACORN were just some of the organizations involved with Rock the Vote.
The HopHop Summit Action Network is the movement that hip hop mogul Russell Simmons was involved in starting in 2002. HipHop Summits and voter registration events were held all over the country in 2004, including one hosted by Eminem in Detroit. HSAN and America Coming Together joined up for a 1--state Get Out the Vote tour.
DaveyD Reflects: Hip Hop Where Do We Go From Here?
Sat Oct 30 2004
Incitement to Vote: Eminem's New "Mosh" Video
10/30/2004: The new video for Eminem's song "Mosh" was released online and on MTV last week. The video was produced by the Guerrilla News Network. GNN also produced a video for the song "White America," which exposes racism and the alienating effects of growing up in suburban America.
The lyrics of the song "Mosh" advocate political pressure as a means to bring about regime change, and in particular to the American troops home (from Iraq): "Stomp, push up, mosh, fuck Bush, until they bring our troops home..." Some of Eminem's earlier music has shown a disgust with aspects of the system, and more specifically, with parts of mainstream culture. In this song, Eminem says, "We got our own battles to fight / on our own soil." This would appear to be incitement to focus on local struggles--the soil that Eminem refers to appears to be the White House. The video indicates that women, children, and men of color, as well as white soliders are targets of the Bush administration.
Eminem seems to make a point of using language that would attract people who are already part of the movements against corporate globalization and the war: the word "Blechtell" (a reference to Bechtel, a corporate exploiter of the war and water rights all over the world) on the chalkboard, and the use of the phrase "No more blood for oil," for example.
The use of black bloc garb in the video appears to indicate anger and intent to take radical action. The video ends with the hooded-up crowd arriving at a building that resembles the White House, with Eminem at the front, ready to sign in and vote. However, the black bloc is a tactic that is largely used, at least in this country, by anarchists and anti-authoritarians, and anarchists don't vote.
Eminem has reportedly not endorsed any candidate in this race. Fans are reportedly planning to wear black hoodies to the polls on election day. Anarchist Chuck0 says, "Eminem is a fucking joke"
More articles: Beyond the Mainstream Article: Eminem Joins the ABB (Anyone But Bush) Mosh Pit | The Dead End of Electoralism
Posts and commentary on Indybay: Eminem joins the black bloc in anti-Bush video! | Eminem calls Iraq war "mess," blames president | Eminem: Incitement to Vote?!
Ongoing coverage of the election and coming protests on Indybay's Government and Elections Page
The lyrics of the song "Mosh" advocate political pressure as a means to bring about regime change, and in particular to the American troops home (from Iraq): "Stomp, push up, mosh, fuck Bush, until they bring our troops home..." Some of Eminem's earlier music has shown a disgust with aspects of the system, and more specifically, with parts of mainstream culture. In this song, Eminem says, "We got our own battles to fight / on our own soil." This would appear to be incitement to focus on local struggles--the soil that Eminem refers to appears to be the White House. The video indicates that women, children, and men of color, as well as white soliders are targets of the Bush administration.
Eminem seems to make a point of using language that would attract people who are already part of the movements against corporate globalization and the war: the word "Blechtell" (a reference to Bechtel, a corporate exploiter of the war and water rights all over the world) on the chalkboard, and the use of the phrase "No more blood for oil," for example.
The use of black bloc garb in the video appears to indicate anger and intent to take radical action. The video ends with the hooded-up crowd arriving at a building that resembles the White House, with Eminem at the front, ready to sign in and vote. However, the black bloc is a tactic that is largely used, at least in this country, by anarchists and anti-authoritarians, and anarchists don't vote.
Eminem has reportedly not endorsed any candidate in this race. Fans are reportedly planning to wear black hoodies to the polls on election day. Anarchist Chuck0 says, "Eminem is a fucking joke"
More articles: Beyond the Mainstream Article: Eminem Joins the ABB (Anyone But Bush) Mosh Pit | The Dead End of Electoralism
Posts and commentary on Indybay: Eminem joins the black bloc in anti-Bush video! | Eminem calls Iraq war "mess," blames president | Eminem: Incitement to Vote?!
Ongoing coverage of the election and coming protests on Indybay's Government and Elections Page
Fri Oct 29 2004
Thousands Converge for Halloween Critical Mass
 Critical Mass celebrated its 12th anniversary on Sept. 24th, 2004 in San Francisco. |
On September 13th, organizers of San Francisco's Reggae In The Park announced that they dropped a controversial Jamaican singer following complaints from queer activists in SF and beyond. In some of Capleton's lyrics, he has espoused hanging, drowning, burning, or shooting gays. Capleton issued an apology to San Franciso gays in an effort to head off a threatened demonstration. Organizers of the event apparently agreed with protesters, decided that he would be disinvited to perform. Capleton was scheduled to be one of the headline acts at Reggae in the Park, which is a fundraiser for Global Exchange to be held in Sharon Meadow on October 2nd and 3rd. Instead, during that weekend, Capleton has made plans to head to Santa Cruz for a concert at the popular nightclub Catalyst. GLBT activists there have vowed to protest the concert of the Jamaican native. They are calling for public pressure in advance of the concert, and if this fails, protest on Sunday, October 3rd at 7:30pm. Report on Santa Cruz Indymedia
San Francisco is not the only city in which a Capleton show has been cancelled. An October 4th concert in West Hollywood was cancelled, and an October 11th (national coming out day) show at the New Orleans House of Blues was called off. Report from Chicago Anti-Bashing Network Earlier this month the organizers of Britain's urban music awards announced that they would rescind the nominations of reggae stars Elephant Man and Vybz Kartel, after they refused to apologize for their lyrics inciting the murder of lesbian and gay people. Capleton, Bounty Killer and Vybz Kartel were scheduled to perform at an outdoor concert in Newark, New Jersey in September. Organizers of the Reggae Festival said that they required that the three sign contracts that state that they will not perform songs which promote hatred toward gays. Another reggae singer associated with anti-gay lyrics, Beenie Man, is currently on a US tour that has been marked by almost daily announcements of cancellations after concert halls and organizers were made aware of the nature of the singer's lyrics. London's first-ever Reggae in the Park was cancelled due to security risks related to negative publicity about reggae in the press in London.
365gay.com reports that in May, Amnesty International stated that at a reggae concert in Jamaica, Capleton and other performers "sang almost exclusively about gay men. Using the derogatory terms for gay men - "chi chi men" or ‘battybwoys’ - they urged the audience to ‘kill dem, battybwoys haffi dead, gun shots pon dem. Who want to see dem dead, put up his hand’". Amnesty International Launches Global Action to Combat Homophobic Violence in Jamaica DJ Podp of Enemy Combatant Radio recommends some dub musicians to listen to instead of homophobic artists: Asian Dub Foundation, Dr. Israel, Twilight Circus, and Prof. Shehab of Brooklyn.
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San Francisco is not the only city in which a Capleton show has been cancelled. An October 4th concert in West Hollywood was cancelled, and an October 11th (national coming out day) show at the New Orleans House of Blues was called off. Report from Chicago Anti-Bashing Network Earlier this month the organizers of Britain's urban music awards announced that they would rescind the nominations of reggae stars Elephant Man and Vybz Kartel, after they refused to apologize for their lyrics inciting the murder of lesbian and gay people. Capleton, Bounty Killer and Vybz Kartel were scheduled to perform at an outdoor concert in Newark, New Jersey in September. Organizers of the Reggae Festival said that they required that the three sign contracts that state that they will not perform songs which promote hatred toward gays. Another reggae singer associated with anti-gay lyrics, Beenie Man, is currently on a US tour that has been marked by almost daily announcements of cancellations after concert halls and organizers were made aware of the nature of the singer's lyrics. London's first-ever Reggae in the Park was cancelled due to security risks related to negative publicity about reggae in the press in London.
365gay.com reports that in May, Amnesty International stated that at a reggae concert in Jamaica, Capleton and other performers "sang almost exclusively about gay men. Using the derogatory terms for gay men - "chi chi men" or ‘battybwoys’ - they urged the audience to ‘kill dem, battybwoys haffi dead, gun shots pon dem. Who want to see dem dead, put up his hand’". Amnesty International Launches Global Action to Combat Homophobic Violence in Jamaica DJ Podp of Enemy Combatant Radio recommends some dub musicians to listen to instead of homophobic artists: Asian Dub Foundation, Dr. Israel, Twilight Circus, and Prof. Shehab of Brooklyn.
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