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Banner Manifesto on Highway One
Text by Agusto Cesar Sandino Segundo.
Photos by Bradley.
On Friday July 11th, a group of about 30 people brought together by Youth Coalition Santa Cruz (YCSC), the Resource Center for Nonviolence (RCNV), and the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz (VCSC) all participated in a project to bring a series of radical and contemplative statements to motorists on Highway 1 during rush hour. Dubbed, the "Freeway Banner Manifesto" by organizers, it was an attempt to display a different message on every overpass from Santa Cruz to Watsonville on Highway 1. The effort was sucessful and 13 different banners were displayed for aproxiamately 45 minutes right in the middle of rush hour. The project was spearheaded by members of YCSC and the other two organizations provided the numerous volunteers necessary for the undertaking.
Photos by Bradley.
On Friday July 11th, a group of about 30 people brought together by Youth Coalition Santa Cruz (YCSC), the Resource Center for Nonviolence (RCNV), and the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz (VCSC) all participated in a project to bring a series of radical and contemplative statements to motorists on Highway 1 during rush hour. Dubbed, the "Freeway Banner Manifesto" by organizers, it was an attempt to display a different message on every overpass from Santa Cruz to Watsonville on Highway 1. The effort was sucessful and 13 different banners were displayed for aproxiamately 45 minutes right in the middle of rush hour. The project was spearheaded by members of YCSC and the other two organizations provided the numerous volunteers necessary for the undertaking.
A participant and YCSC member dubbed "Katfish" had this to say, "I wanted to try to make the world a less bleak and depressing place by discussing these bleak and sometimes depressing issues in an uplifting way. I want to see reality for what it is; not only are the banners things that "normal" people don't normally think about, they're also things that people sometimes try not to think about beacuse they are so difficult. If people don't communicate feelings or important ideas than things won't progress and might even regress. We want to stop things from getting worse."
He followed by saying, "Communication is the key to ending alienating apathy. And what better way to communicate than to give people an important subject, or thirteen important subjects, right smack in the middle of the grinding monotony of the commute home."
What follows below is the text of every banner with a photo of the ones we could capture, followed by some commentary for each idea or statement. We wanted people to think about these, it wasn't at all about us having all the answers or trying to talk down to people. We figured that perhaps some constroversial statements might help people begin to think for themselves. We encourage dialog, discussion and other feedback about our project and look forward to involving you with other projects in the future. YCSC meets Tuesdays from 5 pm to 6:30 pm at the Resource Center for Nonviolence 515 Broadway in Santa Cruz and is open to all youth from 12 – 21. We seek to empower young people and help them enact their own projects. Previous projects have included a radio show on Free Radio Santa Cruz 101.1 FM, the Fruit Tree Project that collected excess fruit and produce from our neighborhoods, teaching classes with Free Skool Santa Cruz, taking care of and planting our own gardens, and much more. See ya there!
He followed by saying, "Communication is the key to ending alienating apathy. And what better way to communicate than to give people an important subject, or thirteen important subjects, right smack in the middle of the grinding monotony of the commute home."
What follows below is the text of every banner with a photo of the ones we could capture, followed by some commentary for each idea or statement. We wanted people to think about these, it wasn't at all about us having all the answers or trying to talk down to people. We figured that perhaps some constroversial statements might help people begin to think for themselves. We encourage dialog, discussion and other feedback about our project and look forward to involving you with other projects in the future. YCSC meets Tuesdays from 5 pm to 6:30 pm at the Resource Center for Nonviolence 515 Broadway in Santa Cruz and is open to all youth from 12 – 21. We seek to empower young people and help them enact their own projects. Previous projects have included a radio show on Free Radio Santa Cruz 101.1 FM, the Fruit Tree Project that collected excess fruit and produce from our neighborhoods, teaching classes with Free Skool Santa Cruz, taking care of and planting our own gardens, and much more. See ya there!
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Amazing. I love that every overpass for 20 miles is covered. They are like anti-civ Burma Shave signs.
my eyes teared at "we are not afraid of change"
great project! we need this all the time, everywhere.
great project! we need this all the time, everywhere.
Well done!
Thank you one and all for such a great undertaking. Americans have been brain washed with propaganda. Your messages give people a chance to react and think for themselves. Everyone should question what these messages mean.
I appreciate the hope you bring to me and the feeling that I am not alone. I hope you continue to put these messages out there. I do believe they will have a productive outcome.
I appreciate the hope you bring to me and the feeling that I am not alone. I hope you continue to put these messages out there. I do believe they will have a productive outcome.
Now that I have your attention. Some of the messages are good. 'We need a new way to live,' 'politics and economics lie' etc. But this one, "We are all to blame." No, we aren't.
This is a class society, with the rich and powerful on the top and the rest of us on the bottom who are forced to sell our time, energy and very lives for wages. With those wages, we buy back the products that are owned by those same people, as well as pay for shelter, health care, transportation, etc. We are not all to blame for this system, because we are wage slaves within it. There are those that benefit from it and there are those that are a contradiction within it. Probably most of the people who will read this; ie those who work, or can only get money by working. We are the contradiction because we are forced into capitalism via threats of homelessness, starvation, shelter, etc. Even those that squat, dumpsterdive for food, travel, etc, still must face the reality of living in a society based around capitalist social relations.
I think a more powerful message than 'we are all to blame' is that that there are those who are to blame, and we should be confronting them. Claiming that 'we are all to blame' is part of the same liberal thinking that small, individual changes can fix things. Go vegan, get a hybrid, this is the same line of thinking. Capitalism is strengthened by this thinking, not weakened by it. It also makes people feel even more powerless and like victims. We need to be inspiring more confidence in working and oppressed people - especially to take action outside of the political system and the Left and attack class society. Capitalism is a social force - it will take a mass social force to confront and destroy it.
This is a class society, with the rich and powerful on the top and the rest of us on the bottom who are forced to sell our time, energy and very lives for wages. With those wages, we buy back the products that are owned by those same people, as well as pay for shelter, health care, transportation, etc. We are not all to blame for this system, because we are wage slaves within it. There are those that benefit from it and there are those that are a contradiction within it. Probably most of the people who will read this; ie those who work, or can only get money by working. We are the contradiction because we are forced into capitalism via threats of homelessness, starvation, shelter, etc. Even those that squat, dumpsterdive for food, travel, etc, still must face the reality of living in a society based around capitalist social relations.
I think a more powerful message than 'we are all to blame' is that that there are those who are to blame, and we should be confronting them. Claiming that 'we are all to blame' is part of the same liberal thinking that small, individual changes can fix things. Go vegan, get a hybrid, this is the same line of thinking. Capitalism is strengthened by this thinking, not weakened by it. It also makes people feel even more powerless and like victims. We need to be inspiring more confidence in working and oppressed people - especially to take action outside of the political system and the Left and attack class society. Capitalism is a social force - it will take a mass social force to confront and destroy it.
You can choose what to spend that money on -- a car, or perhaps charity? Eating at restaurants, eating expensive whole foods groceries, or top ramen?
Even we wage slaves want to enjoy pleasure in life, and much of that pleasure is derived from consumption.
Even we wage slaves want to enjoy pleasure in life, and much of that pleasure is derived from consumption.
Thank You Bradley (powerful images), Sandino and all the YCSC people! You ROCK!
I love your steps to peel back the superficial/commercial sign-age and getting to deeper layers.
Thoughts to chew on, mull over and unsettle.
It's interesting to note that all are statements and none are questions.
I find questions help to get beneath the surface and the initial dismissal or denial.
I hope you do more on this front.
This society needs to wake up!
With thanks
G-rant
I love your steps to peel back the superficial/commercial sign-age and getting to deeper layers.
Thoughts to chew on, mull over and unsettle.
It's interesting to note that all are statements and none are questions.
I find questions help to get beneath the surface and the initial dismissal or denial.
I hope you do more on this front.
This society needs to wake up!
With thanks
G-rant
Thanks all for doing this great action with such well thought out statements. Great Pictures by Bradley as always!
I agree with the WE ARE ALL TO BLAME sign.
If we are to be honest with ourselves, we are all to blame on some level. Realizing this, is a healthy thing. Its simply a powerful way of saying we can all do better.
Thanks
Tim Rumford
I agree with the WE ARE ALL TO BLAME sign.
If we are to be honest with ourselves, we are all to blame on some level. Realizing this, is a healthy thing. Its simply a powerful way of saying we can all do better.
Thanks
Tim Rumford
Double kudos
I love it, its awesome.
however with the, "we are all to blame", i really don't think there is anyone who is an exception to this 100%, but the people who are doing something could be respected better, but thats not the point.
The affect of a sign saying "we can all make a difference" i believe is more impacting and allows u to communicate with people better
however with the, "we are all to blame", i really don't think there is anyone who is an exception to this 100%, but the people who are doing something could be respected better, but thats not the point.
The affect of a sign saying "we can all make a difference" i believe is more impacting and allows u to communicate with people better
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