> >From Gainesville Independent Media Center http://gimc.metanet.org
>
> Pirate Pillaging Continues
>
> Posted on Thursday, December 14 @ 14:48:08 EST
>
> Anonymous writes "Surprised members of the Gainesville community
> awoke this Thursday morning to find cement poles down University
> Ave. "redesignated" for fliering use. Late Wednesday night members
> of a group calling themselves the Gainesville Tree Pirates
> established an area down University Ave., marked by stencils
> proclaiming 'Flier Here' with the group's signature skull and
> crossbones, where citizen may once again exercise their freedom of
> speech. The pirates vowed to continue to their campaign of looting
> and pillaging area polls until the city commission repeals a recent
> ordinance outlawing the posting of fliers on city poles. The city
> commission was too busy not serving the interests of the community
> to be reached for comment."
> ____________________________
>
> Statement for Action Against the Flier Ordinance!
>
> Contributed ... on Monday, December 11 @ 01:13:16 EST
>
> (This statement was written for the action against the flier
> ordinance that was a parade of almost 50 people fliering in mass on
> Nov. 29) Today's action against the flier ordinance is a textbook
> case in direct action, where citizens ignore the fake democracy of
> the State and begin to create a real democracy out on the streets.
> In every time period imaginable, since the existence of the State,
> decisions were made by elite groups in the interests of the
> bourgeoisie, while said to be representative of the interests of the
> people. In the last few months we have seen that happen again.
>
> Today, like we did a few years back, we have an ordinance that
> outlaws the posting of fliers to concrete poles. A few years back
> this was defeated by constant efforts by the people to make their
> opposition known, and after 3 people were arrested for fliering and
> their cases were dropped, fliering again became decriminalized.
> These were actions taken by the people, not the City Commission, to
> improve the community we live in today.
>
> But today, as we all know, fliering is criminalized once again, and
> once again citizens are taking action, direct action, to combat this
> ordinance. Last year the City Commission passed a 2am curfew for
> bars. It was a decision made in whose interests? That's what the
> real question is. In whose interests are these decisions being made
> in, and why is this structure, that clearly represents a different
> class of people than those more heavily affected by their decisions,
> still in power? Why aren't decisions made by the communities'
> citizens in a participatory democractic manner? This is the real
> issue at hand.
>
> A few months ago the City Commission dug up an old and dusty
> ordinance that says bands must pay a yearly licensing fee to play
> music in town. You tell me what bands in town can afford a licensing
> fee? What bands in town don't lose money just from being in
> existence? And in whose interest does this serve? If the City
> Commission needs money, have them go and organize a car wash or a
> bake sale, stop squeezing from the poor!
>
> The actions that we see made by the City Commission are actions that
> hurt the unique culture that has existed here in Gainesville for
> years. But this culture of grassroots music, art, and politics is
> not just here in Gainesville. It is all over the world, a culture
> rising up against the conglomeration of wealth and power! And these
> attacks that the City Commission makes against the people of
> Gainesville are the same ones made against the people of Madison,
> WI, Berkeley, CA, Asheville, NC, Richmond, VA, New York City, and on
> and on. And our resistance to it, a resistance that demands not just
> a cosmetic makeover of the powers-that-be but a completely new way
> of decision-making where the power comes from the bottom, from the
> participation of many, is worldwide.
>
> Today's action against the flier ordinance is an attempt, amongst
> what I have previously stated, an attempt to decriminalize fliering
> in Gainesville. For the following reasons we take direct action
> today against the ordinance: * To show that this ordinance is in
> opposition to what the community wants.
>
> * To show opposition to an ordinance that's unfair and absurd,
> passed by the City Commission, people whose lives aren't as directly
> affected by those who have little-to-no power in lawmaking, those
> most affected.
>
> * To empower ourselves to act in what we consider a fair and civil
> manner.
>
> * To show unity and numbers of those who oppose the ordinance.
>
> *To replace the Commissioners' fairytale idea of what our
> communities should look like with what our community wants itself to
> look like.
>
> * To reclaim our culture.
>
> * To support the struggle of small businesses, artists (bands,
> musicians, etc.), and political movements.
>
> * To claim our community as our own, not as the elites' second
> living room.
>
> * To politicize our dissent and to re-politicize the poles.
>
> * To get the press to cover our issues.
>
> * To put into perspective the absurdity of our decision-making
> structure and to display the power of people to make more rational
> decisions than elected officials ever could.