Article: Worlwide Parties Reclaim Streets

Worlwide Parties Reclaim Streets
Lighten Up! Globalization ain't so bad!

BY AYELET HINES AND CRAIG EVARTS

It╣s all the rage. Kids love it more than Beenie Babies and sniffing glue. Reclaim the Streets actions debuted in London in 1991 and have become a favorite pastime in cities around the globe. Reclaim the Streets (RTS) parties celebrate the anti-roads movement by promoting walking, cycling and free public transportation, while cursing cars, roads and the system that bore them. Paint-it-yourself bicycle lanes, road blockades, street parties and strike organizing have all been part of the worldwide effort to reclaim public space and resist our money-grubbing car culture.

May 16 was the international RTS day of observance. Anarchists throughout the world defied even the calendar by taking back their streets as early as April. The partygoers all had a fabulously good time, which is more than can be said for most of the police who patrolled them. We ranked police forces around the world according to their ability to have fun, and here╣s how the cops scored from cranky to swanky:

Prague, Czech Republic:

Don╣t take Czech po-po to your prom. They aren╣t much fun at all. In fact, they are far and away the losers of this year╣s Golden Donut, Fun Cop Award. Prague╣s first RTS day of observance went off with a bang. Over 3,000 people blocked the city╣s main road with four sound systems, 20 disc jockeys, 30 drummers, a puppet show and fire performers. Six police cars, a few billboards, three McDonalds, a Kentucky Fried Chicken and a skinhead shop were demolished. Police arrested over 100 partygoers. Local media declared the party the biggest police confrontation in the country in ten years. Forty people were injured and 22 police officers hospitalized. A judge ruled that nine party guests, charged with hooliganism and attacking public officials, must remain in custody during an investigation of the party. If convicted, they face up to three years in prison. The festivities were condemned by Czech Greenpeace, but what do you expect from a party hosted by the Czechoslovak Anarchist Federation, the Rainbow Keepers and Earth First!?

Toronto, Canada:

Toronto police lose big fun points for weaving through the party with knives, cutting streamers, bursting balloons and threatening people with arrest. Over 600 dancing and drumming riffraff split into two unwieldy groups reclaiming their streets. The balloon-stomping squad, after harassing people sitting in the street, eventually opened their blockade, allowing partygoers to march down the street. Four people were arrested for having fun, a felony in Canada.

Belfield, Germany:

Police here scored in the lowest one percentile on the fun-o-meter. Organizers chose April 25 to reclaim the streets. The date marked the fifth anniversary of the A33 motorway basecamp, where police failed to disband 300 ravers, their mobile stage and a sound system.

This time, the police cordoned off the area, forbidding long-hairs, hippies and young folks from leaving. Thirty people escaped the corral; many who remained were carted off to the big house. Plainclothed police twice lobbed tear gas at the crowd while the fire department attempted to remove two tripods. Two people who locked onto barrels were tear gassed, pressure-pointed and quickcuffed until they released. The hullabaloo of the street party provided ample opportunity for the partygoers to slash squad car tires. There were over 240 arrests.

Lyon, France:

Lyon police may have the potential to be fun, but they get real serious real quick when shopping malls are involved. A tripod blocked the street under the gigantic Credit Lyonais Tower, blocking a major parking lot of the Part-Dieu shopping mall. Unamused, the police charged the blockade, scattering the partygoers who later found a fountain to splash around in. Two hundred people with anti-corporate costumes and signs, bicycles, drums, whistles and a float joined a demonstration against the extradition of Algerians. Even dogs showed up for the party, which passed through a chorus line of exotic dancers donning feathers and bikinis for World Cup soccer events.

Lancaster, England:

British police always seem to have their knickers in a twist about something, and Lancaster cops are no exception. Dalton Square was heavily patrolled by police in vans, on motorbikes, on horses and in a nearby building full of various evidence gatherers. Costumes, volleyball, a sound system and drumming occupied a roundabout, where party guests used paint and foam prolifically on anything that stood still. The square was filled with an anarchist bookstand, food, music and a dragon that the kids chased. A stranded car was slowly beaten to death. The cops chaperoned the ball, standing three or four lines deep (they initially sported head gear, then donned more appropriate evening attire, full riot gear). Apparently the police bullies were bummed that no one asked them to dance because once the party started rocking the cops pushed their way in and demanded to search bags. The crowd did not give way and forced the police back out of the party, mobilizing to reclaim the main street. Police truncheons whacked a few partygoers, and a few bottles were thrown, all with little or no damage.

Brisbane, Australia:

Lookin╣ for a good time? Then don╣t call the Brisbane police. They╣d probably just cuff ya and stuff ya into a paddy wagon. It took them an hour to turn off the music (must of been one of them newfangled extension cords). They then promptly towed the source away. Despite this, 200 party guests danced, drummed and whistled for another few hours then went home, their spirits undaunted. Nine were arrested.

Birmingham, England:

Birmingham╣s police may be fun someday. But for now they╣re not. They had to be run out of the party, attended by 60,000 people. One officer was custard-pied for attempting to take the sound system.

A samba band, volleyball, banners, clowns, a tripod and thousands of people set the atmosphere for the G8 superpower summit scheduled to take place in Birmingham, as did the techno sound system, fire eaters and banner-hanging lamppost scalers. Donated boxes of lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers became ammunition to hurl at police. The Stars and Stripes and Union Jack were set ablaze atop a bus while other activists overturned a car. Finally the cops figured out how to attach wheels to a tripod, and rolled it away.

Valencia, Spain:

Valencia╣s police are boring party guests, especially since they don╣t dance. Three hundred people meandered through the streets, blocking several intersections with drumming and dancing mayhem. En route the party paid a visit to the Virgin at the cathedral in the city╣s center. Partygoers offered festivities until late into the night, dancing and drumming in a way Catholics would find demonic. Instead of shakin╣ it with the rest of the attendees, the police followed the party everywhere, remaining reasonably calm. Geneva, Switzerland: An aperitif before the party might have loosened up the Swiss police enough to enjoy themselves. Instead, those who patrol the opulent streets of one of the world╣s richest cities became especially uptight when the party of several thousand people neared the headquarters of the World Trade Organization, where heads of states were gathered to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Global Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the World Trade Organization. Perhaps they can take fun classes from the anarchist party guests who unfurled their rage on banks, jewelry stores and McDonalds, smashing windows, hurling paint bombs, torching a car and scribbling anti-globalization graffiti. The partypoopingpigs ruined the mood by bombarding the crowds with tear gas, and received a storm of stones and bottles in return. A police helicopter and a line of riot cops kept watch on the party.

Berlin, Germany:

The Berlin police seemed hungover from the May Day riots that created a wave of anti-police violence sentiment. The Germans considered their cops well behaved, saying there were │only three arrests and a handful of people were hit by police.▓

The RTS party went off big with almost 1,000 folks claiming an intersection in the center of Berlin. The demonstrators╣ spirits were high as they smoked, drank and played volleyball and chess to the music of Radikal Rave.

Seattle, USA:

Cops in Seattle stole part of the show when they │rescued▓ a car sentenced to be smashed. Someone left the keys in it. Ooops. A group called Art and Revolution organized a procession of stilt puppets depicting revolutionaries and political prisoners. They reclaimed a street that had recently been reopened to autos, blocking it with a tripod. The party included a samba band and a show │highlighting the futility of the consumerist lifestyle.▓

Ljubljana, Slovenia:

Forty people reclaimed the streets by cruising around on bicycles, roller-skates, wheelchairs and on foot, averaging 5.3 km/hour.

Stockholm, Sweden:

People marched through the streets on May 16 drumming, dancing and waving nature-inspired flags, finally settling in a park to play music.

Tallinn, Estonia:

Their in abstentia status won these cops some fun points when 50 bicyclists and pedestrians converged alongside a six-lane road at the former site of a crosswalk. In a town where pedestrian crossings are increasingly rare and often obstructed by barricades, people held a commemoration of the 25 cyclists and 73 pedestrians killed by cars last year. Twenty-five cyclists covered themselves and their bikes with white blankets. Expecting to witness an actual accident, cars slowed down to view the carnage. People carrying a banner reading, │Kellele kiirteed piirded,▓ or, │Some get highways, others get fences,▓ blocked traffic. Retaining the street party spirit, 900 cyclists did a three-day tour in central Estonia, obstructing traffic on some of the nation╣s busiest road.

Tel Aviv, Israel:

Even Dick Clark might have given the Tel Aviv police a 32 for having a beat he could dance to. Festival-goers secured a permit in advance for the two-street party. Their permit allowed them to publicize their event on radio, television and in newspapers. When over 500 people showed up, the police just made sure attendees didn╣t get hit by cars.

The truck with the sound system met the party in a seaside parking lot, and people in the streets turned the traffic jam into a road rave. There were boisterous demands at sunset for clean air, public transportation and bicycle lanes. The party was part of the campaign against the Trans Israel Highway.

Vancouver, Canada:

Vancouver police made like wall flowers as 200 people took a main street back from capitalist control, noise and pollution to celebrate non-corporate Earth Day. The cops just lurked at a distance in undercover vehicles and watched. One fun partier dressed as a British cop and chased party people playing hackey sack, trying to beat them with a stick.

A Reclaim the Street banner was unfurled across the street, and a rusty junk car served as a roadblock. Party favors included sofas, drums, decorations and free food. The activists also created a dance floor, dining room, theater and play ground. A few disgruntled motorists tried but failed to drive through the party.

Berkeley, USA:

A little beer and a lot of pot may be responsible for the mellow Berkeley police force. They were also wall flowers as partygoers paraded and bicycled through the streets. Four hundred people reclaimed the streets with a disc jockey, fire eaters, a bonfire, free food and a television smash. Police intervened only to extinguish the fire and prevent area apartment dwellers from throwing water balloons at the crowd below.

Sydney, Australia:

Consider inviting Sydney police to your next party. Though they played hard-to-get with idle threats of interference, the cops allowed the 94-decibel party to proceed. The Solidarity Choir, drummers, DJs, Central Techno Sound Tower and Hip-Hop/Reggae/Dub sound stage and electric string quartet dazzled the attendees. Two to four thousand people attended. Sydney RTSers perhaps charmed the police with their sheer decadenceïthey spread carpets and arranged sofas in a lounge space, replete with three chai stalls, a food fund-raiser, a skateboard rail, a five-terminal sidewalk Internet station, two sandstone sculptors, poets, fire twirlers, street gardeners and recycling and garbage bins. Speakers updated the audience on the New South Wales forests campaign, the Jabiluka uranium mine, the Multilateral Agreement on Investment and why RTS is so radical. The sights and sounds were loaded onto the hard drive of a laptop for frequent Internet uploads. Over 1,700 hits on the site occurred within 24 hours of the party.

Leuven, Belgium:

Hell, the cops here damn near joined the party. About 250 folks partook in festivities in the middle of a busy street. When evening rolled around, the police escorted the party to a park. Belgium╣s first-ever RTS ended near midnight when the police politely asked them to please go home.

Turku, Finland:

Finnish cops are just plain fun. When 2,000 people took over a main bridge and a city block the cops just stopped by to say they weren╣t going to spoil the party.

Utrecht, The Netherlands:

The Utrecht police are the undisputed winners of the Golden Donut, Fun Cop Award. The five-hour street rave on May 16 was a wild dance party of 800 people blockading a six-lane highway. Throughout the day, cops mingled with the crowd and sat on the pavement waiting for the sound equipment to arrive. When it finally did, the police helped start a generator. They eagerly followed the party wherever it took them. In early evening, the police announced that the city street cleaners would help clean the party area.

Bogota, Colombia:

The planned festivities were postponed due to more pressing human rights demonstrations in response to threats against union and left-wing activists from fascist paramilitary death squads. Keep your eyes open for future actions.

Now you know which cops to invite to your next party. Streets were also reclaimed Tuscon, Arizona; Dublin, Ireland; Derry, North Ireland; Ankara, Turkey; Darwin, Australia; Gothenberg, Sweden; Nuremberg, Germany; Madrid, Spain. For all our readers in law enforcement, you may notice that the more fun you are, the easier it all goes down. But when you score low on the fun-o-meter, many more things get broken.

This page was last updated 6/25/98