A couple of weeks ago, I was walking through Tompkins Square Park, when I saw this toilet paper hanging from a tree:
Hanging from a tree.
At first, I thought it was a left-over anarchist decoration. Now, I'm not so sure!
Earlier this week, I saw what looked like the very same toilet paper, this time on East 4th Street:
On East 4th Street.
A long time ago, I saw a movie about an African immigrant living in Paris. He told a story about how back home, they believed evil spirits would inhabit inanimate objects to disguise themselves when they moved among people — even something like a plastic bag blowing by could be a spirit!
Me, I don't believe in such nonsense, but many East Villagers do. If you're one of those who do, watch out for this roving toilet paper — it might be the Devil!
I neglected to mention, on the same day as the April 29 punk rock concert in Tompkins Square Park, a group of anarchists met on the opposite side of the grassy area from the stage. This is where the masked fellow came from, mentioned in the previous post.
I'm not sure they did anything other than eat and sit around. They had a lot of banners:
A lot of banners.
Here are some more banners:
More banners.
Of course, the banners could only be read from their side of the fence — from the outside, it looked like they were being exclusive!
This past Sunday, April 29, was East Village anarchist May Day. For the rest of the world, it's today, May 1!
To celebrate, local celebrity Chris Flash sponsored another of the Tompkins Square Park punk rock extravaganzas he's famous for.
When I got there, this guy was speaking:
This guy.
This year, his speech was given in a single breath, in a format known as "word association".
It went something like this:
"Scott Pruitt religious fascist fracking Oklahoma earthquakes native Americans original inhabitants tens of thousands of years ago broken treaties Leonard Peltier no clemency Trump Obama man of the people Clinton August Spies May Day all political prisoners thank you."
As soon as he finished, the band began to play. The band's name was either Haram, or Headsplitters, or Junta, or Rubber. It was not Olor a Muerte.
This was them:
When they finished, some kid in a face mask got on stage and told us all about how terrible the police are.
"The policeman is not your friend."
Chris Flash got up afterward and told everyone that while other policemen were bad, today's police were fine people. They were from Midtown South — he didn't understand why they were here in the Ninth Precinct, but they were fine people indeed!
Then it was time for more music, and the band Olor a Muerte went on.
This was them:
East Village punks don't care if they stand in a puddle:
Standing in a puddle.
I didn't seen any crusties at this show. It is early for them — they don't arrive en masse until Memorial Day!
The section of Tompkins Square Park near the Avenue A and East 7th Street entrance, that locals refer to as "zombieland", usually inhabited by drug addicts and alcoholics, was remarkably empty yesterday after Winter Storm Toby.
Behold:
Zombieland empty.
It was not empty of snowmen, however!
But first…
I was walking down East 7th Street when I saw this snowman head, without a body!
Head without a body.
It didn't take long to solve the mystery. When I walked into Tompkins Square Park I saw this snowman body without a head in, of all places, zombieland:
The East Village has always been home to anarchists. So it makes sense that when it comes time for them to move, they would call a moving company named after a famous anarchist:
Famous anarchist moving company.
Here is a peek inside one of the trucks:
Who owns an I beam?
I'm not sure I would want anarchists moving my furniture. They wouldn't show up on time, if at all, and they would probably sabotage the truck, and "liberate" my guitar!
Thirty years ago, before most people were even born, the East Village was a dangerous neighborhood! Almost no one lived here!
A few people who did live here were "anarchists". They lived in abandoned buildings, and made trouble for everyone else.
They used to graffiti on everything with their markers and spray paint. One thing they wrote was "Mug A Yuppie".
Of course, they didn't do the mugging themselves — they just endorsed the idea!
Recently, someone has been reminiscing about that time, and has taken to graffit-ing this slogan again. Yesterday, as I was walking up Avenue B, I saw this lamppost:
Graffitied lamppost.
They probably wrote "Free Kim Davis" too! She did defy the government, after all!
With all the attention that's focussed on TV celebrities shooting in the East Village, it's sometimes easy to forget that the East Village has its own celebrities!
Chris Flash, for example:
Chris Flash taking a photo of some anarchists.
Chris Flash is the editor of a popular newspaper called The Shadow: "New York City's only underground newspaper"!
This was taken on Friday, as the May Day demonstration made its way down Second Avenue.
There aren't many anarchists left in the East Village, but the few that come here still hold onto the old traditions, like liberating books from bookstores, or in this case, electricity from the base of a lamppost:
Anarchist liberating electricity to charge his iPhone.
Or maybe it's an Android, who knows? Either way, East Village anarchists love liberation!
I was out walking around today during the blizzard that wasn't, and I made my way through the snow and wind to Tompkins Square Park, only to find it closed!
Avenue B and East 7th Street entrance, closed.
Park activities must have been one of those things banned during the blizzard.
I walked along East 7th Street, only to find the mid-block entrance closed too!
East 7th Street entrance, closed.
Where were the anarchists from the night before, I wondered? Wasn't keeping the park open one of their pet projects?
The Avenue A and East 7th Street entrance was also closed, but the St. Mark's Place entrance was open!
As you must know by now, the blizzard that was predicted was quite a disappointment! But before we knew that, East Villagers were filled with anticipation!
I was out just before midnight last night, taking pictures. Here are some of them:
Throwing a football, Tompkins Square Park.
Taking a selfie, Tompkins Square Park.
Riding a bike, Avenue B.
A rat path from trash bags to beneath a car. I saw the rat. Gross!
Mr. Plow! Avenue A.
Shortly before Mr. Plow drove by, a group of young people were walking down the middle of the avenue, shouting "Anarchy!" I heard there's a video of them being destructive. It was just like the old days, except anarchists didn't go out in the snow back then!
Delivering the pizza, East 7th Street.
Inside Tompkins Square Park.
Avenue B.
I hope you enjoyed this little excursion into the East Village before the blizzard. Stay tuned for more!
