 A31
August 31, all day, concluding with a 7 p.m. swarming of Madison
Square Garden
An ad-hoc collective of anarchist groups has called for a day
of direct action, which kicks off at 9:30 a.m. outside Tavern on
the Green and culminates in a mass swarming of Madison Square
Garden at 7 p.m.. Says a31.org:
"A radical affront to democracy calls for a radical response."
Think theatrical, yippie-style mayhem, with property damage
by more mischievous rabblerousers a distinct possibility.
Expected Crowd Size: Thousands
Rage: 10
The West Side Highway is for wimps.
Proximity: 10
Strikes at the heart of the GOP Zone.
Outlaw: 10
Permit? What permit?
Overall Rating = 10
United for Peace and Justice March
August 29, 10 a.m., gathering from 14th to 23rd streets,
between Sixth and Eighth avenues
UFP&J may have nixed its rally after the State Supreme
Court denied its request for Central Park, but the big march
is still on: Protesters will proceed up Seventh Avenue, past
Madison Square Garden, turning east on 34th Street, and down
Fifth Avenue until Union Square, where marchers will disperse.
Expected Crowd Size: Hundreds of thousands
Rage: 10
A litany of complaints to do Michael Moore proud.
Proximity: 6
Barricades should fence out protesters until they are safely
on the other side of town.
Outlaw: 10
Unpredictability inevitable in a crowd this size.
Overall Rating
=
8.7
Chaos on Broadway
August 29, 4 p.m., Times Square
The Hubbub Collective is a group of loosely affiliated militant
activists who balk at protesting on the fringes of Manhattan,
as United for Peace and Justice has agreed to do. According
to their call to action, "The Republicans will be carousing
on Broadway, watching shows, drinking martinis and laughing
at our ineffectiveness. Or will they?" Participants are directed
to bring streamers, noisemakers, and other attention grabbers.
Expected Crowd Size: Hundreds
Rage: 6
Merry pranksters don't take too much seriously.
Proximity: 8
Broadway convergence rings MSG.
Outlaw: 8
Protesters warn of "police snatch squads and assaults."
Ouch.
Overall Rating
=
7.3
Manhattan Libertarian Party Unauthorized Protest
August 29, noon, Great Lawn, Central Park
The four-year-old group sets out to prove staunch capitalists
know how to protest too. The United for Peace & Justice people
couldn't get a permit for the spot, but the MLP
won't be deterred. Warning: the NYPD is prepared for this
one.
Expected Crowd Size: Dozens to hundreds
Rage: 7
They're both mad and moneyed.
Proximity: 7
If enough protesters siphon into the park, things could turn
ugly.
Outlaw: 8
An act of defiance in the spirit of the founding fathers.
Overall Rating
=
7.3
RNC Critical Mass
August 27, 7 p.m., north end of Union Square
Once a month, the environmental group TIME'S
UP hosts a "critical mass," in which thousands of bikers
and inline skaters take to the streets. Chaos erupts in the
form of angry drivers honking and cursing, which only emphasizes
the car's pollutive qualities. For this special RNC edition,
expect a slow, disruptive ride up Eighth Avenue into tourist-heavy
midtown, wrapping up with an info-sharing party at Pier 63's
Frying Pan.
Expected Crowd Size: Thousands
Rage: 8
Can you say Kyoto Accord?
Proximity: 7
GOP-area street closures don't begin until August 29, but
still...
Outlaw: 3
These bikers are no Hell’s Angels.
Overall Rating
=
6
The Naming Project
August 30, vigil begins at 10 a.m. and continues indefinitely,
St. Mark's Church, 10th Street at Second Avenue
Theaters
Against the War, an international collective of anti-war
theater groups, is collecting the names of every person killed
in U.S. military action since September 11, American or Iraqi,
military or civilian. When the convention kicks off, the names
will be read as part of a continuous vigil that's sure to
be a long, grim reminder of the climbing death toll.
Expected Crowd Size: Dozens to Hundreds
Rage: 10
Roll call of dead evokes palpable emotions.
Proximity: 1
Welcome to the East Village, the birthplace of American anarchism.
Outlaw: 4
Progressive St. Mark’s Church is a haven for city protesters,
but it’s still a church.
Overall Rating
=
5
Ring Out the Republicans
August 28, 5:30 p.m., World Trade Center site
With Democrats and Republicans battling for symbolic ownership
of Ground Zero, RingOut.org
hopes their simple plan to ring as many as 2,500 hand-held
bells at the site will resonate with the masses. New-music
pioneer Pauline Oliveros will debut an original work for the
observance.
Expected Crowd Size: Thousands
Rage: 6
Transcendental-like philosophy radiates hope.
Proximity: 3
Far from the GOP Zone physically if not spiritually.
Outlaw: 6
The setting ought to blunt crowd anger, or will it increase
it?
Overall Rating
=
5
Billionaire Croquet Party
August 29, 10 a.m., Central Park, location TBA
In top hats and formalwear, Billionaires
for Bush often get confused for real Republicans. (They've
even been known to fire up unsuspecting GOPers with their
"Four More Wars!" chant.) The group calls this event, "the
real reason United for Peace and Justice was denied a permit
for Central Park." Followed by a noon Million Billionaire
March outside the Plaza Hotel at 59th Street and Fifth Avenue.
Expected Crowd Size: Dozens to Hundreds
Rage: 1
Tongue-in-cheek "campaign" to privatize Central
Park.
Proximity: 7
Far from midtown, but not necessarily from the police.
Outlaw: 6
It's illegal to stage a rally of more than 20 people in a
public park, but are they protesting or playing?
Overall Rating
=
4.7
Reverend Billy's First Amendment Mob
August 31, 6:30-7 p.m., World Trade Center Path Station
The RNC marks the final installment of the first-amendment
flash mob, which has mystified New Jersey commuters every
Tuesday since March as part of Reverend
Billy's "Ground Zero Performance Festival." The anti-corporate
activist and his followers chant the first amendment into
their cell phones, seemingly unbeknownst to one another, growing
louder until they "become a crowd with one common statement."
(Reverend Billy will also be performing bring-your-own-vows
"weddings" on Central Park's Great Lawn two days earlier,
starting at 1 p.m. on August 29)
Expected Crowd Size: Dozens
Rage: 4
Dada tactics mean confusion over message.
Proximity: 3
Jostling of elbows with New Jersey Republicans fairly likely.
Outlaw: 4
Will New Yorkers notice people talking on their cell phones?
Overall Rating
=
3.7
Involver
August 31, 8pm, Beacon Theatre, 2124 Broadway
THIS CONCERT HAS BEEN CANCELED. The Involver
newsletter has become a national forum for youth-friendly
music-centric mobilization, and this night of culture with
a downtown bent is no different. Think of it as an edgier
version of Moveon.org's
"Vote for Change" tour, with everybody's favorite
hipster comic David Cross hosting indie-artist headliners
Sleater-Kinney and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.
Expected Crowd Size: Thousands
Rage: 6
Mad enough to spend $78.50 on an orchestra seat.
Proximity: 1
The U.W.S. about as far from the G.O.P. as it gets in N.Y.C.
Outlaw: 1
Attendees tried to skip town but couldn't wrangle Hamptons
beds.
Overall Rating
=
2.7
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