Sign of the times at Concordia

For those who don’t know, I went to Concordia University back in the day. I was a journalism student and not much of an activist at the time. My how times have changed…sort of.

You see, I still write for sites like Forget The Box and occasionally get a paying writing gig, but I’m considerably more of an activist these days. As you may know I do quite a few guerilla theatre culture jams and many of them have taken place at Concordia (against Chartwells, Starbucks, you name it).

Last fall, I returned to my alma mater to play Brandon You from Pub Partout, the fake CEO from the fake ad company I helped to create in order to do something about ad trucks by speaking out “in favour” of them. Brandon and company were for American-style tuition increases because that would allow his company to brand broke students.

The same group of student activists I worked with, now called Free Education Montreal (visit their site and sign the petition, please!), were putting on Angry Week to raise the issue of tuition increase during Concordia’s Congress, a major humanities and social sciences event. Last Thursday I participated in the culture jam portion of the event playing Concordia president Jack Woolworth (a play on the actual president Judith Woodsworth).

I’m really glad to have been able to support this cause once again and also happy I managed to incorporate that dolphin shirt I’ve had for years into a performance.

Here’s the video, enjoy!

The system remains profit-driven...is this really what change looks like? (photo AP)

Yes, more Americans are covered and in a few years insurance companies won’t be able to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions (something that is the very definition of wrong). Unfortunately, people in the states now have to sign up and pay an insurance company whether they want to or not and health insurance companies still exist, which is an abomination.

Health care is a community service and should be treated as such. In the states, people are treated like we treat our pets here. How much of a logical leap does it take to realize that healthcare is not a luxury like a cellphone or a car, but a need like water or

True, I did endorse passing this bill, but asked lawmakers in the US to take out anything that helps the insurance companies. I’m not the only one, Michael Moore and others urged the bill’s passing, while remaining against it in its current form.

Now, he’s come out very publicly talking about what’s wrong with the bill and I guess, with this post, I have, too. He can explain it better than me, though…

So, for coming one step closer to being in step with the rest of the civilized world, congrats to the USA, but since it’s half-assed and doesn’t change the fundamental flaw in the system, it’s gonna have to be congrats, sort of…

They weren’t the only ones, though. A group of supporters of Café Cleopatre (with a few theatre activists like me there in solidarity as well), hoping to stop the planned demolition of their performance space by noted developer and former small-time fraudster Christian Yaccarini‘s Angus Development Corporation, were there to greet the prince.

The plan was to deliver a plea in person to Prince Charles, a noted heritage buff, in hopes that he would take action to save the lower Main from this Tremblay administration-backed project. They had already issued an open letter and video plea, but despite considerable media coverage from The Gazette, the Montreal Mirror and even Paris Match, the prince has yet to respond.

Here’s the video:

I had the pleasure of phrasing Forget The Box’s endorsement of Projet Montreal and mayoral candidate Richard Bergeron in the November 1st Montreal elections as well as OTL’s Reclaim The Main Challenge to all candidates in the same election.  I also covered theatre activist Reverend Billy Talen’s Green Party candidacy for mayor of New York City in my theatre column.

It makes sense.  When national and international politics seem dominated by the same ideologies and policies regardless of what kind of progressive face gets put on it, the only solution for progressives to get things changed politically is to focus locally.

Considering how important local-first is becoming in areas of food consumption and shopping, it only makes sense that a community-based approach to political revolution or at least political chage will work as well. Then, all the local revolts can join up and affect change around the world.

It’s nice to see that in Montreal, progressive candidates seem to really have a chance.  Projet Montreal has jumped in the polls lately and if voter turnout is over 30%, they very well make an impact or get into office.  They’re being taken more seriously by the press and taking part in debates, too.

Meanwhile in New York, the reverend’s campaign is doing well and could very well bring change to City Hall.  Unfrotunately, they have been cut out of the debates.

Since you can’t keep a good culture-jammer down, though, Billy showed up at the debates anyways and let his voice be heard, asking Mayor Bloomberg just what he was doing there.  You see, Bloomberg recently got the two-term limit removed, essentially legislating his chance to run a third time.

While Billy wasn’t invited to take part in the debates, Bloomberg really has no place being there, which is what the Reverend asked him in this clip…

Don’t get me wrong, I generally like Barack Obama. He’s smart, sometimes funny, one of the best public speakers I’ve ever heard and better than the last guy who had his job. He also speaks as though he is on the same of many issues that I am. The problem is that he speaks, but up to now, he hasn’t done all that much.

His plan to turn the American health care system from the ridiculous corporate cash grab it is into something close to what the rest of the world has isn’t going far. He hasn’t cancelled or closed the things he promised to cancel and close, in some cases saying the change will come soon and in others changing plans completely. When it comes to foreign policy, the words are nicer and the locales of focus might be slightly different, but the plan remains the same – war.

So how can the Nobel Prize committee give him the Peace Prize? Wishful thinking? Maybe. As a slap in the face to Bush? Probably. Trying to be cool and get the award more press than it usually does? That sounds like it could be the case. Even Obama didn’t wholeheartedly accept it, though he is going to take the trophy, saying it’s “a call to action.”

If he really wants to earn it, though and live up to all the hope and change he promised, he can do one of two things: reject the award, keeping the door open to receive it in the future if and when he truly does deserve it or make the world a more peaceful place (pull troops out of everywhere, negotiate treaties, etc.) before he picks up the prize in Oslo. He has until December 10th.

This is interesting, considering Tremblay is making a big deal out of the fact that he is not doing street postering this year.  Now, the Cock n Bull may have become some sort of local campaing headquarters, but that doesn’t explain the similar posters across the street outside of the new sports bar which is responsible for the CnB’s eviction.

No matter what the reasoning is, though, Tremblay posters in this location are as sad as they are telling.  The historic pub was the victim of gentrification and the wishes big-time developers.  Tremblay and his administration represent those very same ideals and interests over those of the local community.

I’m well aware that Obama’s nothing close to the revolutionary or socialist (if only the republicans were right about that one) that is needed right now, but he’s a hell of a lot better than what the US had for eight years and may even prove to better than Clinton, who in my opinion was just a corporate exec who was good at making progressive-sounding speeches.

Obama may have been headed down the Clinton road, but maybe, just maybe, with another depression looming and people scratching their heads over how they had allowed someone like Bush to steal two elections and visibly set the country back a few decades, progressive voices might be able to convince Obama to make a left turn and bring about the change he promises. Now that’s a pile of hope if there ever was one.

No matter how he turns out or what he does, at least he’ll sound intelligent explaining it. I recommend watching or reading his speech from last night, at one point it even brought a tear to my eye. Also, if you haven’t already, I suggest taking a listen to his speech on race relations, it’s one of the smartest and most honest speeches from a major North American politician I’ve heard in a while.

Meanwhile in Canada, $300 million dollars later, we’ve got a Conservative minority government with the Liberals in opposition followed by the Bloc and the NDP. Essentially, Canadians paid $300 million to have something we had before for free, a Bush wannabee in office. At least in two months, there will be no Bush for him to take orders from.

It might seem off the bat that we’ve fallen behind, but if you look closer, it becomes apparent that Canada is just as progressive as it ever was and in some ways more so. First off, at least smaller parties do get noticed and our debates are not limited to two competing corporate candidates. If that was the case in the states, then things would be quite different.

There were also some truly great things that happened in the last Canadian election, namely Thomas Mulcair of the NDP holding onto the Outremont riding, a riding that up until last year had been in the hands of the Liberals for pretty much ever. This is also a personal victory as I live in the riding and for the second time in as many years, the candidate I voted for actually won, which is something that doesn’t happen that often these days on the left.

The NDP picked up seats overall, too, largely at the expense of the Liberals, which is fine by me. Maybe now people on the left or center-left will start seeing that they have a chance and the Liberals will stop splitting the progressive vote.

Stéphane Dion is probably a nice guy and a way better choice than Ignatief, and is probably a nice guy, but his party seems hell-bent on shifting away from the left (even though they were only there socially to begin with), which makes Harper seem normal and center, instead of the ultra right-wing western separatist Reform Party joke that he is.

Looks like the states may have finally gotten their joke and realized it wasn’t funny. Next time, it’s Canada’s turn.

And in Quebec, looks like we’re going to have our second election in as many years…keep ‘em coming!

I was at the anti-RNC protest in 2004 covering the theatrical jamming aspect for the Montreal Mirror. Though my gig (and my personal budget) kept me in New York City only long enough to witness the official march and not much else, I did feel a foreboding air when I wandered away from the sanctioned area.

I heard the horror stories (remember the yellow mesh) through the independent press when I got back and heard from friends who were detained by the FBI and Homeland Security for an hour for being curious about a building with no windows. They were released when the powers that be realized they had stopped a couple of actors.

I wasn’t that surprised to hear that the cops were at it once again in St-Paul a few weeks ago at this year’s Republican National Convention. What was different, or at least what seemed different, this time was that they targeted the press.

They started with pre-emptive raids (Iraq, anyone?) on activist film group I-Witness Video and others, continued with the arrest of two Democracy Now! producers as they covered a protest and the show’s host Amy Goodman as she tried to get them out of custody:

They carried on throughout the week with similar incidents, including shutting down a concert by Rage Against the Machine.

All of this makes you wonder why they would go after people who could turn around and make them “famous.” Maybe they think that soon the internet will be back in their hands (“net neutrality my ass”). Maybe they just don’t realize the extent evidence of their negative actions can be spread virally. Maybe they just don’t care what a few million activists or activist sympathizers watching think.

Most likely, though, they do care and all this negative exposure they’re getting is completely intentional and designed to create a chilling effect:

“See, protestors, we don’t care if you’re filming us, ’cause we’re busting the press and anyone who gets in our way, too!” That is why it’s important, now more than ever, to keep filming, keep spreading videos and keep vigilant.

It’s also, I feel, more important than ever, to inject a bit more art into actions. If the protests carry an element that appeals to people that may not be fully aware of the political situation, either by entertaining them or catching their attention, then the subsequent police repression will piss off those people too, especially when they can’t see the video because the cops stopped the filming.

Looking like a bunch of thugs to a mass audience that isn’t necessarily politically aware is the kind of negative PR the cops don’t want to deal with.

This piece of scaremongering came “courtesy” of someone named Maurice Vellacott, a Conservative MP from Saskatoon-Wanuskewin in Saskatchewan and was filled with US-style war-on-drugs rhetoric like “junkies and drug pushers don’t belong near children and families, they should be in rehab or behind bars.”

It had all the markings of a cheaply put together neo-con wannabe pamphlet, complete with a picture of someone dressed as a doctor and a smiling Mr. Harper.

So the Tories are trying to sell me on the idea that their thinly-veiled attack on pot is the only way to save kids from needles. Nothing new here. What is interesting is what this pamphlet is.

There’s no election on and my riding’s represented by the NDP, so this amounts to nothing more than junk mail. It’s also a huge waste of money.

True, parts of my riding may respond to the fire-and-brimstone rhetoric, but not the part I live in. Since there’s no way this campaign is unique to my neighbourhood, there are probably tens of thousands of people who threw that letter directly into the recycle box.

So the Harper crew will blow money on mail spam and at the same time cut arts funding. Maybe they’re afraid some artists with something critical to say will have a louder voice, or maybe they just don’t care about Canadian culture. As lapdogs to the Bush administration, it makes sense that they would prefer us fully adopt American culture rather than export our own.

Now it looks like they’re putting some of their new loot into the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and in particular the torch relay. So they also don’t care about land being appropriated from the poor and Native peoples, either. They just want a chance to show off to the rest of the G7 how well they can play the game.

If they really cared about athletes, they would invest in community recreation for all, not just those with a chance of doing well in a multi-million dollar international scam like the Olympics.

If they really cared about Canada, they would support artists with something to say, even if that something was critical of the government or corporate influence in the arts. After all, those are the ones that need funding ’cause they won’t get it from corporate sources.

But all hope is not lost. There’s a do-not-call list going into effect on September 30th, complete with hefty fines for those who violate it. Let’s get that extended to the mail and to political parties when there’s no election on.

Then, we can nail Harper on his junk mail campaign and spend the money on critical artists with something to say, so that their voice can be heard and so that they can inspire us and the rest of the world with a new way of doing things.

Here’s a recent jam of Chartwells, the company that has monopolized food service at both Concordia and McGill universities…

And here’s one of me playing Brandon You, CEO of PubPartout at the Plateau Borough council meeting last May. The city had been waffling on the issue of banning ad trucks from the streets of Montreal. They had already tried to ban them before, but when the ad truck companies sued, the city’s lawyer dropped the case prematurely.

Our colleague Erik Chevrier had been going to council meetings for over a year to bring up this issue and kept getting the runaround. Council members and borough mayors told him that they supported the cause but couldn’t do anything (despite similar moves working in cities like Vancouver and Toronto) and even suggested that the city streets weren’t their jurisdiction.

We showed up in support by theatrically opposing “Erik Chevrolet” and claiming that ad trucks were our right, and an essential step in the commodification of our culture. We started outside of both the Plateau and Ville Marie council meetings, then decided to go inside and present both Ville Marie borough mayor Benoit Labonte and Plateau Borough Mayor Helen Fotopulos (Foto-op-ulos) with the PubPartout PubD’Or Award for their allowing ad trucks to violate historic sites.

When you see the video, it’s also interesting to note that after our performance, the council voted to allow surveillance cameras on St-Laurent boulevard.