Hi everybody,
I currently live in and am a lifelong resident of Las Vegas, although I have traveled quite extensively, including five years as an over the road truck driver. I've been aware of FK since meeting Jason, Adam, and Pete when they came through Vegas as part of the MHD project and have considered myself an Anarchist for at least 12 years. Although I've kept up with the blog and am fairly aware of the goings on in and around Keene (some of you may have even run across me on the internets), I haven't joined this board previously because I wasn't planning to actually move there. The idea always did appeal to me, but for various reasons I didn't want to leave Vegas. Most of those reasons amounted to emotional attachments and/or convenience, much more so the former. I'm still not sure that I want to make the trip and there are some real challenges that I would have to work around in order to do so (not the least of which would be the distance between here and there), but I am putting some very serious thought into it at this point.
The opportunity to get involved with an activist community is by and large the major reason I would like to get out there. I've been very involved in the Las Vegas area over the past two years since I left trucking and came home to live full time. I'm one of the organizers of the Anarchist Cafe as well as the local Food Not Bombs chapter and I'm a member of the IWW and Southern Nevada ALL, although for the most part, those last two groups have only consisted of me and Charles Johnson. I've also been very involved in antiwar groups including coordinating with Nevada Desert Experience, Catholic Worker, and IVAW. I've also been fairly involved in supporting basic human rights groups, anti-hate/racism groups, Immigrant rights/anti border groups, and workers unions including UCIR, CIW, Antifa, LV Equality, SFA. I also was involved in attempting to organize a local Copwatch group, but that kinda fell apart for lack of actual participation. I believe in free markets, but I do consider myself a syndicalist and have some socialist leanings.
So the reason I would want to potentially head to Keene, in spite of being so active in Vegas, is that there is a bit of a one step forward, two steps back aspect to the activist community here. Getting people and different groups to coordinate together is like pulling teeth even when those groups are working on the same projects and toward the same outcome. Also, a large portion of the activists that are involved are either students at UNLV or people who just came to town from elsewhere and often leave for one reason or another. It kind of amounts to one big constant revolving door, where you build up a group only to watch it vaporize a few months later and then start over again like a never ending treadmill.
If there are existing groups within Keene, such as FNB or comparable to any of the others I referenced above, I would be very happy to become involved in them. If not, I'd be equally happy to be involved in organizing them if there is interest. In addition, I'm pretty solidly against drug prohibitions and would be happy to become involved in the anti drug war activism that you guys have going on out there. In general, I'm pretty open to most liberty/anti-state causes. I'm not a pacifist, but I'm a pretty non-violent person by nature.
On a personal level, I've done a good bit of writing, both on my personal blogs and in a journalistic capacity. I'm also an artist and photographer (both freelance and artistic). My one major vice is football, which I enjoy both playing and watching, but I also tend to struggle with a tendency to overuse commas fairly often.
So I guess that's it in a nutty shell or at least enough of it for the moment,
Kelly
Welcome!
One of the challenges here is coordination, but if people are excited about something, it comes together (like Free Keene Fest) with little effort from the "organizer".
I was one of the biggest doers in Sarasota, FL and it's much easier to get people involved here compared to there.
Still, this is a ground floor situation - but the more doers here, the better. You will attract others like you.
Also, it'd be great to have another entrepreneur here - a Anarchist Cafe would be pretty cool.
[quote author=FTL_Ian link=topic=3333.msg36705#msg36705 date=1276566241]
Welcome!
One of the challenges here is coordination, but if people are excited about something, it comes together (like Free Keene Fest) with little effort from the "organizer".
I was one of the biggest doers in Sarasota, FL and it's much easier to get people involved here compared to there.
Still, this is a ground floor situation - but the more doers here, the better. You will attract others like you.
[/quote]
I don't really mean coordination in the organizational sense, but more in the context of cooperation amongst like-minded people. Part of the reason that people get burned out in Vegas is because everybody is doing the same or similar things, but as different groups and often with very slightly different methodology. You could very easily spend the better part of every day attending numerous separate meetings for different groups, involving a good percentage of the same core members, addressing many of the same issues or events. A lot of times, it just amounts to tons of unnecessarily wasted time and effort.
Ahh, not an actual physical location, but a weekly meeting. Sounds like our Social Sundays. How many participants do you get on the average week?
[quote author=FTL_Ian link=topic=3333.msg36715#msg36715 date=1276573329]
Ahh, not an actual physical location, but a weekly meeting. Sounds like our Social Sundays. How many participants do you get on the average week?
[/quote]It tends to fluctuate, especially when college is out. There's been weeks where 30+ have shown up and stretches where it's literally been two or three people. On the average, I'd say there are 10 +/- regulars, any given week.
It can be very good for networking, as well as a way to meet with people traveling through the area. It's also geared toward educating people who have an interest in Anarchism, but aren't very familiar with the actual concepts involved and dispelling many of the common myths.
Hello Kelly and welcome to the forum! There is a core group of doers as with any cross-section of people but there is much support available. The thing I find most promising is that there are many little projects and ideas that are being acted upon with most focusing heavily on agorism. Activism takes many more forms than holding signs and shaking hands as I'm sure you're aware.
Thnx, JJ,
I am pretty familiar with agorism, and while I've held my share of signs, I definitely think it has much more potential for creating actual change.
[quote author=KellyWPatterson link=topic=3333.msg36716#msg36716 date=1276575287]
[quote author=FTL_Ian link=topic=3333.msg36715#msg36715 date=1276573329]
Ahh, not an actual physical location, but a weekly meeting. Sounds like our Social Sundays. How many participants do you get on the average week?
[/quote]It tends to fluctuate, especially when college is out. There's been weeks where 30+ have shown up and stretches where it's literally been two or three people. On the average, I'd say there are 10 +/- regulars, any given week.
It can be very good for networking, as well as a way to meet with people traveling through the area. It's also geared toward educating people who have an interest in Anarchism, but aren't very familiar with the actual concepts involved and dispelling many of the common myths.
[/quote]
Sounds very similar to Social Sundays except our low-end these days is about 10. Usually it's 20 and has been as many as 30-40. Porcfest's afterparty already has 59 saying they will attend.
That is a decent comparison in its own right… but even better when you factor in population. 558,000 in Las Vegas city limits, according to wikipedia. Compare that to the turnout we can get with 23,000 people in Keene! A couple of years ago it was much less busy. In a couple of years it should be amazing, so thanks for considering coming help us build the voluntary society! 8)
Though, Vegas is bigger land-wise, so let's compare population per square mile: Vegas 4,154/sq mi vs Keene 613.8/sq mi, that's over six times the population density but a similar or lower turnout to Social Sundays. 8)
Keene > Vegas - plus we have legal gambling, too! Every Free Keene Fest we have open gambling and have never been bothered by the cops!
We too, have had activists come-and-go, but the ones that stay are pretty great and the ones that have gone typically claim they are coming back, yet that remains to be seen.
[quote author=FTL_Ian link=topic=3333.msg36722#msg36722 date=1276578399]
[quote author=KellyWPatterson link=topic=3333.msg36716#msg36716 date=1276575287]
[quote author=FTL_Ian link=topic=3333.msg36715#msg36715 date=1276573329]
Ahh, not an actual physical location, but a weekly meeting. Sounds like our Social Sundays. How many participants do you get on the average week?
[/quote]It tends to fluctuate, especially when college is out. There's been weeks where 30+ have shown up and stretches where it's literally been two or three people. On the average, I'd say there are 10 +/- regulars, any given week.
It can be very good for networking, as well as a way to meet with people traveling through the area. It's also geared toward educating people who have an interest in Anarchism, but aren't very familiar with the actual concepts involved and dispelling many of the common myths.
[/quote]
Sounds very similar to Social Sundays except our low-end these days is about 10. Usually it's 20 and has been as many as 30-40. Porcfest's afterparty already has 59 saying they will attend.
That is a decent comparison in its own right… but even better when you factor in population. 558,000 in Las Vegas city limits, according to wikipedia. Compare that to the turnout we can get with 23,000 people in Keene! A couple of years ago it was much less busy. In a couple of years it should be amazing, so thanks for considering coming help us build the voluntary society! 8)
Though, Vegas is bigger land-wise, so let's compare population per square mile: Vegas 4,154/sq mi vs Keene 613.8/sq mi, that's over six times the population density but a similar or lower turnout to Social Sundays. 8)
Keene > Vegas - plus we have legal gambling, too! Every Free Keene Fest we have open gambling and have never been bothered by the cops!
We too, have had activists come-and-go, but the ones that stay are pretty great and the ones that have gone typically claim they are coming back, yet that remains to be seen.
[/quote]Yeah, there's actually about 2 million people in the Vegas area, including unincorporated county sections, Henderson, and North Las Vegas. But most of them don't come here intending to be activists, so I don't doubt you have quite a head start in that respect. We do get a pretty good percentage of people who show up full of energy and ready to be a part of every project we can mention, only to disappear into the night and never return.
There was some talk about Food Not Bombs last year over in this thread: http://forum.freekeene.com/index.php?topic=1105.0
I'm not sure what came of it.
Oh, and welcome to the forums!
If your political analysis is similar to Charles' left-libertarianism, then the pickings are going to be a little slim to attract folks because most here are of the right-libertarian persuasion.
[quote author=KevCarsonAlias link=topic=3333.msg36762#msg36762 date=1276685553]
If your political analysis is similar to Charles' left-libertarianism, then the pickings are going to be a little slim to attract folks because most here are of the right-libertarian persuasion.
[/quote]
In Keene? Doubtful. Whatever that means, anyway.
[quote author=FTL_Ian link=topic=3333.msg36781#msg36781 date=1276750438]
[quote author=KevCarsonAlias link=topic=3333.msg36762#msg36762 date=1276685553]
If your political analysis is similar to Charles' left-libertarianism, then the pickings are going to be a little slim to attract folks because most here are of the right-libertarian persuasion.
[/quote]
In Keene? Doubtful. Whatever that means, anyway.
[/quote]
How can you critique it (left-libertarianism) if you don't know what it means?
http://videos.wittysparks.com/id/364946644
I tend to have some idea of what it means, and I think it's a dumb term. I didn't come to embrace voluntarism so I could re-label myself as "left" or "right". But if it means more open minded toward "alternative" lifestyles, then I think there are less-stuffy people in Keene.
[quote author=KevCarsonAlias link=topic=3333.msg36787#msg36787 date=1276782569]
[quote author=FTL_Ian link=topic=3333.msg36781#msg36781 date=1276750438]
[quote author=KevCarsonAlias link=topic=3333.msg36762#msg36762 date=1276685553]
If your political analysis is similar to Charles' left-libertarianism, then the pickings are going to be a little slim to attract folks because most here are of the right-libertarian persuasion.
[/quote]
In Keene? Doubtful. Whatever that means, anyway.
[/quote]
How can you critique it (left-libertarianism) if you don't know what it means?
http://videos.wittysparks.com/id/364946644
[/quote]
In regards to political beliefs, Charles and I have plenty in common and a good amount of differences, as well. Assuming that people think for themselves, I don't doubt that is also what the basic situation would be in any relationship I might enter into within Keene. My plans have never really been based on attracting folks, anyway. More a matter of becoming involved in things I believe in.
Hi!