RE: [UC] New Marketing CampaignI'm going to have to check out that book (and the others that Amazon recommends along with it) because it's clear to me I don't really understand what that culture is all about.
I thought part of being a squatter/outsider was the impermanence/transience of the lifestyle, of the experience. I figured it was understood that a lifestyle with few formal committments to entities like landlords or mortgage companies comes with its own set BS. Like having your squat go condo. That pissing & moaning about it would be anathema to the whole thing to begin with. Wouldn't you go out and forge new ground? I believe there are many parts of Philadelphia with a lot of abandoned properties. Perhaps there is a neighborhood out there that no yuppie will touch in a million years. Isn't it all about DIY and creativity and not being a slave to convention - convention being involving oneself in 'ownership'? Again, I think need to do some reading. SZ ----- Original Message ----- From: Kyle Cassidy To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [email protected] Sent: Sunday, April 08, 2007 12:09 PM Subject: RE: [UC] New Marketing Campaign >I suspect that the stickers were placed by young punks, Trustafarians, young recent arrivals, >who want to see the neighborhood be cheap and down for their own selfish reasons, West Philly's star has been rising in many circles. It certainly no longer carries the images that it did in many people's minds when i first moved in here. While one segment of the population hears West Philly (and UC for that matter) as the up-and-coming hip place to be, big houses, parks, farmers markets, silent movie festivals, fun things to do, etc. There's also a whole squatter culture across America who have been hearing different, but no less enticing stories about our fair hood, lots of vacant houses, music venues, like minded people..... If you remember the link I posted a few months back to the doccumentary "Squatter Days" you may also recall a group of squatters lamenting that they probably had a year left before someone bought up and "rehabbed" the abandoned house they were living in. These are the first people getting displaced -- the first people's who's culture and way of life is affected when UCD comes through and cleans out the vacant lots and then some of our local Realtor's (tm) come through with some out of town landlord looking for a rental property. So why not be annoyed and motivated to fight back? For a very powerful and heartfelt look into Squatter/Anarchist culture I cannot recommend Cindy Ovenrack's book "Doris" highly enough: http://www.amazon.com/Doris-Anthology-1991-2001-Cindy-Crabb/dp/0972696784/ref=sr_1_1/102-0542095-9757755?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176048324&sr=8-1
