Adam Jung(k): Logistical Genius
June 28th, 2008
Now, granted, I haven’t really been, how shall I put it, blinded by the brilliance of those shining stars over at The Alliance for Real Democracy (T.A.R.D.). But, even as underwhelmed as I’ve been, I couldn’t help but be a little thunderstruck at the sheer ineptitude evidenced by whoever’s doing the organizing.
Take, for instance, this latest article in the Rocky Mountain News, wherein Mr. Jung(k) pontificates on the lengthy and deliberate preparations he and his cohorts have made in anticipation of 50,000 protesters (their number).
I’d imagine, for instance, that restrooms would be foremost in Mr. Jung(k)’s mind.
His plan?
Jung hopes the city will provide the outhouses.
Really? Hopes? Really? Not having conversations with the city about coordinating the outhouses, he just kinda hopes they’ll, like, appear?
Well, that’s understandable, I suppose. I kinda hope to see Mr. Jung(k) rolled down Colfax in one of those very same outhouses.
Moving on, what about, say, showers?
He plans to ask churches and like-minded Denverites to welcome folks in for showers.
Now that one had me folded up in my chair, laughing. Just imagine, if you will, dear reader, 50,000 motherfuckers milling around downtown, knocking on doors and begging showers.
Naw, that shouldn’t be a problem.
And the best part is that Mr. Jung(k) hasn’t, as of yet, asked anyone to help out with showers. He only plans to.
Hell, we’ve got almost two whole months until the convention. Take your time, Mr. Jung(k).
But, anyway, now that we’ve squared away the facilities, what about food?
Never fear, Mr. Jung(k)’s on top of his game.
As for food, the group will issue participants a list of recommended organic, enviro-friendly local restaurants.
Good. Fucking. God.
Might I suggest, Mr. Jung(k), that you might be better served restricting your logistical talents to endeavors more suited to your capabilities?
Like, I don’t know, stoned trips to Chuck E. Cheese?
Never fear, though. There’s one area that Mr. Jung(k) has down cold.
“Our main argument is, if people are allowed to camp, is that we retain control over the entire event,” he said. “We’re bringing in professional security, so we can direct the energy and we can keep it safe and . . . a very positive event.”
Yep, even I’ll concede that Mr. Jung(k) should have no problem arranging security.
After all, I’ll bet he knows plenty of cops.
June 28th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Now don’t go gettin’ yersef all excited, Bennie. When Mr. Junk says “organic, enviro-friendly restaurant,” he means the golden arches. And he should. After all, Willie Nelson runs his biodiesel on grease from their deep-fry vats, and that’s a helluva lot more contribution to the ecosystem than you’ll get out of your friendly neighborhood toofoo bar. Right?
June 28th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
If Mr. Junk can’t get the neighbors to let 50,000 strangers to use their showers, he could ask old Hick “pretty pretty please,” and I bet the mayor would be happy to send the fire department to go hose the TARDs down everyday.
June 29th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I was really wondering what the food niche people would do. In some areas, Food not Bombs serves cheap rice and bagels, but in some spots it is great stuff (expiration date expensive juice and sushi and sandwiches) with complex supply line logistics, directed at everyone instead of charity. Out of city visitors (half of whom are low budget) will require an infrastructure of meeting sites and event dates from a planning committee, but I don’t bet that traveling food/media providers will be that easily misled and have to be organizing themselves. The question is where they serve the food - from carts and vans? The significance of planning committee leadership will totally diminish during that week when everyone else takes over. When the people leave the pen to forage in a decentralized fashion (if the city isn’t bright enough to distribute ice cream and faucets and shade), it is good for spreading the message around the city, even if the news gives smaller crowd counts.
On that site - they link to the street medics. If the point of R68 v. TARD was that they want to organize an identical thing, but have historical amnesia about all the events in 1968, and some disagreement over how defensive vs. offensive protests will be - doesn’t the mission statement of the street medics sound ‘68ish. Surely, many folks experience physiological breakdowns when they leave the house, and anyone who makes themselves useful by bringing medical skills, water, cardboard, headache pills, tape, is really great. Indeed, as they anticipate, there probably could be some police violence. That is why r68 said they’d defend themselves. The street medics also seem largely focused on that scenario, and calming the frightened crowd from trampling each other etc.
Here is an fbi street medic http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v324/affengeil/picture_038.jpg
June 29th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
The thing is that T.A.R.D.’s split isn’t even over a difference in tactics. One of their member organizations has a self-defense stance almost identical to R68’s. This is about national organizations with paid organizers co-opting local movements, stealing their work, squeezing out people who actually inhabit those oppressed communities they’re supposed to be all about supporting, and forcing a horseshit, watered-down, lame-liberal message down the throats of everyone involved. They’re surrogate pigs.
June 30th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Exactly. TARD is basically made up of the large, liberal national protest bureaucracies like UFPJ, CodePink, etc. They are the big corporations of the protest movement. And, naturally, they are organizations that quash independent, grassroots, local, spontaneous, radical activism. They quash anything that doesn’t follow their script. Along with this, they make everything they touch bland, safe, boring, rehearsed. TARD is a last minute attempt to co-opt the work that R68 has been working on for over a year. These liberal, national groups show up in town and find a few faces willing to sell out the local community for a few bucks. They also exploit existing splits in the local scene in order to move in. One really has to wonder about the intelligence of those who are are selling out the Denver activist scene to get paid positions. They sell out for next to nothing — it isn’t like UFPJ or CodePink are going to have any use for these Denver sellouts after August. After August, these national groups will cut them loose. In the end, the sellouts are just fucking themselves over by wrecking the Denver activist community. I don’t see how these sellouts can show their faces in public.
My advise to the sellouts: You’ve really fucked up for nothing. You ought to cut your losses. You should come hat in fucking hand back and talk to the right people while they are still willing to listen.
June 30th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Has R68 arranged for bathrooms, showers and food?
June 30th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Puck’s right. These sellouts are fucking idiots. Yeah, because we all know that codepink is gunna be making the big bucks when Obama gets elected, and hiring all kinds of activists. Idiots!
June 30th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
on their website, Recreate 68 has Food and housing committees, and their approach seem to be promotion of an online networking board where people can trade emails and find compatible locals to provide floorspace or a backyard. They aren’t running a tent city though, I don’t think. This worked at the convention and large events I’ve gone to, or I stayed at a hostel with ubiquitous german backpackers (some of whom were catering the DNC and telling me about it). People earning under $10/hr who take 5 days off might have a budget of $200?
I don’t view Code Pink as the most liberal moderated group. They tossed the pie specifically because of an incident by Niketown at WTO Seattle. Code Pink has done edgy stuff. ANSWER or World Can’t Wait are moderated sectarian fronts. I think certain other groups like the PIRGs are worse in practice, which is weird because I don’t think their format requires this. They suck up 19 yr olds who have no money, no idea of their power except for writing letters to their senator, and getting them to spend lots of inefficient hours fundraising by canvassing where everyone hates to see you, or bothering people with petitions, then at the end of the year they give the money to send the chapter president to DC to petition the senator. that is really soul crushing.
June 30th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
You’re allowed. What I’ve seen of Code Pink around here has been fucking abysmal, exactly as described by Puck.
July 1st, 2008 at 7:31 am
Tossing out ideas from afar, as I’m sure the city is obstructive for every step, I think the tard and/or tent groups (aren’t they really the same thing?) should realize that their concert should be the peak population count for the whole week. If they have any power over the matter, this should be *the* event done at the freedom cage next to the media tent. The musicians would probably prefer the Pepsi backdrop over a park despite the restroom logistics, and probably the city doesn’t permit a professional stage and amplifiers even though this violates the constitution. High decibels would bother the park neighbors more.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:18 am
Benjamin Says:
June 29th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
The thing is that T.A.R.D.’s split isn’t even over a difference in tactics. One of their member organizations has a self-defense stance almost identical to R68’s. This is about national organizations with paid organizers co-opting local movements, stealing their work, squeezing out people who actually inhabit those oppressed communities they’re supposed to be all about supporting, and forcing a horseshit, watered-down, lame-liberal message down the throats of everyone involved. They’re surrogate pigs.
Egos and in-fighting! This is what destroyed the movement in the early 70s. It’s happening again. Who needs COINTELPRO?
Speaking of paid organizers, who’s paying Glenn Spagnuolo?
Benjamin hates EVERYONE. Do you think he can have any good ideas about how to insure peace and justice? He probably won’t have 5 wives like Russell Means. He hates women.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:26 am
R68’s housing plan: email us if you need housing or are willing to provide housing (50,000 emails expected).
R68’s food plan: FREE FOOD (provided enough people donate rice, flour, oil, camp stoves, plates, cups and plastic utensils.) Yummy! Sounds like rice and pancakes are on the menu. Will those utensils be biodegradable?
R68’s potty plan: not addressed.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:39 am
Thanks for your solidarity regarding the infighting, Laurie
I was wondering about the hundreds of FBI agents promised. Do you think they’re trying to bluff people? I would guess a city of 500,000 has 250 officers per shift. Will these FBI just be acting like plainclothes patrolmen, wandering the streets trying to pick up overheard terrorist threats in conversation of marchers, or will they be in hotel rooms listening to radio bugs they planted in the tents and hoping to hear the secret plans that way, or do they already have their list of islamic terrorists and they’re listening to their cell phones. How are they spending their time? I somehow just think that most fbi agents trying to actually infiltrate a group about to do graffiti or bottle throwing in late August wouldn’t do a good job. And informants who are really good are hard to recruit. So they’ll mainly have some staff at major meetings. Activist groups always have a bunch of either socially awkward or mildly disordered hangers-on anyway, so plans usually welcome shallow participation by eccentrics. The biggest risk is people leaving a group due to a wingnut dominating meetings or someone dominating media attention with a stupid stunt - the fbi agent won’t necessarily be invited into the teenage vandal circle.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:54 am
r68 didn’t say 50k. potty plan: Do they have some sort of liberal church or other building base? I think civic center has regular restrooms. Otherwise, most of their framework doesn’t involve keeping people in one spot. Starbucks keycodes could be obtained and passed out.
July 1st, 2008 at 3:37 pm
ps - Rice and pancakes can be pretty tasty if someone donates some garlic, onions, and pieces of fruit. Note they asked people to carry metal spoons.
July 1st, 2008 at 7:44 pm
http://recreate68.com/?page_id=28
In order to feed the numbers we anticipate, we will be running a number of food drives. For now, please bring any item on the list to any R-68 public meeting. If you are interested in being a food-drop spot, please contact us.
Rice, Beans, Oats, Flour, Oil, Sugar, Canned Tomatoes
Water, Coffee, Tea, Hot Cocoa
Watercoolers
Camping Stoves
Plates, Cups, Spoons, Plastic ware, Picnic Plates, Plastics (light reuseable plastic or paper)
Food Not Bombs aks you to bring your own plate/bowl, cup and silverware to keep it green.
July 1st, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Spagnuolo said he and other protesters had to change strategies when the city “tried to exclude people” by issuing permits to individuals and small groups.
“Will there be a protest (on the eve of the convention)? I suspect there will be thousands of people here, but individuals don’t need to have permits, according to the city, so there will be 50,000 individuals, and if something collective happens, it’ll be organic,” he said.
July 1st, 2008 at 7:52 pm
I think the city will provide porta-potties. Businesses won’t be interested in potty stop traffic.
July 1st, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Laurie says: “Yummy! Sounds like rice and pancakes are on the menu.”
What the heck is wrong with rice and pancakes?
It isn’t like people are coming for a feast. They simply need sustenance for a few days at most.
Is it any wonder why Americans have an obesity problem with attitudes like this?
July 1st, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Daisy,
I think the food requests suggest a menu that is impractical. Soup and bread, fruit and cereals makes more sense to me since much can be prepared in advance or require no preparation. We used to do a turkey dinner for those who wouldn’t have one otherwise. We had 10-12 people working during the meals and many more before and after. We served between 200-300 people and it took nearly 3 hours just to feed everyone.
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Have you ever seen Food not Bombs? I think they have it under control, although you should probably sign up to help.
The antiwar march easily could get tens of thousands, and represents the largest area (besides the economy) where the democrats have failed to achieve results and require some insistent reminders. If they get the media coverage right, it sends the message that the demos are largely about pressuring the democrats to deliver a democratic result, rather than opposing them. Democracy implies majority rule. The majority of the country does not support being in Iraq, or the addition of other new pieces to an empire. the IVAW message is super important as minutes devoted to Iraq and the consequences of our failure to stop the Pentagon have diminished to a trickle so Youtube videos from returning soldiers are give a more informative report.
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Even Hitchens has issues with the occupation practice now (is being waterboarded here ), and if you look at Wall St. Journal or real estate boards, they’re all critical of Bush now. Yet, the democrats haven’t been able to get any traction, that I’m aware of. Maybe even some of these people will show up, or people angry about gas.
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:18 pm
http://www.gallup.com/poll/104977/Americans-Concerned-About-Impact-Leaving-Iraq.aspx
Check some details here.
“it sends the message that the demos are largely about pressuring the democrats to deliver a democratic result, rather than opposing them. Democracy implies majority rule. The majority of the country does not support being in Iraq…”
I’m happy to see you articulate this philosophy. The problem is that when you go to specifics concerning our obligations to Iraq and consequences of withdrawal, they majority tells a different story than the “do you approve of the Iraq war” question.
I’m tempted to offer help as I support free speech, although I generally disagree with extremist of any kind. I think R68 is an extremist group. Still, I don’t want to see the young people go hungry or eat bad food.
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:03 am
It might appear that way if you constrain the choices. I wish there were an option for separating finances with the yes votes, so they could just tax themselves.
I was at an event where a journalist went around asking, essentially “what do you want to be when you grow up, young lady?”. Dumb question, dumb answer, a few people answered “a movie star” “I want to be on welfare, ha”, which she put right in the article. A writer could just as easily belittle a demo that had all 30s-40s, or 60+ by saying ‘they’re old and unappealing to youth’, or are no fun; I saw her shtick so I countered by saying that the demographics reflected people free at the end of summer vacation. whereas really, the Gallup polls show that younger people are most likely have a conservative opinion, believe in a threat from Iraq as it was presented and to support Bush. (Young people haven’t been lied to enough, and the public schools have watered down history and literature.) This endeared me to the journalist and she wrote “Ulrike wasn’t as much of a clown as the others, yet appeared confused as to why she was there”. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/17/us/politics/18web-elder.html