Interview with Ryan Harvey and Others on DNC2RNC March

On August 16, 2004 radical folk musician and organizer Ryan Harvey, along with Cedar, Peter, Giana and Cody, called into Free Radio Santa Cruz from New Haven, CT to give an update on the DNC2RNC march.

The DNC2RNC March is a 258 Mile Movement from The Boston Common to Madison Square Garden; stopping, rallying, and spreading resistance the entire way. The March left the day after the DNC ended, on July 30, 2004. They are scheduled to enter New York state on August 23, and will end in New York City, accompanied by a bike bloc organized by Time's Up, an environmental, direct action organization.

Critical Mass Radio Network DNC2RNC (10 minutes)

Audio collage for the Critical Mass Radio Network from a Free Radio Santa Cruz interview with participants on the DNC2RNC, portland indymedia's call to media arms, along with music from David Rovics and Against Me!

Update from Cedar, Peter, Giana and Cody (24 minutes)

People from all over the country are marching from the DNC which took place in Boston to the RNC which is taking place in New York.

Marchers are living, sleeping, eating and making decisions together.

Many actions have taken place on the march, such as a demonstration against the Seaborg corporation, singing Oppositional Defiance Disorder inside Walmart, and chanting, "While Your Shopping Bombs are Dropping" inside a shopping mall.

Food has been both donated and dumpstered. Seeds of Peace is helping to cook.

Members of the community are encouraged to donate money, food, medical supplies, skateboards, shoes and media coverage of the demonstration.

Street Theater is being organized in solidarity with Zapatistas. Street Medics are helping out all along the way. Decisions are made through consensus.

The march has been an experience in anarchist process. Leadership has emerged from lots of different people. The DNC2RNC is an example to the world that an anarchist community can exist.

Change the system!

We also hear, "Don't Just Vote" by Ryan Harvey followed by audio from a DNC2RNC video from the 16th day of the march from Boston to NYC.

Update from Ryan Harvey (35 minutes)

Ryan and the rest of the DNC2RNC marchers went through relics of the Hurricane earlier in the day.

He has been working on the musical aspects of the march for the last few few months.

In addition to discussing the DNC2RNC march, Ryan also talks about writing songs, some of his inspirations, organizing as a youth in Towson, MD (which 'earned' him visits from the FBI), increased police repression (like shutting down activist art spaces), under-ground and above-ground activism, copyrights and distributing his music, organizing in locations all across the US, the US government's tactics for suppressing dissent, knowing our history and being a folk musician.

After the interview, you will hear Ryan Harvey's Open Song to George Bush.

Social Justice Activists March 258 miles from Boston to NYC

The DNC2RNC March is a 258 Mile Movement from The Boston Common to Madison Square Garden; stopping, rallying, and spreading resistance the entire way. The March left the day after the DNC ended. Nearly 90 people rallied at 9am, ate breakfast provided by Seeds of Peace, and held a circle chant where they all met each other by saying their names and having the group repeat them. At around ten in the morning the march was off. The police escorted and the first day had little tension.

Nearly one hundred activists committed to countless social justice causes will take to the streets and highways during the course of the march, between leaving the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Boston on July 30th, walking 258 miles, crossing 4 states, and arriving in New York City on August 26th just in time for the Republican National Convention. The RNC takes place from August 29th to September 2nd. They arrived in Providence, Rhode Island on August 2nd, entered Connecticut on August 5, with a plan to spend 2 days in Hartford, CT and will have an event with the Stonewalkers-9/11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows on August 16th and 17th in New Haven. The route scheduled entry into New York State on August 23rd and will end in New York City, accompanied by a bike bloc, organized by Time's Up, an environmental, direct action organization.

One hundred sixty miles of the journey went through Connecticut. The Mad Hatters Independent Media Center of Danbury, CT has been doing widespread coverage, including a daily update from the walkers' travels. Seeds of Peace accompanied the walkers with its biodiesel bus, providing food throughout the walk. Participants slept at parks and churches. Local progressive organizations have co-sponsored programs at most stops.

--

Information on CMRN:

Critical Mass Radio Network is an attempt to bring together community radio stations for a shared, coordinated, decentralized network broadcast. It is a network of autonomous radio communities who provide the programming and infrastructure for the network. CMRN plans to broadcast on the last Friday of the month.

The first Critical Mass Radio Network broadcast will take place on August 27, 2004 with the participation of Kill Radio (LA), Radio Active Radio (SD), Free Radio Santa Cruz, NYC IMC Sound, Enemy Combatant Radio (SF Bay) and Portland IMC Radio. The Republican National Convention in New York City will be the theme of the coordinated broadcast.

-

Crossposted at Santa Cruz Indymedia: Part I & Part II