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world carfree day 2006! |
FIND THE RIGHT SPOT. A business that you frequent, a bar or restaurant that knows you, can make for a useful ally. Pick a spot that suits your performance or action, ie badminton over a more narrow part of the street.
ELECTRICITY. Bands and DJs may need power. You can get a portable battery from Canadian Tire that last a good 40 minutes or so, (running a bass amp, guitar amp, and vocal amp.) Or you can sweet talk a nearby business to lend you power.
PARTNER UP. Make the spot a little festival stage, with rotating bands. This can help with gear sharing and reduce transportation efforts.
TRANSPORTATION. Stripping-down your band, or going acoustic can make it easier. Bike trailers can be borrowed from the Community Bike Network at Queen and Euclid.
MAINTAIN A SENSE OF HUMOUR. Some car drivers may get ornery and try to muscle in on your space. It's important not to get sucked-in to a confrontation. Simply smile and show them: your ticket - your space.
COPS. If they try to hassle you simply inform them, you've parked your vehicle, you've paid the meter, you are in compliance with the law. They have no right to discriminate against your choice of vehicle. NOTE: They may try to intimidate you into leaving even though you are not breaking the law. If they insist and threaten to arrest or ticket you, you can surrender your spot and move on, (no shame in that. Nobody wants to go to jail.) or we can get a good lawyer and fight the case out in the courts and push the legal issues of space for people vs space for cars. SMILE and be REASONABLE and RESPECTFUL and none of that should happen. (We've never had trouble at past parties.)
SPREAD THE WORD. Invite others to take adjacent spaces. Have flyers on hand to invite others to take part in the parade. You can pick up flyers at La Palette, 256 Augusta.
DOING BUSINESS. This is where it can get dicey and you could get shut down. If you want to busk or sell a product, be discreet. Setting up shop is a heat score. Artists and artisans, perhaps have business cards available and close the sale at a later date. Busking musicians - the open case usually works well enough. Comics, actors and dancers - passing the hat after each bit can do very well. Just keep an eye out for the Heat.
RESPECT the NEIGHBOURS. If you are doing a loud performance, let the shops know that it'll only be a half hour or forty minute set. If it's really loud, it's not cool to set up and play all day long, that only makes enemies. If another performer is doing a show right next to you, try alternating sets instead of going up against each other.
REMEMBER THE REASON. We are doing this to build a better city and a better world. We are trying to break out of our automobile addiction and reclaim some of the space that is currently dedicated to the automobile. We are reaching out of our North American bubble and entering a global movement towards sustainable cities. World Carfree Day is part of a European Union initiative and is being celebrated by more than 100 million people in more than 1500 cities around the globe. WE ARE NOT A HANDFUL OF RADICALS - WE ARE RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS OF THE WORLD.
Peace. We're all in this together!
Return to the World Carfree Day 2006 page.