Since the late 1990s, activist Reverend Billy has been using his “surreal inventiveness” to raise awareness about the consequences of modern consumerism—including, among other things, the destruction of communities and products made with sweatshop labor.
The Reverend was created shortly after actor Billy witnessed his home, Time Square, being “turned into a mall." As he recalls: "Disney was signing this amazing Manifest Destiny deal to evict small vendors, and police were picking up anybody who didn’t look as if they were in possession of a credit card. And that was happening before my eyes. . . . I had to ask myself: 'Who’s shouting here? Who’s really getting out there raising their voice a little bit?’ It was the sidewalk preachers."
From the newswire:
"What Would Jesus Buy?" (review) by R. Plesset
Set to begin this month on December 14th this year’s
Southern California Anarchist Conference seeks to present creative and positive alternatives to the state, with an emphasis on people of color as well as people from the community during a weekend that will be both fun and educational.
The three day conference is open to both anarchists and non-anarchists who are interested in learning about radical ideas, options, alternatives, and support systems. Not only will alternative ideas be presented but the conference will also focus on what concrete work is being done locally and with anarchist groups in other regions and other countries. From the calendar