“Nepal 2015,” 2nd Ave & Houston (Photo Credit: Lmnopi)
Freddy Alva (Photo: Loizos Gatzaris)
Once upon a time there were things called subcultures, that managed to thrive despite promotion through “social channels” or sponsorships from energy drinks. Since 1980, 156 Rivington Street has been a subculture enclave for activists, artists, counter culturists, and assorted noisemakers, providing a non-profit space to exchange ideas and physically interact. It’s not secret that the hardcore punk scene was once a magnet for such individuals, so when the storied matinee shows at CBGB became too violent in the late-’80s, punk turned off the Bowery to Rivington Street to ABC No Rio.
The Illuminator’s work during Occupy Wall Street.
The future of Bushwick Inlet Park looks bright — or at least, it will be on Friday night. North Brooklyn residents will push for the conversion of the CitiStorage site into a park by projecting “light graffiti” on the building’s charred remains.
Occupy Wall Street’s glory days of regular police spats and national front page news coverage are behind us (unless you watch The Newsroom — hello, Tompkins Square Park!), but at least some members of the movement have remained active agitators. Former Occupiers Khalil Robinson, who has primarily worked at teaching and aiding undocumented immigrants, and Elysa Lozano, an artist and political activist, have triumphed over a failed Kickstarter and months of delay in order to open The Base, which they’ve described on their website as “a sociopolitical space in Bushwick, Brooklyn, committed to the dissemination of radical-left ideas and organizing.” So far, their organizing has consisted of holding free Spanish classes and boxing lessons, but they are officially inaugurating their new space tonight with a panel called “Where Do Social Movements Go From Here?”
More →