[DefendGrandview-Announce] From David Beatie: Two important official parks meetings I urge you to attend :-)

[defend-grandview at riseup.net]

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: Two important official parks meetings I urge you to attend :-)
From:    "David Beattie" <davidbt2001 at gmail.com>
Date:    Thu, May 27, 2010 6:12 pm
To:      defend-grandview at riseup.net
         reply-todefend-grandview-organizers- at googlegroups.com
         todefend-grandview-organizers- at googlegroups.com
Cc:      "davidbt2001" <davidbt2001 at gmail.com>
         abhansen at journalist.com
         524megan at gmail.com
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Hello again fellow park lovers,

I know that many of you have no faith in formal political processes
and/or electoral politics, and I understand and respect your position.
Even so, I did want to tell you about two parks board meetings coming
up which may be informative and helpful for us to attend, or at least
some of us - some of you, as I am definitely going.

I ask you to consider this - if many of us and our allies go to these
meetings and have our say, and the parks board STILL goes ahead with
its plans for total closure of Grandview Park for nine months or
longer - even though dozens of us have made our opposition clear, it
will legitimise later direct action that we take to prevent the
closure and upgrade as planned.

If we do not go, then our critics, and they are legion, will say -
see, they won't even go to the proper meetings - just wanna meet and
party in the park.

* The first meeting is Monday June 7, at 7pm, at Strathcona Community
Centre, 601 Keefer Street. This is a special meeting where any member
of the public can elect to speak to and ask questions of the
commissioners - on any subject parks related. This is heaven sent -
the timing is great, I hope scores of us turn out and turn the air
blue. I am doing all I can to round up the troops for this - the Media
will be forced to acknowledge the scope of the Opposition, and how
wide ranging it is. Prominent people and politicians are on our side.

* The second meeting is Monday June 21, at the parks board offices on
Beach Avenue, also at 7pm. This is a formal meeting, and the AWARD of
the parks design contract is TENTATIVELY on the agenda, according to
parks staff. You need to register to speak beforehand, and you can
only speak to one item that is on the agenda.

Please phone and or email the parks board and ask to have your name
put down for the Grandview Park issue. If not, the bad guys are going
to turn out in force and will undermine our position.

I am serious when I say that you can appear and obscure your identity
- wear a hat and sunglasses and whatever to be incognito, and give a
false name, they do not check identity. I think that will send the
message that people do not trust the alliance of formal politics,
police, corporate media and business, which amost always stick
together to further their own fucking agenda.

Please spread the word about these meetings. Even if you do not go
inside and speak, even being outside and making your position clear
will make an impression.

There is a role for all styles of resistance in this, from the most
radical to the softest. Together we can win it, and we will win it.

Pivot Legal is giving me a Red Tent for occupation of Grandview Park,
and I will try to get sponsorship for more of them so others who want
to camp there for a bit can do so - well anyone can already, but the
red tents somehow carry extra charge. You could phone John Richardson
at Pivot Legal or email him and ask him yourself to give you a tent,
you need to show that you are really homeless.

david beatnik