The Rapping Philly Mayor Michael Nutter and friends in 1989

 All laws are open to “interpretation” by police when it comes to who they implement them against and how, as we are all well aware. It turns out proposed legislation is also open to the same kind of “interpretation” and implementation in North Philadelphia. Currently in the city of Philly it is not mandatory for people with bicycles to register them with the city although there is legislation in council (ie being debated by city council) that would make this a new law. Police in Kensington, in two separate incidences, confiscated bicycles from people, telling them that because they were not registered with the city the police have the right to take them.
This is not true.
Even should this legislation pass, police would only have the right to fine people on the first offense. That police are stealing bicycles and citing proposed legislation illustrates the problems with this proposed law:  it is more of the same “stop and frisk” excuse for police to shake down people they think look suspicious, often based on skin color and income. 
I propose that should this legislation pass, all of us from urban areas in Philadelphia should go to the suburbs and make a citizen’s arrest of anyone over the age of 12 who is riding a bicycle, just in case they don’t have it registered. 

from left to right: crusher, s. goatface, wispy, sam, onion (wispy under table)

The world lost one of its most beautiful voices today...

 ...que lo injusto no me sea indiferente

Redefining Work: An Interview with AK

What does it mean to not work in a capitalist society? With so much social emphasis put on our jobs or "what we do" for a living peoplewho do not work, in the traditional sense of the t

RAW DOPE will only be listening to Sun Ra for the month of July.

"To save the planet, I had to go to the worst spot on Earth, and that
was Philadelphia, which was death's headquarters." -Sun Ra

http://jwl.freakwitch.net/writings/virtual_enclosures/

Draft Version 1.1

PDF archive:

Published in The Commoner V.9

January, 2004