Green Party Watch

This AP article says that several hundred people have been protesting at the G-20 summit currently underway in Pittsburgh. The reporters, Daniel Lovering and Michael Rubinkam, write that

The hundreds of marchers included small groups of self-described anarchists, some wearing dark clothes and bandanas and carrying black flags. Others wore helmets and safety goggles.

The article goes on to illustrate several other signs that anarchists were involved, such as American flags and “Don’t tread on me” banners.

Near the end of the article Lovering and Rubinkam report that

The march had begun at a city park, where an activist from New York City, dressed in a white suit with a preacher’s collar, started it off with a speech through a bullhorn.

“They are not operating on Earth time. … They are accommodating the devil,” he said. “To love democracy and to love the earth is to be a radical now.”

The activist, Billy Talen, travels the country preaching against consumerism. He initially identified himself as “the Rev. Billy from the Church of Life After Shopping.”

That of course would be our Rev. Billy, candidate for Mayor of New York City.

From VoteRevBilly.org:

Tuesday, September 29, 2009 8:00pm

Reverend Billy and the Life After Bloomberg Gospel Choir

Busboys and Poets: 5th and K Street, Washington DC
Tuesday Sept 29, 8 PM

Medea Benjamin, Code Pink co-founder, hosts the fundraising part of the evening.
Rev Billy Talen is the Green Party candidate for mayor.

Admission is free — we appreciate your on-site donations to support our campaign!

http://www.busboysandpoets.com/about_5th.php read more »

In June, popular TV host Bill Maher asked, “Shouldn’t there be one party that unambiguously supports cutting the military budget, a party that is straight up in favor of gun control, gay marriage, higher taxes on the rich, universal health care — legalizing pot — and steep, direct taxing of polluters?… what we need is an actual progressive party to represent the millions of Americans who aren’t being served by the Democrats.”

Let’s introduce Bill Maher — and his national audience — to Reverend Billy Talen, the Green candidate for mayor of New York City.

Rev. Billy is an eloquent spokesperson for the Green movement.  He’s smart, dynamic and hilarious too.

Will you ask Real Time with Bill Maher to have Rev. Billy on the show?

Rev. Billy just turned in more than 18,000 signatures to earn a spot on this November’s ballot to run against the “billionaire mayor,” Mike Bloomberg.

Can you help Rev. Billy spread his message that we need Green solutions to create vibrant, diverse neighborhoods?

Yes, I want Green voices in the media – I’ll contact Real Time With Bill Maher today!

For more on Billy Talen’s campaign, take a look at VoteRevBilly.org.

In the below almost four minute video produced for broadcast by WNBC in New York City, Green Party mayoral candidate Rev. Billy Talen explains how the City of New York and it’s people were robbed by Wall Street speculators, how the Wall Street economy crashed when the stock market went into a nose dive, and how what he calls the “fabulous 500 neighborhoods” represent the sort of real economy that will sustain New York while saving the air New Yorkers breath, the homes they live in, the shops they own and shop at, and the very sense of community that makes a city an organic entity rather than an “economic machine”.

There is never a shortage of exciting news about Reverend Billy Talen’s Green Party campaign for mayor of New York City – especially since campaign volunteers submitted 2.5x the signatures they needed to get Billy on the ballot. Nevertheless, 2 events on Friday August 28th seem to merit special attention.

Subway whistlestop tour: 2 Train for 2 Terms!

Join Reverend Billy and the team as we sing, preach, smile and talk with New Yorkers on the subway about this campaign for Mayor. Democracy is when we talk to to each other in public, amen? This week: we’re riding the 2 Train, talking about how Mike Bloomberg and the City Council should’ve stuck with 2 terms, as decided (twice) by NYC voters at the ballot box!

BAJAO out the vote for a new NYC mayor!

Reverend Billy will be giving Midnight Mass at Club Exit’s Bajao-themed Brooklyn Summer Stomp (Bajao, from the Hindi word meaning To Play/Play Hard/Playing like never before /in a Playful Spirit)! Reverend Billy needs no introduction to New Yorkers – but did you know he’s running for Mayor? BAJAO out the vote with us and get registered! His volunteers will be with us all night to get you on the rolls.

Also, check out Billy Talen’s latest blog, a spot-on indictment of Bloomberg’s power grab entitled “It’s our Democracy, Stupid!”

I believe it was Abraham Lincoln who said “When I make my enemy into my friend, have I not destroyed my enemy utterly?” I may have that more than a bit off, but I think it’s fairly close.

If the Green Party is to grow into a force capable of electing enough people to reverse the destruction industrial society has wrought on the planet and it’s people, we are going to have to turn a lot of enemies into friends. We won’t do that by saying “Democrats suck” or “Republicans suck”, for when we do that we are telling the voters, almost all of whom have only voted for Democrats and Republicans, that they have been fools every time they have voted. Most people don’t appreciate being told that they have been behaving foolishly.

It seems to me that we in the Green Party need examples from real life who have the skills to reach out to those who believe they are our enemies and turn them into friends. As an example I point to the amazing Joan Baez.

In an article at Waging Peace writer Eric Stoner tells the tale of Ms. Baez and a recent concert in Idaho Falls. Four veterans were outside her venue holding signs that accused her of being a traitor and of being responsible for killing babies. Instead of ignoring them, she went to them. Instead of trying to argue with them, she listened. I was not there, but I don’t imagine they convinced Baez that she was wrong to openly oppose the war in Vietnam. I also doubt she convinced them that she was right to do so. But something was accomplished that would not have been accomplished had she been too proud or scared to reach out. Some level of friendship was established.

I’d encourage you to read this story about a woman who has served humanity and our higher purpose almost her entire life as best I can tell. Perhaps that will help us understand why she supports Rev. Billy Talen, what we can do to be more effective in our own personal interactions, and what good can come from loving and caring for our enemies.

Link sent by Kimberly, Time’s Up and Rev Billy celebrate the opening of Summer Streets 2009 in NYC. Bikes! Dancing!

The Reverend Billy Talen for Mayor of NYC petition drive is entering its final week. Billy’s team has gathered the 7,500 signatures they officially need to put him on the ballot as the Green Party’s candidate, but they are still short of the 20,000 signatures that will protect Billy from being kicked off the ballot by a challenge. We can’t let that happen – too many people in New York and around the world have been inspired by his vision of a sustainable, just, and livable world beyond corporate consumerism.

Let’s get Billy on the ballot and give America’s largest city the chance to vote for a well-loved Green candidate. Let’s give over 8 million New Yorkers a reason to believe that they don’t have to settle for politics as usual. Let’s show the doubters that this campaign – which has already been in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal – is for real.

I’m sending a donation to Rev. Billy’s campaign today, and I urge you to join me in giving what you can. Our donations will help put Billy on the ballot and keep a strong Green voice in NYC politics.

Yes, I’ll donate to get Rev. Billy Talen on the NYC ballot – Change-a-lujah!

If you prefer to donate by mail, you can send a check to:
VoteRevBilly
250 Lafayette Street
New York, NY 10012
Make sure you indicate your employer or retired or unemployed.

Whose Summer Streets? OUR Summer Streets! Join the Rev Billy Talen Block Party this Saturday August 8:

This Saturday August 8th, as part of NYC Summer Streets,we are holding a Whose Summer Streets? Our Summer Streets Block Party and Petition Mob at our headquarters ( 250 Lafayette).

The entire length of Lafayette and Park Ave will be closed to vehicular traffic and thousands of people will be on the street. Beginning at 10 am we will have great DJ’s, Live Silk Screen Printing ( bring an article of clothing you want printed on), Face Painting, Soap Boxes, Street Chalk, Rescue Animals and more.

At 1 pm we want to send 100 people petitioning for 1 hour– its a 5,000 signature in one hour challenge and we need all of you. Can you commit one hour to the campaign this Saturday? Petition Mob-allujah! Or just come to the party. We welcome your baked goods.

Saturday August 8th, 10am-1pm block party, 1pm-2pm petition mob

250 Lafayette between Prince and Spring

Thank you to Kimberly Wilder for forwarding these write ups on the Rev. Billy Talen / Joan Baez event and other online coverage this week:

A Night With Reverend Billy (NY Press)

With his high pompadour and guerilla theatre tactics, it’s tempting to dismiss Reverend Billy as an entertainer with a few good points, but the Green Party’s widespread support suggests there might be something more to his foray into politics. Earlier, he spoke about his “500 Neighborhoods” initiative to revitalize New York’s communities against the threat of gentrification and “that demon monoculture.” When he said that “the neighborhoods doing the best have the least amount of gentrification,” he may be onto something. The “Saints” listed on his home page are community organizers, preservationists, writers and artists.

Live photos and show recap: Joan Baez backs Rev. Billy’s bid for mayor! (Time Out New York)

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After the smashing success of Reverend Billy Day in San Francisco, Billy Talen’s Green Party campaign for mayor of NYC continues to pick up steam with a benefit concert featuring the legendary Joan Baez scheduled for Monday, July 27th.

Tickets are going fast for our ELECT-A-LUJAH!  Vote Rev Billy Fundraiser at the Highline Ballroom, Monday July 27th at 7pm, with the Rev and Life After Shopping Gospel Choir, Joan Baez, Jollyship the Whiz-Bang, Greta Gaines, the New York Street Vendors Chorus, Yetta Kurland and NYC Green Party Candidates!!
Tickets on Sale Now: http://www.voterevbilly.org/events/elect-a-lujah-07-27

In more exciting news, Vote Rev Billy activists announced the creation of WVRB, a campaign radio station:

You may have heard rumors about a subversive sound project taking shape downtown at Vote Rev Billy HQ, a little home on the dial for the agitating, fomenting rabble …. We are proud to announce the launch of our weekly radio broadcast, a chance for individuals, organizations and communities across the city to speak out!

WVRB, VoteRevBilly Radio, wants YOU to be a part of the station!  You can help in many ways, large and small.  You can link to the radio stream and promote it incessantly.  You can contribute content, or you can even HAVE A SHOW OF YOUR OWN! Your show could be weekly, bi-weekly, tri-weekly, a one-off.  Drop a line to mark at voterevbilly dot org to find out more and to talk about what kind of show you want to do.

Tuesday’s Vote Rev. Billy benefit concert extravaganza in San Francisco, organized by GreenChange.org, was by all accounts a hit. read more »

Change-a-lujah! July 21st was proclaimed “Reverend Billy Day” in San Francisco by the SF Board of Supervisors (with a big assist from Green Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi). The Reverend Mayor’s visit and benefit concert in the City by the Bay caused a frenzy of excitement and some nice press mentions.

San Francisco Bay Guardian: “Common sense is radical” on Reverend Billy Day

He said the mayoral campaign was off to a good start: “We seem to be getting a wonderful response. It’s so clear that common sense is radical right now.”

And the common sense back in April – which seems to have rapidly receded from the popular consciousness, at least as expressed through the mainstream media – was that Wall Street had run dangerously amuck and needed to be reformed.

Fog City Journal: Electallujah! Reverend Billy takes on Bloomberg, corporate hegemony and consumerism

“We need new policies on the way we use energy, the way we cycle our energy and waste and water, and well of course, [this campaign] supports those green urban policies.  We’re intrigued by the possibility of changing how we live in a 8.5 million person city.  The campaign slogan is ‘The Rise of the Fabulous 500 Neighborhoods’. ”

read more »

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors are declaring July 21, 2009 “Reverend Billy Day” to celebrate performance artist Bill Talen, also known as Reverend Billy. Talen is running as the Green Pary candidate for Mayor of New York City.

Talen is a political activist who created the Church of Life After Shopping. He is featured in the documentary film “What Would Jesus Buy? ” He lived and worked in the Bay Area for twenty years and has been living in New York City since the early 1990s.

“I feel so grateful. Reverend Billy was born in the City of St. Francis, and has gone out to New York and the world from this remarkable place. Amen! ” said Reverend Billy Talen.

The Resolution itself is a comical testament to the Great Work of Reverend Billy, you can read the draft below.
read more »

Reverend Billy Talen, Green candidate for mayor of New York City, will be in San Francisco on Tuesday, July 21st, for a benefit concert at the DNA lounge.

ELECT-A-LUJAH! San Francisco Fundraiser

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 7:00pm

***Click Here For Tickets!***

Tuesday, July 21. DNA Lounge, 375 Eleventh St, SF.
Doors open at 7pm.
Sermon by Rev. Billy
Samba-hip-hop-funk by the Loyd Family Players
DJ Smoove

read more »

In an article for the Brooklyn Paper, Gersh Kuntzman describes David Pechefsky’s mission to get on the ballot as the Green Party candidate for NYC City Council in Park Slope, Brooklyn. The article highlights how Greens have the odds stacked against them in the onerous process of gaining ballot access:

He has one month — starting from yesterday morning — to collect 2,700 signatures, and got his first 34 in about two hours. (Democratic candidates need only collect 900 names.)

Of course, there’s a catch: To be considered valid, the signature cannot appear on anyone else’s petitions — and the five Democrats in the race have already spent a month seeking every last John Hancock.

Evergreen Chou has also thrown his hat in the ring as the Green candidate for City Council District 20 in Flushing, Queens.

Hot Indie News carried Green mayoral candidate Reverend Billy Talen’s response to the undemocratic Working Families Party candidate forum.

The July 2nd mayoral candidate forum hosted by the Working Families Party –with only Mike Bloomberg, Tony Avella and Bill Thompson– hurts New York City and hurts us all. The threesome represents the Republicans and Democrats. No mayoral candidate from any other party was invited, despite our own efforts to reach WFP, and so we’re stuck with these three guys.

The Working Families Party leadership has still not clarified why they excluded Billy Talen from their mayoral forum, as we reported earlier.

In other news, NYC Greens came away from a June meeting with a plan to establish a citywide Green committee. The newly formed Green Party of NYC represents the first effort to coordinate Green Party activities in all 5 boroughs of New York City. On July 20th, representatives from each borough will meet and work out the details. For more information on this exciting venture, keep an eye on http://greenpartynyc.org/.