Gothamist: Billionaires' "Drunk on Power" Ball

Beth Smith

Fri, 26 Aug 2005 23:32:34 -0500

Put up now, dude. Come on Wednesday and see what it's about.

John

Fri, 26 Aug 2005 15:52:00 -0500

First- that wasn't just a bunch of random people doing a surprise convergence on a local bar. The Frying Pan is a performance venue, with scheduled events such as this. "Ruined a cool and laid back atmosphere"???? Please! As for the Brooklyn Lyceum: Protecting Protest ~ an A31* 1 year Anniversary Event and fundraiser for the Bill of Rights Defense Campaign (part of the New York Civil Liberties Union). The party will run from 8:00 pm to midnight on Aug 31st following the 6:00 pm Rally Against Mayor Bloomberg at City Hall Park. Speakers will include Donna Lieberman from the ACLU and civil rights lawyer Norman Siegel. Bike legal defense support Freewheels will also be in attendence. At 8 pm, there will be a showing of Ryan Junell's 4-screen video installation "See the Elephant!" filmed during the 2004 Republican National Convention. /www.nycbordc.org/ Also, from https://lists.mayfirst.org/pipermail/rtsnyc/2005-August/003203.html A31 is the date August 31, 2004 when people took to the city streets for a day of non-violent direct action to confront the Bush administration's unjust policies at home and abroad and to stand up against the Republican National Convention in NYC. On that day around 1200 people were unlawfully arrested in police dragnets across the city and detained in filthy holding pens at Pier 57 and at the Tombs for periods of well over 24 hours; the most ever arrested in one day in NYC history. Although a handful of people were directly performing acts of civil disobedience, most folks arrested were legally protesting or bystanders on the street. The NYPD and governing authorities denied our civil rights by acting as the Republican's private security force to criminalize free speech and remove protest from the NYC streets in an attempt to silence dissent before the night of Bush's nomination for President at Madison Square Garden. Since A31, nearly all the A31 criminal arrests have been dismissed (results can be found at: http://www.nlgnyc.org/rnc/index.html). A class action lawsuit has been filed and many more group and individual complaints are set to follow in Federal court. While the National media, NYPD and mayor's office have trivialized this event, we must not forget A31 and continue to take action to address and defend the accumulating encroachments on our civil liberties.

Beth Smith

Fri, 26 Aug 2005 15:27:25 -0500

Not doing shit? Come to the Lyceum in Brooklyn next Wednesday, at 8:00 pm my friend.

Dina

Fri, 26 Aug 2005 01:43:10 -0500

These guys keep going, that is how they raise funds. It's the lazy types who only hold balls during elections.

Blike Moomberg

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 23:07:49 -0500

We have a real billionaire Republican mayor who gave us the highest level of homelessness in city history. Vote against Bloomberg this November.

clearing the bush

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 15:13:26 -0500

yeah, how dare those people "ruin a very cool and laid back atmosphere". I mean, why bring the Bush/Rep policies home to the local watering hole? What a downer! Besides, the invasion is in IRAQ people, not America! So let us alone to our self-indulgences and numbing while the Republicans continue the resource occupation, errr I mean war.

Jill

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 12:27:28 -0500

These people are seriously deluded. I was at this bar during the event but not intentionally. I can't believe people actually showed up in ball gowns and tiaras, fake cigars, a marching band, and even a transvestite in a white wig (OK, that's not so weird). WOW. They completely ruined a very cool and laid back atmosphere for everyone else.

What about Billionaires for Bloomberg?

Wed, 24 Aug 2005 15:35:41 -0500

Why are these people bothering? The election is over; Bush won. These people seem to not comprehend that there's another election coming up where they could make a difference: The NYC mayoral election. There's a billionaire Republican (Bloomberg) who is sitting pretty, because the activists aren't doing shit to expose how Bloomberg personally endorsed the illegal stripping of innocent people's rights during the RNC. Bloomberg also gave millions in contributions that went directly into the pockets of the Bush machine. Why don't you guys care about this?