7 PM- FREE FOLK SHOW & BBQ!
9 PM- DANCE PARTY IN THE STREETS!
MAY 1, 2015 @ GRANDVIEW PARK
On May 1st, International Workers’ Day, come out for the 4th straight anti-capitalist, anti-authoritative party to celebrate this city’s grassroots resistance to gentrification, capitalism, and pipelines!
At 7 pm, a number of bands will perform and food will be provided. There will be vegetarian and non-vegetarian options, all free of charge.
Line up so far:
Chi Fai Marimba
Tinkin Pete
Alex Rake & ...
7 PM- FREE FOLK SHOW & BBQ!
9 PM- DANCE PARTY IN THE STREETS!
MAY 1, 2015 @ GRANDVIEW PARK
On May 1st, International Workers’ Day, come out for the 4th straight anti-capitalist, anti-authoritative party to celebrate this city’s grassroots resistance to gentrification, capitalism, and pipelines!
At 7 pm, a number of bands will perform and food will be provided. There will be vegetarian and non-vegetarian options, all free of charge.
Line up so far:
Chi Fai Marimba
Tinkin Pete
Alex Rake & the Leaves
Wes Quock
Ivy the Pulse
Terry G and Evan Price
Crappie Cacti
At 9 pm, we will take to the streets for a night of loud music, dancing, and good times.
Commercial Drive Street Party: https://www.facebook.com/events/910294525687666/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5 years ago, hundreds of people converged at Grandview Park on occupied and unceded Coast Salish Territory to protest its gentrifying redevelopment. This May 1st we are meeting at the park to take it back for a night, and to say that despite efforts to force us out of our homes, we're still here.
As we reclaim space on Commercial Drive, we are standing in solidarity with indigenous land defenders resisting LNG pipelines on their territory as well as the Burnaby Mountain caretakers organized against Kinder-Morgan. In the face of increasing criminalization of political dissent (Bill C-51, the anti-mask bill, etc.), we are in solidarity with all those fighting for freedom and self-determination.
If you would like to speak or help organize email us at vancouvermayday2015@riseup.net
Remember, you can always organize your own autonomous contingent to join us!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Origins of May Day
On May 1st, 1886, 40,000 workers in Chicago–and half a million across the United States–participated in a three-day general strike in favor of the limitation of the work day to eight hours. Chicago police responded by shooting and killing four strikers. In response, demonstrators organized a rally on May 4th at Haymarket Square. When police moved to attack the crowd, a bomb was thrown at them. In response, the police fired indiscriminately at the crowd. When the smoke cleared, and at least four demonstrators and eight cops lay dead. One cop died from the blast of the bomb and seven from friendly fire, and 60 were wounded.
The State used Haymarket as an opportunity to repress the radical worker’s movement. Eight anarchists–five of whom were immigrants–were arrested and charged with murder. The prosecution could not demonstrate that any of the arrested had any role in the bombing, and instead openly tried the defendants for their political beliefs, which were also sensationally villainized in the national media.
Despite the hollowness of the case against them, all eight defendants were found guilty. Neebe was sentenced to fifteen years in prison. Samuel Fielden and Michael Schwab were sentenced to death, although their sentences were later commuted to life in prison. Louis Lingg, August Spies, Albert Parsons, Adolph Fischer, and George Engels were all sentenced to death. The night before the scheduled execution, Lingg committed suicide in his jail cell. Spies, Parsons, Fischer, and Engels were all publicly hanged. Their executions are widely regarded as some of the most overt political assassinations of radicals carried out by the United States government, and May 1st was chosen in their honor as a day to celebrate internationally all workers’ resistance to capitalist domination.