over the last year, several thousand dollars have been raised to cover both the legal fees of the eris defendants and repay our benefactors. in an overwhelming show of camaraderie, the new orleans-based community of anarchists, artists, punks, drunks, queers, bikers, ravers, writers, travelers, transplants, circus freaks, computer geeks, and pleasure sheiks have devoted much in the way of time, energy, and money to support both the defendants and the overlying spirit of the parade itself. and more recently, folks in oakland and nyc have held benefits to appease eris. this got me thinking - what about motherfucking chicago?
[as a former resident of rogers park on the northside, i often find myself overcome with nostalgia for the city. i've worked all over that bitch, and biked all over it too. ostensibly, chicago is where i became an adult, and where i first began to question my surroundings in a political way. so i'm not just begging money from a city with a larger population and a larger collective bank balance than new orleans, i'm begging money from i city that i absolutely love.]
HERE'S WHAT WE WANT YOU TO DO, CHICAGO:
in the spirit of eris, throw a party. it's just that simple. as big and grandiose as you can muster; a party with music, dancing, homemade costumes, the like. create an insane spectacle, one that tests the very limits of human grace and reason. and then kick us a few bones from the door, y'know what i mean?
in return, you can feel confident that you have contributed to a social cause of ambiguous moral intent and subversive inclination. also, you are now and forever invited to partake in any debauchery of your choosing in and around the beautiful crescent. i hereby declare you welcome with legs wide open.
HERE ARE SOME HELPFUL LINKS:
principia discordia
the seminal text of the discordian religious movement is also a well of ideological inspiration for the krewe of eris.
eris12.org
our local blog outlining the 2011 incident and the subsequent fund-raising effort
nola.com article
there are several of these out in the ether, some more infuriating than others. just like every other fucking article on nola.com, the comments section is solid gold.
arrested at the eris parade
a personal account from an eris defendant
video of police brutality
once again, a couple of videos are out there. this one includes tasering, screaming, and the wail of a lone horn from the crowd. search "eris parade 2011" for more videos on youtube - they are too gut-wrenching for me to post here en masse.
that's all for now, folks. i will return. until then, HAIL ERIS.
