[Imc-uk-features] Re: Feature proposal: RTF 3

Wed Jun 8 09:50:42 PDT 2005

On Tuesday, June 7, 2005, at 08:30  pm, mattsal at gn.apc.org wrote:

> i have received the following communique and been asked to forward it  
> to the
> 'alternative media'
>
> Here is the copy for the feature which you requested on the origins of  
> RTF

Hello

I have put together a feature about this Saturday's Reclaim the Future  
party in London, using the text about the history RTF that was sent to  
this list.

I propose it for the  London, Culture and Free Spaces pages (see  
feature below)

Also matt, please note that "we never requested" this feature, IMCUK  
doesn't request features from anybody. These appear in the newswire as  
contributions, and then can be promoted to the middle columns as  
features.

When we were first contacted about this in the london list, I replied  
saying that the event had been included in the calendar, and invited to  
put something together and publish it in the newswire. Please in the  
future if you want to send a report to indymedia you can do it  
yourselves by clicking the big 'Publish' button on the website ..  
that's the whole point of Indymedia .. at least we've been trying to  
make this clear for some years now! Once your contribution appears in  
the newswire nothing stops you (or anybody else) from proposing it as a  
feature for the middle column.

Anyway, feature proposal below
Cheers
maqui

============

TITLE: Reclaim the Future III - Party and Protest
PHOTO: http://rts.gn.apc.org/rtsimage/leaflets/rtf3-2b.pdf

ABSTRACT:

This Saturday 11 June</a> sees the third edition of the 
infamous <a href="http://rts.gn.apc.org/">Reclaim The Future</a> 
benefit parties in a self-organised space in London. [ Read the <a 
href="/en/regions/london/2005/06/312817.html">history of RTF</a>]


RTF III is set to be one of the biggest parties-with-purpose to take 
place in London for a long time. From eight to eigth 5+ rooms including 
live stages, bands, djs, chillout, bar, cafe, Indymedia cinema, 
performance and vjs, will keep the crowd on its toes. Musical flavours 
will include Punk, Techno, Reggae, Drum & Bass, Breaks, World Music and 
Cabaret. For location details, on the day call 020 7644 5155 or 
07 951 868 252


The concept of RTF arose from a meeting of <a 
href="http://www.reclaimthestreets.net/">London Reclaim The Streets</a> 
(RTS) on June 2002. The idea and call went out, and soon many of the 
people from the groups that RTS had spawned came together. These 
included <a 
href="http://indymedia.org.uk/en/static/mission.html">Indymedia</a>, <a 
href="http://www.wombles.org.uk/">Wombles</a>, <a 
href="http://www.rhythmsofresistance.co.uk/">Rhythms of Resistance 
samba band</a>, <a href="http://www.londonrisingtide.org.uk/">London 
Rising Tide</a>, <a href="http://www.londonarc.org/">LARC</a>, <a 
href="http://www.dsei.org/">Disarm DSEi</a> and it started to grow and 
grow. Quoting one of the party organisers she states:
 
"RTF was created as a way to show that the streets are ours and we 
will not
be prevented from partying and protesting by laws which have tried to 
squash
the reclaim the streets movement. RTF is also about working togther for 
a
future that we all want, free from capitalism and freedom from 
exploitation
for all peoples and for a planet free from the destruction and 
pollution it
currently endures."


For more information about past RTF events see: 
<a href="/en/regions/london/2005/06/312817.html">History of RTF</a> | 
<a 
href="http://www.squall.co.uk/squall.cfm/ses/sq=2003020701/ct=9">Squall
review</a> | Photo galleries <a 
href="http://wombles.org.uk/gallery/ 
view_album.php?set_albumName=rtf1">RTF I</a> and RTF II <a 
href="http://www.accessallareas.org/contents/parties/pictures/ 
rtf20030201/">here</a> + 
href="http://wombles.org.uk/gallery/ 
view_album.php?set_albumName=RTF2%20">here</a>.

CONTENT:

The concept of RTF arose from an emergency meeting of London Reclaim 
The Streets
(RTS) on 17th June 2002. It appeared that although the movement might 
be alive and well in London, no one had been to an RTS meeting for some 
weeks (never mind any London street parties for a couple of years) so 
at the meeting while some said it might be best to just knock the whole 
thing on the head.


But Chris Groner - who I had the pleasure and privilage of working with 
on many of the fundraisers wanted to do one last party. Bearing in mind 
that London RTS wasn't as big as it had been, it was decided to do one 
in a squatted venue. This could also be used as a fundraiser for a 
variety of causes.


The idea and call went out, and soon many of the people from the groups 
that RTS
had spawned came together. These included Indymedia, Wombles, Rythmns 
of Resistance samba band, Rising Tide, LARC, Disarm DSEI (that's enough 
bastard children of RTS - Ed.) and it started to grow and grow.


We thought we should first invite some of the bands that had helped in 
the past, but there were just so many, and no one wanted to be left 
out. Bands were phoning and asking to play and - as more and more bands 
were booked, we realised one stage would not be enough so the building 
needed to be quite big.

In the end, the building group occupied the Pleasure Rooms, a night 
club complex
in Tottenham. Everyone who saw the building said we'd bitten off more 
than we could chew, as there were holes in the roof, the ceiling of one 
room was in the middle of the dance floor and the main corridor 
resembled a mangrove swamp.


Big ups to the building crew! You know who you are. And slowly but 
surely the
place was transformed - walls were knocked down to make a cinema, a 
kitchen was built, and in a very short time it looked as though our 
very own fairy godmother had waved her magic wand. (Actually it was 
lots of bloody hard graft, with all of us suffering from the Tottenham 
cough.)


And wow! Who would have believed it? The main room was a fantastic 
sight, with Val's wonderful sun banner flying from the ceiling and the 
Squall photos decorating the room. And who could possibly forget the 
Wombles/Serum room, complete with white Cadillac in it - fantastic! The 
World Music room draped to cover the fact that there was no ceiling 
(God, that was a bastard to do!) Chill out space and a cinema. I think 
we even surprised ourselves.


Come the party itself and we even had the audacity to announce the 
venue the day
before (Naughty, naughty!) So we had the rubbish local police outside 
telling us no way was there going to be live music played here tonight. 
As if! Don't they know who they're dealing with? As we were arguing 
about it at one door, we were bringing bands and systems in throught 
another. Suckers! And after a short time they decided to retreat out of 
earshot of our scorn and derision.


In total, 27 live acts played that night, after a number of talks and 
workshops
that afternoon. Acts included Inner Terrestials, Headjam, Space Goats, 
Zebedee, Simon Emerson out of Afrocelt, Tattoo John out of the 
Alabamas, sorry for forgetting the rest. And a great night was had by 
all.raising much needed social awareness Not only this, but the money 
raised went to help Legal Defence and Montoring Group, IMC, London 
Action Resource Centre (LARC), prisoner support, anti-war actions and 
other causes.


But more than that, an idea was born, surely we couldn't stop now. The 
following year, RTF 2 was held at Ossary Road, SAARF East London and we 
thought maybe, do this once a year. However, last year, after a long 
period of illness, the much loved Chris Groner died. Nowadays, she's 
probably getting Lennon, Hendrix and co to do gigs for expenses only 
and funding the anti-God movement in Heaven. We all miss you Chris.


Which just about brings us to now and RTF 3.

=======================