<nettime> San Francisco

[Geert Lovink <geert@xs4all.nl>]

From: Avant-Media <mollybh@wenet.net>

Dear all,

There are many demonstrations and activities occurring here in San
Francisco because of the Yugoslavian bombings. 

It is important to me as an American writer and an architect that
Europeans know that we are with you in the resistance to the bloodshed
coming from the US government in the name of peacekeeping--

Tonight the International Action Center is hosting a talk by Gloria La
Riva who was recently in the Balkans. The IAC takes a firm stance against
the obliteration of Iraq! 

There have been ongoing demonstrations, vigils, talks and screenings of
video documentation for the last week and before as the Balkan "threat"
has been brewing and disaproval of Milosevic stirring in the dominant
press. 

As the activity mounts with little sign of defraying I will continue to
write regarding the anti-bombing "incentive" of people here--that we want
peace, not war! That we do not approve of this use of force, that we can
see through the strategic mirage and its comparative placement among other
mideast bombings, wars and occupations. No more bombings of Belgrade! No
more attacks! 

I want the European community to know that the anti-violent, anti-war
spirit and cooperation with creating peace and stopping global colonialism
is very much alive here in San Francisco--that we are not a city succombed
to silence! Yet, it is also true that people are indifferent, waiting to
speak, waiting to think, waiting to feel. The bombings of Belgrade are
very much quieting the patter of the arts community with the headlines--
Downtown Belgrade Destroyed in the Chronicle yesterday, or was it the day
before? There is certain recognition esp. after what happened in Baghdad,
Iraq that Clinton's rhetoric and NATO's rhetoric is blind,
economically-driven, not humanitarian --in the air so to speak not on the
ground. 

The dominant media is giving only a shallow interpretation-- scopophilic
at best--Milosevich is a sign, representing an evil. But the displacement
of the Albanian people and the destruction of history is the real evil!
This is NATO! 

I want the European community to know that we have the displaced, the
injured and the angry in our hearts as we carry our signs and demonstrate.
As we try to make real news happen here. 

I am sitting down tonight to write a piece about architecture and 'Future
Cities' and I find it ironic, because in the week that I do this major
cultural centers in Yugoslavia, major buildigns by major Yugoslavian
architects have been destroyed by American bombs sent from electronic
targeting systems the development of which are fuelling the digital
revolution in this nation. 

My words about the future and design of cities seem particularly
superfluous, when what is being designed by much of our country is
destruction and the architectural treasures of other peoples is the first
item to go. The unfortunate presumption, with the exception of the World
Trade Center bombings in New York, and the Oklahoma bombings of the
Federal building, that such violence and ruination is for non-Americans,
in the American interest, not for us is a ghastly fucked-up contradiction
if ever there was one. 

The destruction --thus the acquistion--of foreign lands is certainly not
what many of us seek as a future. 

--with all respect and much horrified sympathy to the people of
Yugoslavia--

Please know that all of America is not blindly supporting this unjust
"cause" for war. 

Molly Hankwitz
San Francisco 1999
Writer, architect

Molly Hankwitz *Avant-Media*-mollybh@wenet.net-mhankwitz@atasite.org-Tel.
415 621-0807
c/o Artists Television Access 992 Valencia Street San Francisco  CA 94110



---
#  distributed via nettime-l : no commercial use without permission
#  <nettime> is a closed moderated mailinglist for net criticism,
#  collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets
#  more info: majordomo@desk.nl and "info nettime-l" in the msg body
#  URL: http://www.desk.nl/~nettime/  contact: nettime-owner@desk.nl