Solidarity
Leave the library card behind for an unconventional look at the true meaning of anarchy.
by Robert Riley, Jayplaywriter
With a cold concrete floor below, small bookcases full of collections of esoteric books and magazines lean on each other for support. A group of Lawrence anarchists sit on an equally diverse assortment of furniture from dumpster diving days gone by. Hanging from the ceiling like a string of pennant flags, multicolored T-shirts declare slogans of anti-establishment rhetoric, yelling, "Fight for your class, not for your country." A woman stands in front of a group of self-professed anarchists as she teaches them the finer points of Spanish.
Kelly Parker, a former student at the University of Kansas, teaches a free Spanish class at Solidarity! Aside from Spanish, the library offers visitors an education on subjects from militarism to vegetarianism, which the average student's syllabus might not mention.
Dave Strano, library collective member, discusses political news with Scott Pinkelman, Lawrence resident and the coordinator of Students for an Egalitarian Society, which promotes thought and discussion about living in a world without authoritarian systems or hierarchies. Strano sits at a computer desk, which takes up half of a tiny office with bare concrete walls in the back of the library. Strano says being an anarchist in Lawrence, to him, means believing community organizations to be independently democratic, without any authoritative organizations above them. He says anarchism is a branch of socialism, which does not believe in the ability of the state to do what is best for it's people.
The anarchists plan to travel to the Republican National Convention in New York to protest not specifically against Bush, but against what they consider to be an inept form of government. Members of the organization have endured questioning by the FBI
about their intentions, although Hays says that no one has been harassed. Strano, who played a large roll in organizing the protest, says that the anarchists' activities remain separate from the library, and that the library itself is not directly involved in much activism.
"As long as someone is in power," Strano says, "someone else is suffering." He says the person in power will always be taking away other peoples' share, just like any boss who makes the majority of the money while the workers do most of the work. Strano says if we believe that we live in a world where oppression exists, it must be those who are oppressed who are at the forefront of the struggle. He says the members of the library are definitely interested in interacting with students, but they try and spend more time with people who will be a lasting part of the community — people who don't have as many resources.
The library has no organizer says Vanessa Hays, Topeka senior, sitting next to Katy Andrus, a collective member working her shift at the library. Hays says a collective of anywhere from five to 15 members who all have an equal vote makes decisions. Members volunteer to work three hours in the library or be part of a group in charge of activities such as managing the collection, or events and fundraising. "The collective is anti-authoritarian," says Hays, "everyone helps make decisions."
Andrus stops reading from her notebook to interject. While pointing at different sections of literature, Andrus says the library has something for everyone. The battered spines of random books are tattooed with smudged and torn used stickers from KU bookstores. Hays says a lot of people are surprised to see that the library has so many course books. She says the literature at the library helps people to see another side of things.
Used books are not the only link between the University and the library. Chris White, a graduate teaching assistant in history at the University, conducts an anarchist study group, which resumed Aug. 24. Another University group involved with the library is the before-mentioned Students for an Egalitarian society. The library is also a meeting place for the Lawrence chapter of the Industrial Workers of the World labor union; the Anarchist Black Cross, a prisoner advocacy group; and a women's health discussion group. Hays says an important part of the library is to provide a safe, non-judgmental venue for classes, workshops, bands and even puppet shows.
On a calendar across from Hays and Andrus stands a naked man posing to mimic the John Brown painting in the capitol building in Topeka. The Anarchists Exposed calendar is one of the library's fundraising efforts. The group periodically sets up tables to sell books, 'zines, pins and stickers. Sometimes the anarchists collect donations while hosting small concerts or poetry readings. The library also has a list of supporters who donate money monthly, and visitors are encouraged to add to the change jar. Above the library Strano and Matt Ridgway, another collective member, screen-print T-shirts to sell. All of the members at Solidarity! do what they can to make the library a possibility. Strano says he wants students to see the library as a place to express their political views and talk about how to change the world.
13,573 Number of total parking spaces
8,549 Number of student parking spaces available
11,248 Number of total student permits sold this year
Around 20 (depending on time of year)
Number of ticket issuers
64,146 Number of tickets issued last year
$725,089.45
Total revenue generated by parking tickets last year
4
Jayplay 9.2.04