the flower

 (in some african languages amani means wish or desire. in swahili, amani means peace. amani are also known in fantasy circles as a peaceful kind of elves).

one day amani heard a story about a flower that grew in the forest. it wasnt an ordinary flower. it was magical. the people were talking about how this magical flower could bring peace to those who smelled it and looked at it. Amani thought that sounded like a nice idea, she decided she would get the flower and bring it to her people. so she gathered her maps, some roots, tools, a carry bag, some water, a knife, and a few other magical things. she put on her bright purple sweater (the one with a hood), and went deep into the forest. there she found a hungry bear. startled and quite afraid at his size she gasped, but the bear was hungry. he didnt care that she was a small little girl. he asked "do you have some blackberries?". suprised, but always kind to animals she replied "no, do you know where they grow?". she couldnt help but think she would enjoy some too! the bear asked if she had a map, which she had drawn herself (although some spots were blank in the middle). the bear pointed where she should go, and filled in a little of the map too. along the way she met a rabbit, who was also hungry. luckily, she gave her some carrot. amani said she could have more if she helped find the way to the blackberries. rabbits could be tricky, which amani knew, and sure enough halfway there the rabbit again complained about being hungry even though amani had given her half a big fat plump juicy carrot. so amani picked up the rabbit and put her in the basket. and they walked the rest of the way, with the rabbit quietly munching on a tuber. when they found the blackberry bush amani gave the rabbit more carrot and some more tubers too.  there were a few squirrels eating dried blackberries that had fallen from the  bush. then she took a cutting from the blackberry bush to grow in her village, and thanked nature.  amani offered the squirels some fresh berries if they would corroborate the bears story. sure enough the bear knew where to find the magical flowers.  the squirrels were fine eating dried berries, but amani's offer had been so loving they were quite outside themselves. behavior like that from two-leggeds is uncommon in this part of the forest. after snacking on big blackberries with the squirrels and singing squirrel song, catching up on squirrel gossip, and tucking a few nuts away for winter with squirrels amani bid the squirrels farewell and followed her map back to the bear. with a basket full of blackberries the bear was overjoyed. "wow, and i thought you werent coming back!" said the bear. "how could i leave a big old bear so pitiful and hungry?" amani replied. soon the bear was munching blackberries with both paws. he was so happy and his stomach so full that he began rolling around on his back. what a sight that must have been. next the bear decided that he was so happy that he would go with amani to get some flowers. they traveled on, hand in paw, free from harm because no animal would mess with a little girl with a bear. amani knew she was close because the air smelled so sweet and peaceful. when they arrived her eyes were overcome with a glade of flowers so bright and delicate that she nearly cried, and then she cried. the bear gave her his fur to dry her tears. amani knew that to take anything from the forest one must leave something blessed. so she reached into her bag and retrieved her special magical things. she made a little altar for the forest fairies, dedicated her magical things and then said a blessing as she dug into the ground to reach the roots of the flowers. after they were neatly tucked away and safe she thanked the forest for its special gift. then, she and the bear walked hand in paw to the edge of the forest. there she hugged and kissed the bear goodbye. they both had purple lips from all the blackberries! the bear stuck out his purple tongue and smiled, then amani did so. they laughed and giggled until they both fell over. when amani got back to her family she showed them the flower and planted the roots deeply in the ground. everyone gathered around and was so happy they were just silent, smelled, and watched the beautiful flowers grow. they were so happy and said thank you to nature for providing such a wonderful gift. amani learned of the peace that comes from the flowers, but she also learned that by giving people, fairies, animals, plants, and nature gifts of life they become happy and in return they will want to share happiness and help others live. although she hadnt paid a dime for this lesson, she felt smarter than if she had gone to the best private schools. love is always free, and freely given. sharing is caring. amani drifted off to sleep that night with new friends and the sweet smell of success.

is Permaculture a means of classwarfare?

yes, if the end result continues in the direction syracuse is headed.

 who here is truly poor,  tired, homeless, hungry, alone, and scared? as an affected person i have been all of these, and to this day i have never truly been helped by a single rich person. in other words, thats normal. i do not find a moral or ethical problem in poverty, i see it in the exesses. at the Good Samaritan one can find alot of gentle older men eating substandard food, nothing improves until the poorest are enriched. i find it highly unrational to have so many mansions unoccupied and for sale, while people are homeless due to lack of opportunities. if the opportunity to learn permaculture was available to many homeless and poor people we might have hope of improving our conditions and providing for ourselves, and our families. if the social strati of our society were leveled perhaps poor people could even make a living doing permaculture. unfortunately, our society would rather pay entertainers and hired guns than agriculturalists. the well paying permaculture jobs very rarely involve building a food shelter (or food production), and never in low class neighborhoods. i challenge this group to consider my words.

this permaculture gathering is questionably a case of the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. i do not fault any of the teachers here for practicing their craft, i do fault anyone who is a permaculturalist who does not improve the worst areas, that is neglect no matter the zone. art parks simply do not "cut it" and to call them permaculture is offensive.  its easy to perform permaculture with a vast amount of resources and happy well fed people. it takes a lot more diplomacy to handle the difficult work of creating/restoring/maintaining a food shelter or a real permaculture site in an impoverished neighborhood. however, the rewards outweigh the struggle. even the struggle is useful as it helps people to learn how to organize. if there is no struggle then the poor do not benefit.  this is not a new problem and by facing it head on (forward) we build real community with all of our neighbors. i assert that there is truly a class war continuing in america, and this gathering does not feel like a battle for freedom. may we all walk away from this event sharing knowledge freely with the members of this society who contribute the lowest financially. permaculture is truly for the birds and beasts. anyone can plant seeds. everyone should know that you cant plant seeds in concrete. the seeds are not the problem its the concrete and the mentality that pervades; pave paradise and put up a parking lot. the reality is that city dwellers spend more money on concrete than seeds.until october of last year i could easily research permaculture using the keywords "syracuse permaculture". today that is impossible, the first five and more pages are covered with invitations to this conference (which was formerly called a consulta, with that emphasis and sense of urgency gone  this conference feels stale, stagnant, lifeless and festering). the informational websites on permaculture in syracuse have been buried by sites with no educational content. stop and imagine what it would feel like if your important research had been buried by spam. this is what has happened to many like me, i am not the only person who has suffered. for a person, such as myself, paying for permaculture is simply out of the question. my annual income is less than ten thousand dollars a year. i cannot afford to spend one tenth of my annual income on classes, many of my neighbors will agree. quite possibly there are alot of people attending the conference who do not intend to earn a permaculture certificate. will any less be thought of us? to this i will add that it is simply not necessary, why learn permaculture in the country if you live in a city?   instead i rely on other sources of learning, i listen to nature everywhere not just pretty places. i also learn by word of mouth and read. my efforts to gain information about permaculture, and i would imagine that others too, in my local community has been hindered by all the spam for this event. i dont think all of the resources were widely considered when planning this event, or the impact on those who quietly do the much needed work of earth healing (for which i dont always charge).  my studies have included spending half a year in portland oregon where i am a proud  member of the portland permaculture guild along with toby hemmenway and others. portland's guild has a listserve monthly meetings and addresses all levels of income.  i am still a member and wrote to my friend toby just last week. i am a professional permaculturalists. i do not need a permaculture certificate to practice my craft professionally, and to my knowledge no one intends to take me to court (or anyone else i know who is a professional permaculturalists without a certificate.
i have lots of fellow guild members (also in santa cruz and nevada city, as well as other guilds) who also do not hold permaculture certificates. On the east coast i know of very few permaculture institutes within the confines of smaller cities, they are usually located in the country, with no bus lines connected. these institutes do not make a habit of devoting themselves to poor neighborhoods. this is a shame, because it would seem plausible to presume that if you take care of the most neglected areas the rest will improve. its like being in a building when it gets hit by an airplane, its better to be on the ground floor. i do not fault any of the teachers here for practicing their craft, i do fault anyone who is a permaculturalist who does not improve the worst areas, that is neglect no matter the zone. art parks simply do not "cut it" and to call them permaculture is offensive.  its easy to perform permaculture with a vast amount of resources and happy well fed people. it takes a lot more diplomacy to handle the difficult work of creating/restoring/maintaining a food shelter or a real permaculture site in an impoverished neighborhood. however, the rewards outweigh the struggle. even the struggle is useful as it helps people to learn how to organize. if there is no struggle then the poor do not benefit.  this is not a new problem and by facing it head on (forward) we build real community with all of our neighbors. i assert that there is truly a class war continuing in america, and this gathering does not feel like a battle for freedom. may we all walk away from this event sharing knowledge freely with the members of this society who contribute the lowest financially. permaculture is truly for the birds and beasts. anyone can plant seeds. everyone should know that you cant plant seeds in concrete. the seeds are not the problem its the concrete and the mentality that pervades; pave paradise and put up a parking lot. the reality is that city dwellers spend more money on concrete than seeds.

i live in a racially mixed neighborhood. we have macedonians, chinese, african americans, africans, indians, caucasians and probably more than a few have native blood. the root of nursery is nurse, and if taken literally the alchemical nursery should nurse alchemists. that being the case, i ask who is doing this at all levels of society? my intention is not to make a mockery of anyones efforts, but to encourage us to fullfill our mission statements, by truly understanding what they mean.  as many know a mission statement is useless and misunderstood unless it is put into practice universally.

 if there is any validity to the notion that we are in a peak oil crisis then i encourage you not to look to the countryside for salvation. ive worked for many conventional farmers, permaculture resorts and observed their neighbors. if the s**t hits the fan they will greet you with their rifles and shotguns not open arms. instead we must look to our own highrises, apartment buildings, skyscrapers, medians, and parks for solutions, and to each other's lawns . by sharing the gift of permaculture with the entire community starting with the poor, thick root stock will grow, and we will really be able to understand the idea of permaculture.  so, consider the word "wisdom" and realize that it is rooted in the applications of understanding. without this basis there is nothing to save you, and no survival.

more on capitalizing sustainability

   

http://houston.indymedia.org/news/2009/03/66835.php

The Slow Decline of a Dying Rhizome
by B. Perdue Friday, Mar. 13, 2009 at 12:08 PM

  Perdue Friday, Mar. 13, 2009 at 12:08 PM

    This Tuesday, the Rhizome Collective will begin to die its slow death. All residents and backspace organizations have been forced to vacate. Many fear the blow of losing one's home will taper any gained momentum to save the space.

UNOFICIAL, COPYLEFT RELEASE
Please Circulate
13th of Friday, 2009

This Tuesday, the Rhizome Collective will begin to die its slow death. All residents and backspace organizations have been forced to vacate. Many fear the blow of losing one's home will taper any gained momentum to save the space.

Last night, we sat in a room with many collective members and the Allen Street Rhizome Warehouse private property owners—Scott Kellogg and Stacy Pettigrew. Kellogg and Pettigrew have been members of the Rhizome Collective and sometimes residents of Austin, TX. They legally own the warehouse property through Sustainable Revolution Inc. Kellogg and Pettigrew have built a career through their work with the Rhizome Collective—creating a sustainability consulting/training seminar called RUST and published a book entitled Toolbox for a Sustainable Revolution. Over nine years, Kellogg and Pettigrew and countless others built the Rhizome together.

On 2/16/09, Kellogg and Pettigrew informed the collective of their intent to sell the warehouse property in six months. They listed an asking price of $390,000 and asked the collective to make an offer. When asked if sweat equity would be valued, they firmly responded, “no.” People questioned making this transaction using capitalist economic values. Kellogg purchased the warehouse with an inheritance of an unknown amount. Kellogg and Pettigrew also own property in New York State.

On 3/3/09, City of Austin Code Enforcement cited the property owners with a number of violations. Kellogg and Pettigrew received this information and informed us that we needed to vacate and the building would be sealed 3/17. Through collective pressure, Kellogg and Pettigrew reluctantly pressured the City and asked questions about the exact nature of the violations. They achieved a 30 day extension to pull permits and deal with the violations. Kellogg and Pettigrew asked all to vacate, regardless. Conveniently, the community organizations and housing residents are being shuffled out the door.

Members of the collective questioned Kellogg and Pettigrew about their intentions for dealing with the code violations. The question was asked if they are planning on pulling the permits with the understanding that the collective would purchase the space. They said they didn't know. Their options were to pull permits or sell within 30 days. Someone in the group offered to collectively share the costs of code violations. Kellogg and Pettigrew were hesitant about such an idea. Kellogg and Pettigrew in effect told the collective that from here on out they'd go it alone. It seemed silly, then, to waste our time pretending to work together. Clearly, there is an unequal power relationship between the landlord and tenants. Why pull permits if ownership is not to be transfered?

If we were working together, I'd understand temporarily leaving the space to deal with permits. But, the vague non-commitment was a de facto admission of what would happen post-permit. Nothing. The space will be sold on the open market—maybe to the collective, maybe not. This all begs a larger question, was the intention ever to transfer ownership to the collective? Why were calls to rent-to-own through owner financing not heeded by the landlords years ago? Why is the conversation revolving around money and loans, and not community cultural capital and anti-capitalist views of property?

Many who've lived in the community of Austin and have seen the day to day operations of the Rhizome and the long-term trends, have recognized the power imbalance of the situation. Fundamentally, collective space should reside in collective hands. There was a social contract of peaceable transfer power. Yet, the behavior and attitudes of Kellogg and Pettigrew always reflected their special case status. Not to mention their personal fiscal, material, and professional benefits under the guise of non-profit status and collective community building. Nor, their responsibility within the collective of building un-permitted structures for their own personal benefit and supposed community benefit. We have been co-dependent on the supposed benevolence of gift-giving from a privileged person. Frankly, we needed the space. And despite knowing that this day would come, we went ahead because we had nowhere else to go. We hastily relied on the good intentions of vastly more privileged people. Attempts were made to take good intentions out of the equation through the transfer of power—only to be stymied time and time again.

Now, I'm having a huge wake up call about the so-called community. Not so much about Kellogg and Pettigrew. I've seen them act like Queen and King of the Rhizome Castle for years. But, now, I see the meeting dynamics shake out like a bad anti-oppression workshop skit. Lip-service is given to a collective, Consensus-based process when two people really run the show, their cadre of supporters seem well-intentioned yet politically fair weather, others can't deal with conflict and the elephant continues to sit in the room, voices are silenced because they are called too emotional, and people of color and marginalized folks are going to feel the brunt of the eviction. One sentiment I've heard a couple people throw out has illuminated this situation for me. Folks have said, “This is the United States, we can't just...” Its seems as though many folks in that room would stand up for somebody half way across the world out of guilt or some such motivation, rather than fight for their own home. In a classic display of privilege, folks are bouncing out of this community leaving the folks who actually live here to pick up the pieces and build again. Similar stories play out across the nation in these radical subcultures keeping them in their bubbles—never to reach out to people outside their activist playhouses.

Why am I putting this shit on blast? Well, because I think the situation is fucked up and I feel some sort of obligation to tell my version of the sequence of events. This piece will surely stir some controversy and hopefully spark some dialog. I've gone back and forth and had much self-doubt about how to approach this situation. I know this will piss some people off. I'm no stranger to controversy and firmly believe if actions cannot be held up to public scrutiny then something is amiss. I also think conflict is inevitable—especially when there is an power imbalance. We need to deal with it head on or not at all. Kellogg and Pettigrew have stated their intention to do as they please. So, either we wait for their word or pressure them to make the concessions that are politically and culturally ours. As long as Kellogg and Pettigrew continue their work creating “sustainable revolution” in New York and beyond, they must be held accountable for the sustainability of the Allen Street Warehouse and I hope this article aids in that.

Perhaps, there's still hope to make an offer to transfer the building in collective hands and for Kellogg and Pettigrew to do the right thing. Maybe this piece will ruin it. It should happen soon, if at all, because Kellogg and Pettigrew are leaving Texas once everyone's out and won't be looking back. What I heard last night, in not so many words, was there was no plan to pull permits and thusly no plan for collective purchase. I wonder why would they care once they leave this town? Sometimes, I think, its just not worth it. So, for now, I will no longer wait for the whims of the landlords or the illusion of collective process.

If Kellogg and Pettigrew choose not to transfer ownership to the collective, then the question is what's the community's cut?

This Saturday and Sunday there is a estate sale happening at the Rhizome. People are packing their bags and selling off community property. Come on down to the Rhizome to see it all go down.

Good Night and Adieu,

-Brent Perdue