While reading “Avant Gardening,” by Bill Weinberg, many truths were revealed about the injustice of the government and state control on middle/lower class people, who make up a majority of the population. Weinberg does a great job of highlighting the reasons Loisaida Libre seems to be the best solution to separating oneself from the further privatization and gentrification of New York City, specifically the Lower East Side. With the rapid increase of police interference, unbalanced power, and lack of authority for the lay person, Weinberg believes, “this issue cuts to the heart of whether we contemporary urbanites live in a democratic culture…private administration and heavy policing is antithetical to this vision” (46). While New York claims to be there for its people, past mayors such as David Dinkins and Rudolph Giuliani prove this claim to be false with the repeated support of private companies, laws, and institutions that further the divide between the classes. For example, “in the New Municipal Order, the city only owes police protection to the affluent-not services to the poor…Giuliani’s agenda is to follow the national trend towards privatization of city services-further squeezing out access for citizens no among the yuppie elite” (49). Police forces are slowly being bought by the elite and display their obvious disregard for the entire population with the mistreatment and discrimination they pose on the lower class. The cost of living and the ability to raise prices drastically each year is a threat on the well-being of most of New York City’s population. Elderly people and minorities are especially subject to the downsides of privatization due to the greedy and immoral mindset of landlords and elite institutions. These injustices are especially upsetting because many middle/lower classes families have turned to the wealthy in the past to advocate and support positive reform and restoration that benefits the masses. Weinberg writes, “…whatever pathetic façade of neighborhood democracy existed under the Democrat machine is being rapidly dismantled. The era of looking to bureaucrats for solutions is definitively over. Citizens will only be able to make their power felt from below” (51). In short, we need to fight for ourselves on our own and not rely on anyone else.
This display of power from below can be seen through the proposed community of the Lower East Side Autonomous Zone. With the implementation of strict laws in regard to money, fines, fees, and price, LESAZ will provide a community and environment beneficial to lower income households and minorities. By planning to be a completely green society that produces no waste, LESAZ and its possible success has the potential to introduce other cities to a newer, greener way of living. Furthermore, by only allowing natural and organic food and supplies, the overall health and well-being of its community will hopefully rise, resulting in better quality of life. While this proposed community is extremely ambitious and well thought out, there is a major potential for the community to fail tremendously. Loisaida Libre plans to eventually earn income off of its recycling skills and implement its authority with the backing of organizations that are crucial to running the city. These intentions can easily fall apart because of the major authority New York City has. The city has the power to completely shut down this proposed community, regardless of its benefits. Furthermore, this community will be the result of a drastic change for multiple people. Not everyone will be willing to follow the rules 100% and may hinder the growth and prosperity of Loisaida. When a person’s lifestyle changes in almost all aspects, the chance of rebellion, abandonment, and disagreement by that person greatly increases. My concern is that not enough people will be on board for this idea. While I truly believe there is potential to change the way we run our cities and lives, I worry that fear, stubbornness, and ignorance will hinder LESAZ’s potential.
I appreciate you taking Weinberg’s proposals seriously! I’m not sure it’s possible to see the whole plan, however well-considered it is, as a practical blueprint. But I do think there are specific proposals within the plan that are doable and, as climate change increasingly renegotiated the rules for us, necessary. Graywater recycling, a primarily bike-based transportation system, and a more robust urban farming initiative seem fairly reasonable from today’s perspective. An autonomous security force is probably not as reasonable, but there are plenty of gated communities across the globe with private security companies patrolling them that might suggest differently! Do you think Weinberg and the CLT model might be combined in some way? Or Weinberg and Caffentzis/Federici? Maybe there’s more that can be distilled from this manifesto than it appears?