PARKMAKING, OR IT WAS A HELL OF A DAY

Excerpted from a Free City News sheet (San Francisco, prob. 1968, author unknown), courtesy diggers.org



TEXT:

A bunch of us went out back today and tore down the fence surrounding the yard. The neighbors, attracted by the sound of our laughter and shouting, gathered around to watch us in amazement. Some of them seemed to become infected with our delight and began to finger the claw hammers and crowbars which were scattered about. Suddenly one man leaped at his fence screaming "Cancer wood" and that set it off.

Before you knew it, all the fences in the block were down and all our neighbors were racing up and down the park they had built congratulating each other for their boldness and imagination. We built a big fire to roast the turkey legs which Jon had brought over that morning. By mid-afternoon, people were fucking in the rose bushes, children were marauding in the turnip patch, and visionary conversations were going on in every corner of the garden. It was a hell of a day.

WHEN EMMETT GROGAN KIDNAPPED MITT ROMNEY'S DAD AND BROUGHT HIM TO THE HAIGHT (Sept. 22, 1967)

The late Emmett Grogan's account of exactly what went down on the afternoon of September 22, 1967 is available in his book Ringolevio. His fellow Digger Claude Hayward recently posted the pertinent excerpts (and links) over at Daily Kos.

Just for kicks, here's the New York Times' account...

"MONEY IS AN UNNECESSARY EVIL" (SF DIGGERS, 1966)

A broadside by the San Francisco Diggers, 1966...



More: The Digger Archives

PETER BERG: 100% FREE

INVISIBLE EXCEPT FOR A NERVOUS SYSTEM
forest bottom
thick with hemlock and pine pieces
from last fall’s roof-breaking wind
black rocks floating in brown needles
green clean-edged leaves stab through
I want to be less than I am
porous woods light
play over me, warm then cold
hidden birds call tease directions
fly through me
shushing breeze humped field descending in yellow-dotted waves
to the night-filled lake
slide over me deep underground

—Peter Berg, in one of his Eco Ecuador Dispatches, from Nov. 2, 2002

* * *

Peter Berg — San Francisco Mime Troupe playwright and pivotal member of the San Francisco Diggers (nicknamed 'the Hun'), early bioregionalism theorist and Planet Drum Foundation founder, husband and father, visionary radical thinker and beautiful concept/word poet and author — died two weeks ago at age 73. Those who knew him or his work recognized that he had the qualities of a genius. The rest of us will eventually understand what Berg — a true anarchist — was up to.

Here is a brief obituary and appreciation: Peter Berg Oct. 1, 1937 — July 28, 2011

Planet Drum has established a blog to remember Peter and his work at planet-drum.net. The biographical entry is essential reading.

Envisioning Sustainability, a collection of many of Berg's most important texts, with prefaces by Peter, was published in 2009 and is available from the usual (surviving) book sources, including Amazon.

Here is a wonderful video of Peter in 2009 (source: Shaping San Francisco project), discussing the Diggers' infamous "1% Free" slogan and poster...



Peter Berg: 100 percent free.