The Banner Seen 'Round the World

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http://www.alternet.org/election04/19715/

 

The Banner Seen 'Round the World

 

By Don Hazen, AlterNet. Posted August 30, 2004.

 

It was a banner day for a few hearty activists who

happen to be crack climbers

 

It was an audacious idea. Whack the Republican

invasion of New York with a stiff upper cut, even

before the R's got off of their stool. Fire a

preemptive shot seen around the world – and especially

in swing states – that would strike the public

imagination. Create and execute a clean, clear and

inspiring act so cool that the media would be

compelled to carry the message.

 

But so many things had to go right, especially in

those early morning hours when the anxiety was pulsing

through the veins of crack climbers Terra Lawson-Remer

and David Murphy, hanging at the top of the Plaza

Hotel, and ready to unfurl their giant " Truth-Arrow

North; Bush-Arrow South " banner.

 

The highly organized activists – including compatriots

Cesar Maxit and Rebecca Johnson – started their

stealth effort at 5:00 a.m. from a cozy room inside

the Plaza Hotel. At 6:15 a.m. they began rappelling

down the face of the opulent building, a symbol of New

York aristocracy and a favorite City landmark

anchoring the Southeast corner of Central Park.

Finally at 9:30 a.m. – more than three excruciating

hours later – the banner was unfurled.

 

Made out of rip-stop nylon with a plastic coating,

weighing 85.5 pounds, the banner was 40 by 60 feet, or

2400 square feet of straight-up message, prepared by a

hard working banner team who stayed up all hours for

almost two weeks to get it sewed up, said

Lawson-Remer, who carried it down the side of the

hotel.

 

But in the words of Murphy, " it was a miracle that we

pulled it off. So many things could have gone wrong. "

Lawson-Remer adds, " it took us three hours up there

because I was trying to be so careful not to damage

any property, to avoid heavy duty legal charges. "

 

Murphy continues, " There were workers on the ground

looking up at us – maybe they just thought we were

window washers. There was a guy watching television in

a room right near where I sat while our radios were

squawking...but no one noticed. "

 

Essentially the action was the brain child of

Lawson-Remer, who pulled the team together, and raised

the funds, at least enough to make the action happen.

Just 25, Lawson-Remer is nevertheless a veteran

activist who counts Tom Hayden and Ruckus Society

leader John Sellers as mentors. She hails from San

Diego, graduated from Yale and is a doctoral and law

student at NYU.

 

As a result of the banner drop, Lawson-Remer and her

partners have been charged with felony assault and

reckless endangerment and as well as criminal

trespass, which is a misdemeanor. While the charges

are clearly trumped up, a stiff legal fight will be

required to get them reduced or thrown out, as the

City seems determined to throw the book at the

climbers, especially after one of the cops badly cut

his leg when he put his foot through a skylight.

 

But like everything else in this meticulously planned

project, Lawson-Remer had secured legal help long

before the event. She went to Gerald Lefcourt, a

veteran progressive attorney who long ago was Abbie

Hoffman's lawyer. Lefcourt agreed immediately to do

the case pro bono.

 

With all the risks, the grand goal was the media

message. Lawson-Remer said: " It is all about winning

the election in November, about inspiring people to

take action, and get the message to swing states. A

photo of the banner was on page 2 of USA Today, a

paper that gets read in middle America, the action was

on television screens across the country and

internationally. "

 

" Our message to people who already know what the

problem is get involved, do everything you can this

fall – talk to friends, neighbors – and not just in

this election but ongoing. The Bush regime represents

self interest and deception, but Bush is not the only

problem. Murphy seemed a little more ambivalent about

the election: " I'm not sure how much better Kerry is

going to be, but I know getting Bush out is incredibly

important. "

 

With a tremendously successful march on Sunday – the

NY Times reporting half a million creative, outspoken,

colorful, determined marchers, with the incredibly

array of art, music and culture resisting the

Republican visit and celebrating the utter " blueness "

of New York City – the huge banner hanging was a

fitting opening frame to the media battle for NY.

 

Needless to say, Lawson-Remer and the team have a

bunch of bills to pay and there will be considerably

expenses in the legal case beyond Attorney Lefcourt's

time. Contributions can be sent to Operation Sybil c/o

Gerald Lefcourt, 148 East 78th Street, New York, NY

10021. Contributions are not tax deductible.

 

Don Hazen is the Executive Editor of AlterNet.