smitten, ja wohl!

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...i was always impressed with the italians and their desire and ability to organize, protest, demonstrate, strike, and um...party in the street. but how seriously can you take them with that singong, sultry language?

now, when one sees waving of cardboard placards blowing in the bitter berlin breeze...with punk music
in one ear, electronic in the other, how can one not take the germans seriously with guttural expletives through
megaphones and "ja, wohl's" all around?

it's like i can feel the beer i haven't drank in my belly brewing. let's march "gegen" (against) something. ja, wohl!

turn the music up, ja wohl!

down with capitalism, ja wohl!

don't build in our park, ja wohl!

as my other non-deutsch friends here had no interest in attending, i went solo to the demonstration against
building in "mauerpark" (see aforementioned emails as to the eloquence and loadedness of this park i visit every day...
whose daily graffiti wall and uninsured swings i fly on)...

roughly on time, we took to the street, escorted by cops in riot gear...(because the local "bobos" - bohemian bourgeoisie - may not take kindly to demonstrators, let alone ones carrying anti-capitalism signs and slogans)...

the point:
berlin wants to build in mauerpark. water a concrete foundation until it grows into loft condos.

on a spot that personally, i think should become one of UNESCO's world heritage sites.

for it is the world's park which represents the breaking of the wall, the fall of the iron curtain, the possibility of
economic stimulus (gulp).

ach, wohl. have no idea if our little march through the city unto the "Rathaus" (townhall) has done anything politically,
but it's worth a try. the legislative beast awakens on the 25th of November. i'll keep ya posted.

and btw, what have you done for mauerpark, lately?

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Photos

english abounds
what you can't read in the background is a sign hanging off this truck which reads "capitalism stole my virginity"

pirates!
yes, you can read german now. the "Piraten Party" - an official political party in germany whose platform is essentially: legalize piracy. of the electronic kind, of course.

oh, the irony.
this bulldozer somehow continued its work in the midst of the demonstration - though this was only 10 minutes in.

this tram, not so much.
there was no way this tram was budging in the heart of the demonstration. there's something about blocking mass transit that's so enjoyable...

kids under the age of 10 always allowed
not only did a ton of kids have their own signs, but at the finishing rally in front of the rathaus, a 10-year-old got up on the megaphone and articulately went off about why "our" mauerpark is ours, and not berlins to build on...

"mauerpark is our park"
yes. pretty much the official german slogan against the development of mauerpark. hey, who can pass up a good rhyme?