Pirates of Propaganda Mission Accomplished: Media in Action!

July 23, 2006
Santa Rosa, CA

The People’s Revolutionary Organization (PRO), based out of Petaluma, CA is a group of youth working towards creating solidarity, bringing like-minded people together and engaging the community. The PRO directs the multi-faceted political communities of Sonoma County towards militant direct action.

The group successfully put on 30 days of action in July. By putting on events and workshops all month, the PRO wanted to show other groups and activists that activism is, “Essentially about doing stuff,” said Ben Saari, “and taking initiative. This month is about showing that single issue politics can be connected, even within a small group of people.”

On July 23, 2006 about 15 people gathered at Free Mind Media Info Shop (FMM)in Santa Rosa, CA to show people that media is accessible and that people don’t have to watch- they can have access to the means of making their voices heard.

The afternoon started with Tatiana Harrison and Claudia Villa from the Voice of Youth Radio Program. Voice of Youth works with community schools in Sonoma County to empower youth to use radio as a tool to tell their stories.

“The thing that stood out the most, is having grassroots journalists going to the people in their own communities and showing interest in the opressions they face on a day to day basis, so they know people care and are watching, and are considering better forms of rehabilitation. It’s creating a dialog with those people,” said Ben Mackey of Santa Rosa, who works next door to FMM.

Claudia, who produced an eight-minute piece about her recent high school graduation, pointed out four key elements to producing a piece of audio journalism. She explained that first, you need to record all kinds of sounds, like talking, starting a car, whatever you can. Second, you need to have a point of view, and see how it changes from before the event to during the event, to after. Third, you need to structure you story and have ideas while recording, and finally, you need to have an ‘audio diary’ and record all of your thoughts and feelings about the topic.

To edit the piece, Tatiana recommended purchasing a Mini-Disc, or Flash Sound Recorded, recorder on Ebay and then using computer software with multiple tracks and non-linear editing to put together a high quality, rich sounding recording.

Next, Emily Cole and Ryan Saari spoke about stencil art and graffiti. They explained techniques for making your own stencil. Strong, black and white images work best for stencils, and using images instead of words makes sure that your message crosses language barriers. To “get up,” they recommended going out in groups when stenciling and having a lookout. To appear as if your messages are everywhere, focus on sidewalks in high-traffic areas, and diversify your campaign with stickers and posters as well. For best results, go out on Sunday nights- when fewest pedestrians are out, especially before 1:00 a.m. and after 3:00 a.m. Wear an orange safety vest and hard hat and you won’t be suspected.

Then, people gathered to make their own stencils, using manila folders and X-acto knives.

“My stencil was a TV with the slogan, ‘I own you,” said Kylee Cronin, a PRO member from Petaluma. “It’s talks about how everybody is obsessed with TV, especially the kind of comedy that’s sexist or racist. I want people to think about everything else they could be doing while they’re watching TV when they see my stencil.”

To end the day, Fault Lines Editorial Collective member Katrina Malachowski lead the group in writing about the days events, and how to post articles to Indybay.org.

Reflecting on the day, “More people turned out than we had planned, and they seemed really down with the street art and graffiti workshop,” said Karin Adams, one of the day’s organizers. “Often conferences go on, and people leave without anything to do the next day,” she said. “Here, people actually did things and made media and were able to take things home with them.”

By 5:00 p.m., the sweaty group felt successful. People were able to take home stencils, paint, ideas, and see a news article about their efforts on line by the time they had left.

Thanks to everybody who came and participated!

For more info:
Free Mind Media- 546 Pacific Ave., Santa Rosa, CA. 95404
http://www.FreeMindMedia.org
707.579.1605

People’s Revolutionary Organization:
PROsonoma [at] yahoo.com

Voice of Youth Radio:
Contact: Tatiana Harrision
Tatiana_Harrison [at] krcb.com

Graffiti Resources:
http://www.notMyGovernment.com
http://www.stencilrevolution.com
http://www.12oz.com