Activist bike trip seeks to shatter 'convention'al norms

Jason Smathers | UWIRE Bikers move to the campground at Troy Gardens in Madison, Wis., before their first day on the road toward the RNC

By Jason Smathers, Youth Vote '08 correspondent

Just before the sun began to set, bikes streamed into Troy Gardens on Madison, Wis.'s north side Sunday. Most were young - anywhere from 20- to 29-years-old - and carrying backpacks, tents and water. One had a self-enclosed hammock.

There is no banner for the collective, other than one biker who attached a larger black and green flag -- a symbol for "green anarchism" -- to her bike frame.

These are not your ordinary political activists. When one young biker -- who hid her face behind a pink bandana and refused to give her name -- was asked her opinion on the importance of the youth vote, her reply came with smirk and a hint of rebellious attitude.

"You know, I actually enjoy eating my ballot," she said.

While the biker's political statement isn't totally representative of this "Grassroots Caravan," it was welcomed by a collective attempt to challenge the current political system.

The bikers were participants in the People's Networking Convention, a weekend-long "counter-convention" to the Republican National Convention and Democratic National Convention.

There were no delegates, nominees or any reflections of what American democracy traditionally looks like.

Instead, there were workshops on feminism and class struggles, demonstrations around the Wisconsin Capitol building and multiple artist exhibitions such as a series of anarchist art and a performances by hip-hop and folk artists.

But while the convention officially ended on Sunday, the bikers continue to spread their message right through the Republican National Convention. Starting Monday, the bikers began their two-week trip from Madison, Wis., to St. Paul, Minn.

All of the work it is a concerted effort to not only protest the conventions, but also to show the power of community organizing and a green lifestyle.

The bikers will perform community service during the day -- such helping improve streams in Mazomanie, Wis., and helping rebuild a school in Winona, Minn, cook in open fields at night and camp out at night.

After a day or two, they'll move on to the next town until they reach St. Paul in time for what most have referred to as "direct action" demonstrations. Protests and demonstrations are expected in the streets of the Twin Cities, but most of the activists were uncertain of what that would entail.

The aim, says organizer Kristine Petersen -- who goes by the name "Thistle" -- is to represent the possibility of direct democracy.

"It's kind of beaten into our heads...that we have to have money, that we have to own a car, we have to own a house to be somebody and make it in America," Thistle said. "Through reaching out to one another as equals, we can overcome that oppression and start living our lives autonomously and freed from the capitalist system."

While Thistle is driven by an anti-capitalist approach to her political beliefs, the caravan members all have different motives for coming here.

Sarah Topps was never anticipated coming out to the caravan; she had planned on working the entire summer in Wyoming as a rancher. However, when organizers in Madison told her of the idea to bike to St. Paul, she quit her job, and came to Madison, saying her "voice was better suited here."

Brian Hokanson lives in the Twin Cities and fears the RNC has invaded his community. Since he knew some of the organizers in Madison, Wis., he decided to join the caravan as a show of solidarity.

"I'm opposed to the fact that people don't have control over their own lives," Hokanson said. "I think it's wrong to call this a protest just because that implies that we are appealing to power and a lot of what we're doing and what St. Paul is all about is taking power for ourselves."

Certainly, the caravan will have no problem with that while on the road. The bikers will be followed along the way by a mobile kitchen -- a trailer filled with pots, pans, food - all towed by a truck powered by vegetable oil.

Once arriving in St. Paul, the caravaners will disband, join fellow demonstrators and follow their own paths.

But until that time, the aim is unified in one aspect.

"It's an anti-normative statement and an anti-car statement," said one biker, who wished only to be known as Zach. "At the least, we're definitely going to turn some heads."

Jason Smathers is a senior and at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has written for The Badger Herald for two years.