Hand Held Visions: CONVERGENCE AT SAINT MARKS

BRAD WILL PRESENTE
Today there was the memorial for indymedia reporter Brad Will at St. Marks Church.
Brad was in Oaxaca documenting the struggle there which has been going on since last May (and for centuries!). He was shot by para-militaries in civilian clothes. Neighbors say the killers are employees of hated governor Ulises Ruiz. Brad was an amazing activist not only in the NYC indymedia community, but in the forests of the Northwest, in Wisconsin, on the Lower East Side and throughout Latin America.

Tables of food liberated from supermarket dumpsters greeted everyone.

The service included a rendition of the blue grass song "I'll fly away" by Mark Read and others. Ann Waldman gave a touching remembrace of Brad at Naropa. Frank Morales, the associate pastor who is also a squatter told how Brad was the last person the snake out the drain in front of the church which gets full every time there is a big rain. That story inspired me when I left after the service to go to Deep Dish and clean out the refrigerator. The spirit of Brad was with me as I threw out twenty jars and bags of rotting food! Brad Will, Presente.

Brandon and Kevin and many others gave heart-felt tributes.

Dyan showed a wonderful film from various trips with Brad-- one even from the roof of a barrelling freight train. Aresh and other gardeners recounted his many efforts to save gardens on the Lower East Side. One touching detail was how he used to save seeds from destroyed gardens to plant in new ones. That's a great metaphor for his whole life--seeding the world with his energy and passion.

It was a true convergence of all the many friends of Brad: the tree sitters, the building squatters, the gardeners, the critical mass riders, the radio pirates, the indymedia reporters: all gathered, huddled and hugging on the steps, chairs and floor of the community sanctuary of East 10th Street.

Andy and Dyan moved Brad's little alter from his house to Saint Marks.

The insistant bells that rang every fifteen minutes from the St Marks steeple were a strong reminder of the presence of the spirit of this gentle saint. Afterwards everyone marched throughout the East Village.