Fifth Estate Collective
Planning for Peoples’ Power
A major recruitment and fund raising campaign is currently under way as a part of Open City’s winter offensive.
Open City is the service organization for the free community and has already opened a free medical service, a non profit general store, a food co-op, a free University, a counseling center and switchboard that operates twenty four hours a day.
In order to expand it’s operations Open City is scheduling a week of public meetings at the Unitarian Church (corner of Forest and Cass).
To kick the week’s activities off there will be an open, general meeting on Sunday, November 23 at 2:00 pm at the church. This first meeting will provide an opportunity for all segments of the hip and radical community to get together and discover how they can help each other by helping Open City.
People interested in housing should attend the meeting on Monday, Nov. 24 at 8:00 pm. According to Housing chairman Nolon Shaw, Open City’s aim is to assemble a complete file of apartments, co-ops and communes and make this information available to the public.
Kay Shannon, formerly of the Washington Free Press and Motown records, is heading the new Jobs Committee. Their first meeting will also be on Monday, Nov. 24 beginning at 7:30. Locating jobs and compiling a list of sympathetic employers has been the major role of this committee, and they’re current problem is getting freaks hired during the Christmas season.
The food co-op, operating from the Blood Bank store, at 3rd and Prentis, now services fifty people from the Warren-Forest area. At their meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 25, Food’s Committee chairman Larry Bernard will talk about developing a community health food store and macrobiotic restaurant. Interested people should plan to come at 7:00 pm.
Re-establishing the Open City Nursery will be discussed at the meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at 8:00 pm, and the new Legal Committee will run down their Legal Self-Defense Fund and legal clinic at their meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 26. The meeting starts at 7:30 pm in the Wayne State Student Center, Sixth floor.
People interested in involving themselves in the Open City twenty-four hour switchboard should come down to their meeting at the WSU Student Center (Sixth floor) at 8:00 pm on Wednesday, Nov. 26. Volunteers are needed to gather and coordinate information that comes in and out of the office.
On Monday, Dec. 1, the Entertainment Committee, headed by Sharon Burke will talk about getting together a street theatre troupe and recruiting anybody who can contribute their art form to the community. Film makers, artists and writers are encouraged to attend this important meeting at 8:00 pm at the Unitarian Church.
John Martin’s Store’s Committee coordinates the opening and management of non-profit community stores like the Blood Bank. Anyone interested in this aspect of Open City should be at the Stores meeting on Monday, Dec. 1 at 7:00 pm at the Unitarian Church.
Creating and maintaining a community print shop and publishing a weekly street newspaper is the goal of the new Communications Committee meeting at 7:00 pm on Tuesday. Dec. 2 at the Unitarian Church. Also meeting on Tuesday are the Huckleberry House people who are opening a home for runaways. Hip professional people are especially invited to attend this meeting. It starts at 8:00 pm and is located at the Unitarian Church.
The education committee is looking into setting up a life-oriented school encompassing the first through twelfth grades. Qualified teachers and others tired of the present system should attend this meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 8:00 pm. It’s at the Unitarian Room, sixth floor in the WSU Student Center building.
Completing the schedule will be the meeting for people who are arts and crafts oriented and want to hold workshops, publish poetry and establish studios. They will meet at the Unitarian Church on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 7:00 pm. The new auto-cycle repair and gas cooperative will also meet on Thursday at the church. Their meeting starts at 8:30 pm.
If you can relate to any of these projects and are looking for a chance to serve the people, call the Open City Switchboard (831–2770) or write to: Winter Offensive, 4726 Third St., Detroit, Michigan 48201. For further information, check out the Fifth Estate calendar in the back of this issue.
ALL POWER TO THE PROJECTS!