Sunday, July 17, 2005
Someone at the Somerville Journal has a sense of humor. The city is refusing to allow the Somerville Divestment Project a table at the city's arts festival as they are an explicitly political, not artistic, group -- they can still attend and pester people, of course, they just won't be allowed a table. Here's how the Journal puts it:
Divestment debate tabled at ArtBeat
Somerville Divestment Project, the group that has called for the city's retirement board to give up Israeli bonds, said they received an e-mail from the city last week stating they would not be allowed to participate in the annual art festival in Davis Square on Friday and Saturday...
Cute, and deserved. (The Journal never did print my letter, BTW.) I have a feeling that Somerville will have a fight on their hands (the SDP is already calling the ACLU), but I doubt the battle will make the SDP look any better, so there's not much downside.
As someone involved with the "Battle of Somerville" both last year and this year, I appreciated your note (and your unpublished letter) on the recent ArtBeat dust up. The Mayor is definately ready to fight for what's right on this subject and deserves everyone's support. Write ups on this and other aspects of the divestment debate in Somerville can be found on my Web site at www.somervilleMEjustice.com.