Humanitarian... Not Political... wanting the killing to stop... wanting to stop a genocide... these things are not political, they are Humanitarian
waking up to a dusting of snow in the District today
today is very different than last Saturday
last weekend I hosted the Free Gaza Alleycat
it was an event adjacent to\collaborating with a slow paced social group ride; The Great Ride of Return
both events were not for profit events in support of the Gaza Sunbirds
look into the Gaza Sunbirds
they are a group of para athletes that have paused their training to focus on getting relief to the people of Gaza
I would say that the Gaza Sunbirds are not a political group
their actions are humanitarian
check out the Gaza Sunbirds page
give if you can
on of the checkpoints in the Alleycat was a mural near Logan Circle here in DC
FREE GAZA
a dove... some poppy flowers and a poppy bud... with bombed out homes in the lower sections
this mural has been defaced
civil discourse?
someone has come and spray painted over the Free Gaza message
only to have the artists return to clean up the mural
the people with spray paint return
and yes... you guessed it... vandals with spray paint return
it has been quite a back and forth
the mural was clean for the Alleycat and the Ride
but
the mural has been blacked out again
sure... Free Gaza does have political implications
but...
a CeaseFire Does Not!
the Free Gaza Alleycat was in support of an immediate ceasefire
stop the bombing
stop cutting off supplies
and I say it again indifferent words
stop the killing
stop the bombing and stop the killing on both sides
the Alleycat was about raising awareness
raising awareness to what is going on in the Middle East
more specifically what is happening between Israeli and Palestine
it was awkward
a few would be Alleycat racers said they did not know what Free Gaza meant
I asked them to go online and research it
I asked them to watch the news for a few minutes
I should have just asked them to come out and discuss
although the conversation at the ride might be one sided
there is valuable information to be shared
this day was about raising awareness
talking about the Middle East
talking about Palestine
learning about Gaza
lots of information was shared that day
too bad more people were not there to offer up their opinion
not counter protestors... not looking for counter protestors
just more people there to talk, listen, and learn
emphasis on listen and learn
all around DC there are FREE GAZA messages
I will admit... I do not like graffiti or the posting of flyers when it defaces property
especially on memorials or other historic properties
but blank walls... train cars... sign posts... sure
just not someone's home or a no historical sites
and please
not in nature
in preparation for the Alleycat I became more AWARE of all these posters, signs, and spray painted messages
I was thinking that I could help to raise awareness by throwing this event
just as the Free Gaza mural near Logan Circle has been covered over
there are people going around and peeling off or spray painting over these posters and flyers with the Free Gaza message
there are people who feel strongly about the issues
but
from a human perspective
from a humanitarian perspective
it is wrong
killing innocent women and children is wrong
destroying civilian homes is wrong
pushing for genocide is wrong
as part of the Alleycat
racers had to travel to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
not the White House
but instead... across the street from the White House
they had to take a selfie with the Peace Vigil in the background
STOKED TO RUB ELBOWS WITH THIS TEAM!
TEAM PEACE!
I was able to bring in Falafel Inc as a sponsor
the owner of the Falafel Inc is the son of Palestinian Immigrants
there was no hesitation for Falafel Inc to offer support
I tried to get an estimate of how many riders might be attending
I had to make a guess
we settled in on
100 Falafel Sandwiches and 100 Tangerines
WOW!
thanks Falafel Inc!
on the manifest Falafel Inc was a check point
racers had to choose one of the three DC Falafel Inc locations
Maine Avenue by the Wharf
Potomac and M Street in Georgetown
or
2000 Pennsylvania Ave near GW
racers would select the most logical of the three locations to work in on their manifest route
then pick up a sticker and take a selfie
Thanks Falafel Inc.
Racers and Riders FEASTED on falafel sandwiches and tangerines at the finish
in addition to Pick A Falafel Inc.
there was Pick a Mosque
three DC Mosques were listed
the Islamic Center was the most logical selection
all racers chose the same mosque
in addition to Falafel Inc
there was another Middle Eastern restaurant on the manifest
Mama Ayesha's
on Calvert Street in Adams Morgan is a locals favorite
Mama Ayesha's
on the side of this restaurant is a mural of Mama Ayesha flanked by the most recent US Presidents
racers had to take a photo of their bike leaned against the mural under Mama Ayesha
the manifest was OUT OF ORDER
racers were able to make their own route
but really...
there would be many ways to skin this cat
there would be a best way and a bad way
selecting further out mosque or Falafel Inc. could change the day
knowing the Whitehaven Shortcut
well... that could shorten your day
depending upon your route
the top 4 racers finished within a minute of each other
stranglers came in shortly after
only 4 finishers had complete manifests
it was confusing... but did not need to be
the Free Gaza Alleycat was intended to be a collaboration with a Free Gaza themed ride
the notion was simple
we all meet at the same place
people socialize and share ideas about Gaza before the race
the slow paced social ride does its loop
then simultaneously
the Alleycat racers ride their loop
estimating a time such that they all end at the same place at roughly the same time
by my design we were all set
I created my Alleycat manifest and waited for the information of the Start and Finish locations
there was some miscommunication
there was lack of communication
there was a last minute change
the ride changed the finish and did not share that informations
so much for a collaboration
there were two locations with Pick Ups on the Manifest
The Museum of the Palestinian People
Middle Eastern Book Store
these two spots were next door to each other on 18th Street
this spot was 2-3 blocks from the intended finish
somewhere along the line the finish for the ride was changed
the ride did the loop
looped past El Tamarindo
the spot that I was TOLD was the ride finish
the spot that I went to with the ride leader\ride creator who said El Tamarindo would be the finish
but on ride day
I saw the ride roll up towards El Tamarindo
then ride past
there were smiles... there were waves...
there was no telling me or the Alleycat racers that the finish location had changed
I would not have selected El Tamarindo as the ride or race finish
I suggested two places
The Kalhil Gibran Memorial on Mass Ave NW on Embassy Row
which is beautiful and has a big piece of park space to accommodate the bicycles
or maybe
if they wanted food
I suggested
Don Juan's in Mount Pleasant that would have Lamont Park across the street for people congregating outside
then also... the stage... the stage would have worked for post ride words and song
The Whitehaven shortcut is a great way to get from Mass. Ave Embassy Row to Upper Georgetown
the Islamic Center and the Kahlil Gibran Memorial are on Mass. Ave near the Whitehaven shortcut
then... the shortcut pops out on Wisconsin Ave. not far from the address that was previously the Palestinian Embassy
racers had to take a photo of their own reflection in the reflective front windows
following instructions
not the racers strongest skills
grading manifests
I hate the subjectivity of these things
it should not be subjective
there was some back and forth in the days leading up to the Alleycat race combination
I could read read the writing on the wall
but I maintained my course
my effort was to contribute to the Free Gaza themed ride
I worked to promote that ride
I brought in the food sponsor for the ride
the notion of chaining the Alleycat race date was suggested several time
to me... that was not in the spirit of the day
that was not my intention
I had already had communication with the Gaza Sunbirds about the event
I had three pick ups expecting us that day
and of course
the pre mentioned food
the manifest had nice stops not including the start and finish
and
there were those two pick ups that were addresses right next door to each other
I had created a QUICK CAT
Quick and Clean
Short and to the Point
something that could be done in under an hour
to match up with an hour long social ride
I felt that my Alleycat was FUN and INFORMATIVE
the addresses played in perfectly with the Palestine theme
the manifest is reworkable...
there is opportunity to borrow from this manifest and create a new and different Free Gaza Alleycat
these addresses with a few additions
instead of out of order
put them in order?
add a few more places
the watermelon is an icon that is used in the Palestinian protests
the watermelon mural a few blocks off from Logan would be an easy addition
make people go to one of the further mosques instead of getting to choose
as with any Alleycat... the options are... not endless... but there are many many options
so many way to play this
so many ways to make a similar theme with a different race
it was a good day
the race was not as big as I had hoped
but...
the ride was not as large as I had expected either
glad I stayed the course
glad I hosted the race
even with the push back
even with the undercurrent of dissent
even with Jerry Povich and Maury Springer games going on around me
I persisted
looked at the bigger picture
not the DC version of 90210
but bigger picture
not the cliques
not the lover's quarrels
not the interpersonal relationships
none of that
I tried to ignore the hecklers in the cheap seats and stay my course
and well...
even though it was small
it was well received
of course... I would have loved to have more racers
that said... I always expect more racers
at the start line I was able to enlist a dozen racers
but only 6 or 7 made it to the finish
in the end...
the Marine Corps marathon may have tens upon thousands of runners
but the race is really just the top five men and top five women
the Alleycat is really no different
we had a race for the podium
the top three are some of the top winning Alleycat racers in this moment
they got to duke it out
while the stragglers got distracted by the Social Ride and its ease versus the complexity of this actually very simple manifest
there was some scoring confusion
as there often can be
tried to be fair in my strictness
but
did not want to take the fun out of things by being too strict
((think Dead City at Fort Slocum Park))
in the end... the chips fell where they fell
that is how things were scored
and it seems fair enough
the TOP THREE got FREE GAZA posters that I made with Key Han Solo's Stencil
the Top Five all got prize bags with some SWAG
here is how things were scored in the end
Sleazy Greg finish FIRST... with GregP in his shadow... and then Biggs and Bruce less than a minute after...
BUT... Sleazy's selfie at the Free Gaza Mural did not have a Peace Sign... he went back to correct that...
also...
Sleazy's selfie at the former Embassy of Palestine had his reflection... but almost by luck
while Biggs did not have his reflection in the photo... he was there... but INSTRUCTIONS...
confusion... struggles
THE STRUGGLE IS REAL!!!
should I have created a tie?
it got scored as fairly as I thought I could
TOP FIVE
Brian Clark aka Biggs
Sleazy Greg
Legend Bruce
Fast and Friendly Dave
and then
Mordie finish 5th
(more the first finisher with an incomplete manifest)
although I was not looking to finish in the Alley by El Tamarindo
it all worked out
my son Dean picked up food from Falafel Inc
after the racers and those hanging at the finish were fed
I went to the Museum of the People of Palestinian People and handed out falafel sandwiches and tangerines
I got to share in the day with the riders
even with the debacle of the finish
it was not to gather
it was not to socialize
it was good to get out there and talk about Palestine
to share ideas
to listen to ideas
while gathering and socializing
although I missed the performance by Opera Girl
we did get to chat at the finish while I was handing out falafel and tangerines
her insight was deep and profound
it was the conversation that I expected the people all around me to be having
it was a success
the whole process involved spreading the word
not just spreading the word about the ride and the alleycat
but spreading the word about Free Gaza
initiating the conversation
when I first posted about Free Gaza on Facebook I was met by some push back
there was a knee jerk reaction
some people were triggered
there were some immediate
UNFOLLOWS
there were a few
FREE THE HOSTAGES responses when I wrote FREE GAZA
there were two rapid responses from me
"yes... Free the Hostages...
FREE GAZA - FREE THE HOSTAGES - AND FREE PIZZA
I want all three
but right now we are talking about FREE GAZA"
and then also I would say...
"Your knee jerk reaction of FREE THE HOSTAGES when I say FREE GAZA sounds like a MAGA supporter saying ALL LIVES MATTER when someone says BLACK LIVES MATTER"
GAZA LIVES MATTER
just like
UKRAINIAN LIVES MATTER
Humanitarian... not Political...
CEASEFIRE NOW
today it is cold in The District
DC woke to a dusting of snow
so... last weekend was better than this weekend for so many reasons
there was talk that I would get more Alleycat racers had I hosted the FREE GAZA ALLEYCAT the following week
that some of the ride participants might be interested in doing the race
etc. etc.
but really... that was not the plan
the plan was for a collaboration
for me to work as a subset of their group action
my adjacent contribution would be in addition to and not in competition with
but this was not understood
which was confusing to me
it all seemed so simple
had I hosted my race on another day
not in collaboration
I would not have SPAMMED the Internet with invites to the DC Great Ride of Return
I would not have told strangers on the street about the social ride and to find information on the Native Woman Ride Instagram page
and
I would have gotten 30 Falafel Sandwiches and 30 Tangerines if I were just promoting the Alleycat
not 100 of each for all
glad I did it
glad it went well
it was a success on so many levels
Peace in the Middle East
Ceasefire Now
Free Gaza
STOP THE KILLING
and
check out the Gaza Sunbirds
Donate to the Gaza Sunbirds if you Can
