New Rage is Good Rage

If Rage Against the Machine will forgive me for debuting my poem "Fourth and Pike" in what is supposed to be a review of their new album, then I will forgive Rage for not doing a show in Seattle during the landmark WTO protests last November. I still can't figure out why they weren't here for that. Jello was here. Franti was here. Novoselic was here. Nader was here. Film director Michael Moore was here. Jim Hightower was here. Every damned activist with a soul was here, yet no RATM. Boggles the mind...

 

Fourth & Pike

The cops got scared

because they lost the power

We reminded them it belongs to us

by taking it back for a few hours

We celebrated our rights in the streets

making an impression on one and all

Bigger than Macy's parade, or the Super Bowl,

this was Mardi Gras with a message

(and without the alcohol)

We could've all gone home peaceful that day,

that's protest Seattle-style

But this day was a little different, you see

the President would be here in awhile

The violence started when Albright told Schell

"get the crowd under control, or Clinton won't board his plane"

And did you notice how the violence stopped abruptly

when Clinton left town again?

While Clinton was here, there was violence all around

And what did the leader of the free world say?

"I support the peaceful protestors."

Then why the hell were we still being pepper sprayed?!

Now I'm not saying the President ordered the police violence

That most likely isn't true.

But when you're the most powerful man on the planet,

Stopping police violence is one of the things you can do.

There was no death on those streets, no buildings were torched

and for that I'm totally psyched

But I'll never forget the day our government

gassed us at Fourth & Pike.

-Storm Beatch, 12/15/99

PS: Rage's Battle of Los Angeles totally shreds. If you don't already have it, steal your friend's copy.

 

 

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