This was in January 2007, in front of the Times's previous headquarters. I'm told they've since moved into more exclusive digs.
The fortress-like structure rose before us like a heartless monolith of power. We were there to make those who dominate news in this country aware of the plight of underground writers. That had been ever the purpose and cause of our now-destroyed organization, the Underground Literary Alliance. We set up a zeen table on the public sidewalk and began handing out flyers to Times editors and writers entering and exiting the fortress.
Soon enough, someone dimed us out. Security thugs ran out and began pushing us around. The zeen table was tossed into the street, zeens flying. I wrestled the zeen box away from the head thug. I don't know if the New York Times' precious liberal journalists looked on, from inside the doors or from above.
THE TRUTH about the New York Times is that it's the center of system power. It dominates intellectual debate, and the dissemination of ideas. It's the representative and embodiment of hierarchy. Its members, despite the pristine gloss they place over themselves, are among this society's most privileged. Many, if not most, of them are Ivy Leaguers. They're from a very UNrepresentative sliver of America. They feign to speak about America, yet know little about much of it. As the January 2007 incident in front of their building illustrates, they don't want to know.
(For authentic all-American DIY writing, purchase the new e-zeen Ten Pop Stories, now available for a ridiculously low price at Amazon's Kindle Store as well as at http://www.bn.com/.)
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