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which means committing the offense of appearing in public with one's face partially covered with a bandana. The nineteenth-century law had been enacted against those who had intent to conceal their identity, like members of the Ku Klux Klan. Thelin was only anticipating the cops' use of tear gas.

The arrest was banner-headlined, "The Poetry Bust!" and the newspapers printed the Free City Collective's sensible proposal in its entiretv:

PROPOSAL

San Franciscans, in the interest of eternity, and out of respect for their Mayor, will recommend the following course of action to that office this afternoon.

1. That city-owned buildings remaining empty be restored to the people for reconstruction, embellishment and refurbishment, so that those people might live there freely.

2. That all foodstuffs and material in surplus not accounted for in current welfare distribution be returned to the people for redistribution "free" through ten autonomous neighborhood "free stores" whose rent shall be paid by the city.

3. That presses and trucks be made available for the dissemination of "Free News" throughout the city, so that the people will come to know one another and make channels of access available to each other.

4. That the city provide resources for autonomous neighborhood celebrations of the city, the planet and their own free beings.

5. That parks and other public spaces be returned to the people of San Francisco. The Mayor's office is invited to share in that vision. City-wide celebration of Summer Solstice will mark the entrance of FREE SAN FRANCISCO into eternity.

"Welcome Home~"

Emmett was totally against the City Hall Noon Forever event, arguing with the Hun that the only productive result would be the reprinting of the proposal in the newspapers, and that wasn't worth the violation of the Free City Collective's never-ask-or-protest-foranything rule. Furthermore, Emmett argued, the establishment powers were bound to retaliate for making such "popular" ideas public. "

No one was listening to Emmett after he stopped delivering the Free Food to the people and folded in his hand before playing out all the cards he dealt to himself. So, even though they knew he was probably right, the members of the Free City Collective opted for [end page 465]