September 24, 2021 - The Collective & The Crew

It starts with the R word, “Rezoning,” an extension of the Z word, “Zoning,” and a close cousin of the P word, “Planning,” who has always been good friends with the D word, “Development,” together they make up the Crew.

For decades they’ve been gathering at their favorite cigar bar and smoking cigars and drinking high balls and offering each other toasts for their on-going, massive, and resounding success.

Zoom in, exterior establishing shot, then to the bar’s interior –––

R, Z, P, & D sitting in and around a deep leathered booth
with high balls and cigars. Cigar smoke filters through the air.

- “Ten to twenty more years of this,” Z says, “And the entire city will be ours.”

- “Yes, yes of course! Exactly!” R, with great zest, replies.

D orders another round of cigars and drinks for the Crew, takes a long pull of his drink, then with exuberances speaks, to P “P!” (thumping P on the back) “It was brilliant, simply brilliant, the way you used climate change to generate a need for our plan to sack and destroy the entire East River Park.” The Crew guffaws, loudly and together. “Sheer genius!" D adds.

Brimming with joy and overflowing with pride, P raises a glass high in the air above the table in which the Crew sits around –––– and then after a while, speaks, “For a job well done!” Then together, with more joy and laughter, they drink.

________________________

To the Crew’s right, near the bar, gather the Collective: Org, Act, Art, and the strongest and most courages of them all, S&S: Organizing, Activism, Art, and Silence and Stillness. In order to blend into the scene of the bar that moves and swirls around them, they’ve ordered their own round of cigars and drinks. A few moments after biting into a newly unwrapped cigar, Org speaks, “Look at them over there,” indicating toward the Crew, “toasting to their success again. I’m tired of it.”

“We all are,” Art replies.

“Enough already!” Act declares, “I’m going over there! They need to hear the truth!”

Org sets a cigar down on a coaster made of gold, which hovers close to the edge of the bar, then speaks, “Not yet,” he says, “I get the impulse, and I agree, but we can’t just barge over there, cancel their party, and then expect to get what we want.”

“Then what,” Act asks, “Then what do you suggest we do?”

A long pause hangs in the air and all four of the Collective, for a while, look at each other ––– all thoughts and ideas, zero words.

Then Art speaks, “Org’s got this.”

Act sits back down; Art and Act look at Org; Org looks back at Art and Act; then Art, Act, and Org all look over at S&S, who is examining the large ice cubes that are no longer floating at the bottom of a tumblr glass. After a while, it becomes clear to S&S that the other three have fallen silent, and have directed their attention toward S&S, who locks eyes with the the barman, indicates another round for the Collective, then after one last pause, looks over at Art, Org, and Act and speaks. “I once gave a loan to a bank that had all of the money in the world.”