The ‘Pop’ Goes ‘Poof’! Riverside Arts District Sellouts in Retreat!
We are excited to announce that the Riverside Arts District tent, which they refer to as 'The Pop', has been taken down and Almost Real Things has moved their $30 a ticket 'Block Party' away from the lot!
The Riverside Arts District is a project of the Austin Creative Alliance and Presidium Group, the developers trying to tear down 1400 units of student and worker housing in order to build a ‘Domain on Riverside’. Defend Our Hoodz alongside Riverside tenants have called for a boycott of the arts district to fight the attempts to make Riverside the next ‘hot’ area for real estate investment that will displace more and more working-class Austinites.
Multiple artists honored the boycott and took their name off the lineup. We especially thank Kiko Villamizar for making a strong statement against the Arts District. Chulita Vinyl Club left the lineup but still will not acknowledge the organized boycott or the community fighting the 'Domain on Riverside'.
The arts district sellouts such as Almost Real Things, pump project, Austin Creative Alliance, and others are realizing that Riverside is going to put up a fight against gentrification, and it won't be as easy as the gentrification of North of the river over the past two decades. There, many of these same middle-class, mostly white artists exploited the working-class mostly Black and Chicano communities for the cheap rents while sidelining the existing community. Once they helped raise the profile and value of real estate for developers, they want to cry that they are victims of displacement and are trying to move South. This time, they are explicitly working with the developers from the start so they can make sure they're taken care of while the working-class community of Riverside gets kicked out.
We won't let them. We have picketed their events and dozens of artists are standing with the people and joining the boycott. Now is the time for everyone to fight back against the wealthy developers who play games with our communities. The people must unite and organize against the attempts to make Riverside the next playground for the wealthy.
Artists must pick a side! When you collaborate with developers, you aren't 'trying to make it', you're stepping on the working-class and serving yourself. Art should serve the people, not wealthy developers!
Sellout artists who side with exploiters will be treated as exploiters. Our fight is just beginning and wherever the Arts District goes, we'll be there! With the tenacity of the working-class and the creativity of the people, we will show Austin's elites that we aren't going to let their gentrification schemes go unopposed any longer!