Mark Lipman is a writer, poet, publisher, multi-media artist and activist who began his career as a professional ballet dancer, working with the Kirov Ballet of Saint Petersburg; the Royal Danish Ballet of Copenhagen; the Houston Ballet; and the Ballet Theatre of Boston. In 2002 he became writer in residence for a year at the world famous Shakespeare and Company, under the guidance of its founder George Whitman. In that year he worked with Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Jack Hirschman and the Italian poet, Igor Costanzo, in Back to Beat, a Fluxus art and poetry event in Breccia, Italy.
His political activism began in Berlin, where as a witness to true democracy, he helped to take down The Berlin Wall. After returning from active duty with NMCB16 (Seabees) - a Gulf War Era Veteran, Mark's political views moved further to the left, having witnessed from inside the military the contradictions between the "official stories" and the reality of war. In 1992, he started organizing with CalPIRG, to protect California's waterways and then, while living in Paris, he was a volunteer with Geenpeace France in 1998 and later became their Assistant Rainforest Campaigner. He has been active in many campaigns, run for office, and widely published both essays and poetry.
Mark Lipman´s poetry and essays have been published monthly in the Free Venice Beachheadnewspaper, edited in Venice, California and in the poetry anthology Van Gogh’s Ear (volume 4) and the Revolutionary Poets Brigade (volume 1). Since moving to Venice/Mar Vista in 2008, he has been politically active organizing on affordable housing issues and has been an outspoken advocate for human rights to housing.
Over the past two years he has worked with Peace Action West on Nuclear Disamament, on local school funding measure campaigns on the westside, and throughout the city on affordable housing with POWER (People Organized for Westside Renewal). Currently, he works withSanta Monicans for Renters' Rights as a community organizer.
They May Want the Lawn
What we have here
is a failure to communicate.
Our gripes are not
down here on the ground
with our brothers and sisters
over wedge issues of ego and perception.
None of us are going to see
eye to eye on everything.
Our unity, our solidarity
is in the common enemy.
We have defined the target
and it is not down here
amongst our allies
but up there, in those executive suites.
Our conversation is with the 1%.
Those are the ones we are after.
Yet their doors are barred to us,
so we must be smart and think
where is the negotiating table.
Some say it is fighting the police,
yet to that I disagree.
The police are merely
the puppets of the puppets
and have no real power
of their own.
They are merely an instrument
of control and oppression.
And though yes, a good number
of their ranks have honor
and are with us,
they will not be the ones
called on when the order
for eviction comes down.
What many see in the opportunity
for a tear gas solution
is the justification for a riot.
Yet, if we are non-violent
violence cannot be our option
- it solves nothing
and merely reinforces the system,
threatening to evaporate
popular support for our entire movement.
If we want to truly change the system
then we must take the fight
to the government.
Instead of all this talk
of reaction,
of what to do if and when,
let us make our stance
actionary,
like true revolutionaries
and go on the attack.
If they want us off the lawn,
fine.
Let's occupy their offices.
Sit down in their receptions
and lobbies,
and demand that they first
address our grievances.
That is what is holding up
the entire process.
We have done our job
according to the first amendment
we have redressed our government,
yet it is they, who have failed
to respond.
They may want the lawn,
but I, I want some answers.
