Berkeley Hippie Revival Project

Some of you may have noticed that I have not sent anything since at least a week before the Thanksgiving break. To all of those who find a home within the texts this community produces, I’m sorry to have failed you, but know it was for the good. Maybe I was burnt-out, maybe the finals got to me, maybe the demons did. But I’m back now, and that won’t be changing, foreseeably. Throughout this time, I have brooded heavily and found myself in a new mindset; we are no longer just getting our foot in the door, we want visible change on campus and around the city as a whole.

What does this change look like?

Weekly gatherings, main events, and other projects will be abundant this semester; all you got to do is help out.

But how?

Guess what? You don’t even need to do much of anything to help out; just by caring enough about having events and seeing people, you are helping out. A community organization can only thrive if people care about having a community. Let your friends know about BHRP. Tell ’em about the silly organization. Sign them up, without telling them, like the small devil on a shoulder, or the angel, depending on how you perceive this ‘group’.

Know that we are so back, and that I care for you.

Like a drying leaf in the sky, I’ll watch this community fall into its place in the world with a smile and patience.

While, yes, the chalking and yelling will… continue to happen. While I no longer work at everybody’s late-night pizza shop, I now bleed orange, and one could spot me riding for Duffl delivery services on an ebike, wearing a motorcycle helmet that appears to be too large for my frame. The proceeds from that job will pay for the chalk and other things I purchase this year. I’m sorry to all who knew me as that one Artichokes employee; know I appreciated every interaction that I had with people, even at 3am. My joy from working there came from the same place as I get my joy from BHRP, the community created through introductions and continued interaction. Many nights I stood dancing and smiling, saying, “The tip ain’t never necessary.” That’s over for now, and I have to move on.

I will be more manic sounding than ever! I will make BHRP more visible than ever! But what is BHRP really?

“I came to Berkeley and saw there was no weed club and thought to myself, ‘damn, no weed club?’, and then thought to myself, ‘what is weed metaphorically?’ It’s community.” This is what I have told people (most likely you) since I started, and that has yet to change.

Whether or not you partake in that devil’s lettuce is not of my concern (unless you tryna sesh). What we do look for in those who wish to be aligned with the BHRP is an effort to see change in everything. Where are we now–in our lives, in our institution, in our nation– and how can we look to improve?

The reasons I yell at people in Sproul to get down on their knees and draw are numerous. For one, to stop and to kneel, especially while in a dress shirt or more formal attire, may be seen as humiliating by some, and humbling by others, but it is natural when one understands the core teachings of BHRP.

Would we willingly state them? Not at this time. Perhaps we are being sneaky and not forthcoming because it’s a secret, maybe it’s because we haven’t really figured it out yet, or maybe we allow that question to be answered by every member and onlooker individually. A little freeform, possibly, I know.

When it comes to social activities, it’s sometimes hard knowing whether or not you should have spent your time going to it. What if it was a waste of time to head out and chill on the street with people? A WASTE? Only if you make it as such! Just as one has the power to turn any social interaction rightside-up, upside-down, and in any which direction in the present, one could do for things they have done retroactively.

I often walk my ass down to the chess tables on Telegraph to do nothing much, maybe get a game or two in, and speak with my friends who frequent there as well. When I’m back home thinking of what I did with my day, I’ll include that walk and my time there, as it added meaning

We will be meeting on some day each week that you guys help choose. I’m thinking of meeting at Sproul Plaza and then taking a walk with you guys across campus. We will be like a DEI advert. I am a gay Latino; we need an Anglo, a Levantine, and others.