Shakespeare Meets Mary Magdalene of Roslyn

I wrote the following, then clicked on this – JAWDROPPER – that uses the theatre to convict the whole White Race of…..WHITE SUPREMECY. The authors say they do this because THEY LOVE THE THEATRE??? Why – do they love something that has been so cruel and unfair to them – even abusive and life threatening? The authors claim they own…..”ancestral wisdom”.

Hahahahahahahahahaha!

In a letter addressed to “White American Theater,”

“Who do you think is coming? And if you aren’t prepared for those people to come, your theater is already closed, you just don’t know it yet.”

Paul and Priscilla were happy with most of 2022’s offerings, but hope OSF returns to its traditional mix of offerings.

“As a long-time OSF attendee and lover of the institution, I would recommend getting back to the basics of what made OSF great in the first place,” he said.

Today is October 24, 2022 and I have been on google searching for a statement – even a quote – that DISQUALIFIED WHITE PEOPLE from ever taking back CONTROL of the American Theatre – especially the OSF – that was built upon land once owned by indigenous Native Americans. Nataki half-heartdly beats around the bush in her self-qualifying spree, but, get right the point.

You destroyed OUR CULTURE! Now, it’s our turn to destroy yours!

In a letter addressed to “White American Theater,” a collective of Black, Indigenous, and people of color theater makers called for major structural change to address white supremacy on and off stage.

“I sign[ed] in solidarity because it’s time for us to be seen, and felt, and heard as viable, necessary and responsible,” says Nataki Garrett, the artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.”

“on and off stage. on and off stage. on and off stage. on and off stage. on and off stage. on and off stage.”

What does she mean…..OFF THE STAGE? It means the OSF – has been weaponized in a Reversal of Fortune, in a Coup, in a Power Grab all those things Shakespeare is famous for.

Yes – I have considered if I am the embodiment of William Shakespeare – before I discovered we are in the same family tree – as John Dee! I began a novel about OUR FAMILY of colonists and conqueres. It does not matter if SOME us painted paitnings, or, wroter plays….because we are all alike! We whites are murderous savages who believe black people are all alike, are, like the murderous black gangs of Chicago. Give one of them a break, and the whole tribe wants a big break, or revenge. To prove my point Nataki claims a old white woman was – on to her! She did not trust her – FOR SOME REASON! Not because Nataki, was black, but, because that old lady comes from a long line of Psychic Witches! She read – her right! Spot on! Does this sound like – Real Shakespeare material? Yep! Nataki is a born Usurper, and amateur Back Stabber!. She and Attilla are the reason China built a Great Wall.

“I was at a theater watching a friend perform, and right before the show went up, this really sweet older white woman turned to me and said, ‘Is this your first time in the theater, and how did you get here?’” says Garrett. “These moments of othering seem innocuous but are just a constant reminder that you’re not supposed to be here.”

“Moments of othering????? Garrett is working on a West Coast version of Romeo and Juliet – that will be all about the Sin of Othering. You got to laugh! Or, do you?

I have no problems declaring Nataki Garrret a BLACK RACIST for her attack on a “older white woman” who she concludes has nothing better to do then keep BLACK PEOPLE away from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Garret depicts WHITE PEOPLE as un-cultured, murderous conquering people, who came to the Americas to kill non-whites- and conduct Shakespeare plays – IN An ILLEGAL MANNER! They stole – much land! Land they built Shakespearean theaters on! No!

It is obvious this is Big Time Payback – that I suspect is pure fiction! To use the words of Shakespeare to GET PERMISSION to go after William’s race – IS HIGH DRAMA – in itself. Now, add the fact Garret thought she was – HOME FREE, and there was not a white man or woman – who could challenge her without looking like a RACIST HATER!

WRONG! Here I am!

I’m not going to dig deep for my ‘I’m not a white racists’ credentials. Let Garret bring on the High Council of Black Judges of Wakanda. I am four generation Oakland. I got to be a real good dancer at Oakland High School. I would go watch the Negros dance on – their side of the auditorium. I walked out of the movie Black Panther when these Black Folks began to dance!

What the……? Who the hell are these people. What have you done – with real Black People – who can dance? From the gate I am beholding a racist argument where the producer does not want his movie to look like – Soul Train – and these advanced people, look like Black Jitterbuggers. These black folks are -ADVANCED, the very word Garrett pushes on the theatre goers of Oregon. Too bad white folks are so backward. Perhaps in two thousands years they will have a clue?

When Kamala Harris became Vice President I suggested she lead the Marin Shipmates – and form the New Army of The Potomac to protect our Capitol from another attack by Fake Rednecks. I suggested Oakland have an all Black Navy – with Black Marines – who would march down Broadway to the Prussian tune my Prussian Ancestors marched to. Those are Native Americans in Nazi-like uniforms. Perhaps they will repel the next invasion of Hun-like white folks – who love the theatre – and high drama! For sure, Nakati Garrett is guilty of……HIGH BOREDOM – which she will blame on little old white ladies and men.

I’m sure that old white lady who accosted Garret – knew allot about the theatre – and Shakespeare, and wanted to pass down her heritage! In my play, I turn that old lady into the woman you see above who is a candidate for The Author of Shakespeare’s Plays. I will withhold her name – for now!

Clogsville U.S.A

by

John Presco

Sometime in the Future

After a Black Woman takes over the Oregon Shakespeare Festival – AND THE WORLD – she builds a futuristic city in the mountains above Ashland. Her offspring take over when – she dies! To jeep folks coming to the OSF she founds The Black Cloggers of America. Alas, white folk feel welcome again and come back in droves, and…….THEY ARE DANCING!

Yeeeeeehaw!

To be continued!

Thousands of years ago, five African tribes war over a meteorite containing the metal vibranium. One warrior ingests a “heart-shaped herb” affected by the metal and gains superhuman abilities, becoming the first “Black Panther”. He unites all but the Jabari Tribe to form the nation of Wakanda. Over centuries, the Wakandans use vibranium to develop advanced technology and isolate themselves from the world by posing as a Third World country. In 1992, Wakanda king T’Chaka visits his brother N’Jobu, who is working undercover in Oakland, California. T’Chaka accuses N’Jobu of assisting black-market arms dealer Ulysses Klaue with stealing vibranium from Wakanda. N’Jobu’s partner reveals he is Zuri, another undercover Wakandan, and confirms T’Chaka’s suspicions.

“I am looking for plays that create intersection, that flatten out the hierarchy,” says Garrett. “‘This is a play for an old audience, this is a play for a young audience’—no, this is a play for an audience that’s interested in reflecting or witnessing our humanity, and I’m looking for those plays more often.”

Nataki Garrett is only four weeks into her new job, and she’s already being celebrated as a symbol of nationwide change.

Recently, a generation of baby boomer directors in theaters across the country have stepped down, retired or been ousted from their positions. They’ve been replaced by a record number of women and people of color, who are eager to update theater for 21st century audiences. That includes Garrett. This August, Garrett became artistic director of Oregon Shakespeare Festival, one of the largest repertory theaters in the country. She’s the first African American woman to lead the organization. In March, The New York Times published a story about the shift in demographics in American theater that begins: “To understand the striking transformation taking place in the American theater, consider Nataki Garrett.”

Garrett has some more ambitious ideas on how to broaden Oregon Shakespeare’s audience, too—digitizing the festival to make it more accessible to theater fans with mobility concerns, building more alliances with other West Coast theaters, bulking up education and maybe even establishing a new works festival that includes both plays and films.

It might be a while before she can actualize her more radical ideas. But Garrett seems to be planning for the long run.

“What we’re doing is shifting the status quo,” she says about the new wave of American theater directors. “Slowly and arduously, but it’s shifting.”

https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/press-play-with-madeleine-brand/homeless-report-cops-pies/theater-race-nataki-garrett

In a letter, Black theatermakers call out ‘White American Theater’

Jun. 12, 2020 LOS ANGELES

Nataki Garrett took over as the artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2019.

Nataki Garrett took over as the artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2019.Photo by Kim Budd.

Major theater companies across the country, including the Center Theatre Group and the Geffen Playhouse in LA, took to social media saying they stand with people of color and support the fight for equality.

But many Black actors, directors, and other theater workers say they’re tired of empty promises, and demand real change.

In a letter addressed to “White American Theater,” a collective of Black, Indigenous, and people of color theatermakers called for major structural change to address white supremacy on and offstage.

“I sign[ed] in solidarity because it’s time for us to be seen, and felt, and heard as viable, necessary and responsible,” says Nataki Garrett, the artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

She says racism in the theater industry takes many forms, from the plays that get selected to the way white audience members treat people of color.

“I was at a theater watching a friend perform, and right before the show went up, this really sweet older white woman turned to me and said, ‘Is this your first time in the theater, and how did you get here?’” says Garrett. “These moments of othering seem innocuous but are just a constant reminder that you’re not supposed to be here.”

She says some theaters will survive the pandemic and some won’t, but the ones that do better have a plan in place to be inclusive.

“Who do you expect to be coming across the threshold when we are allowed to emerge from this crisis?” she says. “Who do you think is coming? And if you aren’t prepared for those people to come, your theater is already closed, you just don’t know it yet.”


The Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s outdoor Allen Elizabethan Theatre seats 1,200 people. Photo by Kim Budd.

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Eugene Black Panthers and Ferry Bridge Village

Posted on September 15, 2022 by Royal Rosamond Press

The Eugene Black Panther Party membership was about 20 members with 15 underground members. Howard Anderson was the Captain and Ray Eaglin, the General.

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Being an investigative reporter, a historian, and a seer, is about the most thrilling thing you can be. Yesterday I was going to post….All Roads Lead To Marilyn….and suggest those four streets on the Waterfront be named after her….Marilyn Road. Marilyn Street. Marilyn Way. Marilyn Lane. Why? Because this White Woman has done more for the Black Man, and the Indian Man, than is believable!

Above is a pic of Marilyn with her half-sister, Shanah. M went to live with her in Paris after graduating from High School. She found herself surround by radical blacks. After Shanah disappeared, her mother saw Eldridge Cleaver on the Pat Robertson show, and sent him a letter asking if he knew where Shanah was. He did. There was a reunion. I met S in Eugene. I doubt she knew there was a chapter of the Black Panthers in Eugene. The founders came from Compton that is next to Watts when M and S went to hear Jazz. S was married to Les McCann’s drummer, Ron Jeffries. J.J. Johnson made dinner for M when she was fifteen. The LA Story – is fiction.

For some reason I wanted to hold a contest to rename the Waterfront streets after Lena and her sisters who came up from the South to make ships for the war. I then found the truth in a thesis written by a graduate of the U.of O.

download (psu.edu)

The Ferry Bridge Village was located in Alton Baker Park where the Black Culture Festival was held. I am sure they did not know. You could see this Hobo Camp from EWEB and the Waterfront Park. Many of the black residents came up from the Bay Area where they worked making Liberty Ships. When the war ended, the cities the Government made for them – were abruptly closed. I founded The Marin Shipmates around this travesty!

I’m waiting to hear the decision of the Judge who stopped the investigation of Donald Trump who stole Top Secret documents. Imagine if the Black Panther stole Top Secret documents – and rushed the Capitol as an angry mob bent on overthrowing the U.S. Government. We would be watching public executions by firing squad.

Shanah lived with Carlos Moore who wrote a book about Fela that became a his musical. I want to write a musical titled…..Compton on the McKenzie. It’s about Black Panther relocating from Compton to Eugene Oregon. This musical play – writes itself!

John Presco

President: Royal Rosamond Press

Black Panthers | MNCH Exhibits (uoregon.edu)

Eugene Oregon Chapter (itsabouttimebpp.com)

Black Panther Party Photo Eugene Oregon 1969 Archival Print – Etsy Australia

Oregana photos: Black Panthers emerge & U of O … | UO Office of the President | Oregon Digital

The Black Doll Of La La Land | Rosamond Press

The Marin Shipmates

Posted on August 29, 2020 by Royal Rosamond Press

Yesterday I am sitting on the bus bench looking at these two good ol boys come out of a black Japanese-built beater – with a Confederate flag on top. They had big guts and grey hair. They were letting it all hang out after Franklin Graham gave our President ABSOLUTION in the White House Rose Garden. They then went inside a phone store. I debated about crossing the street and yanking that flag from atop the car. These seniors were about my age. Were they looking to go down in a blaze of glory? I then thought about going over and talking to them, inform them I am about to form a branch of the Black Panther Party called…

MARIN SHIPMATES

I bought MARINSHIPMATES.COM  before I went to see my doctor. The night before, I watched a old movie about MARINSHIP. It was about the Government BUYING land in Marin County, and city named MARIN CITY to build Liberty Ships – and oil tankers. Then I see King Faidal and his bodyguards coming aboard the flag ship

THE TAMALPIAS

Broadway’s Dead End Rap Kids | Rosamond Press

Mark Meadows complying with DOJ subpoena, turning over documents previously shared with House Jan. 6 committee (msn.com)

The Marin Shipmates | Rosamond Press

Bobby Seale

September 29, 2017  · 

The Black Panther Party, founded by me and Huey Newton in Oakland-California in 1966 grew quickly into a national organization. While Huey P. Newton sat in jail, a political prisoner, I organized five thousand people into the Black Panther Party in forty-nine chapters and branches across the USA. This is the history of one of those chapters:

The Eugene, Oregon chapter of the Black Panther Party started in 1968 and ended around 1970. It had a profound impact on the city of Eugene, the students of the University of Oregon and the small number of African-Americans that were born or had lived in Eugene most of their lives. Most importantly was how the Black Panther Party influenced the Black students at the University of Oregon.

The Black Panther Party grew out of the Black Student Union of the University of Oregon.. Black students had issues that primarily dealt with the University community, racism and academics. This left a void in the overall struggle of the small Eugene ineffective Black community. The Black Panther Party occupied this hold with community-based programs.

At this time, two brothers named Elmer and Aaron Dixon headed the Seattle Chapter of the Black Panther Party. They came down to Eugene to help organize the Eugene Chapter. They left three Seattle members in Eugene to support the development of the Eugene Chapter of the Black Panther Party.

The Black Panther Party established a few community survival projects. These projects were located off the University of Oregon campus and focused on the poor people of Eugene. Because the Black Panther Party had an overall philosophy of looking at issues from a class analysis and not only a race analysis, these projects served the total poor community, Black and non-Black people. These projects were:

A Free Breakfast Program that served 20-30 young children everyday.

A Liberation School that focused on African and African American history and some of the untrue accounts of Eurocentric academics/curricula.

A Public Speaker Program that participated in demonstrations/rallies on Vietnam, racism, or all the other “isms.” These speaker programs also tried to educate the greater Eugene community on the goals and philosophy of the Black Panther Party.

The membership of the Black Panther Party at its height was 18-20 members with 10-15 underground members. The Black Panther Party had a lot of support from many whites at the U of O and in the community. The core members of the Eugene Chapter were from Compton/Los Angeles (southern California). Most had a pre-Panther relationship with each other that went back to elementary school. Most core members knew each other’s families (i.e., mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers). All Black Panther Party members had experienced racism in Eugene that primed them to join such a revolutionary organization. Most core members were brought to or influenced to move to Eugene from the leadership members of the Black Panther Party. (Howard and Tommy Anderson) However, most moved to Eugene before the start of the Black Panther Party.

Declining attendance prompts Oregon Shakespeare Festival to revamp 2023 plans with fewer plays in a shorter season

SEPTEMBER 21, 2022

James Ryen as Caliban, left, and Kevin Kenerly as Prospero share a dramatic moment in an early production of 2022’s “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare at the Allen Elizabethan Theatre. OSF will shorten its season in 2023. (Jenny Graham photo)

By JIM FLINT/Ashland.news

ASHLAND — In a cost-cutting measure to cope with declining attendance in 2022, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival announced it has revamped its plans for 2023, trimming the length of its season and number of plays produced.

The company will produce two fewer live plays next season, which will run from April 18 to Oct. 15, about two weeks fewer on each end than originally planned.

OSF is not alone. From Broadway to nonprofit regional theaters to Broadway tours, companies are seeing between 30-50% of their pre-pandemic audiences return, as reported in American Theatre magazine and the New York Times. At 46%, OSF is on the high end of that scale.

“Our goal is to be conservative these next two seasons,” said David Schmitz, OSF executive director. “We want to be very intentional in looking at the entirety of our programming to identify ways to restructure how we develop, fundraise, market, and balance our business model.”

The two shows previously announced for 2023 but are now being cut are “Flex” by Candice Jones and “Yerma” by Federico Garcia Lorca.

“Flex” is about an all-Black girls’ basketball team in 1997, the year of WNBA’s inaugural season. “Yerma” tells the story of a childless woman living in Spain with a desperate desire for motherhood in an adaptation of Lorca’s work by Caridad Svich in which poetry and queer theatricality utilize songs, puppets, and storytelling.

What went into the decisions on what to keep and what to eliminate?

“The repertory drives the way we make decisions,” Schmitz said, “including the stacking of performances and all the resources — human and time — that go with it.”

The actors in one play must also suit the needs of another.

“In pulling back, we are also expanding the run of ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ directed by Nataki Garrett, which will run the entire season rather than close in July,” he said.

Schmitz says this season’s lower price structure will be maintained for 2023.

“Our commitment to providing accessible prices continues,” he said, “and we see this strategy as a critical path towards attracting both loyal and new audiences.”

The Thomas Theatre will be less-utilized in 2023, with only one play scheduled next season, from Aug 24 to Oct. 15. During the 2022 holiday season, Oregon Cabaret Theatre will use the Thomas for its production of “White Christmas.” Are there plans to explore similar arrangements in 2023 with other companies?

“We are looking at all our assets and trying to figure out how to utilize them in this time of recovery,” Schmitz said. “While there is nothing that can be announced as of now, we are examining all the possibilities.”

Longtime playgoers weigh in

Playgoers in Ashland who were asked about their views on OSF’s decision to scale back the 2023 season and on the festival’s programming in general had a variety of comments.

“It was disappointing to learn that OSF will be further limiting the number of plays for next season,” said Carole Florian, a long-time patron with her husband, David.

She says the decision is understandable, considering the number of empty seats in the theaters. She particularly enjoyed “Confederates” this season.

“It is not only brilliantly written and timely for so many reasons, but the acting and staging are simply terrific,” she said. “‘King John,’ too, has special resonance for our political times, and this marvelous production really made me think about gender and power in important new ways.”

She looks forward to seeing “Rent” on an OSF stage in 2023. “And I’m especially intrigued by the prospect of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ set on the West Coast.”

Jean Conger has been going to OSF plays for 25 years and attended all offerings in 2022, finding the season varied, with something for all ages and interests.

“I attended four of the plays twice,” she said.

Her suggestion for OSF? “Add a classic by playwrights such as Chekhov, Tennessee Williams or August Wilson.”

Dennis Kendig, an OSF patron for more than 20 years, attended no plays this year.

“One reason is that I cannot abide the political incantations that precede all performances,” he said. “I attend plays for the theatrical experience and the message of the playwright, not to endure the politics of a progressive artistic director.”

He feels the festival’s traditional audience doesn’t feel welcome.

“OSF traditionally attracted white, mid- to upper-class retirees from the West Coast,” he said. “They spent four-plus nights in town, saw five to six plays, and patronized high-end restaurants and local shops. The current play attendees are younger, spend only one to two nights in town, and eat at the (Ashland Food) Co-op. As currently operated, OSF is on its last legs.”

Robert Horton, a chamber volunteer and OSF playgoer for 15 years, believes the current offerings are not what the general public wants.

“I have had a couple people call the chamber, saying they have been regular playgoers in the past but do not like the play selection. Some are also afraid of COVID or worried about fires and smoke.”

David Runkel is a 21-year OSF patron and a former Ashland bed-and-breakfast owner. He attributes the decline in attendance in part to pandemic hangover. “Some are out of the habit of coming to Ashland every year to see excellent theater,” he said.

He notes that others have health concerns and worry about the outdoor Allen Elizabethan Theatre being closed due to smoke when they’re in town to see shows, and he acknowledged hearing comments about offerings being too political or “preachy.”

“I have seen two productions this year and will see others before the season ends,” he said. “I very much liked the one-actor August Wilson production.”

He believes a mix of offerings is the key to success for OSF.

“My recommendation to OSF as it forges ahead is not to forget its once loyal, long-standing audience members.”

Paul and Priscilla Arnold have been attending OSF plays for 18 years and saw most of the plays each season. Paul Arnold believes part of the challenge this season with regard to attendance is the programming.

“It is challenging, but it is also off-putting,” he said. “OSF audiences are not afraid of challenging, but insulting?”

They skipped one play in 2022: “Revenge Song.”

“The reviews from trusted friends were dismal,” he said. “We lived through ‘Between Two Knees’ (2019) with great regret. Never again.”

Paul and Priscilla were happy with most of 2022’s offerings, but hope OSF returns to its traditional mix of offerings.

“As a long-time OSF attendee and lover of the institution, I would recommend getting back to the basics of what made OSF great in the first place,” he said.

“Shakespeare, duh! And great classics like Chekhov, O’Neill, and Williams, with plenty of room for new plays that speak to our universal condition — not super-specific stuff that speaks to a bare, PC, hyper-aggrieved minority. It simply violates the mission of OSF,” he said.

The revamped schedule of live plays for 2023:

“Romeo and Juliet,” April 18 to Oct 15 at the Angus Bowmer Theatre.

“Rent,” April 19 to Oct. 14, at the Bowmer Theatre.

“Twelfth Night,” June 1 to Oct. 13 at the Allen Elizabethan theatre.

“The Three Musketeers,” May 31 to Oct. 14 at the Elizabethan Theatre.

“Where We Belong,” Aug. 24 to Oct. 15 at the Thomas Theatre.

“It’s Christmas, Carol!” November and December, at the Bowmer Theatre.

For updates, tickets, and more information, go to osfashland.org.

  • Reach writer Jim Flint at jimflint.ashland@yahoo.com.

The Pyre of The Woodminster

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Royal Rosamond Press

Joaquin Miller built a pyre where he wanted fellow members of the Bohemian Club to cremate his body after death. This was an attempt to lure the Quinotaur to the watery  home they made for him. From the Hights, they could see the rising tower of Portreo. On a certain night, copper was poured into the furnace under the boiler, and a bluish green flame shot a hundred feet into the air! This constitutes the first lightshow.

https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-make-blue-fire-606194

On the night of October 8, 1962, The Ballet Bolero was danced in the Woodminster amphitheater. At the same time, the Dance of the Owl was being performed at the Potrero Electric plant. The attempt to raise Baphomet, failed, but the consciousness of the entire Bay Area, was raised – up! We could not get – high enough!

The Family Stone lived together in the Oakland Hills. They played at WOODSTOCK!

If Meg Whitman has affixed her name to the CBCLLC Deed, or, knows the owners, she must call for a news conference, and confess her ignorance, and the ignorance of the team who works for her. She should call up her allies at Dreamworks, and let them know she erringly tapped into The Source, that can’t be capped like an oil well, for the benefit of a few. The High and Mighty Owl wings home, and, a shadow cross the face of the moon.

Long Live the Bohemian Wood Empire!

John Presco

President: Royal Rosamond Press

https://localwiki.org/oakland/The_Funeral_Pyre

Woodminster Amongst the Redwoods

Posted on April 18, 2014by Royal Rosamond Press

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I was twelve when I came upon the Woodminster amphitheater. I was put in a trance by what I beheld. I sensed I had entered the real world, the one I belonged in. Juanita Miller was the visionary for this outdoor theatre where plays inspired by her father were performed. Redwoods were planted around Woodminster. George Miller planted many trees in his visionary city, Fairmount. Nearby, my great grandfathers had picnics. Note the rifle hanging in the tree. The Stuttmeister farm lie just below this structure that is right out of Lord of the Rings.

Jon Presco

https://livingnewdeal.berkeley.edu/projects/woodminster-amphitheater-and-cascade-oakland-ca/

Woodminster Cascade flows from the base of Woodminster Theatre and falls over 100 feet through a series of pools. The cascade and theatre were conceived by Juanita Miller, daughter of Joaquin Miller, and were constructed by the Works Progress Administration as a memorial to California writers and poets. During their construction in 1939-40, William Penn Mott was starting his career with the Oakland Parks & Recreation Department. He was responsible for the original landscaping, roads, parks and picnic grounds in the area we are now working to restore.” – http://www.wpamurals.com/oakland.htm

http://oaklandwiki.org/Joaquin_Miller_Park

http://oaklandwiki.org/Woodminster_Amphitheater

http://www.woodminster.com/Webpages/Ticketbuying/schedule.html

Black National Guard

Posted on June 8, 2021 by Royal Rosamond Press

I believe a Bill should be passed to create The Black National Guard. When I saw President Biden in Tulsa I wanted to post on the Marin Shipmates I founded. I knew they were coming to Tulsa, aspects of the Black Panther Party. I am for making Washington D.C. a State and a sanctuary for the descendants of Black Slaves, who are the target of the ongoing Christian Schism that led to the Civil war. On a Black Panther facebook I posted this video of Indigenous Americans marching Prussian style in Chile. There are eighteen million Guatemalans, many who are crossing our borders looking for a better way of life. There are forty-eight million black CITIZENS in the United States – still waiting for a better way of life.

Now is the time for Church Leaders across America to call for a complete investigation into the Insurrection – and begin authoring a paper showing their involvement. I will prove Jesus is not on their side.

John Presco

(56) Chile Military Parade, with Chilean Commentator – YouTube

Rosy Queen Ritz

Posted on February 19, 2019 by Royal Rosamond Press

One evening while watching the news, I saw a large crowd of folks in front of the Upstairs Art Association. There was a rumor a Space Couple was going to be there that night. It was Halloween. Ritz had been a illustrator for the Washington Post. She was manipulating the media. She lied!

Ritz made me the Vice President when I told her my sister was a world famous artist, and my mother worked in the same office with the head of California’s National Endowment of art, and was in charge of funding. We were right in the middle of Oakland Redevelopment. One evening we went to a party at the Ritz home in Piedmont.

A group of mostly backs, were in a room with very wealthy whites who wanted to invest in downtown property, as well as fund our art group. Uh-oh! Let the taxpayer pay for the gentrification, and the poor black artists and actors – work for free. Money – is power! These people had portfolios. No black person was seen as a investor – a secret investor – who owned the inside track. We stood there like horses, like slaves. We were examined. They wanted to lay down a wager. They wanted to make money.

I threw a monkey wrench in the works. My father was invited to join his high school buddies atop the Pyramid building, they officers for Transamerica Title. My father tried to get me to work for him.

If Redevelopment in our cites is going to be fair, you have got to find a way to allow Poor People to own a portfolio – and real-estate! Why? The WPA did wonders for creative Americans. Paying for Trump’s Wall is the conspiracy of the Religious-right who have long hated the NEA.

I highly suggest the Quibi Community Leaders donate a dollar to Art and Acting groups via their ap they have in the works, because, they will be putting artists and actors out of work.

John the Bohemian

https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/redevelopment-successor-agency-oversight-board

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-s-art-scene-built-on-industrial-spaces-10792065.php?cmpid=gsa-sfgate-result

Rosalie Ritz and Upstairs Art Association

Posted on December 9, 2014by Royal Rosamond Press

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I found Rosalie Ritz before her huge easel in and old Victorian office building on Broadway in downtown Oakland. I had come to get some more brass fittings from the old bait and tackle shop, but, they had moved. I was the only model boat sailor in the East Bay. I had rigged a automatic tacking device on my catamaran that would eventually bring it to the edge of the unused model boat lagoon that was built by the WPA located in Berkley’s Aquatic Park. It was all mine, now.  The WPA had built Jaunita Miller’s Woodminster Theater and Water Wonder. I made my model at the time Altamont was being lauded as the West Coast Woodstock. My friend Peter Shapiro asked me if I was going and I told him it is going to be a disaster. I am a prophet.

I was moving away from the hippie scene, and was finding unique things to do, by myself. Exploring Old Oakland was now my cup of tea. Who was this ‘Mad Woman’? Why is she here? Obviously she is crazy, and thus I liked her instantly. In fifteen minutes, Rosalie has set the hook, and I am being reeled in to the most mad cap Alice in Wonderland scene I have ever been a part of.   It would end with Ms. Ritz locking the board of directors of the Upstairs Art Association in a antique room, pulling the fire alarm, and calling the police.

Rosy was a one woman riot who could not understand why these crazy-ass black artists she surrounded herself with, were not on the front page at least once a week. Rosalie had become famous for her courtroom sketches of extremely radical people, and things began to go wrong when we disappointed her, let her down, exhibited over and over again we did not have the right stuff. This woman was a Publicity Stunt. On Halloween Eve, she convinced the television stations to cover an ancient couple from outer space who were going to take thirty UAA artists home to their planet.

After I told Ritz who my sister was, and my mother worked with the woman that headed California’s National Endowment for the Arts, I was made General Manager and put in charge of a painting crew whose job was to restore these vintage offices with a ornate fireplaces in each one. When we put paint stripper on them, we exposed hand-painted tiles from Europe.

One day I walk in wearing an old surplus Norwegian army cap that I found in the greatest surplus store in the world once found on Market Street in San Francisco. It looked a barrette. It had some letters on it.  I think they were RNA. One look at it, and Ritz goes nuts.

“Where did you get that hat!” Rosalie asks as she yanks it off my head.

“In a surplus store in San Francis…..”

“How much did it cost?” she shouts, as she puts it on.

“A dolla……”

“Are there more!”

“There’s a whole big box…..”

Rosalie runs for her purse and hands me a twenty dollar bill and some money for BART. In two hours we are going to have a big social event at the old train station. Walter Dallas and his troupe of actors is going to put on a skit. No sooner do I walk in the door, then Ms. Ritz has grabbed a handful of these foreign army hats, and I insisting these black actors wear them.

Rosalie did the courtroom sketches for Pattie Hurst’s trial, Angela Davis of the Black Panthers. Just then, the crème de la crème of Oakland Society start coming through the door in their tuxedos. I took at the startled look on their faces. Uh-oh! I could see where this was going. Two of my friends who belonged to the Symbionese Liberation Army had been questioned by the FBI. Then, there is a loud “BANG!” as the balloon this beautiful black thespian was blowing up, got lose, hit the ceiling, and exploded!  Let the DISASTER MOVIE….begin!

Here are some images Rosalie rendered of the Upstairs Art Association.

http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/28722/bk000604h4f/

http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/28722/bk0005z9j75/

http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/28722/bk000604h6j/

To be continued!

Jon Presco

Copyright 2014

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbionese_Liberation_Army

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Rosalie Ritz (August 6, 1923 – April 18, 2008),[1] born Rosalie Jane Mislove in Racine, Wisconsin, was an award-winning journalist and courtroom artist who covered major United States trials in the 1960s through the 1990s. She worked with both CBS and Associated Press, and was presented with the Associated Press Award for Excellence in 1972.

The seventh of ten children, Ritz showed artistic talent at an early age. She attended the Layton School of Art, married World War II navy veteran and athlete, Erwin Ritz in 1946 and is the mother of four children: Barbara Bray, Sandra Ritz, Terry Leach and The Environmentalist Publisher and Managing Editor, Janet Ritz.

Early career[edit]

After her marriage to Erwin Ritz in 1946, Ritz moved from Milwaukee, WI, where she grew up, to Washington DC. There, she worked with a group of artists in Georgetown. During this time, several of Ritz’s selected works (oil paintings) won places in national juried shows at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian, and received an honorable mention at the Flower Gallery.

It was during these years in Washington DC, that Ritz first covered US Senate and US Congressional hearings, including the McCarthy Hearings, where cameras were barred. Ritz worked under contract for the Washington Post, CBS, Public TV, and the Associated Press. Selected drawings appeared in the Washington Post from these hearings.

About Royal Rosamond Press

I am an artist, a writer, and a theologian.
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