Every performing art has a term for a transcendent theatrical “moment.” In flamenco, it’s called “duende,” when the dancer disappears and there is only the dance. In the world of competitive air guitar, it’s called “airness.”
Airness is also the name of Left Edge Theatre’s latest production, currently running at The California in Santa Rosa through June 23. Written by award-winning playwright Chelsea Marcantel and directed by LET executive director Argo Thompson, it is a hard play to pin down.
The simplistic plot involving Nina, a sheltered girl (Brittany Law); David “D Vicious” Cooper, a “bad boy” (Danny Bañales); and a loveable group of misfits contains no surprises. Everything plays out as neatly and as unearned as a John Hughes film. But then again, the plot isn’t really the point. The script is more of a love song—sorry—rock ballad to the world of competitive air guitar. Yes, that’s a real thing, and like lip-synching or mime, it takes training and talent to get onto a national stage.
There is certainly training and talent on display in this production. The set (by director Thompson) is a simple, creative design and makes good use of the limited space. Dance/guitar choreography is energetically entertaining (though no choreographer is listed). The costumes (Tracy Hinman) are an exuberant representation of the stage personas. All actors obviously loved and put a lot of their hearts into their characters, most notably Jesse Lumb, with his surprisingly tender portrayal of Ed “Shreddy Eddy” Leary.
Unfortunately, the Sunday matinee at the end of opening weekend lacked a large audience to help with the energy, and everything sagged. Scene shifts took too long. The choreography robbed actors of breath and, often very noticeably, their lines. Costumes were sparkly, but the wear and tear on wigs and wings started showing, and the cast looked tired. Of course, the show a reviewer attends is just one in a full run, but the show as a whole felt under-rehearsed. That’s ironic since one of the critical points the guitarists stress is that in air guitar, one has to be prepared.
All in all, this is a frothy, sparkly show that doesn’t pretend to be anything other than what it is. For those who, like rock goddess Joan Jett, are “only doing good when I’m having fun,” then this might be the show for them. Just remember that true airness is exceedingly rare.
Left Edge Theatre’s ‘Airness’ runs through June 23 at The California Theatre, 528 7th St., Santa Rosa. Thu.–Fri., 7:30pm; Sat., 1pm. $22–$36. 707.664.PLAY. leftedgetheatre.com.
Listening to OTTTO reminds one of bands like Motorhead, Metallica, Pantera going for it with all they’ve got. With little fluff and a lot of fun.
The band consists of Triko Chavez on drums, singer Bryan Noah Ferretti on guitar and Tye Trujillo holding it down on bass.
OTTTO is getting known in its own right, a process eased by Trujillo’s own fame. Son of current Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, the kid played on stage with Korn at age 12 and has toured with Suicidal Tendencies. Last summer, he recorded live guitar tracks for the now famous “most metal concert in the history of the world!” scene from season 4 of Netflix’s hit show, Stranger Things. He got the part thanks to the recommendation of a teacher who recognized the depth of his passion for heavy metal music. Trust a teacher to see.
The band’s debut album, Life Is A Game, was released in late March. None other than Revolver magazine called the album “a punky thrasher.” My 15-year-old son, Leo, and I have it on high rotation around the house when mom is out.
During a recent phone interview, there was a sweet moment after I picked up where my hard rockin’ son talked with Tujillo, himself a teenager.
Giotis: You guys play a really interesting brand of metal, and a lot of people around here are metalheads, so we can talk at any level of music geekery you want to, like how you guys write music, what kind of riffs you love. My son, Leo, himself a bassist, wants to ask about tips and tricks. Then just a little background on the band and a little bit about the tour. Those are the sort of three questions today. Is that cool?
Trujillo: That’s cool. It’s cool with me.
Giotis: Rad. Tips and tricks. Let’s geek out first.
Trujillo: All right. Yeah, bass-wise, music-wise, riff-wise, we all really enjoy catchier riffs, with catchy hooks. So, we try to incorporate some technicality into it a little bit, so it’s a little challenge for us to play, you know, a little challenge and twist to it. [But it is always] something that sticks with me, something that just gravitates towards me, and that’s how we kind of come up with riffs.
Giotis: What’s it like being in this band?
Trujillo: Our writing is a really collaborative process, like we’re all in it together. In the moment, enjoying it in the state of flow. That’s [been] our writing process ever since the formation of the band. We’ve been writing [together] ever since we were little kids. We just jam shit, and like when there’s something in the moment that just sounds amazing to us, we will make it a song and, like, build parts off of that.
Giotis: That’s what I love most about playing. You know, one person lays it down, someone picks it up, adds something and it just goes around the room.
Trujillo: Yeah. That’s how it is. It’s like the creativity just goes around the room. It just floats like a shadow.
Giotis: Whoa.
OTTTO play Friday, June 16, Phoenix Theater, 201 Washington St., Petaluma. Doors at 7:30pm, show 8. Tickets online or at the door, $10. All ages.
The toughest man I ever knew was my father. He enlisted in the Marines when he was 17 years old, because it was World War II, and the Marines were the ones doing the fighting.
All the years I was growing up, he slept with a loaded handgun on the nightstand next to his bed. I pitied anyone who might decide to break into our house.
But I also remember a time, when I was about 12 years old, my parents had some friends over. After dinner, they went into the living room to chat.
A few minutes later, my father walked out, went into the kitchen and started washing dishes.
Shortly afterwards, one of his friends went looking for him. When he saw what my father was doing, he laughed and said, “I can’t believe that you’re washing dishes! That’s women’s work.”
My father looked at his friend, and after a moment of silence said, “When I wash dishes, it’s man’s work.”
Education happens in many ways and many places, and most of it is not in a classroom. I never had to join the Marines, because my father knew how to take boys and turn them into men.
Excellent reporting as usual, Nikki (Silverstein)! So horrible to hear the duplicitousness of the county (in the June 7 “Decision Maker” piece). You expect it from a developer, but elected county officials saying “yes” and doing “no” is particularly galling. I’ll keep my eye on the Board of Supervisors elections. Seeing the people of Marin City fighting back is exhilarating!
Meg
(via PacificSun.com)
No More Greed
I am embarrassed to say I live in Marin after reading this article (“Decision Maker,” June 7). This, on top of all the issues with the Golden Gate project that’s been there for over seven decades.
The county and state must take responsibility to negate this project, clearly based in white privilege, and do what’s right for the people who live in Marin City.
I’m signing up to do my part in helping to do what’s right. Marin and Marin City don’t need another greedy developer.
Denise Kimura
(via PacificSun.com)
Untrustworthy
Nikki, another terrific, thoroughly researched article (“Decision Maker,” June 7) that gets to the heart of it. Neither the developer nor the county can be trusted to do the right thing. They don’t even understand what that is. We are fortunate to have you and the Pacific Sun to get it right!
Transcendence Theatre Company presents The Beat Goes On, directed by Susan Draus in her directorial debut. Of the show, which features music from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, said Draus, “Music has the ability to bring joy and spark memories, and it’s my hope that the audience will feel that same joy they felt the very first time they heard their favorite songs.” Transcendence’s first ever Pride Night will be Saturday, July 1. Pre-show picnic starts at 5pm, show starts at 7:30pm, June 16 through July 2, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Belos Cavalos, 687 Campagna La., Kenwood. Tickets start at $35.
Bolinas
Painting Place
Painter Carol Duchamp’s exhibition, “Dance Me to the End of Time Retrospective 1983–2023,” features 25 high energy, colorful, abstract acrylic works on large format paper. The size of the works is well suited to the 1,500-square-foot Commonweal Gallery. Duchamp’s recent book, Poetics of the Invisible, uses poetry and quotations to let readers in on inspirations for the faithfully reproduced abstract paintings. The show, running since April, ends on June 23. Commonweal is open most Mondays-Fridays, 10am-4pm. 451 Mesa Rd., Bolinas. Call 415-868-0970 before visiting to confirm.
Santa Rosa
Guitar Night
John Trubee performs solo electric guitar with a selection of his original compositions at Whiskey Tip. Supporting act The Mood is a jam band that organically blends blues, rock and metal with a solid rhythm section supporting heavy guitar sound. Opener Chuck & The Hollywoods deliver blues and rock originals and vintage cover songs, with a mix of R&B rhythms, jazzy melodies and dueling guitars. First 10 to arrive receive a free LP. 6:30pm,Friday, June 16. Whiskey Tip, 1910 Sebastopol Rd., Santa Rosa. Cover charge is $5.
Sebastopol
Peace on Earth
The Peacetown Summer Concert Series is a festival “of the people, by the people and for the people,” meaning local bands, supported by local sponsors and donors, and attended by people of all ages. It is free to the public thanks to a number of generous sponsors and support of the City of Sebastopol. The concert series kicks off its 11th season with concerts every Wednesday at five venues all around The Barlow District near downtown Sebastopol. Every Wednesday starting June 14, 5-8pm. Times may vary by venue. The Barlow, 6770 McKinley St., Sebastopol. Free.
With her phone and handgun by her side, a Santa Rosa woman said she lay awake every night of the Derek Chauvin murder trial in mid-April 2021.
She was anxious because Barry Brodd, her ex-husband, testified as a defense witness as an expert on use-of-force, saying he felt it was “justified and objectively reasonable” of Minneapolis Police Officer Chauvin to kneel on George Floyd’s neck. Brodd said the action—which killed Floyd—wasn’t painful and, thus, Brodd didn’t even consider it a use of force.
The Chauvin trial and Brodd’s testimony kept a lot of people up at night; Floyd’s murder set off international protests against police brutality and for racial justice, including some of the biggest protests in Santa Rosa history.
When Brodd’s ex learned that her former husband would be a defense witness at the trial, she installed Ring security cameras outside the home they used to share. Before becoming a private consultant on police practices and use of force, Brodd worked for 22 years as a police officer at the Santa Rosa Police Department and for 35 years as an instructor at the Santa Rosa Public Safety Training Center.
Brodd moved out of state in 2020, yet his ex feared his testimony and his long career in Santa Rosa might endanger her life.
Last week, Brodd’s ex, who asked that the court refer to her as Jane Doe, shared her story at the beginning of a two-day preliminary hearing in Sonoma County Superior Court. The crimes in question, though bloody, weren’t an attempt on her life, but rather a night of vandalism that made national news and prompted a costly SRPD investigation. The evidence presented shed light on some of the impact Floyd’s murder had in Santa Rosa, thousands of miles away from Minneapolis.
A few nights after Brodd’s testimony, Doe’s Ring app on her phone pinged her with an alert around 3am. On the camera, she saw a person in her yard, so she called 911 and went to her window, Glock in hand. There, she saw a person throw something on her house and run away. Reviewing footage later, she and detectives learned four masked people actually visited her house. The group apparently splashed pig’s blood on her garage door, porch and front door, and left a severed pig’s head on her doorstep.
Around the same time Doe’s house was vandalized, people also vandalized the Agraria hand-shaped marble sculpture outside Santa Rosa Plaza Mall, coating it in blood and leaving a painted sign that said “Oink Oink” leaning against it.
In May 2021, SRPD arrested five local activists, initially charging all of them with felony vandalism and felony conspiracy to commit a crime. One defendant, believed to have created the “Oink Oink” sign at the sculpture, later pled guilty to reduced misdemeanor charges. Her case was dismissed after she completed a diversion program.
When the five were arrested, far-right media outlets and influencers shared their photos and personal information online, some calling them “BLM-Antifa extremists” and “militants.” Kristen Aumoithe and Amber Lucas, two of the defendants, said they faced numerous death threats from strangers.
Days after their 2021 arrest, three vandalism suspects returned to SRPD headquarters, this time to read poetry in a peaceful protest outside the building. Photo by Chelsea Kurnick
The Evidence Presented
Last week, Hon. Judge John Behnke heard the cases against defendants Aumoithe, Lucas, Colin Metcalfe and Christina Henry.
At a preliminary hearing, a judge hears the prosecution’s case against defendants and determines whether there is probable cause a crime was committed and probable cause the defendants committed it. The prosecution called four witnesses.
Doe testified that the blood left stains and debris that could not be removed, so she had to replace her garage door, front door and vinyl windows. She spent $2,500 to pay her insurance deductible, though the damages were around $35,000, well beyond the $400 threshold of felony vandalism. She said she feels vulnerable and violated, still sleeping with her gun beside her.
SRPD officer Nolan Cleall and Sgt. Ryan Hepp testified about their investigation of the defendants. An anonymous phone tip from a butcher eventually led Cleall to get a search warrant for surveillance footage and receipts at Sonoma County Meat Company, where he said Kristen Aumoithe placed a special order for two gallons of pig’s blood.
Officers surveilled Aumoithe and her friends before serving search warrants at her home and Lucas’ home. They seized laptops and smartphones from the defendants, accessing text and audio conversations on the application Signal between Aumoithe, Lucas, Metcalfe and others.
Aumoithe’s lawyer, Vincent Barrientos, said there was more than 200 gigabytes of discovery in the case. On the stand, Hepp told Lucas’ lawyer, Omar Figueroa, the investigation probably took hundreds of hours of police time.
The prosecution alleged that on April 13, 2021, Aumoithe and Lucas, reacting to Brodd’s testimony, discussed the idea of vandalizing Brodd’s home. Later, they also discussed vandalizing the Agraria sculpture, which was defaced at least twice during the Black Lives Matter protests that began in 2020.
After her arrest, Lucas gave a statement to SRPD before she retained Figueroa. Lucas said she and Aumoithe vandalized the sculpture the same night Metcalfe and Henry vandalized Doe’s home. Lucas said she and Aumoithe had no part in vandalizing Doe’s home.
Barrientos and Figueroa both argued their clients only poured blood on the Agraria sculpture.
While investigators do not believe Lucas or Aumoithe went to Doe’s house, they presented evidence that the two spoke about the idea on April 13 and discussed inviting Metcalfe to participate in the blood vandalism. Later, Aumoithe bought blood and gave some of it to Metcalfe.
On Wednesday, June 7, attorneys for each of the four defendants filed motions asking that their clients’ charges be reduced to misdemeanors. Barrientos sought military diversion in lieu of a trial for Aumoithe, a veteran U.S. Marine.
Judge Behnke said if the vandalism of the hand sculpture was the only crime, he would likely accept everyone’s motions, but he could not in good conscience reduce the vandalism of Doe’s home to a misdemeanor.
However, only three of the four defendants will face charges. Behnke said the prosecution did not present sufficient evidence that Christina Henry participated in either the conspiracy or the vandalism itself. Behnke dismissed Henry’s case.
If found guilty, the maximum sentence Aumoithe, Lucas and Metcalfe could face is three years eight months in state prison.
Barrientos was upset that Behnke did not consider his request for military diversion, which is only applicable to misdemeanor offenses. A decorated veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, Aumoithe toured Afghanistan twice before she was honorably discharged. Barrientos said Aumoithe is exactly who the program is designed for.
Aumoithe said she returned from war with diagnosed PTSD. She said she experienced many abuses of power during her time in the military and faced racist bullying by once friends when she married a Black Marine and started a family. George Floyd’s murder and Chauvin’s trial troubled her.
“Witnessing the same [abuses of power] play out again by people in power—police, who are supposed to serve and protect—was triggering,” Aumoithe said.
If found guilty, Aumoithe might still be offered the opportunity to participate in Veterans Court, a California program that allows qualified veterans to face probation and undergo court-ordered treatment as a consequence of a felony conviction, instead of serving time in jail or prison.
The defendants will appear on July 20 for arraignment, where, unless the prosecution offers a plea bargain, a pre-trial hearing and trial dates will be set.
The size, age and variety of California’s state parks rank among the best in the country.
The Golden State sports 280 state parks, which include 5,200 miles of trails, 15,000 campsites, and countless natural and historical attractions.
However, it was only last year that a coalition of public agencies and conservation nonprofits came together to formally acknowledging the natural beauty, ecological role and history of the state’s park system one week per year.
“The COVID-19 pandemic brought many challenges to California’s communities, but it also illuminated the important connection of the outdoors to our physical and mental well-being. Parks across the U.S. experienced increased visitation in 2020-21, and California State Parks Week underscores the important role parks play in communities statewide,” a press release announcing the 2022 event stated. Organizers include California State Parks, Save the Redwoods League, Parks California and the California State Parks Foundation.
“We are excited to host the second annual California State Parks Week and build upon last year’s inaugural successes,” Armando Quintero, director of California State Parks, said in a statement announcing this year’s events. “California State Parks Week serves as a reminder that state parks belong to all who call California home. Everyone deserves to enjoy them, to stay healthy and active, find inspiration and connect with nature and areas of cultural significance.”
Like last year, the second annual State Parks Week will include dozens of events spread over five days (June 14-18) in parks across the state. In the North Bay, Sonoma, Napa and Marin county residents are invited to experience local parks for the first time or through a new lens of understanding.
Each of the five days of this year’s Parks Week has a theme. The theme of Wednesday, June 14, is “Explore New Experiences,” followed by “Nourish Your Health and Well-being” on June 15 and “Support Climate Resilience” on June 16. The weekend is split between a “Celebrate Community and Culture” theme on June 17 and “Care for Our Shared Lands” on June 18.
In an interview last week, Matthew Gomez, senior parks program manager at the Save the Redwoods League, said California State Parks Week requires organizers to have an “all hands on deck” mentality to pull off the 143 planned events in five days.
A midwesterner who worked for parks departments around the country before landing in California last year, Gomez highlighted the great range of natural wonders on display in the Golden State. A worthy reminder for any jaded, life-long California residents.
“The ecosystem out here is just so diverse,” Gomez said. “From the deserts in Southern California, up to the dense redwood forests near the Oregon border and everything in between, it is just stunning.”
So, grizzled Californian, if you can, take a break from your day job and set out to appreciate one or two of the state’s many natural wonders highlighted during one of the events listed below. Details are available at www.castateparksweek.org.
According to California State Parks, “Forest bathing, a literal translation of the Japanese word shinrin-yoku, is the practice of absorbing the calming, wellness-inducing atmosphere of natural places.” This is a low-key event. Participants will reflect on the experience of being in nature, instead of aiming to conquer a peak or finish a new trail. If that sounds enticing, meet up in the Pantoll parking lot at 9:15am or 10:30am on Wednesday. Contact hi************@******ca.gov for the meeting place.
Attendees of this event will “Learn how to start a nature journal, observe nature and explore why spending time in natural landscapes might improve our health and wellbeing.” Meet at the Azalea Picnic Area just past the kiosk entry station before the 10am start of the event. Participants are expected to bring their own writing materials, including pencils, paper and a notebook or nature journal. For more information, contact Ry*********@******ca.gov.
Due to logging during and after the Gold Rush, just 5% of Southern Oregon and California’s Old Growth redwood forests stand today. Attendees of this hike along Pioneer Trail will learn “how California State Parks works to preserve areas like [Samuel P. Taylor State Park], and why the preservation of these forests is so important.” The event is expected to run from 1 to 2:30pm. Contact Ry*********@******ca.gov for more details.
Attendees of this four-mile, moderate-difficulty guided hike will “pay homage to an elder tree estimated to be 2,000 years old. On the way, you can expect to see the Jack London Lake and spring native wildflowers for a fabulous morning of exercise and inspiration.” Participants’ park entry fees will be covered by the California State Parks Week sponsors; however, parking fees ($10) are not included. Attendees should meet in the Ranch parking lot, a right turn after the entry kiosk, ahead of the 10am start time. Online reservation at CaStateParksWeek.org is required.
For another Forest Bathing opportunity, meet with other attendees at the White Barn before 10am. According to the organizers, Forest Bathing is “a centering and calming restorative practice, it promotes balance and restored vitality through a quality of presence and heightened sensory awareness.” Online reservation at CaStateParksWeek.org is required for this event.
Those who can’t attend but are interested in the health benefits of parks are invited to join the Forest Therapy Series as part of Sugarloaf’s ParkRx Program the fourth Sunday of each month. For more details about those recurring events, led by certified Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) practitioners, visit Sugarloafpark.org.
The Sonoma Ecology Center, which operates Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, is always looking for volunteers. Those seeking an excuse to get outside more often can attend this event, scheduled for 3 to 7pm. The orientation will take place at the Robert Ferguson Observatory classroom, followed by a volunteer social potluck at the group camp, where participants can meet some of the active volunteers.
Attendees must RSVP to su****************@*****************er.org.
Once a year, tens of thousands of people descend on Nevada’s Black Rock Desert to create a temporary city, burn a massive man and, rumor has it, generally expand their view of the universe.
Burning Man—not to be called a festival, according to the annual gathering’s website—draws its fair share of Bay Area residents. And, by an anecdotal survey of the artwork from past Burning Mans on display around town, Petaluma seems to be a popular spot for the burners who create the eye-catching pieces the ephemeral desert city is known for.
Among the most visible retired Burning Man projects are the rusty rhinoceros art car near downtown and (until recently) the 45-foot-tall woman, R-Evolution, in the yard of the artist’s riverside warehouse.
Now, seeking to join the legion of Petaluma Burning Man creators, local artist and self-proclaimed geometry fanatic Kelly Davison is leading his own project, known as Complexahedron.
A rendering of the Complexahedron by Henry Washer
In an IndyGogo fundraiser video seeking $15,000, Davison sits next to a nine foot tall proof of concept in his studio on the outskirts of Petaluma.
“The Complexahedron is an experiment in the interactions between the faces, edges and vertices of 55 fractalizing hexahedrons. Three sculpted figures surround the structure, symbolizing different branches of animal evolution,” the campaign explains.
In layman’s terms, the piece involves two cubes stacked on top of each other, connected at their corners with smaller cubes sprouting from the remaining corners. It will be 20 feet tall, with a staircase offering access to the second floor, in its final form.
Davison has attended Burning Man off and on since 2013, helping out with multiple other makers’ projects. However, this is his first time leading a project, a goal he set for himself several years ago.
“The Complexahedron is a culmination of the last few years of a lot of study and practice I’ve been doing in geometry,” he told the Bohemian. “I started experimenting with stacking cubes on top of each other, not flat on top of each other, but with their intersecting vertices.”
The online fundraiser is well on its way to gathering the funds needed to cover “the cost of lumber, hardware, lighting, the casting and finishing of the sculptures, and finally, transportation and equipment rentals.”
“I’ve been getting a lot of help and support from the other Burning Man artists, a lot of them who have been doing this for a really long time… If I wasn’t in a town like Petaluma [with a large Burning Man artist community], this project would be much more difficult,” Davison said.
Burning Man’s theme this year is ANIMALIA, and the hexahedron-obsessed Davison has partnered with Washer, whose works tend to be more mammalian in theme. Washer is contributing three sculptures that will sit outside of the main structure, which features fractalizing cubes representative of the cell division crucial to the creation of modern life forms.
In 2018, Davison helped to complete Washer’s project, The Monument of Indecision, which resembles Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker sitting below a glowing white orb. Today, the retired sculpture sits outside of the Petaluma Arts Center.
1 The musical supergroup The Eagles got their start as a backup group for what female singer, who has recorded pop, rock, opera, country and Hispanic music, who formerly lived in San Francisco, but now lives in Tucson, Arizona?
2 Which product was banned from America’s television and radio advertising in 1971?
3 Twelve to twenty times per minute, the average human performs what two actions (without even thinking about it), whose names begin with the same letter?
4 On Nov. 28, 1995, 50.28% of Irish voters chose to reverse a national prohibition on what?
5 What word, which can mean “approximately,” is spelled with six letters in alphabetical order?
6 Established in 1776, what musical theater in Russia is well known for its company of ballet dancers?
7 In 1802, E.I. DuPont established a factory that developed into the worldwide firm Du Pont. The DuPont family made their early riches selling what dangerous substance?
8 Tom Hanks won Best Actor Oscars in 1993 and 1994 for his roles in which films?
9 What is the only country of Eastern Europe whose language developed from Latin?
10 Can you name three U.S. states that were created entirely from other states?
BONUS QUESTION: Which basketball superstar wrote a 1996 book entitled Black Profiles in Courage?
Want more trivia? Contact ho*****@********fe.com. Save the date for our next live Trivia Cafe team contest at the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley on Sunday, July 30 at 6pm.
ANSWERS:
1 Linda Ronstadt
2 Cigarettes
3 Breathe, Blink
4 Divorce
5 Almost
6 Bolshoi
7 Gunpowder
8 Philadelphia, 1993 (shown in photo), and Forrest Gump, 1994
9 Romania
10 Kentucky, from Virginia; West Virginia (split off from Virginia to join the Union side during the Civil War); and Maine, from Massachusetts
A commonly held myth is that war concludes well with peace. In fact, conflict research shows that the losing side may accept defeat in a public-facing manner, only to fester and plot to get revenge later.
Violence and war generally lead to further violence and war. Although it may lead to short-term “peace,” violent conflict rarely works to build sustained peace.
But what if the war could have been avoided in the first place?
It is true that conflict is inevitable. War and violence are not. Where violence leaves winners and losers, constructive ends that foster working relationships are never constructed from violence. It is nonviolent action that produces working relationships. Nonviolent action as a response to conflict is essential to building and sustaining a culture of peace. But what is nonviolence? When has nonviolence been successful? And how does it contribute to building sustainable peace?
Indeed, there is empirical research by Harvard professor Erica Chenoweth and former State Department official Maria Stephan on the many cases in which nonviolent insurgency overthrew dictatorships at a success rate nearly double that of successful violent uprisings.
Key to nonviolence is the strain it creates on the ruling elites that challenges the dominant structure. Collective social strain forces leaders, militaries and perpetrators to change their methods. In the Chenoweth and Stephan study, they found that if 3.5% of a population become involved participants in a nonviolent campaign, the likelihood of success is almost guaranteed. Imposing costs on those in power can be done without shooting anyone.
With this, power is taken from the few, and the power is dispersed among the people. Because of this, nonviolence also can contribute to building democratic societies. Once the world knows about the power of nonviolence, ideally, they will see it as a viable, and vital, option in the face of conflict.
To quote Martin Luther King Jr., “At the center of nonviolence stands the principle of love.”
Haley Morrow is a conflict resolution master’s candidate at Portland State University.
Every performing art has a term for a transcendent theatrical “moment.” In flamenco, it’s called “duende,” when the dancer disappears and there is only the dance. In the world of competitive air guitar, it’s called “airness.”
Airness is also the name of Left Edge Theatre’s latest production, currently running at The California in Santa Rosa through June 23. Written by...
Listening to OTTTO reminds one of bands like Motorhead, Metallica, Pantera going for it with all they’ve got. With little fluff and a lot of fun.
The band consists of Triko Chavez on drums, singer Bryan Noah Ferretti on guitar and Tye Trujillo holding it down on bass.
OTTTO is getting known in its own right, a process eased by Trujillo's...
The toughest man I ever knew was my father. He enlisted in the Marines when he was 17 years old, because it was World War II, and the Marines were the ones doing the fighting.
All the years I was growing up, he slept with a loaded handgun on the nightstand next to his bed. I pitied anyone who might...
Duplicity
Excellent reporting as usual, Nikki (Silverstein)! So horrible to hear the duplicitousness of the county (in the June 7 “Decision Maker” piece). You expect it from a developer, but elected county officials saying “yes” and doing “no” is particularly galling. I’ll keep my eye on the Board of Supervisors elections. Seeing the people of Marin City fighting back is...
Kenwood
Musical Magic
Transcendence Theatre Company presents The Beat Goes On, directed by Susan Draus in her directorial debut. Of the show, which features music from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, said Draus, “Music has the ability to bring joy and spark memories, and it’s my hope that the audience will feel that same joy they felt the very first time...
With her phone and handgun by her side, a Santa Rosa woman said she lay awake every night of the Derek Chauvin murder trial in mid-April 2021.
She was anxious because Barry Brodd, her ex-husband, testified as a defense witness as an expert on use-of-force, saying he felt it was “justified and objectively reasonable” of Minneapolis Police Officer Chauvin to...
The size, age and variety of California’s state parks rank among the best in the country.
The Golden State sports 280 state parks, which include 5,200 miles of trails, 15,000 campsites, and countless natural and historical attractions.
However, it was only last year that a coalition of public agencies and conservation nonprofits came together to formally acknowledging the natural beauty, ecological...
Once a year, tens of thousands of people descend on Nevada’s Black Rock Desert to create a temporary city, burn a massive man and, rumor has it, generally expand their view of the universe.
Burning Man—not to be called a festival, according to the annual gathering’s website—draws its fair share of Bay Area residents. And, by an anecdotal survey of...
QUESTIONS:
1 The musical supergroup The Eagles got their start as a backup group for what female singer, who has recorded pop, rock, opera, country and Hispanic music, who formerly lived in San Francisco, but now lives in Tucson, Arizona?
2 Which product was banned from America’s television and radio advertising in 1971?
3 Twelve to twenty times per minute, the average...
A commonly held myth is that war concludes well with peace. In fact, conflict research shows that the losing side may accept defeat in a public-facing manner, only to fester and plot to get revenge later.
Violence and war generally lead to further violence and war. Although it may lead to short-term “peace,” violent conflict rarely works to build sustained...
