Be Part of a World Changing Team - Fugazi/Dischord Release 1999 Recording with Greg Bennick as intro speaker

Texts are rolling in from people hearing this for the first time: the night Fugazi let me speak before they played. 

Dischord just released this Fugazi show, the latest in their live series. Look it up on Spotify and be sure to listen to track 1. This was a turning point moment for me and for the energy of a political movement. 

Close to one thousand people had gathered at Club DV8 in Seattle to watch Fugazi in 1999. I had around four minutes onstage to transform the room from knowing little or nothing about Seattle’s oppressive anti-music law that we were fighting, the Teen Dance Ordinance, to wanting to take action. 

Mission accomplished for our team effort. We had incredible response and used that upswing, thanks to Ian MacKaye and Fugazi’s support that night, to keep going and eventually overturn the Teen Dance Ordinance, thus allowing access to music to people of all ages in the city. The city of Seattle replaced it with a new law, which is still on the books, that was written by yours truly and my friend Dave Whitson.

I write about this experience in my book. You can read the law too if you're so inclined! Its called "The All Ages Dance Ordinance".

This era in the city’s history changed the face of music and the arts in Seattle forever. 

Now more than ever: fight for what you believe in. When we started the fight against the Teen Dance Ordinance we faced nearly impossible odds. Through years of intensive focus and by continually redefining teamwork and forging new alliances, we won. 

Get after it. There are people on your team, in your city, at your workplace, and in your community waiting for you to get active and build a better now. 

For more on the Teen Dance Ordinance and our victory, listen to the Let the Kids Dance Podcast by Jonathan Zwickel, National Public Radio, and KUOW. 

#teendanceordinance

#fugazi

#buildabetternow