Tag: creative dissent

We need more militarization, more rules, less 1st Amendment protection and definitely more fear in our city streets. We need to bring back WALK RIGHT!

Back in 1984, when mercenary vigilantes like the Guardian Angels were “reclaiming” NYC subways, Joey Skaggs launched WALK RIGHT! an ad hoc group of vigilante sidewalk etiquette enforcers who patrolled the streets to make New York a better place to live and walk.

Here’s a short tease from Joey Skaggs: WALK RIGHT! oral history film.

WALK RIGHT published 66 rules for walking, including:
*Pedestrians must choose one lane and stay in it.
*No changing directions except at designated areas.
*No stopping unless in the shopping lane.
*No eating, gesticulating, or umbrellas held lower than 5’10”.

CNN and local news covered it as serious public policy. But it was satire then—and it is satire now.

NOTE: Social media influencers have recently “invented” ways to tame our unruly pedestrians, like, Matt Bass with “Bad Walkers” and Cameron Roh who is rating walkers in New York City.

They are to be forgiven because they weren’t born when WALK RIGHT! ruled the New York City streets. And they can’t be expected to do any research that might deter them from promoting a great idea to gain sponsorship $$ or eyeballs for their products.