So, you’re having an event at LAVA? Here’s the long version of what you have to know. We’ll also give you a much shorter “cheat sheet” with important phone numbers and information.
LAVA, the Lancaster Avenue Autonomous Zone (http://www.lavazone.org) is a community center for radical media and organizing located at 4134 Lancaster Avenue in the Belmont neighborhood of West Philadelphia. The LAVA collective’s mission is to create an empowering and welcoming physical space where diverse communities converge to build connections and break down barriers, blending media-making, artistic expression and hardy nuts-and-bolts organizing in order to advance movements for justice and fundamental social change.
You will find more information about LAVA at www.lavazone.org.
THE BUILDING:¶
LAVA was founded by a collective of individuals and social justice organizations from Philadelphia who wanted to create a physical space that would enable the intersection of radical media, movement-building and the creating of connections between disparate movements for change in Philadelphia and beyond.
LAVA is owned by the Lancaster AVenue Autonomous Zone, Inc., a non-profit organization registered by the state of Pennsylvania. “The Lancaster Avenue Autonomous Zone, Inc” is actually a collective composed of individuals who support LAVA’s mission, as well as liaisons from each of the organizations that has an office in the building or uses it as a home base: currently, Act-UP Philly, the LAVA library, the Philly IMC, Radio Volta, the Defenestrator, the Alpha Lab, Food Not Bombs, Riszumu and the Green Party. The LAVA collective itself owns the building and makes all decisions relating to the facilities. LAVA, inc. formed as a non-profit and officially bought 4134 Lancaster in 2004.
LAVA has open collective meetings the 2nd Wednesday of every month, 7pm at the building.
YOUR EVENT:¶
Essentially, if you’re having an event in LAVA, the LAVA collective is renting you the use of the building for a private event. You’re responsible for setting things up, keeping the event under control when it’s happening, and cleaning up before you leave.
The mission of LAVA is not just to be a place where cool stuff happens, but a venue where events take place that forward movements for change. While you’re planning your event, try to conceive it strategically as a movement-building tool. Is this going to be just a one-time event, or are you going to be able to use it to build connections between people who are not yet connected? If it’s a benefit concert, can you connect it to a video showing, a lecture or organizing meetings around the same issue?
For example, if you are having a benefit to raise money against the proliferation of earwax (a growing concern nowadays), ask yourselves if have you communicated in the pre-planning stages sufficiently with a diversity of activists around town who are doing work against earwax. Have you called the Southwest Philly Anti-Earwax Alliance? The Olney Coalition to Stomp Out Earwax? The Earless (and otherwise Un-Eared) Against Earwax Campaign? How does this event fit into the greater anti-earwax initiatives? Ideally, LAVA wants events we host to not just be fun, but to be empowering, community-building moments. We’ll be happy to talk to you about this and help you brainstorm for ways to use your event strategically.
A WORD FROM YOUR “SPONSOR”:¶
Someone from LAVA has offered to “sponsor” your event, meaning s/he will work with you to let you into the building and lock up when you go. You will be responsible for all set-up and clean-up. (The “sponsor” will direct you to cleaning supplies.)
The sponsor is also the one you should give money that came in from passing the hat or charging at the door(30% of the door or whatever you agreed upon)
You can use lavazone.org/files/lava_event_money_envelope.zip this envelope to keep event money from mixing in with other stuff.
FLYERS¶
We are trying to make events at LAVA as broad-based and welcoming as possible. We encourage you to do ample outreach, inviting a wide-ranging and diverse audience to attend. We are especially interested in inviting neighbors from Belmont to attend LAVA events. We can talk details, but we strongly encourage your organization to pass and post flyers for your events on and around Lancaster Avenue, ideally throughout the neighborhood between 44th and 40th on Lancaster, if not eastward to 38th, and between Powelton to the south and Mantua to the north.
We’ll attach a map to show you what we mean.
maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=4134+Lancaster+Avenue,Philadelphia,PA,+19104&ll=39.96551,-75.206394&spn=0.013453,0.042915
COSTS¶
Despite all the people involved with the LAVA project the building is still having a hard time paying its bills. We have to pay for electricity, water, gas, heat, internet, taxes, insurance, etc…. So, we ask that you contribute to LAVA as part of your event. Generally, we ask an organization that’s holding a benefit to put 1/3 of what comes through the door toward LAVA. If you’re having a meeting, you must pass the proverbial hat. (LAVA does not provide a hat, proverbially or otherwise.) Try to encourage everyone at your meeting to contribute at least $1. Give any money you’ve raised to your event sponsor at the end of the night.
Want to donate more, or help LAVA financially by giving a bit each month? Check out the info on-line: lavazone.org/plan
CLEANING¶
Regardless of the state of the space before the event, the space used should be left clean and orderly. Minimal cleaning should include putting away equipment and sweeping. If food or drinks are part of the event, one or two moppings of the floor is expected.
Returning the space to “normal” should include:
*putting things back and reconnecting them (the computer and PA should be ready to be turned on by anyone)
*making sure the library area is clean
*there should be no smell of alcohol or (decomposing) food
- expensive gear (like projector or microphones or projector) should be put away and locked up.
the next people who use LAVA should not be expected to clean for you.
DRUGS?¶
LAVA is a drug and smoking-free facility. You can speak to members of the collective about exceptions, but there are few. Illegal drugs are especially not welcome, not because we agree with the fact they they’re illegal, but because law enforcement could use their presence in the building as an excuse to shut us down.
SECURITY¶
Our suggestion in general is to have someone from your group stationed at the door of the building at all times to keep an eye on things.
Please don’t allow too many people to hang out outside of the building on Lancaster Avenue, especially if they’re at all loud or rowdy. We’re trying to be good neighbors and don’t want people who use LAVA to attract police attention. Unfortunately, LAVA currently doesn’t have a viable outside smoking area, so if you think people are going to insist on smoking at your event, you can work with your sponsor to decide whether they should smoke outside in front of the building, or if we will temporarily allow smoking inside.
Unless your event involves use of the 2nd and 3rd floors of LAVA, please do not let anyone upstairs (or into the basement) unless you know him/her personally and s/he has a good reason for going there. If you have any questions about who can go upstairs or into the basement during your event, ask your event’s sponsor.
If your event is small and does not require people to be coming in and out of the front door, please keep the front gate locked.
If the police or any other officials come do not let them in. Try to be non-confrontational and do not escalate the situation. Tell them you’re just volunteering and aren’t authorized to let them in, which is true. If the police have received a noise complaint and just ask to turn the music down, we suggest you do what you can. In case of real trouble make phone calls to Core collective folks (below).
Here is a link to the National Lawyer’s Guild “Know York Rights” brochure: (in English) www.nlg.org/resources/kyr/kyr_English20..., (in Spanish) www.nlg.org/resources/kyr/KYR_Spanish_2....
Especially if your event is at night, for the safety of all, we suggest for attendees to travel to LAVA together and use caution when walking off the main streets.
FIRE!¶
LAVA has a professionally installed smoke alarm system. The panel is located on the first floor at the top of the basement stairs. There should be a green light on, showing that all is well. If the alarm goes off during your event, check to see if there is a fire, both downstairs and upstairs. If there is, run like hell! (in an orderly fashion, in all seriousness, filing calmly through the front door.) If there is no fire and the alarm is still going off, there is an “alarm silence” button. Please let your event sponsor know you silenced the alarm.
The alarm DOES NOT call the fire department, so if there is a fire call 911.
There are fire extinguishers at several points throughout the LAVA building, especially on the first floor. Currently the only fire exit from the first floor is the front door. There will be emergency exit signs to direct you out. Please make your security force aware of the locations of the extinguishers and the fact that in the event of a fire, s/he will have to direct people out the front.
ZONING, if anyone asks:¶
The building is zoned C-2, allowing retail businesses and offices.
INSURANCE, if anyone asks:¶
The LAVA building itself has general liability insurance. Our insurance agent suggests each organization using the building and each private entity holding an event carry its own insurance policy. (we guess that’s what insurance agents do.) We don’t require that, but if you have any concerns about what would happen if someone gets hurt at your event, we suggest you insure yourselves up the wazoo.
PARKING¶
Meters on Lancaster Avenue stop running at 6pm and don’t run on Sundays. Before 6pm the Parking Authority tickets pretty regularly, so be forewarned. There is non-metered parking on the streets off Lancaster Avenue. The parking lot near LAVA on Lancaster Avenue is active during the days and less so at night. No one we know has been towed from the lot, but that is a possibility.
ACCESSIBLITY¶
LAVA is working to make the facility wheelchair accessible. There is currently one step going up from the curb into the building. Please assist friends in wheelchairs so they can go over the step without damaging their chair. There will be a wheelchair-accessible bathroom on the first floor of LAVA but it’s still under construction.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION¶
LAVA is right on the #10 green Subway Surface line, which runs up Lancaster Avenue. Map and schedule: www.septa.com/service/sched/pdfs/010.pdf. The Subway Surface and/or Night Owl busses to 40th & Market to connect with the Blue Line run all night.
The #40 bus to Wynnewood runs Westbound up Lombard from Center City through so-called ”University City” (along 38th Street between Spruce and Market) and has a stop at 41st and Lancaster. The #40 Eastbound stops at 40th and Lancaster and runs along 40th street between Market and Spruce before heading downtown via South Street. Map and schedule: www.septa.com/service/sched/pdfs/040.pdf. The bus does not run between approximately 1am and 5am.
The #30 bus Westbound from 30th Street Station through “University City” (running along 42nd street between Chestnut and Woodland) stops at 40th and Lancaster. Map and schedule: www.septa.com/service/sched/pdfs/040.pdf. The bus does not run between approximately 1am and 5am.
The #31 bus Westbound from Center City to Overbrook stops at 42st and Lancaster. The #31 Eastbound stops at 41st and Lancaster. Map and schedule: www.septa.com/service/sched/pdfs/031.pdf. The bus does not run between approximately 1am and 5am.
The #43 bus to/from Northern Liberties/Fishtown/Port Richmond via Spring Garden stops at 41st and Lancaster. Map and schedule: www.septa.com/service/sched/pdfs/043.pdf. The bus does not run between approximately 1am and 5am.
The #52 bus from Wynnewood to Woodland runs along 52nd Street and crosses Lancaster Ave. at 52nd and Lancaster. Map and schedule: www.septa.com/service/sched/pdfs/052.pdf. This bus runs all night and connects with the #10 trolley at 52nd and Lancaster.
Connections to the subway surface and the Rt. 31 bus and the Rt. 30 bus are available at 30th street Station.
TEMPORARY¶
Currently, LAVA is working with an electrical inspector and L&I to clear all zoning and permit issues relating to the space. LAVA hasn’t had any permit infractions.
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS¶
Who should be on this list? I’m thinking onion, mike, bronwyn, jay
CHEAT SHEET¶
This will be a one page sheet with the most pertinent information.
QUESTIONS¶
Feel free to e-mail lava@defenestrator.org and/or info@lavazone.org with questions. The phone number of the building is 215-387-6155, though people don’t always answer, so e-mail is the best way to communicate.
We hope you have a great event at LAVA. Actually, we are positive you will have a great event at LAVA.
