The Tulsa Kick donkey Initiative

[CoffeePirate]

Hopefully some of you have heard this name before. The TKAI is a resource and a network for the somewhat disenfranchised and unrepresented youth of Tulsa who are entrenched in the struggle to make it kick donkey. We believe that Tulsa may not be such a bad place for young, creative people after all, but the things that make it so are under siege from the mass of suburbs and chains, and to keep the city cool, and move it beyond cool to kick donkey, requires action and involvement.

We are NOT the YPTulsans. We are not "professionals". Most of us work in the service industry, some are also students, mostly at TCC. We are young people who were born here, grew up here. Some moved away and came back. Lots of us grew up in the suburbs and when we turned 18, chose to STAY rather than go, moved to a midtown or downtown apartment and live our whole lives north of the 44, except to go see Mom and Dad. We are between the ages of 16 and 35.  

We want to see an all ages venue that will support local independent music, and bring national independent music. We want an independent record and book store. We want cheap downtown housing. We want grants and tax breaks for creative business. (Ones that don't need a minimum of half a million investment) We want a university that doesn't cut itself off from the community.  We want an active, creative, well-supported cultural life and everything that comes with it.  

Basically, we want what all of us here want. We're a little scruffy and maybe a little spikey, but that's only because we've not had a voice till now. So far, we're starting small. Connecting kids with other kids who want to see the same things, doing projects like organizing a weekly dodgeball game or an art show, making sure there is always a house or a garage for a band to play in. But lots of us have business plans and well thought out ideas for this town, we just don't have the money or the clout to see them realized.

Just thought I'd introduce our group to TulsaNow. We look forward to seeing you guys in the trenches alongside us when the revolution comes.