By KYLE HUMPHREYS
Contributing Writer
At the Albany Social Justice Center, hundreds of people were crammed into a modest community space to take advantage of clothes, cookware, shoes, and household donations on Sunday, Feb. 17. Numerous donors over the past several weeks from Schenectady to Troy donated any unwanted items for those in need. This is the bi-monthly Really Really Free Market, the eighth of its kind at the Social Justice Center since Dec. 2017 from Your Friendly Neighborhood Anarchists.
The idea behind the Really Really Free Market is that all donations are free for the taking, whether you bring something or not. Clothes, vegan snacks and warm drinks, kitchenware, winter clothes, and other common items are completely free of cost with no catch. The event ran from noon to 5 p.m. and had plenty of free goods, some items even unopened or still donning price tags. Some interesting items they have received in the past include a Hillary Clinton Nutcracker, and a shower curtain with Jeff Goldblum.
Alyssa Gallagher, 23, who has been volunteering at the Really Really Free Market since she attended the first one as a patron, is invested in the cause.
“We have everything we need if we are willing to share,” said Gallagher.
Since the beginning, the Really Really Free Market has seen exponential growth. David Gunn, one of the organizers for this event, credits this partly to the creation of their social media page on Facebook specifically for these free market events. Initially they only had 175 people RSVP on Facebook as “Interested.” This time, over 1200 people RSVP’d. Whereas they once struggled to find volunteers, over 40 volunteers attended the day before to help set up the event. There was no shortage of donations either; they had to expand outside so people could still walk around indoors.
Toby Warwaick, 21, has been organizing the event with David Gunn and others in Your Friendly Neighborhood Anarchists for over a year now. Your Friendly Neighborhood Anarchists has no real leaders, and they all make collective decisions for events like these and share responsibilities. Warwaick was initially drawn to the group because its mission was aligned with his political and community ideals. Warwaick feels strongly about the Really Really Free Market and said that it “speaks to how intuitive these concepts are to people.”
Gunn shares that the origin for the free market traces back for many years. It is an age-old anarchist mutual aid tactic devoted to strengthening communities and providing a sustainable alternative to capitalism to ensure people get the things they need. There is more than enough to go around, and Gunn feels everyone can benefit from sharing.
“In society, there is an emphasis on individualism,” he said, and when community comes together they can accomplish a lot. Gunn called this “not charity, solidarity.”
Morris D’Absololon, 72, has frequented the Albany Social Justice Center for the Really Really Free Market, and shares that he greatly enjoys what the volunteers do for people in need. He also gets free meals through Food Not Bombs, another project by Your Friendly Neighborhood Anarchists.
Another patron by the name of Tiffany Potter, 27, scored a bunch of pots and pans in decent condition. She was carrying them out in a cardboard box, sharing how excited she was to start cooking healthy meals with a recipe book she had gotten from a local library. The first time Potter came to the Really Really Free Market, she and her family had no coats for the winter weather. Thanks to the Really Really Free Market, she was able to provide herself and her family with coats for the cold season. To anybody wanting to come to the Really Really Free Market, she said, “Come on in, just ask, don’t be shy.”
Really Really Free Markets are held bi-monthly, and donations are gathered at locations disclosed on their Facebooks in the two months leading up to the event. More volunteers are always needed and appreciated at Really Really Free Markets, especially those with cars to help transport donations. Your Friendly Neighborhood Anarchists need a larger space so that they can hold these events more frequently and serve more people in need. They are currently hosting a fundraiser through Go Fund Me.
