Allison Geyer
Activists Michael Walton, Miles Kristan and Dylan Contois (from left) gave away free items on State Street this Wednesday; Passang Dhondup (far left) stopped by to check out the selection.
A woman paused near the 100 block of State Street Wednesday afternoon, curious about the tables laden with a random assortment of clothing, shoes, hats and food.
“All this is for free?” she asks, incredulous.
Miles Kristan, holding a handmade sign bearing the words “Free Store,” responds affirmatively.
“It’s all free,” he says. “Take whatever you need.”
Kristan, a local activist, is the proprietor of what he’s calling the “Madison Free Store Project.” For the past two weeks, he has set up shop at the top of State Street and handed out clothing, blankets, shoes, food, sunglasses, hats, movies — last week he even gave away a typewriter.
A free store is an anti-capitalist concept popular among anarchists that allows people to give and receive goods without participating in a money-based economy, Kristan says. Made famous by the Diggers, a 1960s counterculture collective from the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, free stores have spread worldwide and evolved to include things like swap shops and free markets run by individuals, cooperatives and such nonprofits as the Freecycle Network.
In just two weeks, nearly 250 supporters have joined the Madison Free Store Facebook page. Anyone is welcome to bring items to give away, just as anyone is welcome to take items from the store.
Kristan plans to “occupy” the space at the top of State Street every Wednesday starting at 5 p.m. as a form of direct action protest against the city’s treatment of its homeless population and what he feels is an “overkill” police presence around Philosopher’s Grove, an area known for the large number of homeless people who congregate there during the day.
“This is a peaceful way to take back this spot for the community,” Kristan says.
The city is considering a redesign of the troubled park at the intersection of State Street and West Mifflin Street after local business owners complained about crime and loitering in the area.
In April, Mayor Paul Soglin announced a plan to crack down on what he says is an uptick in the number of homeless people and drifters whose behavior has raised concerns over public health and safety.
Soglin has asked the city to shut down illegal outdoor encampments, limit the distribution of free food at the City-County Building and prohibit individuals from occupying city park benches for more than one hour.
Earlier this week, a Madison-Dane County committee narrowly voted to allow homeless people to continue sleeping outside the City-County Building.
Homeless individuals and advocates have spoken out against the proposals, saying that the measures are punitive and unfair.
Kristan agrees. He sees the free store as a means to provide resources to the needy as well as encourage people to “rethink our economic system.”
Business was a bit slow on Wednesday afternoon, but the Madison Free Store drew lots of smiles from curious passersby.
“This is a pretty good selection for a free store,” Madison resident Jeffrey Bender said, thumbing through a stack of vintage comic books.
He left with about a dozen titles, ranging from X-Men to Pinky and the Brain.
