Growing Grassroots
Pot Party on Boston Common enters 36th year
It is the season of the Boston Freedom Rally, now in its 36th year. This will be the first without MassCann co-founder and longtime contributor, Bill Downing, who passed away a few months ago. Without Bill’s tireless efforts, there would not be a Freedom Rally to speak of. For several years, he was the volunteer who secured (and fought for) the permits, the stage and sound, the insurance, the vendors, the security, and all else needed to host a one-day fundraiser festival for an expected crowd of 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 100,000 people per year, over its first seven years on Boston Common.
This year, the event is back to multiple days. Inspired by visits to Seattle Hempfest—which had evolved into a 3-day event—MassCann President Cara Crabb-Burnham managed to secure full-weekend permits in the 2010’s, briefly allowing for two full days of “occupation.” Growing the Freedom Rally made for new logistical challenges, not least of which was trash removal with vendor tables in place.
One of the ways disagreeable city officials can mess with such an event—after their attempts to deny permits (resulting in monetary awards to MassCann that were always donated back to the ACLU for their representation) are thwarted by the court—is to tack on fees for clean-up and damage.
Growing the Rally meant more revenue. When there is less reform to fight for (Decrim passed in ‘08, medicinal in ‘12) there is less motivation to be sure that every dollar raised goes to changing the law. MassCann’s leadership decided to put Rally revenues back into staging future Freedom Rallies, and began signing national-level acts, such as Method Man & Redman, who charged in the low 5-figures to appear.
In prior years, no one was paid to appear on the Freedom Rally stage. Admission is by walking onto Boston Common (free), and vendor revenues are predetermined and limited by spaces. More attendees will not directly translate into more money to the producer (MassCann). More attendees does incur more direct costs to MassCann, though.
MassCann lost its multi-day permit between the 2018 and 2019 Freedom Rallies. The event producer they had contracted with to manage the event (the work Bill Downing once did, but had “retired” from in the early 2010’s) did not clean the park following Saturday’s show, nor did they distribute new trash bags to vendors on Sunday. Reportedly, they were nowhere to be found on Sunday at break down.
The Common was left a mess. The folks living on Beacon Hill, who had always fought the Freedom Rally (but not Shakespeare-on-the-Common) had their photos and made their case to the City Council, which cut back the permit to just the third Saturday in September.
In 2025, the Rally is back to a 1.5 day event, starting on Friday afternoon and running until dark on Saturday. This means THREE 4:20’s for the most intrepid and dedicated among you (pm/am/pm).
The Freedom Rally is not possible without the efforts of dozens of volunteers. If you are interested in helping make this year’s Rally happen, here’s a link to follow.
Having performed more than 33 times at the Boston Freedom Rally, Dave Tree has spent more time on its stage than any other single person. His band, Tree, wrote a punk protest-anthem (complete with a one-string, one-finger guitar solo) that remains the most-performed song on the Boston Freedom Rally stage.
God Grows Grass
Just take a look around. It's growing…everywhere!
God grows grass, it's Heaven-sent,
God grows grass for the environment.
God grows grass illegally,
God grows grass for you and me.
God grows grass since Genesis,
God grows grass, makes common sense,
God grows grass, it's nothing new,
God grows grass, so can you.
If God grows grass, so can you.
If God grows grass…
Sow the seed of liberty, reap what you sow.
Sow the seed of liberty, watch your chances grow.
God grows grass all naturally,
God grows grass with no apology.
God grows grass, man makes crack,
God grows grass, so get off my back.
God grows grass it's understood,
God grows grass, it's all good.
God grows grass, or don't you get it?
God grows grass. Word—Spread It!
Tree, “God Grows Grass” from Our Day Will Come (1998).