#Peace Heathens

[littlequeenies]

Helena Harland, who runs World of Demri instagram account, has a blog at substack where she is publishing interviews she does to people who knew Demri. I asked for permission to share this entry about Demri's activism in here and she kindly allowed.

From her substack blog:

"Demri possessed a radical nature alongside immense charisma. She was a nudist, openly bisexual, modeled for several adult magazines like Penthouse and Hustler, and was unabashedly sexually liberated at a time where it was seen as taboo. She did not view other people with a critical eye, but rather embraced those who most would find “off-center”. Demri’s late mother Kathleen recalled a memory of driving 20 year-old Demri home one day when she suddenly started shouting “Mom, stop! Stop!” Kathleen stopped the car and Demri jumped out to her friend who had green skin, pointed ears, and pointed elf shoes. Demri said, “This is my friend, he’s an elf. Can we give him a ride?” Kathleen, who likely passed on to Demri her attribute of non-judgment and acceptance, gave the elf a ride as he and Demri squeaked and chirped at each other in their own elf language.

Demri’s uniqueness has always intrigued me, and I often wonder what her moral and political beliefs were, as well as what she would think of today’s political issues. The 90s were marked with many social justice issues like LGBT rights— specifically the AIDS crisis. I asked Amber Ferrano, a close friend of Demri’s what she thought about the AIDS epidemic at the time, and it can be beautifully summed up by this memory:

“Demri was bi. She loved everyone and judged no one. We went to shows in gay clubs and they were awesome. I loved that they handed out free condoms even for our crowd. AIDS was horrible at the time. I remember a few times when guys in full drag (with gloves on, mind you) put their hand out to shake and pulled back saying they had AIDS, but Demri went in for a kiss and a hug. People would make negative comments saying she had AIDS or hepatitis from drugs. She didn't understand why people were so mean. If she were here today she'd be on the frontline along with Layne.”

Demri was also visited in the hospital by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a subversive LGBT activism group that satirized traditional standards and gender roles by combining drag and religious imagery to their street performances. Kathleen said that they adored Demri, and the nurses would gawk at them on their way in.

To seek some more insight on Demri’s activism history, I reached out to Vivian McPeak, the founder of the Seattle activism group called the Peace Heathens, of which Demri was a member. The Peace Heathens were known for their annual Seattle Hempfests, and many Alice in Chains fans have likely seen this video of Layne Staley making an appearance at one in 1994. It is one of the few videos we have of Layne during that year, taken shortly after the release of Jar of Flies.

H: myself, V: Vivian

H: I was wondering what the core beliefs of the Peace Heathens are and how the organization  was conceived?

V: In 1988 I had this idea to start a street-level volunteer group composed of alternative culture folks to do good things in the name of the alt-culture, community service projects and benefit shows for righteous causes that got little support from the mainstream. I called it the Seattle Peace Heathens. I created this manifesto, and Yossarrian “Rex” Kelley did a logo graphic I put at the top of it. I plastered the paper fliers all over The Ave, at places like the Allegro Cafe, Espresso Roma, and The Last Exit. I started getting lots of calls from people excited about my crazy vision quest, wanting to learn more and get involved. We started having meetings in people’s homes that eventually got too large, and we moved them to Ravenna Park, where we turned them into potluck feeds that started attracting a homeless contingent. 

Meetings started attracting as many as 70 people, mostly music culture and street culture folks - hippies, punk rockers, and an eclectic mix of just progressive, activism-type people. The thing that struck me most, though, is I would be approached by some very neat and clean folks who came on really strong, talking about how resourceful they were and how they were going to contribute all these things. I became very excited about these folks and what they might bring to the group. Then there was an entirely different contingent of absolute street people. These folks were often disheveled, unkempt; they might even have a distinct odor about them. At first, I was not sure what to think about these people, and I placed much of my focus on the other group of folks who seemed to have their shit really together.

The core values of the Seattle Peace Heathens were a commitment to service to society and others through volunteerism, basic counter-culture values of peace and love, Left politics such as social and environmental justice, and a commitment to the power of change through art (visual and music).

H: -It was said that Demri Parrott was a member of the Peace Heathens, do you have memories of her attending meetings or the Hempfests?

V: [I was closer with Layne, so I’ll tell the story of us meeting first.] I was at a hard rock club called the Prime Rib Palace in Totem Lakes, Washington and I struck up a conversation with a blonde dude with long hair and silver pants. We hit it off. He learned I was fresh from Hollywood and wanted to know all about the club scene there. He said his name was Layne, and he had a band called Sleze that was being renamed Alice in Chains. He gave me his number. He was the first person I developed a friendship after I moved to Washington State. A few years later, he invited me to his apartment in a big old brick complex above Eastlake. I met his lady Demri, a petite girl with a beautiful smile and sparkling eyes. I didn't know where to buy weed, and they told me I could get my weed from them. I am not really sure if they were dealing weed or if they were just helping me out, but they always had an eighth when I needed to buy one.

Around 1988 Layne had developed a heroin problem, and I had a cocaine one. I would pick Layne up and drive us to TUNA (Tuesday Night N.A.) at the Rendezvous on 2nd in Belltown, where a guy named Will ran the Narcotics Anonymous meetings. It was pretty much the rocker NA for the area. Unlike his rock persona, Layne was a quiet, almost shy person. He was sensitive and kind,in my experience. It was stunning watching the band climb to rock stardom. I loved their music and was impressed with the strength and power of his voice.

Demri was a bubbly, outgoing person. She volunteered for the Peace Heathens and helped at several of the benefit shows we produced at the famed OK Hotel, one of the only venues with all-age shows. She helped put up posters promoting the shows around town, and at the shows, she worked the merch table and helped us load gear in and out, even though she was a very diminutive person. She was sweet and kind and fearless. She resonated with the Peace Heathens's core belief that all of the various cultural sub-genres of the music/youth/alt-culture (punk, metal, hippie, Reggae, etc.) shared a common spirit and was essentially responding to the same mainstream desire for conformity and control. She believed in the benevolent act of helping others, which was central to the Peace Heathen identity.

I hope this provided some insight on the free spirited nature of Demri, and the ways in which she provided to her community and led with love and compassion. Big thanks to Vivian for taking the time to speak with me and tell me of all his cool stories, and to MemoriesOfDemri on instagram who pointed out the Peace Heathens sticker on Demri’s suitcase as well as provided the information regarding the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

Thank you for reading!

-Helena"

***

Thank you very much Helena for allowing us to share this story here!! Go and follow her on instagram or subscibe to her blog!

[reactionimagesdaily]

[imsiriuslyreading]

hiya... mind if i have a little complain?

OKAY i put my silly little face on my silly little tiktok and talk about these incredible fics i get to read and honestly i feel SO LUCKY to be here but when i tell you NOTHING GRINDS MY GEARS MORE than when people come into my comments to talk shit about a fic or a writer

like ??? are you quite well? bro, do you KNOW HOW LUCKY WE ARE, some of the fics I've read have c h a n g e d my life, genuinely. whether that be by a sentence in the story or the people I've met through them, world altering. all of it.

so the fact some people think they can dance their merry little jig into my space and talk the maddest shit about the work someone has done for free, when that writer has not only put so much of themselves into a story, but also been incredibly vulnerable by posting it online? i- you got the wrong one

i think when it comes to plot points or interesting dynamics, there can be really fulfilling conversations to be had and observations to be made. but shitting all over someones writing because its not how you'd write it?

(dis)respectfully, go and take your face for a shit

I JUST WANNA BE HERE WITH MY FRIENDS AND BE HAPPY AND READ ABOUT THE GAYS DOING THE GAY THINGS

[shesacarver]

@twentyonepilots ur playin a show tonight right . polarize ? semi automatic ? clear ? time to say goodbye ? march to the sea ? car torch death ? air catcher ? screen ? polarize ? fake you out ? do u want to play that fake you out / summertime sadness mashup again ? taxi cab ? tear in my heart ? polarize ? message man ? polarize ? semi automatic ? clear ? polarize ? pet cheetah ? good day ? redecorate ? polarize ? semi automatic ? clear ?

[shellibocs]

— two truths and a lie

damn near my entire tag list has tagged me in this but thank you to @adelaidedrubman @neonshrike @florbelles @imogenkol @katsigian @the-silver-chronicles @inafieldofdaisies and @rhettsabbott !!

rules: post a 24-hour poll containing two truths and one lie about your oc. have your followers try to guess which is the lie.

we’re using ven for this one bc. her life is insane

tagging (opt in/out) @elligatorrex @roofgeese @scalpelsister @a-treides @derelictheretic @chyrstis @yourlove-is-sunlight @captastra @conspiracieys @strangefable @loriane-elmuerto @carrionsflower @risingsh0t @firstaidspray @lavampira and anyone else!

[royalnavyart]

[nemotakeit]

i remember the first time ever i listened to SO i was like pfft rap? get out. (i was cringe) and then when i gave it a listen again a few months later i was a changed person... so i binge listened to their entire discography immediately and was genuinely shocked because how could ALL of their songs be bangers, like i couldn't believe it was possible it was surreal........ i wish i could turn back time (lol) to experience that pure shock again

[cafffine]

rereading the Inkheart series for the first time since I was a kid KILL ME. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[littlequeenies]

💬 Joe Johnson: “The Last Exit was the place for trippers. Really miss that scene”. The Last Exit on Brooklyn was an iconic Seattle coffeehouse in the University District. It was known for its folk performances and bohemian conversations. There are only a few photos of the interior, but it was known as a haven that brought together all types of people in the community. 💬 Ricardo Wang: “I met Demri and Layne at The Last Exit tripping their brains out. After that I would always see Demri at Peace Heathens [Seattle activist group] events and she’d be all “You look familiar, are you an Alice in Chains fan?” Each time I had to tell her that I met them while they were peaking at the Last Exit.” Sadly, The Last Exit on Brooklyn closed permanently in 2000 and appears in the historical photography book “Vanishing Seattle”.

The Seattle Peace Heathens Community Action Group in which Demri was in, was an activism group formed in 1988 Seattle, founded by Vivian McPeak. They would organise peace vigils to protest war or any other current events going on at the time. They were most known for their advocation for legalising marijuana and ended up being known for their annual Seattle Hempfests starting in 1991. They are still an active group.

Information from World of Demri instagram account.

Main photo and more information about The Last Exit from Seattle Star.

Last Exist on Wikipedia

Last Exit on Facebook

Last Exist on Seattle Wiki Fandom

Last Exit Facebook group

Seattle Peace Heathens crisis resource directory

[maverickbackalley]

Her folks had to fly out of state rather suddenly so guess who gets to pretend to be a dog dad for a week? It meeee.

I'll either not be posting as much for a week (minus the queue. the queue is eternal) because she destroys my energy reserves or spamming you guys with badly taken pictures of the baby. Only time will tell.

[amercanheathen]

[borom1r]

gods give me strength I’m being exposed to more Heathen Drama.

[xxlordalexanderxx]

I pray you have peace in the coming days, my lord. After dealing with such stress, you surely need the time to recover.

SEND MY MUSE ANONS!! ||🩸Accepting🩸||

"Wishful thinking, though I do appreciate the thought..."

[lostingham]

An happy ending for my beloved ones ! 🌿

[bbqhooligan]

if dabi ends up making up with his father i will chew pans and pots. i can forgive making peace with his siblings esp Shouto but not the father i hope he kills endeavor actually

[girlneuter]

Colonization strikes again