By Larree Quixote
After finishing and submitting my last article on BAZ I decided to stay on in the war zone as a correspondent. I felt that there was a lot more to this ongoing story and could not leave it unfinished. I went underground with the freedom fighters as they battled the Imperial Forces of LL. BAZ suffered serious casualties. Everything they built was jettisoned into Lost and Found Hell - the pixel-dump of SL.
BAZ was pushed out of Fofita by LL forces then found a new home right across the street from the beach in Dorma. It was a beautiful location; a real score by Bellisseria house-hunter standards. They kept it low-key. They stayed within their borders and did not overflow onto protected land. Everything was fine - until a neighborhood Trump supporter decided to bring on the heat. They hung their flags and called in the LL police, who swooped in to clean up the neighborhood. In all fairness, the LL police did return the Trump supporter’s flags, but BAZ was treated worse.
Gorbon was issued a temporary ban for rezzing a rusty old van after LL returned it twice. It was well within the borders of their property. They returned a dancing animesh man that was inside the house on the second floor. Gorbon feels that they were treated harshly and unfairly. Especially since they stayed within their borders with only a basketball court and some overgrown grass outside the house; but the empire came down hard.
What is wrong with a basketball court and a little over grown grass? Nothing. Some people build huge monstrosities around their Bellisseria homes. I have even seen backyard sex beds that anyone passing by can see. So what’s wrong with a dumpster and a broken down bus? BAZ is a powerful artistic statement; an amazing display of creativity. If I was a Linden I would hire the BAZ crew to build some BAZ regions for Bellisseria. The more variety and personality we can add to Bellisseria, the better it will be for all of us.
A few days after the Battle of Dorma I received this message from E Ghost.
E Ghost: “hey just thought i'd give you an update on b.a.z. after we moved to dorma, we were up and running for about a day. actually, the day after you stopped by i was banned for 24 hours and the entire parcel was returned. after that 24 hour ban they banned me for 3 additional days without me even being able to log back in for some reason. the ban was just lifted today. they're basically bullying us at this point so we're still deciding where to go from here lol. we're in the process of looking for a third location. hopefully a permanent one. we even tamed it down a little after the first return in dorma and they still didn’t approve”
… and one week later:
E Ghost: “larree! i just got a parcel down the road from you”
How exciting! The BAZ house right here in my neighborhood. On my street! Man, it felt good to walk up the street to visit my friend and see what might happen next. We hung out and chatted a bit, and then we both went on with our evenings. But it did not work out.
I logged in a few days later and got this sad message from Virtual Kidd; founder of the original Bellisseria Homeless group:
Virtual Kidd: “Hey Larree, false alarm. We had an entire build in our parcel down the road from you last night but E Ghost was banned for 5 days and everything was returned once again. I doubt anyone actually reported it this time so I truly believe we are being bullied out of Bellisseria.”
The BAZ crew vanished. They still had the house down the street from me. I visited it daily. Basketball court in the backyard, a Christmas tree in the window… and a Justice For Baz sign out front. Can they get justice? Will they get justice? Will they get the respect they deserve?
I have contacted high-ranking members of the LL Imperial Forces. I wanted to allow them to make a statement for this article; to provide a balanced perspective. I wanted to find out if there was a reason for this attack on these incredibly talented and creative people for using this platform to express vibrant and important art relative to the times in which we live. BAZ is revolutionary and important. BAZ is a reflection of the troubling times in which we live. BAZ is worldwide. I have not received a reply. But this does not mean I have given up hope. An unnamed source tells me there is resistance to the aggressive nature of the empire. BAZ does have a growing underground movement on the inside. So show your support, good citizens of Bellisseria. Let a Linden or a Mole know that you support BAZ!
Linden Labs? Are you listening? Are you paying attention? I love Second Life. And I love Bellisseria. But this is not acceptable to me. Why would LL come down so hard on E Ghost and Gorbon like an out-of-control Home Owners Association? Oh no! You can’t fly that banner! You can’t paint your house that color. You can’t park your old van in the backyard. How dare you dance 24/7 upstairs in your own house? How dare you?! Well, I have a challenge for LL. I challenge you guys to give the BAZ crew one region in Bellisseria. Give them one region of traditional homes and let them turn it into their vision of BAZ; and instead of releasing those homes for individuals, allow all Second Life citizens to hang out there. I bet it would become one of the most popular hangout locations in Bellisseria.
I admit I found myself getting attached to this story. I was even sitting at the BAZ house when no one else was there. As if it was mine. And it hit me. It was mine. It is mine! It was everyone’s house. Because the world is so fragile right now, and we could all fall into a bad situation so easily. It’s so easy to slide down to the bottom and end up in a tent under a freeway or worse. BAZ is everybody's home.
I checked in on the BAZ house the next day and found E Ghost and Gorbon putting up Christmas decorations. It was beautiful. A sign that even in the worst of times, we all have the ability to make the most of our situations and be okay. We all just want to be okay. I suggested that they could put a pallet and plywood stage in the backyard on the basketball court and offered to play some songs anytime. Because it felt good.
Deadline. Fast approaching. I am sitting on the ground by the Justice For BAZ sign. My challenge to Linden Labs still stands. Give E Ghost and his crew a region to transform and re-imagine. And name that region BAZ.
I revisited the two original BAZ homes in the region of Fofita. A clean yellow Traditional Continental home now sits on the plot where the main battle took place. A Traditional Winchester sits on BAZ#2. You would never know that this quiet little street was the scene of one of the great battles of Bellisseria. All that remains is the horse rezzer and chicken coop across the street.
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