Yippie Girl

In Memoriam: Bill Schaap

Photo: Bill Schaap at Stew's and my wedding, Willow, New York, May 1, 1977

I heard on Amy Goodman this morning that Bill Schaap, a long time friend and radical attorney in New York City, has died. I had e-mailed Bill at the end of December about Stew's memorial and got this response:

Unfortunately, I'm pretty ill, with pulmonary fibrosis, and bedridden, but I have an anecdote you could tell the gathering. It's very Stew: He was sitting in his easy chair, and looked up and said, "I've got a new organization, the SMLF. It's the Sado-masochist Liberation Front. We got a flag; it's black and blue. And we got a motto: Tread on Me.

I think Stew was actually out doors in an easy chair up in Hurley. Stew was pontificating, as was his wont.

And yes, those were good times.

I mourn Bill's death as I do Stew's and David's. In a time when I for one need strength and courage, I miss their wise counsel, their resolve to stand up to the madness, and their wicked sense of humor. Is it time to revive the SMLF?