Something revolutionary is happening in New Orleans. Beyond the idyllic thoroughfares of Uptown, the business buildings of Downtown, and the hustle-and-bustle of the French Quarter lies an unremarkable Marigny warehouse, with a most remarkable tenant. Here the Iron Rail Book Collective serves the community through its mission statement of "politics, culture, and literacy."
       It's a library; it's a bookstore; it's an artspace; it's a community center; it's a revolution. It's a reminder that the power can and should be in the people's hands.
       "It's books that fuel revolutions," the collective says. Iron Rail, at 511 Marigny St., was New Orleans's first library to re-open after Hurricane Katrina. One collective member estimates that the library now carries 10,000 books. The collection contains "radical" books on anarchism, socialism, feminism, DIY and gay and lesbian studies, as well as a wide selection of politics, history, religion, fiction and non-fiction. Iron Rail also boasts the Aboveground Zine Library, which features thousands of self-published titles on literature, gender issues, DIY, politics and anything any human could imagine.
       Iron Rail is also a host to educators, philosophers, and activists. Book readings, political discussions and socially conscious movies are always on the calendar. Events can be as placid as a poetry reading or as fierce as an effigy-burning-extravaganza in the streets. Even if nothing official is planned, random artists, musicians, and other colorful characters are always darting in and out of the library: anything can happen.
       "THIS SHOP IS CONTROLLED BY ITS WORKERS," reads a sign hanging in the bookstore section of Iron Rail. The shop is entirely run by volunteer collective members and transients who donate their time. There are no owners. There are no bosses. The collective makes management decisions democratically at weekly volunteer meetings. It hopes to demonstrate that projects can effectively be run in a non-authoritarian manner.
       Sharing the building with the Iron Rail is Plan B, the New Orleans Community Bike Project. Also a volunteer-run project, Plan B assists the community with bicycle repair and building. Most parts used have been salvaged from trashed bikes in hopes of countering waste.
       The revolution is only growing, and it is a busy time for Iron Rail. There is talk of expansion and books are always flowing in. This egalitarian, intellectual revolution is one New Orleans can use. The power is for the people to take.

S t a r t  D o c u m e n t a r y