Joshua Tree residents have been fighting a planned Dollar General store for over 3 years. And now, they have a new weapon against the retailer: a music video!
Joshua Tree is known for being a haven for artists and those who are considered a little outside of the mainstream. The town has been embroiled in a legal battle for 3 years with a Santa Monica developer who wishes to bring a Dollar General to the iconic town. Residents worry that the chain-type store would usher in a flood of other chain-type stores (currently Joshua Tree is almost exclusively mom-and-pop joints – sans a Subway and Santana’s).
There are currently Dollar Generals in nearby Twentynine Palms and Yucca Valley – but the developer has held strong to building in Joshua Tree despite the protests – which now include a music video and song (that is very, very Joshua Tree).
The video stars Joshua Tree musicians and residents (as extras) who came together on a very cold New Year’s Eve morning to film. It was then unleashed to the public at a release party on February 11 at Joshua Tree’s Beatnik Lounge.
While the video is odd and is probably better viewed while stoned, you have to admire the residents of Joshua Tree who have come together to take on wealthy developers in an effort to keep their town the way they like it.
For more information and to donate to the fight, click here.
