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efforts had raised over $100,000, via benefit concerts, to try to keep this unique and important cultural haven open, but astronomically rising rents - combined with a sudden onslaught of targeting via unfair fines and summonses - forced Tonic to close its doors -- coincidentally, at the very same time a luxury high-rise condominium had opened it's doors next door. Tonic was actually one of the first music spaces in that area, and catered to a local group of experimental musicians, highlighting a unique hybrid of music that was respected internationally and had it's genesis on the Lower East Side itself. Tonic was officially supposed to closed on April 13th, 2007 - - but a group of musicians and activists (with the support of representatives from Local 802 American Federation of Musicians, NYC) staged an historic protest the next day, violating a vacate order, in a bid to keep the music flowing and draw attention to the situation. The day was filled with hours of incredible music by dozens of artists. It should be noted that previous to 2007, Tonic had existed for nine years with only a single noise complaint on record. Tonic was forced to close - seemingly targeted for bizarre fines and noise complaints that had been issued to them before - while other newly opened clubs in the neighborhood such as Pianos, who openly boasted on their website about flooding the streets with noise complaints, remained open and never received a single fine or summons despite being the source of hundreds of noise complaints in their first few years open. Everyone chose to leave but Ribot & Moore thought they had a right to continue playing music. Neighborhood journalists and activists entered the club to document the moment the police asked activist Norman Yamada to formally inform everyone of the directive to vacate (Yamada, a composer, was a principle organizer of the concert day of action, and co-founder with Moore of the now-defunct organizing hub - www.takeitothebridge.com.) Another principle organizer, Patricia Parker (performer and Vision Fest founder) is seen giving information to the remaining onlookers at the end of the footage. Legal counsel from Local 802, Harvey Mars, was present to advise the protesting musicians. This action is one of only two we know of where artists in NYC refused to simply vacate their longtime arts space due to dramatic, unfairly raised rents or real estate developer takeover (the other incidence being Charas El Bohio, also on the L.E.S. They may be the only two incidents of artists refusing to obediently leave their long-time spaces in NYC history.) THE CITY IS FOR EVERYONE, NOT JUST THE WEALTHY. KEEP RAISING YOUR VOICES & PLAYING YOUR MUSIC.