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Wall Street Sit-In Goes Global Saturday
For an October revolution, dress warm.
Only time will tell what a growing global social movement can muster, but the energy is discernible and the momentum remains in favor of a new kind of change. That's the word going out - politely - on the Web to rally street protests on Saturday around the globe from New Zealand to Alaska via London, Frankfurt, Washington and, of course, New York, where the past month's Occupy Wall Street movement has inspired a worldwide yell of anger at banks and financiers.
How many will show up, let alone stay to camp out to disrupt city centres for days, or months, to come, is anyone's guess. The hundreds at Manhattan's Zuccotti Park were calling for back-up on Friday, fearing imminent eviction. Rome expects tens of thousands at a national protest of more traditional stamp.
Few other police forces expect more than a few thousand to turn out on the day for what is billed as an exercise in social media-spread, Arab Spring-inspired, grassroots democracy with an emphasis on peaceful, homespun debate, as seen among Madrid's "indignados" in June or at the current Wall Street park sit-in.
Blogs and Facebook pages devoted to "October 15" - #O15 on Twitter - abound with exhortations to keep the peace, bring an open mind, a sleeping bag, food and warm clothing; in Britain, "Occupy London Stock Exchange" is at pains to stress it does not plan to actually, well, occupy the stock exchange.
That may turn off those with a taste for the kind of anarchic violence seen in London in August, at anti-capitalism protests of the past decade and at some rallies against spending cuts in Europe this year. But, as Karlin Younger of consultancy Control Risks said: "When there's a protest by an organisation that's very grassroots, you can't be sure who will show up."
Concrete demands are few from those who proclaim "We are the 99 percent", other than a general sense that the other 1 percent - the "greedy and corrupt" rich, and especially banks - should pay more, and that elected governments are not listening.
"It's time for us to unite; it's time for them to listen; people of the world, rise up!" proclaims the Web site United for #GlobalChange. "We are not goods in the hands of politicians and bankers who do not represent us ... We will peacefully demonstrate, talk and organise until we make it happen."
By doing so peacefully, many hope for a wider political impact, by amplifying the chord their ideas strike with millions of voters in wealthy countries who feel ever more squeezed by the global financial crisis while the rich seem to get richer.
"ENOUGH IS ENOUGH"
"We have people from all walks of life joining us every day," said Spyro, one of those behind a Facebook page in London which has grown to have some 12,000 followers in a few weeks, enthused by Occupy Wall Street. Some 5,000 have posted that they will turn out, though even some activists expect fewer will.
Spyro, a 28-year-old graduate who has a well-paid job and did not want his family name published, summed up the main target of the global protests as "the financial system".
Angry at taxpayer bailouts of banks since crisis hit in 2008 and at big bonuses still paid to some who work in them while unemployment blights the lives of many young Britons, he said: "People all over the world, we are saying 'Enough is enough'."
What the remedy would be, Spyro said, was not for him to say but should emerge from public debate - a common theme for those camping out off Wall Street since mid-September, who have stirred up U.S. political debate and, a Reuters poll found , won sympathy from over a third of Americans.
A suggestions log posted at 15october.net ("This space is ready for YOUR idea for the revolution") range from a mass cutting up of credit cards ("hit the banks where it counts") to "use technology to make education free".
For all such utopianism, the possibility that peaceful mass action, helped by new technologies, can bring real change has been reinforced by the success of Arab uprisings this year.
"I've been waiting for this protest for a long time, since 2008," said Daniel Schreiber, 28, an editor in Berlin. "I was always wondering why people aren't outraged and why nothing has happened and finally, three years later, it's happening."
Quite what is happening, though, is hard to say. The biggest turnouts are expected where local conditions are most acute.
Italian police are preparing for tens of thousands to march in Rome against austerity measures planned by the beleaguered government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Yet in crisis-ravaged Athens, where big protests have seen violence at times of late, a sense of fatigue and futility may limit numbers on Saturday. In Madrid, where thousands of young "indignados", or "angry ones", camped out for weeks, many also feel the movement has run out of steam since the summer.
Germans, where sympathy for southern Europe's debt troubles is patchy, the financial centre of Frankfurt, and the European Central Bank in particular, is expected to be a focus of marches calling by the Spanish-inspired Real Democracy Now movement.
Complicating German sentiments, however, a series of small bombs found on trains has stirred memories of the left-wing guerrilla attacks that grew in the 1970s from frustration at a lack of change after the student protests of 1968.
CITY OF LONDON
British student protests a year ago were marked by some acts of violence by what authorities say were hard-core anarchists. Days of looting in London in August were put down to motives that mingled political discontent with criminal opportunism.
As an international centre of finance, the City of London is key target. But organisers know strong police powers make setting up a Wall Street-style protest camp there far from easy.
"There's quite a bit of fatigue setting in," said one young veteran of last year's protests against higher university fees. "But if it's still going by Monday or Tuesday, I think that will excite students and they will head down. The City is much more the focus of people's anger now, compared to a year ago."
A long Saturday of rallies may start in New Zealand, where the Occupy Auckland Facebook page provides links recommending "suitable clothing ... a sleeping bag, a tent, food" -- but, in a family-friendly spirit, strictly no drugs or alcohol.
Asian authorities and businesses may have less to fear, since most of their economies are still growing strongly.
Tracking across the time zones, through towns large and small ("Occupy Norwich!" reads a website from the picturesque English city), the New York example has also prompted calls for similar occupations in dozens of U.S. cities from Saturday.
In Houston, protesters plan to tap into anger at big oil companies. As the world's day ends, hardy souls will be marching in Fairbanks. "We will be obeying traffic lights," insist the authors of OccupyAlaska.org, and they "will be dressed warm".
History suggests such actions are unlikely, of themselves, to change the world. As one anonymous poster at 15october.net writes, "Fleshing out ideas into living reality has always been the bugbear of radical politics". And while anger at corporate greed is widespread, there are plenty of voters who would agree with the Australian who posted on the OccupySydney site that those marching will be "the lazy, the paranoid, the confused".
But some analysts do see a potential for political change.
Jeff Madrick, a prominent economics writer, speaks warmly of the serious and reasonable debate he found at Zuccotti Park. Revolutions may be rare, but the protests could push lawmakers to act on some of the demands, he said last week: "It may begin to change public opinion enough to give Congress, people in Washington, the courage of their own convictions."
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45 Comments so far
Show AllLet us be optimistic that these occupations are only the first step to a true movement for more humane economic/political systems.
The next steps will involve organizing while resisting co-opting by the corporate political parties; taking non-violent actions such as general strikes and boycotts; and creating genuine, sustainable alternatives to the current murderous systems of greed and dominance currently destroying life as well as the environment.
The October 15 event will be great practice for the upcoming winter through which OWS must be sustained.
If you are a union member, tell your union leadership to stop sending your money to the Democratic Party and redirect those funds to OWS to sustain the movement through the winter.
Please sign below if you believe in the people's permit which comes with the US Constitution's First Amerndment and our Bill of Rights.
Occupy Wall Street remains despite NYPD abuse.
Share this action on Facebook
Share this action on Twitter
This is an emergency appeal. Spread it widely.
Our permit to occupy is called “The First Amendment.”
This morning, Occupy Wall Street protesters celebrated when New York authorities beat a last-minute retreat from clearing Liberty Plaza – as hundreds of labor and other activists rushed to defend the square.
But at the same time this morning, dozens of state troopers in riot gear cleared out Occupy Denver protests. In cities across the country, Occupy protesters have faced police violence and arrests. Some occupations have been forcibly removed while others have stood their ground successfully.
The authorities say we don’t have the proper permits to occupy public spaces. Our permit to occupy is The First Amendment.
Quickly sign the following statement which will be delivered to mayors, police chiefs and major media across the country:
Our permit to occupy public squares and parks is in The First Amendment, which affirms “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
When people across the Middle East occupied public squares, leaders in Washington mostly cheered those protesters and warned Middle Eastern governments not to use force to clear them. Those other societies don’t have a First Amendment. Yet Washington affirmed the universal right to assembly and protest.
We do have a First Amendment. The force being used to clear nonviolent protesters from public squares in our country is unacceptable. It must stop.
Please sign the statement now. And forward this email.
And then view the powerful “I Am Not Moving” video that exposes Washington’s hypocrisy in applauding occupations in the Middle East, while force and violence are used against nonviolent protesters across our land.
Sincerely,
Aimee, David, Jeff,
and the RootsAction team
P.S. Our small staff is supported by contributions from people like you; your donations are greatly appreciated.
How "nice" to have such excuse making as this for the big banking crowd by the mainsteam media, in this case the British media. But who cares? It's the same old BS. The barbarians are at the gates. The "terrible anarchists" are coming to get us-- the mobs. Now all this hot air about "bombs" in Germany comes.. How do we know this is anything but made up BS. Can you say manufacutured consent? The bombs during the 1960s often now are known to have been part of a systematic move by Western intelligence to discredit left wing movements by recruiting far right outfits to carry out this insantiy-- a little bit of CounterIntellpro come to Western Europe or really worse. Bombs actually did go off. But if the far right was in it on then, how do we know they're not in on this even if it's for real? This is all about playing rough and for keeps. Those who have power never concede it without a struggle and this struggle has just begun.
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RootsAction's #Occupy First Amendment PETITION
Take Action URL: http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4882
Information regarding the following petition provided courtesy of Common Dreams Comment poster AD and RootsAction.
AD in part wrote:
Please sign below if you believe in the people's permit which comes with the US Constitution's First Amerndment and our Bill of Rights. Occupy Wall Street remains despite NYPD abuse. Share this action on Facebook Share this action on Twitter This is an emergency appeal. Spread it widely. Our permit to occupy is called “The First Amendment.” This morning, Occupy Wall Street protesters celebrated when New York authorities beat a last-minute retreat from clearing Liberty Plaza – as hundreds of labor and other activists rushed to defend the square. But at the same time this morning, dozens of state troopers in riot gear cleared out Occupy Denver protests. In cities across the country, Occupy protesters have faced police violence and arrests. Some occupations have been forcibly removed while others have stood their ground successfully. The authorities say we don’t have the proper permits to occupy public spaces. Our permit to occupy is The First Amendment. Quickly sign the following statement which will be delivered to mayors, police chiefs and major media across the country: Our permit to occupy public squares and parks is in The First Amendment, which affirms “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
RootsAction's #Occupy First Amendment PETITION
Take Action URL: http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4882
To Mayors and Police Chiefs,
OUR PERMIT TO OCCUPY PUBLIC SQUARES AND PARKS IS THE FIRST AMENDMENT, which affirms “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
When people across the Middle East occupied public squares, leaders in Washington mostly cheered those protesters and warned Middle Eastern governments not to use force to clear them. Those other societies don’t have a First Amendment. Yet Washington affirmed the universal right to assembly and protest.
We DO have a First Amendment. The force being used to clear nonviolent protesters from public squares in our country is unacceptable. It must stop.
RootsAction's #Occupy First Amendment PETITION
Take Action URL: http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4882
This has been a long time coming!
Yes, we must be optimistic and supportive too. This is a movement of, by and for the people, the first step of a long journey. As I watch these these brave people I hear Neil Armstrong, "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." I begin to feel hopeful again.
God bless you sisters and brothers, and thank you for caring. I regret that I can't be with you but I'll certainly be with you in spirit. You have my prayerful support.
ED: well said. This is only the beginning of a struggle that will not take weeks or months, but YEARS. We must maintain our resolve: not to be co-opted, to keep resisting, to find embrace our diversity and find our unity as a movement, and to expect dirty tricks from the other side--the one percent.
are we talking the walk or walking the talk?
are we not men? I am and I'm out there in the street. chalk the banks
Great summary and critique of the article. I think CD re-publishes many articles from the corporate media even if those articles are essentially propaganda. We've gotten used to it, haven't we?
Yup. Not everything is as it seems or wishes to be perceived. In fact, in the land of fake democracy, it's hard to know what, if anything, really is what it purports to be.
For a more enlightened assessment of the risks, see the article entitled "An Insidious Threat to the Occupy Movement" at http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/10/14/an-insidious-threat-to-the-occupy-movement/
I like to see what CD contributors have to say about propagandistic articles from the corporate media. Our non-progressive peers are reading these articles. We can't really get our dissenting points of view across to non-progressives unless we understand the propaganda.
thanks VP; I don't usually skip to the comments without reading the article but this time I did. Not to worry, the only thing that could curb the rising tide is reform, but what we have seen so far for many moons now is retrenchment. Yes, a (northern hemisphere) winter of deepening discontent will reinforce the lessons learned in this action.
Perhaps in the pause before the storm we can collect the data to revise the 99% figure, ie - taken to a global scale, how does distribution of total global wealth break down wrt the global population? How to reconcile that as we rebel against our loss of prosperity (not to demean the strong environmental current of the movement here,) that much of the world would gladly forage our scraps? This is the reality that the guardians of the status quo twist into charges of "indolence, laziness, and ingratitude." (see Rokstroh from yesterday on addiction and envy)
A silent coup has been accomplished. Fukuyama got it wrong. The present confrontation is not just an "event" but is another iteration of the predictable capture of liberal democratic governance. The words and the concepts "regulation" and the "commons" must be completely restored. I will gladly eat these comments, if proven wrong.
My favorite bit is the "sympathy from over a third of Americans" trick.
Yeah, you could call 54% "over a third" I guess. ;)
Link to the Poll Results (scroll to Question 11)
To effect real, positive and lasting change, the oligarchy has to go.
Direct democracy
There are two problems with this that I spot right off:
1. Some taxes are unavoidable for most people.
2. Why can't folks do what you say AND get out in the public and exchange ideas?
I agree that the idea that Occupations will just sort of "make things happen" is naive, but I don't see many people having that idea.
"From the comfort of your own home, you can do 3 things: 1-take all your savings from the American baking system, 2-consume the bare basics of food, shelter, clothing and medicine; and 3-stop paying taxes (the same taxes that pay for Nazi cops and illegals wars). "
Taking all money from your bank accounts would probably do it alone. It's legal, of course, but it's unlikely to happen because of the scale involved and the propensity of the masses to do nothing.
We must do these three things but one more that is very important. Phantom is not correct to say that yelling and carrying signs in parks lead to nothing. Gathering in these large groups gives us courage and comfort that we are not alone in our suffering. We must be with other people to feel strength to resist. I fear the violence of the police and surely the army will be sent out against us too. We must stay out on the streets but also we must resolve never to believe a word or promise of either corporate political party. It makes me sick to see some Democrats compliment the protestors and even go so far, as Nancy Pelosi did, to say she supports them. Yeah right! She who voted for the wars, for the bankster bailout, for the lowering of the taxes on the rich and for austerity for the working people of the nation. She stood firm in not even allowing Single Payer to come up for a vote. Her 'support' makes my belly revolt. We must stand firm in our disrespect and anger at all members of Congress. They are totally corrupt and we must get them out of office. Don't stick with someone you have now for fear that a replacement might be even worse. We have been doing this for decades and see where that got us. Kick the corrupt out!! If their replacement is corrupt and votes for the contributors over the constituents THROW THAT ONE OUT TOO. We must keep this up until we have some decent honest ethical people serving as our Representatives. Turn off that damn TV when the the creeps are lying to you. Don't be fooled again. No Ds and no Rs! NEVER AGAIN!
WHOYAH!
wantrealdemocracy...I have been saying that for years "NO Ds and NO Rs"...never again. My greatest fear is that OWS will be a total loss if some of the protesters don't give up their infatuation with the dem party. Only time will tell, but NOW is the time to get the word out. NO Ds and NO Rs ever again...otherwise the 1% will be laughing all the way to polls on election day. A win in the streets will not transalate into a win in the struggle for justice unless we disenfranchise the dem/repub Party.
THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING. No one expects participants to remain camped out in the cold. No one expects immediate gratification. A message has been sent and consciousness raised, the 99% will NOT TOLERATE the greed of the 1%.That much is clear. The financial elites believe they can "manage" this movement, but they cannot. As long as the movement remains DECENTRALIZED, i.e., centered on individual participants, and SOCIAL as opposed to political, the movement will gain participants.
Why will this work? It will work because the architecture of the Internet is DECENTRALIZED. Everyone is now a participant. There is no central authority.
How does it work? Awareness of the problems has raised people's consciousness. People in ever greater numbers are willing to participate in a unifying SOCIAL movement instead of a dis-unifying political movement that divides us. It takes time to form a Vision. Each person participates in the formation of a Vision or Visions as they discuss ideas with people both personally and on the net. People will begin to coalesce around a particular idea or ideas. When those ideas are adopted by the majority of the participants they form a vision and become verb like in that they become operational. The idea is held in the minds and hearts of the participants. Those ideas were developed democratically by participants and therefore are very durable.
Why should these ideas be TRANSFORMATIONAL. It's important to develop new sustainable lifeways that help to insure people's survivability in a totally corrupt system awash in money. Creativity is the currency of transformation. With ever widening participation creative ideas will surface that when implemented will fill in a piece of the transformational puzzle. Creative ideas are key. Example: removing accounts from big banks to community credit unions will strengthen local efforts to transform while at the same time weaken the big banks. Another example is: raise the consciousness of young people so that they do not participate in the military which serves the 1%, thereby, weakening American empire building while cutting back on defense spending.
There are many transformational ideas that will be generated. Winter is the perfect time to build the movement and generate ideas.
Why is this better than a political movement. First, it is unifying, not dis-unifying. The elites have profited greatly by dividing people and distracting people. The movement will be the glue that keeps us unified and focused. The more people that participate the more valuable and applicable the vision becomes. People take ownership if they participate. Change will be easier if it takes place piece by piece, victory by victory, than if we confront the system directly through organized political action. Besides, it only makes sense that people will individually reject the current system as their consciousness is raised. Indirectly it will affect politics.
Another advantage of the decentralized SOCIAL movement is that it cannot be hijacked. By working with individuals instead of organizations, it makes taking over the movement impossible. Individual persons who have developed a vision will not surrender their hard earned vision because of propaganda or dis-information. PEOPLE WILL NOT BE DIVIDED.
Over time the adoption of new ideas and new visions will first transform our lives and then transform the system. Even if the Internet is shut down the visions will already be internalized in each of us and there will be no turning it back. This patient approach allows us both to enjoy our lives while cooperating to help those that have fallen on hard times.
Trust the young people of this Nation. They are working for the betterment of us all and making considerable sacrifices. Respect them, help them, encourage them. After all, it is they who will be living out the future.
Think about this, the baby boom generation is the first generation that has not left America better off for their children. Those of us who are boomers have a special obligation to participate, support, and correct this circumstance. We owe it to our children.
Without much time, let me just interject concerning an articel CounterPunch is currently running and is below or at least provide something from that article below.
But the Hoovervilles continued.
II. Hartford.
The Occupied Hartford encampment has a significant view. If you stand in the middle of the camp at the intersection of Broad and Farmington, you can see Richard Upjohn’s dazzling Connecticut State Capital (the Government), the plantation of Aetna and various office buildings of the major insurance firms (the Corporations), the office of the Hartford Courant, the oldest continuously published newspaper in America (the Media) and the Connecticut State Armory (the Military).
Occupy Hartford
Occupy New Haven
Occupy Middletown
Occupy Connecticut
Occupy Joe LIEberman!
Nice post. For paragraph breaks, type <, then p, then >
A common theme in "news" reports in the corporate media is that the protesters have no stated agenda. These clueless commentators seem annoyed that the Wall Street occupiers haven't said what they want from the ruling elite. I think it scares them shitless.
What the ruling elite and their media talking heads haven't figured out that the list is so enormously long, that a ten-second sound bite is inadequate to summarize what is generating the age that has finally ignited.
The "let them eat cake" attitude of the greedy rich is about to come crashing down around their ears.
The message is: we are changing the system of how society currently functions, which is insane, to a sane and humane system of societal organization.
Where are the U.S. locations posted on the internet? I don't see them on Occupy Together, and some of the local sites don't mention anything.
Also, are people offering rides to others so more can attend?
Please post a link for further information about where people can find their closest Oct 15th demo, and people please tweet and post if you can provide others with transportation. Add information if you are going with children or planning to return (not get arrested). Or you're going to be a non-violent resister (and you don't know if the ride is going both ways). This is the kind of information-communication gap in the U.S. that pisses me off. WHERE (in the U.S.)? WHEN? HOW (DO PEOPLE GET THERE)? And we wonder why not that many people show up? Thank you.
No tax increase on the millionaires and billionaires in the face of enormous debt means cut the safety net. RESIST. PRESERVE ENTITLEMENTS..
I keep waiting for someone to point out that sparing the richest people from appropriate taxes is actually the grossest entitlement of all and apparently far exceeds any entitlements going to anyone else. It is difficult to imagine a person with such an enormous entitlement ever daring to complain about entitlements for others.
___________________________________
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/15/business/in-private-conversation-wall-street-is-more-critical-of-protesters.html
_____________________________________
"Some on Wall Street viewed the protesters with disdain, and a degree of caution, as hundreds marched through the financial district on Friday. Others say they feel their pain, but are befuddled about what they are supposed to do to ease it. A few even feel personally attacked, and say the Occupy Wall Street protesters who have been in Zuccotti Park for weeks are just bitter about their own economic fate and looking for an easy target. If anything, they say, people should show some gratitude."
"there is no justice, but there are limits" a. camus
Why have none of the links posted here been included in the messages? If CommonDreams is screwing around, I'll cancel my monthly donation.
I'm off to the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. There are 2 demonstrations at noon, one here and one in The Hague. Politicians have promised to join us, so there will be media coverage. I doubt the Dutch or expat Americans will camp out even one cold evening, but we'll all feel good. My students will be in bed, alas. Life is too good over here in 'socialist' Holland.
.WHY I OCCUPY
A hungry child continues to cry…
That is why I Occupy
The killing drones continue to fly…
That is why I Occupy
The Pentagon still continues to lie…
That is why I Occupy
45,000 uninsured continue to die…
That is why I Occupy
I joined 2,700 people today 'Occupying' City Hall in my city today. It felt very good to act in solidarity with others and say Enough is Enough. Time to take our govt. back from the corporations that have stolen it. We marched, disrupting traffic on a major thoroughfare because our numbers were way more than the 1,000 expected. Later there were speeches, and after that, a General Assembly. About 100 were determined to occupy the area tonight.
I want to add some heart-felt praise for my beloved city of Philadelphia where the police and the city officials have been kind to the Occupy Philadelphia people, working with them to make things as safe and comfortable as possible. We are blessed with a mayor and officials who have unusual wisdom and good hearts. Many faith groups in the city, including my Quaker meeting, are reaching out to the protesters, donating much food, clothing, blankets, etc., meeting with the protesters, worshiping with them. Most of the young people who are occupying are doing everything they can to respect the needs of the city, including keeping things clean. The focus is on the protest issues, and on amazing creativity. I would rather live in Philadelphia than anywhere else, where there are so many truly beautiful people.
RVarley wrote:
I want to add some heart-felt praise for my beloved city of Philadelphia where the police and the city officials have been kind to the Occupy Philadelphia people, working with them to make things as safe and comfortable as possible. We are blessed with a mayor and officials who have unusual wisdom and good hearts. Many faith groups in the city, including my Quaker meeting, are reaching out to the protesters, donating much food, clothing, blankets, etc., meeting with the protesters, worshiping with them. Most of the young people who are occupying are doing everything they can to respect the needs of the city, including keeping things clean. The focus is on the protest issues, and on amazing creativity. I would rather live in Philadelphia than anywhere else, where there are so many truly beautiful people.
* * * * *
My Comment:
RVarley,
Thank you for your comment. I am not living near Cambridge, MA at this time, so I have lost touch with Quakers at Friends Meeting at Cambridge. But I do know that a member of the CQEW (Cambridge Quaker Earthcare Witness) Committee participated in civil disobedience with Bill McKibben and 350.org in early September and another member of both CQEW and Veterans for Peace has been among the protesters at the #OccupyBoston encampment.
One of these days, I hope I will be able to visit MfWs in the Philadelphia area.
Thank you for reminding me of the light within Philadelpia.
Saturday, and sharing the movement, and My Wall Street Moment. Whooo HOO! I went, I saw, I conquered! It was so wonderful. There were just about 100 people. Many older people, some war veterans, some were in wheel chairs. There were younger people there also and it was definitely a multicultural event. I will be bringing more of my Spanish things next time. It is one of my favorite languages and I need use it more. I love singing in Spanish.
There was a retired Rabbi with his wife and he made a brief statement of where we all were coming from. It has been a long time since I have heard something so inspiring. It was all-inclusive, and done with such chutzpah. Nothing was planned or rehearsed. Everyone was so excited and everyone had wonderful things to say, and we did take turns….and for once I kept my mouth shut so I could hear what other people had to say. I met the woman whose picture was in our local newspaper regarding The Wall Street Occupations. We are in the process of planning more demonstrations. I met many other old friends from past demonstrations there.
We were getting ready to march and I saw some of the police officers who were there to assist us. I being of sound mind and a lot of nerve went over and spoke with them. I told them that they were under no obligation to answer any of my questions….but I am just so darn enthusiastic that they could not resist me. :-) :-) :-)
With a practiced eye, I had of course picked out the Commander of the bunch. He said my name sounded familiar….and I said well it should because my ‘wanted poster’ hangs in every post office in the United States. He said that that was a very interesting statement. I say of course, and I asked him if they were at all worried about their pensions. The Commander said the older employees do not have to worry but the newer people coming up are going to have a lot of problems. I told him then it is up to him and his organization/union to explain to the public how their pensions really work and NOT let the talking heads on TV misrepresent and put down our public servants. He said thanks and shook my hand.
Then we marched through Oxnard with our signs held high. Oxnard does not have a shinning reputation. I think that sometimes some places are misjudged and misrepresented on purpose. I believe that is called racism. However, WE found the population very mellow and supportive. Everyone was honking their horns and given us the “peace” sign or the “thumbs-up” sign. Most people “get it”.
I could see that some of the people in their cars had puzzled looks on their faces. I can hear their thoughts now…”what the hell is THE 99%!”
The older FOLKS and some of the vets, and those in wheelchairs, lagged behind but they were having just as much fun. There were a few stretch limousines with the “youth” of our country inside. They were all having such a good time waving a cheering us on. One guy in the limo hangs out the window and yells out…...”Screw Wal-Mart!” I of course did not hesitate to yell back …”Screw them all!” Then I got to thinking ….maybe he thought we were having a 99 cent sale at Wal-Mart. :-[
At the same time, in the City of Ventura, they were also having a demonstration. We were told that the demonstration was larger, and some people had come down to ask us to join them in front of the mission on Main Street. There were many people in the group from Oxnard that were concerned that the City of Oxnard had to be represented too, and that they have their own demonstrations. I think that is only fair. After all, this is a PEOPLE’S MOVEMENT.
Of course the press was there taking names and asking questions, but I doubt you will get much information from our local gossipy newspapers who only report….IF IT BLEEDS, IT LEADS, or they tout how swell the rich are and how much they do for charity. And as for us poor old working blokes…. who are just the legs they stand on, well I guess we do not count for much or justify any respect for our concerns.
Would I do it all again? YOU BETCHA! And, this morning I am I am raring to go again.
( Where are my paragraphs?)
So many wonderful marches. They are going to get even larger, and even larger than that!
I hope people will involve themselves in greater outreach efforts concerning shared transportation to major urban center demonstrations. Car pooling or getting buses together. How many people who drove filled up their vehicles with other riders? If you have a car - you should be filling it up. How can we change the world if we don't trust one another enough to offer rides to places we are already going to, and already paying gasoline for? Let's keep moving out of the "me first," fear-driven Wall Street mentality.
Let's get transportation information posted well enough in advance for people to hear and communicate about it. And so they know where they can find rides.
Seems to me that websites for local occupations should have distinct sections for transportation - also, people should not be required to register with Facebook in order to communicate with one another. Keep communication lines open and do not restrict yourselves to one avenue only.
So what? Over 10,000,000 peacefully marched against a war in Afghanistan and that war is now 10 years old and has cost billions of dollars. Protests mean nothing if they don't produce change and in America, they don't even had demands for anything at all. They should be demanding NO INCUMBENTS to scare the politicians. They should be demanding a 12% usury rate and scare the bankers. They should be demanding an end to corporate personhood to scare the corporations...but...nothing? Why waste the time protesting when you can't even say exactly what you want changed? Are they all 3rd grader kids or what?