#OccupyWallStreet is underway and we're liveblogging it in solidarity. Tay's diary is a great resource for learning about the origins of this protest.
You can see a timeline of events leading to the first night of sleeping in the park across the street from the World Trade center in TBug's diary.
I have two stepchildren (Luna and Juno, unless they want me using their real names) camping out there. I'll report a little bit about some of my exchanges with them yesterday as the protest unfolded. Then I'll post a few resource links at the bottom of the diary. Please post any updates or information you learn in the comments.
My stepdaughter had said she was heading down to New York City this week, but why she was going hadn't registered for me. So, I was surprised to hear from my stepson, via text, that they were at the Wall Street occupation rally. Since it's not something I can physically manage, though I very much would love to be there, it's a thrill for me to have this connection to the action. I'm just giddy with pride that they've taken the initiative and slept in the park last night.
Unlike actions where there is some lead organization which is the central driver, #occupywallstreet (that's a Twitter hashtag, for the uninitiated) is a crowdsourced movement. This is reflected in some of the early communications I had with Luna and Juno last evening. They weren't sure what to make of the crowd size, for instance. "It's only 1,000 people!" They also couldn't figure out where to get solid information about any plans or messages or demands. At one point they felt unsure about whether it was all going to dissipate. They seemed a little disappointed and lost and they were considering whether to stay. One of their texts, when I asked for them for info:
It's sort of a strange atmosphere. I wouldn't know exactly what to report."
I understand that any PA systems out there are low quality. I'm not sure if Luna and Juno were able to hear this:
(Lupe Fiasco has offered to supply better sound equipment. He has also offered to donate $25,000 towards food for the protesters:
LupeFiasco Lupe Fiasco
For every 1,000 twitpics I get showing visual support for #occupywallstreet I'm gonna donate $25 bucks to is.gd/ZVsfjr
You can donate money for food, too!
I must admit to a little pang of "only 1,000. That's not nearly the 20k they'd hoped for." However, that feeling faded immediately when I remembered that the Tahrir Square protests started out small and grew. The recent protests in Israel started with one person and culminated in nearly 1/2 million people on the streets. Somebody has to be the seed. If they stay, they will draw others. What they need is staying power. The occupation isn't a one day things. They must be in it for the long run. So, I started encouraging them to hang in there.
I also told them the story of how there were "no leaders" and no "real demands" in the early days of the Egyptian protests, either. The protests were seen as toothless, for a while. What ensued though was beautiful. The occupants of Tahrir Square formed their own society. Everything from sanitation to health care to community meetings started to get organized. Before long this amorphous protest congealed into a movement. When they unfurled that 20-story list of demands regarding all of the steps to a truly democratic system of government, the world started to take notice. This can happen in Zuccotti Park, too. It's already beginning:
TaiwanJohnUeng 1:27am via Twitter for iPhone
RT @tawnyjm: RT@baezfer:The movement itself has no single leader/figurehead;all decisions are made by consensus at general assemblies #occupywallstreet
Rather than being so quick to deem this a failure, we may need to get over our national attention deficit disorder and give this time to unfold. The people in Zuccotti need time to settle in and gel as a movement. They can figure out a way to establish communications and decision-making methodologies amongst themselves. Once they've had a little time to bond we'll see something very different than we did on Saturday.
We kept texting throughout the evening and by midnight, I was able to inform them that the park owner was allowing the protesters to stay.
davidgraeber Sep 17, 10:56pm via Echofon
Yup looks like the cops are letting us stay the night
davidgraeber Sep 17, 9:49pm via Echofon
Still owner said in negotiation with mayor to let us stay - suspect you out there helped by calling
They seemed to feel better about being there and decided to sleep in the park. The last I heard from them was a Facebook post calling out to the universe to see if anyone had sleeping bags they could borrow. If they're still there on Monday, their dad may go down and join them. I'll be the research, information and outreach hub. Our little family unit will do all it can to support this for as long as it lasts.
The people who have determined to #OccupyWallStreet will face criticism and cynicism and the same doubts Luna and Juno are grappling with. We all need to help them keep some perspective. They are there seeking to wake up America and to effect some profound change to our broken system. (such as the removal of corporate personhood) The predominant sentiment which compels them to face off with Wall Street is the reality that, in the US, the money of a few is being used to control our government and our economy at the unsustainable expense of the many. This is not democracy. It is also not new. It will not be changed overnight. We need to celebrate every small victory to encourage them to keep going. So, in answer to the early questions of "what is this accomplishing?":
SabzBrach 8:20am via web
RT @eadvocate: What has #takewallstreet accomplished so far? Trust. Zuccotii park owners let #generalassembly participants form an overnight public square.
That's a significant accomplishment! The police know there is a general assembly at 10am and they don't seem to be doing anything to block that. Yay! Keep it up!
People are donating sleeping bags, tents and food to support the occupation. Yay! Go Team Humanity!
As a nation, we've been sleeping in our cribs when it comes to protecting democracy. A few people are yawning, squinting at the brightness of daylight and taking some wobbly first steps. Remember how patient and excited we are with babies when they start attempting to walk? We cheer and encourage them when they fall on their diapered tushes in frustration. We let them grip our fingers as they hoist themselves back up and wobble over again. We never say, "what was the point to that? Just get back in the crib and don't bother!" We know it takes time and many, many fumbles along the way and we celebrate every attempt. Please do the same here. It isn't just the protesters learning to walk here. It's all of us. Celebrate every little thing any of us can do along the way.
Resources
Watch
live streaming video from
globalrevolution at livestream.com
Occupy Wall Street facebook page
OccupyWallStreet.org
Us Days of Rage
AnonOps Communications
Adbusters.org
On Reddit
Donate money to feed the protesters!