San Diego occupier reporting first hand what I have told to friends and families. This thing is big. Not that people here don't know that but still - this thing is big.
Jump the squigline to read what I experienced and check out some photos from a typically lazy city with a lot of fun, a lot of sun and normally not a lot of protest oomph....
A few notes before the photos. San Diego is a historical hotbed of .... apathy ... well not total and complete apathy but let's just say that throughout my political activities over the past 10 years I would always be a bit sad at the turnout at our events compared to things going on in other cities.
Sure, San Diego would never compare to New York, Nation rallies in DC or cities like San Diego but still when a Moveon anti-war protest would only get 500 people out ..... But, I never stopped trying, I always made it out because it was important for me to be a smart of a small representation.
I expected the same from Occupy San Diego - especially considering it seemed to me that it was organized so quickly. It seemed that (and it really was) only put together about a week before.
With what I would consider a wholesale media blackout on the actual OWS going on I couldn't imagine that much more than the anti-war protests had been. I certainly didn't think it could match the Obama rallies which had a great feeling but still seemed pretty small all in all.
So, on Friday I was running late - trying to get signs made and printing up the statement I have at the bottom of this to hand to any media types. The OSD group had a chnage of plans posted on the website so while we were supposed to be camping at our Civic Center originally it turned out that the space is heavily used for the Jewish community in San Diego on Yom Kippor and it was decided not to interupt (very respectful call) so the OSD was moved to a park about 8 blocks away.
The plan of the actual march to the site got a bit confused and as we were running late my girlfriend and I decided to go to the actual final park and drop off our gear and then try to get to the start of the march after. We got to the park and there were a handful of organizers but it seemed like a very small group - even less than I expected. Still, we were ready to rally and we were told where to walk to find the march.
As we started to walk toward the march a very cool energy started happening. People with signs along the way to the march started joining my us - "Where is it?" and suddenly there was a small pack of us and it seemed like everyone around knew.
About 3/4 of the way to the civic center we turned the corner and saw the wall of people with signs and chants coming toward us. I have chills just writing about it. I've NEVER seen anything like this in San Diego and it became evident as it moved towards us that it was bigger than I even thought.
We joined in and the group was an amazing broad swath demographic. It looked like the composition in ethnicity, age and style of a busy sidewalk. In other words it just looked like a very well rounded segment of the population. You would need to take a very small picture to get a skewed image that it was simply radical folk and that shouted a very powerful message to me.
A lot of people know about this. A lot of people support this. A lot of people ARE this. The 99%.
They say the march had 1500 people which is a great reporting number. I know from working at large events in the past that this is a slight under-reporting. I was guessing 2k but still, that's a great number.
As the march ended as the park where the first night of occupation was the sea of signs varying in message was just amazing. Tents popped up all ver the place, the atmostphere as positive and energized.
The cops in SD were amazingly cool and conversed with us multiple times. The organizers did a great job.
We stayed overnight and into Saturday but I am fortunate that I do have my own business. I will be back with them as it proceeds.
I don't know how it will coalesce but I can tell you from the front lines in a place which normally has a small showing - this thing is big.