I have been playing music at occupyboston since the first weekend that it came together. I'm not a professional musician and I thought that this was a way I could give to the community, by contributing my time and expense of getting there to entertain the "troops", who I love dearly.
But what I encountered today, was very disheartening. I stood in a facilitators teach-in (I think it was), which was very informational, but to my dismay it was going to extend beyond my time to play against the "wall" (the DOT wall which has the PA system). So I decided to setup in the cobblestone area where the vendors had their wares. I had a 5 watt Micro-cube amp and my Les Paul. I played some songs and then met a guy who also played some songs. Suddenly, a person came up to us, associated with the vendors, asking that we volume it down or move to Atlantic ave., which is so noisy that nobody can hear you play or sing. It occurred to me, who is this person and what right to they have to ask this of me? I immediately went over to the officer in the square and inquired what right this person has. He said if they ask you to leave and you don't want to leave, then don't.
So we continued to play and were watched by the vendor person and the cop that I had talked to for quite awhile.
Then we had complaints lodged against us when the little micro-cube was pointed AWAY from the encampment. I play a lot of protest songs, and have written 3 recently that are directly inspired by the #ows movement. I wonder where has the appreciation gone for the importance of music in protest movements.
Needless to say, I am very disheartened at the moment, from what I saw as a viable role for myself in the movement.