Yesterday, inspired as I was by the Day of Action of OWS, I looked on MoveOn.org for local events. I saw that Occupy Tucson planned a march, and decided to go. I spent the whole evening with the occupiers, and it was really rewarding. Here are my notes.
A whole bunch of MoveOn supporters showed up -- my friend Greg counted 245 who participated. We marched around the city government buildings, because we were in part protesting the Rio Nuevo development mess. Rio Nuevo is a local clusterfuck -- a development project intended to help rejuvenate downtown Tucson. The RN board was appointed by state officials in Phoenix: they are not chosen by Tucsonans, they haven't achieved diddly squat, they've wasted a ton of money, and it's a mess. Last I heard, they are suing the city for $47 million. It's something worthy of a protest march.
Once we finished our initial march, we were buzzing with energy, so we kept going. By then my voice was warmed up and I'd gotten over my inhibitions about shouting. We marched up and down Broadway and 4th Ave., chanting and waving our signs. "Banks got bailed out, we got sold out!" "Tell me what democracy sounds like! THIS is what democracy sounds like!" "We are the 99%, you are the 99%!" Good times.
Then it was back to camp -- my first real visit, besides a brief drop-in call on Day of the Dead. Here are some photos by Kossack cosmic debris -- yup, that is what it looks like. Wandering around the encampment, I saw the kitchen, the welcome tent, and the tiny library, but what most caught my eye was that Transgender Awareness Week was mentioned prominently on the list of current and future activities. That makes me proud. I care a lot about LGBT issues, and so do many other Tucsonans, which is one reason I love this city.
After that, I attended my first general assembly. The facilitators knew what they were doing, and everyone who needed to speak had a voice. We started with announcements, one of which was that the word "occupy" is being reexamined. This also makes me glad. The Tucson area has been inhabited for centuries, and the Tohono O'odham have a claim prior to that of anyone else who lives here. Acknowledging the redundancy and abrasiveness of the word "occupy" is a good starting point to a search for solutions.
The GA read through a document, a sort of manifesto of this movement. It included a list of things to be condemned -- things like the corruption of our government due to corporate influence. Also there was a list of demands, like an end to discrimination based on race, sex, age, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, and religious belief or non-belief. Then the GA entered a discussion of other items to be added to this document. We discussed police misconduct and two other issues, but got kind of bogged down in wordsmithing.
It's a good manifesto, but kind of long. The fact is, there is SO MUCH that is fucked up today that you need a long list even to mention all the most important things. And their list is still growing. It hasn't even mentioned healthcare or reproductive rights yet, much less my favorite hobby horse: the end of privacy and the rise of unchecked surveillance.
Around 10 PM we called it a night, and I chatted with some of the other activists. We talked about this and that: intellectual property law, Joe the Shmoe Arpaio, and other Occupy gatherings.
Eventually we had to step outside the park itself, when it "closed" and the police came. This is apparently a nightly ritual, and the police and the protesters both know what to do. Almost everyone makes a token exit of the park: they stand on the sidewalk surrounding the park, watching. A couple of protesters claim responsibility for the dozens of tents present, and the police ticket them while everyone else watches. In fact last night I was so engrossed in conversation with others at closing time that one officer politely had to tell us that the park was now closed. So we went to stand on the sidewalk. No trouble. I wish they would stop handing out the citations, but that was not a decision in the hands of these guys in blue.
Then I decided to call it a night, and walked home. I think I must have spent about 5 hours with the activists, and it was fascinating. I wish I had enough time to invest myself more in this movement, but I have promises to keep and I cannot just plunge myself into this cause. Still, I think I'll be back there again for a few hours tomorrow.