Fight the Power fight the power fight the powers that be
Banks got bailed out we got sold out
Tell me what democracy looks like
THIS is what democracy looks like
Feed the needy not the greedy
Hey Hey Ho Ho corporate greed has got to go
Whose streets
OUR streets!
I wanted to do something in support of the Nov. 2 general strike in Oakland. So I did a quick check with the Occupy Atlanta Face Book page and saw that they had planned a march on Wells Fargo. So mijo and I went down to the demonstration to get our fair share of abuse.
And I went down to the demonstration
To get my fair share of abuse
Singing, "We're gonna vent our frustration
If we don't we're gonna blow a 50-amp fuse"
Sing it to me now...
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes well you just might find
You get what you need
Oh baby, yeah, yeah!
Rolling Stones ~ You Can't Always Get What You Want
When we got to the rally point in a corner of Piedmont Park (where Atlanta's hippies and I did battle with the police back in '69), we didn't see a crowd or a group, just a couple of guys talking. We approached them and sure enough they were there for the march. So we chatted for a while and got updated on all the Occupy Atlanta goings on. We learned that everyone who had been arrested when our asshole mayor 'evicted' the occupation had been released and that the plan was to retake Troy Davis Park on Saturday, Nov. 5th.
People started arriving and we gravitated to the edge of the street displaying our signs – mostly say hooray for our side.
I think it's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
What a field-day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say hooray for our side
It's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Buffalo Springfield ~ For What It's Worth
Admittedly, we didn't have thousands of people in the street. In fact it was a slow start.
But people kept drifting in with their signs and the crowd began to build.
A thinking person's protester goes the cerebral route, which made me smile. I should have asked if she was a kossack but was too busy taking photos and didn't think to.
So we set out on our march. I was hoping they didn't mean the big Wells Fargo building way the hell over on the other side of town.
We set out with maybe 50 to 60 people but folks joined us along the way. We were probably a hundred or so by the time we got way the hell across town to the ginormous Wells Fargo building.
We paused for the cause in front of the Atlanta Fed to give those assholes a little well-deserved crap.
All along the way people honked their horns and yelled encouragement from their cars. There were also a few detractors but the number of supporters were overwhelming in comparison.
The po po were out in force waiting on us. I think there were more of them than there were of us.
They had the sidewalk in front of the Wells Fargo building blocked off and marked as 'Private Property'. The building is on a piece of property known as Atlantic Station and we were assured it was legitimately private property. We were threatened with arrest if we continued across the street that separated us from the sidewalk in front of the Wells Fargo building. There was a lot of back and forth, a General Assembly was held and we decided to protest in place rather than storm the barricades since we didn't appear to have sufficient numbers to do that successfully.
So we played drums, sang, danced, chanted and displayed our signs at the heavy traffic to the raucous honks, beeps and shouts of those who supported us – and they were many.
We could have used more people. We need greater participation and better messaging.
Occupy Atlanta
Occupy Atlanta Face Book Page
Occupiers and Supporters Resources courtesy of angelajean
Some recent news for Occupiers:
37 Giant Corporations Paid 0 in Taxes Last Year -- Who Are the Cheats?
Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman received $84.5 million compensation in fiscal 2010
We Knew They Got Raises. But This?
We May Be Witnessing the First Large Global Conflict Where People Are Aligned by Consciousness and Not Nation State or Religion
4 Simple Steps for Taking Your Money Out of the Vampire Banks
Noam Chomsky Speaks to Occupy: If We Want a Chance at a Decent Future, the Movement Here and Around the World Must Grow
Get out in the streets if you ever hope to have a say in your own future. If you can't get out in the street, please find other ways to support this movement. Fight back America! The time is now.
Remember
Remember
The 5th of November