Occupy Charleston (SC) headed out for the fifth protest march they've deployed in Charleston in the past 22 days on Saturday, Nov. 5. Beginning on Marion Square, where the weekly farmer's market is held, they grouped up, did a quick people's mike and headed out for a distressingly (I'm nearsighted and middle aged) brisk twp mile jog through the historic district. The figure 8 shaped route took them down King Street's busy shopping district, through the tourism oriented amusements of Market Street, along quiet (on a Saturday) Broad street and then finally back up meeting to Marion Square.
Two City of Charleston Police officers met with the protestors prior to the march and accompanied them along the march. There were no acts of violence, property damage or arrests.
On Marion Square they gave media interviews to two local television stations, WCBD and WCIV and spoke with a newspaper reporter. About 24 activists participated on Saturday in what was a quickly organized effort in the midst of a much larger scaling up of the organization now under way which hasn't reached the street yet. The 340 year old, gossipy, political "Holy City" is in for an interesting winter.
Flyers were distributed promoting bank transfer day providing step by step plans for leaving your megabank, the national effort to move accounts and deposits to community banks and non profit credit unions.
Having some time and energy left, the activists marched over to the College of Charleston where they awakened a Model UN Session from academic isolation, roaring into the big meeting hall chanting “This is What Democracy Looks Like.” The world of real politics and issues momentarily collided with the academic one to the delight of nearly all the students delegates.
The College Faculty present were reserved, reflecting perhaps anxiety about Governor Nikki Haley's amorphous plan to rate Colleges and Academic programs. The Governor is expected to deploy a program cooked up in the right wing think tanks which direct her administration which will almost certainly value higher education programs on their utility in providing quiescent technical workers. Kierkegaard and Shakespeare are not expected to fare well. The state's right wing media has been full of bitter complaints about how higher education enables challenging the political orthodoxy, considered socially corrisive in South Carolina since the state's modest, but unprecendented uprising began a month ago.
Visitors to Charleston's tourism district usually appear shocked to see protest here since it takes place in deep historic context and in a state regarded as one of the reddest in the Union.
After the activities some of the activists headed to local independent coffee shop, Kudu to plan more trouble including guerrilla street theater, more marches and a second, longer occupation than the 99 hour event held in October. The organization is also supporting the indefinite occupation on the State Capital lawn in Columbia, SC where demonstrators have been camped, without tents for 22 days.
www.occupycharleston.org
Statements in this post are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the official position of #occupycharleston.