Hello to all and thanks for checking in,
Here is what I saw at
Occupy Syracuse. But, before I go into my experience at Occupy Syracuse
(O.S. from here on), we should start at its beginning. To paint a
picture of where the occupation happens in town, it sits about 100 yards
from a high traffic bus stop/ transfer point. The occupation also sits
about 50 yards from the entrance to a Chase Bank (Chase would be behind
and to the left of the occupation setup). It is also facing a Merrill
Lynch branch (the 4th pic was taken from in front of Merrill's
building), and 3 blocks from a Bank Of America. Syracuse is a small to
midsize town, but we have our evil financial center, just like the big
guys.
O.S. started just last Sunday, with a man who goes by the
name of "Scoot", staying there with one other person that first night. I
didn't ask for any ID, but I'm thinking that is a nickname. That being
said, he is the man who started it all off and has stayed every night
since. I passed by the setup a few times during the week and talked to
Scoot. Each time I visited, the operation seemed to grow a bit more. Its
placement is really helpful in this regard. Being on a main
thoroughfare and close to many businesses helped. In my visits, I would
see people who have passed by during their lunch speaking to them. Bus
drivers would stop to speak, if they had a break and people who were
waiting for buses, would come to the O.S. desk as well. This bus stop is
a great microcosm of the folks most in need. You have union bus drivers
there, people on their way to school, people who may not be able to
afford a car, etc. It's probably the best location in town to occupy and
get your message to those who most need to hear it. Thanks to this, the
setup matured quite quickly.
I follow many of the protests across
the country and world over Twitter. I'm just addicted to these stories
and amazed by what is happening. But, what I have noticed, is that they
seem to use the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) model as a guide. O.S. is
similar in that regard. They have General Assembly meetings at 6pm each
night and again at 9pm (if someone has arrived, who could not attend the
first one). A small, but expanding library, is also a part of the
setup. These steps were taken by the OWS folks and other occupations
across the country. They have a media relations person as well (pic,
bottom right). This was taken before Saturday's rally and march. But,
more on that later. A focus is also put on education at the welcome desk
of O.S. Literature is given out on a broad range of topics at the
welcome desk. An artist even created a 3 dimensional representation of a
pie chart to help passers-by understand the wealth divide. It involves
sectioning off a portion (based on percentage of wealth held) of a patch
of grass near the occupation and placing stick figures that symbolize a
percentage of the population. The reaction in the community has been
overwhelmingly positive. The police have been really helpful and
supportive, even checking to make sure the occupiers are doing fine. The
section they are staying in, is not in the best area of town. So,
police support is welcome and appreciated. Because of this, those
staying the night actually sleep in shifts. At the end of the night,
they agree on whose sleeping first, what time that person is getting up,
and no one stays awake by themselves.
The night I stayed was
special (to me at least). An ex-Special Forces member of the
military/occupier willingly stayed up the whole night. After waking up
in the morning, I told him I felt really safe knowing he was out there.
It's not the most masculine thing to say, I know. But, 2 things, I don't
subscribe to social norms and I was sleep deprived, because I forgot my
ear plugs. I don't even know if people sleep outdoors with earplugs. If
they don't, please see my comments on my feelings about social norms.
Have this happen to you, and if you react differently to specially
trained military guarding you, then you can judge me.
Sorry, I got
off track a bit. The support has been great from the community. When I
was arrived on Friday, they were overflowing in food, clothing, and
blanket donations. While I was there, a gentleman dropped off 3 pizzas. A
couple of women dropped off a large pot of soup. There was a massive
cake as well, with a support message for the group drawn in the icing.
They are basically running out of room for food. And, there's a tent
devoted to storing blankets and other assorted extra items.
Now, I
know what you're thinking. I thought it. It's what everybody is
thinking. It's the elephant in the tent. Where do these men and women go
to the bathroom? As luck will have it, there is a local newsstand that
is run by an Egyptian man, whose family protested in Tahrir Square.
Bam! Nothing says solidarity like an Egyptian man, with relatives who
protested in Tahrir Square, opening his heart and bathroom to you. But,
it isn't a 24 hour store, so I guess you just hold it after the place
closes. I didn't ask and I'm pretty sure I didn't want to know the
answer. Let's just hope the current system is working.
Next up:
power sources: Scoot, who is a local hero on par with Carmelo Anthony
for me, has a solar panel on his tent that eventually provides power for
all electric devices. A propane tank is on site as well. I guess for
cooking? But, what do I know, I thought all tents had padded floors
before my night with these guys. They have also gotten a mobile hot spot
on site and created a PC network for the laptops.
Where are we
now? I would say based on what I saw over my visits and stay, O.S. is an
early success. I mentioned earlier that this started only last Sunday
(10/2). It did get coverage from a couple of news channels when it was
just Scoot at the beginning. But, let me quickly explain Syracuse for
those not from around here. It snows a bunch up here, and not much else
goes on. So, if there is a story that's not about an upcoming snowstorm,
a current snowstorm, or digging out from the last snowstorm, it will
probably make the news. That being said, there is no such thing as bad
publicity. And, the numbers have swelled in the past week. The night I
slept over, there were 10-12 people also sleeping on site. At the time
of writing this post (Sunday 10/9), there are 1,031 likes to the O.S.
Facebook page. And, the Facebook page wasn't even in place at the very
start last Sunday. The rally and march also made the news. But, that I
will tackle in part II.
Hope you enjoyed the post, check back,
follow if you liked it. And, once we get past this global revolution, I
can tackle more superfluous things.
See you soon,
James
No comments:
Post a Comment