I'm sure that you've all heard about the "occupy" movement but have you experienced it? Seen it up close? I have. I wouldn't call it a pleasure but it certainly is interesting.
The part of Occupy DC taking place on Freedom Plaza has been in the news earlier this week because they got permission from the park service to stay there for 4 months but I think they're nuts. I used to walk through Freedom Plaza every day on my way to and from work and it's just a big stone plaza on Pennsylvania Ave. So not a comfy place to camp.
Closer to my current office (close enough to smell it) is another Occupy DC outpost in McPherson Square. It's a lovely, shady, park and now it's home to a bunch of folks. They've really moved in.
I looked it over yesterday morning. They've got a nifty, well-stocked pantry with produce and condiments and they're out there cooking up a storm when I pass in the morning. They've got signs up indicating where the compost pile it and where the sleeping area is. I saw folks playing cards and a guy with a guitar. Urban camping at it's best.
The part of Occupy DC taking place on Freedom Plaza has been in the news earlier this week because they got permission from the park service to stay there for 4 months but I think they're nuts. I used to walk through Freedom Plaza every day on my way to and from work and it's just a big stone plaza on Pennsylvania Ave. So not a comfy place to camp.
Closer to my current office (close enough to smell it) is another Occupy DC outpost in McPherson Square. It's a lovely, shady, park and now it's home to a bunch of folks. They've really moved in.
I looked it over yesterday morning. They've got a nifty, well-stocked pantry with produce and condiments and they're out there cooking up a storm when I pass in the morning. They've got signs up indicating where the compost pile it and where the sleeping area is. I saw folks playing cards and a guy with a guitar. Urban camping at it's best.
As I observed it all I noticed some small children in their pajamas wandering around. I wonder what they must think of the experience now. What will they take away from it? Will they look back on it fondly in the future? Will they feel like they were a part of something big or will they think their parents were nuts?
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2 comments:
I immediately thought of a friend who spent her 4th birthday at Woodstock. She remembers it clearly: no cake and everyone was stoned. My 4th bday involved a barbie doll cake and my cousins.
Occupy Boston has been a bit "heated", to be polite, because they have been less than polite and temperate with the police force (btw, estimated $3mil in overtime pay the citizens of MA will be responsible for- state and local police, garbage collectors).
DC seems more organized than Boston and less confrontational than NYC.
They arrested around 140 people in Boston the other night because they expanded into part of a park that they had been told to stay out off. I saw the camp on the news last night and it sounds very similar to yours - communal areas for eating, recycling, hanging out, etc. It's very interesting and it's about time the middle class stepped up and spoke out.
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