Occupy Philly—Report From The Front
The Occupy movement has captured Greg and my attention, bigtime. It’s about time after…
· Waiting thirty years for our own “American Autumn” (without all the blood)
· The financial meltdown trash landing on our collective backs while the perps remain largely unscathed. (see the riveting Oscar-winning docu, Inside Job for all that skinny)
· Knowing that there’d never be domestic peace in American Dreamland without economic justice.
· Real wages for most going down for decades while health care, fuel, and food prices skyrocket, and all the other stats about the top 1% you’re probably sick of reading but nonetheless are out there.
· Having a Congress so thoroughly bought off by corporate money, fueled horribly by the Citizens United Supreme Court decision which gives corporations the same free speech rights as individuals.
· The “revolving door” of government, where officials leave gov’t jobs, wait only one year (at least required now by law ) and then become hired guns for corporate lobbyists and regulators – kinda like insider traders but without the SEC looking over their shoulders.
· Decades of us dreaming about, talking about, writing about, being interviewed about, being punished by bigots about, a more just society that rewards good citizenship and character and discourages values based solely on greed. We, especially Greg, feel like proud mid-wives of this Occupier phenom.
So, we had to visit the Occupy Philly site earlier this week to see for ourselves. First thing we see is a guy with a broom and pail cleaning up the encampment. Here we had just missed a visit from Philly police chief Ramsey calling the site “nice and clean.” Cool. Next thing we notice are the rows of multi-colored tents arrayed on the cold granite and concrete slabs around City Hall’s 16th St. Dilworth Plaza. 
Next thing is the quiet. Where were the people attached to many of the tents? Turned out they’re at their regular jobs. This is a working camp. Right away, we got in conversation with a few people by their tents. Zach, in his early 20s, is an installation artist making pieces out of Styrofoam insulation. Guess that makes him an insulation installation-ist. With bike parked next to his tent, he told us he’s closer to his bike courier job here than where he lives in Port Richmond (Delaware Co.). 
Another guy was jobless, and a lot older with a face that told a tough story. Another man, casual well-dressed with a cool -looking leather fedora, also had a job, but considering he had a masters degree, he said, nothing up to his experience. He told us that each time he went back for more schooling, he ended up with a job that paid less than his last one. Then we chatted with Amy, a Chester County artist who works with low income people in the Coatesville area.
There are tents for first aid, media, music, art (and all that cardboard for signs you’ve seen on the tube), 
supplies and donations, and food complex that feed everyone for free 3 times daily particularly the homeless. The American Friends Service Comm. building around the corner offers laundry services and donates some food. 
And then there are the signs, which are everywhere and tell many stories through private thoughts and public statistics, cultivating a garden of ideas. At the message tent, one could fill out surveys for what’s important to you, then collated. It was confusing—so many ideas. And I was shocked no one had put in campaign finance reform!! A major source of all these problems. The guy manning the booth scrambled to add it and agreed with me.
We spoke with Tony from Phoenixville, who had just returned from the Martin Luther King Memorial dedication, 
and a woman from Grannys For Peace Brigade, who thanked Greg for his service and explained how they’d been educating Phila. School District counselors that they need to explain the ramifications of military service, because students are directed to in-school recruiters without any disclaimers. 
There is a schedule of events every day. The day we visited began with yoga, then philosophy, a noon general assembly, then a mid-afternoon march around town to visit “health care horrors.” There was also an Occupy Philly Directory for all services.
I counted 19 committees Occupiers could join to make things run smoothly and continually get the message out.
The message. What is that message anyway? This is the question the mainstream, top-down media keeps asking. Still seemingly unfamiliar with how hi-tech info-savvy can start and sustain social movements horizontally, OWS remains an enigma because there is no single message that absolutely dominates. The main gist is get aware, get involved, get informed and act/vote move the debate on democracy forward. People are framing that debate on their terms, on the shifting sands of political solutions. From the signs we saw and conversations we had, no one was saying that we don’t need corporations. What gets people angry is the unbridled greed and exclusionary power they wield within our government, which keep citizens voices from being heard. And the Citizens United Supreme Court decision confirming that corporations have the same rights as individuals.
People of all looks, colors, ages were walking through the encampment, talking to people. Someone had a “Honk if you support us” sign by the curb, and cars were honking, including Mercedes, Beemers, taxis and buses. Lots and lots of honks. Double decker tour buses pass and the tourists star; some gave thumbs up. It’s was honkin’ cool.
We both were taken back to when were in a band in the ‘80s into early ‘90s, Machine From Heaven. Many of our songs are still relevant today, including “Necessary Evil” (It’s a necessary evil… so they say…), “I’m Obsolete” (about Vietnam vets, artists and other jobless in the ‘80s), “Snafu” (situation normal, all funked up) and “Willie Gets Steamed at Independence Hall” (about a homeless guy living on a steam grate). (all ©1990, 3Eyes Music). How things change yet remain the same. All and all an energizing and thought-provoking day for sure.
But it wasn’t over yet. While waiting for the train home, we met Sarah, who had been camping out all week, but was getting numbness in her leg from sleeping on concrete and had to leave.
Just imagine what it’s like to be homeless. She was returning on Friday for a march to U of P’s Wharton Business School for Eric Cantor’s speech on the GOP plan for income inequality. Whoops, Cong. Cantor canceled his speech when Penn opened it to the public. Sez it all. Anyway, turns out Sarah, 23, wanted to be a Marine and went through the entire training. Then for the last task before graduation, a 50-mile survival exercise, she damaged her ankle and had to drop out of the service. A conservative columnist just that morning had made fun of the Occupiers, calling them a bunch of privileged kids who work at Starbucks and have Iphones. Ironic as hell, Sarah works at Starbucks, owns an Iphone, goes to Community College of Phila. for political science, is far from privileged, and very upset about her prospects in today’s world. She was full of fire and fight, wanting to change her world, and we talked on the train until she got off. She filled us in about Occupy camp life a bit. For instance, when someone yells “get a job” many answer, “Do you have one for me?” or “I already have one, [2 or 3, or 4] and am barely making it.”
She also said that there were homeless people, many of whom already lived at the plaza on the benches and building nooks around City Hall, who had pitched tents w/ the Occupiers. By integrating the homeless in the Occupy community and giving them the same tasks everyone else was asked to do, for the first time in a long time, these people felt purpose in being needed. We were both moved to hear this.
COMING SOON: ANSWERS FROM WALL STREET TO MAIN STREET.
