Occupy Philly Moves on to Greener Grassroots

Greg and I had a business trip to Center City on Monday, the day after the  supposed deadline for Occupy Philly to vacate the Dilworth Plaza.   The police had used restraint (vs. bringing out the pepper spray brigade as in CA).  A group had already packed up and left, but there were still a good number of  people, tents, and signs around (love the signs—thought provoking, funny, nasty, artistic - the gamut), so we walked over to get the latest—our second visit to O.P. in two months. A young woman by the medical tent told us  that one of their primary concerns was fate of the homeless.  After 3 months of living with them, helping to feed them,  and brainstorming with them (most of whom  were the original inhabitants of the plaza) , the Occupy people wanted to be sure they were taken care of before the police moved in.  And the good news is that all the homeless had been moved into other living quarters.  She didn’t know when the police would make their final move, but things had been relatively harmonious.  Several signs indicated that there were some who would not leave when the time came, and therefore would be arrested.  And we passed a guy building an ark or a fort  or an art installation out of skids, we think attempting to rival the clothes pin sculpture just across the street.  But really indicating he wouldn’t go easily.  As you know, there were about 40 were arrested “peacefully and without injury” to quote Police Chief Ramsey. Kudos to Ramsey and the Philadelphia police and their brotherly love approach.

Now one chapter has ended—pretty great consciousness and awareness raising for a group claiming that “everybody’s a leader.” And a new chapter begins.  Now’s the time for the real work to begin:  Grassroots organizing and election funding reform  to make the Occupy doctrine of less greed and more inclusion and justice a reality.  How will they fare? How will we all fare?  Because answers are tough, noting a quote we saw in The Inquirer over the holiday:

We  write our blessings in the sand, and we engrave our complaints in marble.

P.S. On a hometown Coatesville note, did anyone see Coatesville native and world champion skater Johnny Weir, riding in the Macy’s Parade on his own blindingly white and flamboyant float called the “Monarch of The Parade?”  We met him years ago and you couldn’t ask for a nicer or more humble guy.