field notes from Occupy Philly....

In an attempt to keep things fresh in mind, as to not forget anything, and following up on a suggestion by Professor Megan Boler, I will document my experience at Occupy Philly.

But prior to that, it has become even more apparent that the global media blackout on the Occupy movement still exists. Tonight, after speaking briefly with a former student who now resides and teaches in South Korea, it has come to my attention that there has been absolutely NO news of the Occupy movements in South Korea. She was quite surprised when I mentioned Occupy Wall Street and stated that there has been absolutely nothing in her local news that discussed the event. Moreover, this is in line with what Professor Charu Uppal told me at the Global Fusion Conference last weekend. Now teaching at Karlstad University in Sweden, Uppal stated that she knew nothing of the Occupy movements until coming across the New York Times article covering the arrests of the over 700 protesters on the Brooklyn Bridge. Prior to the October 1st arrests, there was absolutely no news coverage of the happenings here in Sweden, and according to her, the October 1st article was the first tome Occupy Wall Street was mentioned in the Times.

The individuals at Occupy Philly, functioning in a similar fashion as their New York counterparts, were adamant in maintaining a peaceful occupation. This was quite evident, for despite the heavy police presence that surrounded and intermittently permeated the protesters' base at City Hall, there was absolutely no evidence of even the slightest bit of confrontation with the police officers. But unlike New York, neither side seemed agitated or were looking for trouble. In fact, the mantra of "peace" and "peaceful" was heard often - especially during the general assemblies.

And speaking of the assemblies, I was quite impressed with the democratic process that was being enacted. Anyone who wished to speak was given the opportunity to do so, with the crowd itself amplifying the speakers' words through repetition. This was an amazing scene and further evidenced the conviviality and the solidarity of those involved in the movement.

I was equally impressed by the organization of Occupy Philly. Philadelphia's City Hall has been literally transformed into a small city. Tents that were erected and established for a variety of services were clearly marked as such, and included the following: information; tech support; kitchen; charging station; media; medic. It was apparent that a number of protesters had dug their proverbial "heels into the ground" and were committed to remaining for the duration of the occupations.

And unlike the mass media's portrayal of the majority of the protesters as being lazy, unemployed, unskilled, anti-capitalist, hippie, anarchists, those I interacted with included a college professor, a number of (many upper-level) university students, members of a socialist group (almost all of whom held a steady job), a former banker who had used his accumulated wealth to purchase a building which was being readied to house a number of homeless families, and many working/middle-class Americans. I also had the pleasure of meeting a homeless child who was selling newspapers for a dollar each. He was hopeful for the future (I later learned that him and his mother were moving into the aforementioned building) and desperately wanted to go back to school to continue his studies. So, as I had expected, the demonization of the protesters was nothing more than a media creation to discredit the movement. I would even argue that the majority o the protesters simply did not fit the media's characterization. Now don't get me wrong, SOME of the young people were as the media had described, but I argue that they would just as easily fit in at any given rock concert. So really, chastising an individual based solely on their appearance is beyond juvenile, and merely amplifies one's ignorance, intolerance, and lack of intellect.

The mic checks and the general assemblies made me hopeful. The thousands who made an appearance on Saturday, and the hundreds who joined in the march made me smile. The youngsters and the seniors who held placards with slogans such as "Give the youth a chance," "Human needs over corporate greed," and "There is no peace - Peace IS the way" gave me joy. But perhaps the greatest moment for me occurred while speaking with J, who was manning the information booth at the time. An elder lady, who had just emerged from the subway stairs walked directly toward us, and with a huge grin, placed her hand on J's shoulder and uttered the most unforgettable words: "God bless you! Thank you so much for doing this!" She then proceeded to give a small donation before walking slowly away. My heart swelled with pride. We are making a difference!

Now I could probably continue to write and articulate the demands of the Occupy movement that the media (for some reason) seems to have trouble grasping and wrapping their heads around. Or perhaps elucidate how this grassroots movement mirrors what Marx and others envisioned when speaking of "mobilizing the workers." Or even speak on how this movement is a landmark and merely the beginning of eventual socio-political and cultural changes in the entire world. Perhaps another time.

For now, I'll simply echo what that wonderful lady had to say. For all of those who have joined in the Occupy movements and have chosen to fight for what they believe is right despite the opposition and the backlash that they have and will continue to encounter from the 1%, the corporations and the media, the police, the neo-cons, the fascists, the right-wing bible thumpers, the state, and any other opposition forces that I may have missed, "God bless you! Thank you so much for doing this!"

Peace out to all!