Occupy!

                  

The wealthy and powerful have  laid waste to our environment and economy,
destroying people's lives via high-stakes gambling that carries no risk for the 1%.

So the 99% decide, finally, they've had enough.

How does the 1% respond to the peaceful, patriotic protests calling for social and 
economic justice?

With militarized police forces wielding guns and nightsticks.

While Wall Street criminals are free to continue their pillaging,
the police are removing citizens from streets and parks in cities across the country.

Welcome to the United States of America in 2011.


                                                                                    image from morguefile.com
        

I am the 99%.
I stand with #OccupyWallStreet and every other occupation around the world.

                    

#OccupyDenver

                

Yesterday I went to OccupyDenver.org to find out what supplies were needed
and after loading up a plastic bin with various items, I drove downtown and
joined OccupyDenver.

Approximately 70 tents were set up on the grass in front of the capitol building
on land that is designated state park property.

There were canopied structures along the sidewalk for check-in, donation drop-off, and
Thunderdome, the kitchen that served hundreds of meals per day for the past several weeks.

While I was there, supporters dropped off cases of bottled water, cash, and small US flags.
People came by, made their own signs using available cardboard and a crate full of markers,
and protested along Broadway for a while.

I didn't make a sign because I had so many thoughts and issues and emotions in my head,
I couldn't focus enough to be coherent. Instead, I selected an enormous sign from the pile:

WHERE'S THE OUTRAGE?

For a couple hours I held that sign next to a woman who'd been inspired to her first political action
by the courage of those speaking out via occupations around the country. 
She has a young son and we talked about the various ways things are royally messed up for our children.
She said, "No wonder there's no one message out of all this. So many things are wrong, how do you
pick just one?"

True, that.

Here's one of the many intelligent young people leading the way:

Here's one of the many senior citizens in attendance holding his I'M PROUD TO BE A MOBSTER sign:

While it felt good to connect with the 99% community, I felt down much of the time
because about a half-hour after arriving, I learned the CO governor, Denver mayor, and
CO attorney general had held a press conference saying they were evicting the protesters
that night. For their safety and well-being, don't you know.

Early this morning, police in riot gear descended upon #OccupyDenver and broke up
their camp. Twenty-three people were arrested and belongings were thrown in the trash.

Please check out this slideshow from Denver Post photographers. 

This protest is far from over.
#OccupyWallStreet is still going strong and there are over 100 occupations taking
place around the country (and in several cities around the world).

Thank you to all the people who honked and waved in support yesterday.
And to the angry man who flipped us off as he drove by, I wish you'd consider this:

             
               

Virtual March on Wall Street

              

Ever since July when I first heard about the planned occupation of Wall Street,
I've wanted to pack my bag and join the brave people speaking truth to power.
Occupation and bodies in the streets seemed like the best way to shed some
light on the criminal behavior of Wall Street and its political enablers.

And it's working.

I'm still here in Colorado but I just joined the Virtual March on Wall Street.
Here's my message:

I urge you to check out the link and read messages from people all around the country.
It's powerful stuff.
Folks are hurting in a big way.

But there's power in numbers and there are lots more of us than them.
We are the 99%.

(Watch livestream here.)