I spent about seven hours Monday at the State Capital Building as the Occupation of Columbus appears to have reached critical mass. I thought I'd share a few thoughts with you and pass along contact info for those who are near central Ohio and would like to jump in.
Tuesday there is a march at or around noon assembling at West Broad and Wall St. alley (one block west of the state house). Later at 6:30 pm there will be a very important General assembly meeting at Bicentennial Park Near W Rich & 2nd St.
To keep up with the Columbus group visit: http://www.occupycolumbus.org/
I found it refreshing to see so many new faces. Over the past 10 years or so I've become accustomed to seeing the same people at rally's and progressive events around town. There is now doubt in my mind that this is Occupation movement is bringing out a vast new crowd of people who have had it and are ready to do something about it.
There were a lot of people who came and went though out the course of the day, often staying for a few hours. I would guess that I saw at least 500 people in total and the crowd was over 200 strong at it's mid day peak.
I could not have been more impressed with the young people who have made this their cause. They are smart and very well informed. I saw at least 3 different instances of random curious people coming up to the crowd and asking questions about why we were there and what we wanted. In each instance the young person answering the question impressed me with their depth of knowledge on the issues, sense of the moment, and passion for the movement. These kids "got game"!
I like the "from the ground up" nature of this movement and the desire of those involved to make this a democratic process as it grows and matures. That said: I'm like everyone and have a few thoughts.
I think it may be better for the Occupy movement to remain in a broad general focus state for at least a few more weeks (perhaps months I don't know). There are so many people who are waking up just now and are coming around asking questions with an open mind. I think the moment is ripe and millions of people are ready to listen to ideas that are new and different to them. The people I met to day will win them over in most cases -like I said they got game-!
I'm concerned that any attempt to occupy a space (24/7) downtown will lead to arrest much like has happened in other cities in the past few days. However at some point I think it is critical to make that break through and create a 24/7 presence. It takes a lot of courage to except that risk and it is a very personal decision for those who choose stay over night when that time comes.
A lot can and will be accomplished with a peaceful assembly & protest from 8 am to 11 pm but I think our que from history is in the Bonus March of 1932 which became so effective because they refused to leave until their demands were met. I want every lawmaker in the country to go to work every day knowing that their REAL constituents are camped out and going no where until there is economic and social justice. All the better if they actually have to walk past us as they go to work.
In the coming days & weeks this new Columbus group will be needing all the same things that you have seen the Occupy Wall St. protesters asking for. Water, Food, and most of all support even if its only for an hour at a time. Stay tuned.
Here are some examples of the Occupy Columbus story in the news:
Columbus Dispatch story
Here are a few photos from today via Flickr:
Beth Burdick via Flickr
by Sam
by Sam