75 days of the #occupy movement.

My brother Oliver sent me an email a couple days ago. He had been reading up on the emerging “Occupy Wall Street” movement and was feeling the itch to get involved in some way. Being in Ecuador at the moment, he decided to live-out his activist urges through his able-bodied, Brooklyn-based brother, me. (Note to Oliver: Forgive me for posting your email without asking).

“Hey Bro,

Initially I wasn’t sure what to think of the protests that have been going on in NY. But I’ve been seeing and hearing things that make me believe that something special and great is going on. Noam Chomsky and Immortal Technique, two of my intellectual heroes, are supporting the movement. Chris Hedges gave an interview from the protests that is informing, moving, and inspiring. This video is great too.

So why write you? Because I can’t go there, but you can. Please go. Check it out. Better yet, go to a co-op and go crazy buying snacks that you love, and take it there and donate it. I will split the cost with you.

Love ya,
O”

After reading his email, watching the videos, and catching up a bit more on the happenings in Manhattan’s Financial District, I decided to make a trip to Liberty Plaza. I was particularly compelled by one sentence I came across time after time: “You never know when a movement will begin.”

This morning, I stopped by the bagel shop and then the corner store. Armed with about five dozen bagels, cream cheese, three large bags of pita bread, and two tubs of hummus, I hopped on the 4 train to Wall Street and found my way to the middle of the Occupation. I also brought my camera and my friend Gita.

The first thing I noticed was how well-organized the plaza was. I went straight to the kitchen at the center of the “camp” which was situated directly beside the media center which in turn neighbored the library. From the kitchen (where they graciously welcomed the food I was toting along), I could also see the medics area and another section I learned was called “comfort” which was where the piles of extra blankets and tarps were kept and dolled out as people needed them.

The plaza was crowded but tidy. Everyone’s belongings were neatly rolled into tarps and plastic sheeting to keep them dry and from being strewn about. I started chatting with a young man who was about to begin a meeting with the rest of the sanitation committee. He told me that the Occupation was actually far more organized than it looked (I thought it already looked pretty organized). He said that because the city does not allow tents or anything to be attached to the trees, everything had to be kept out in the open. He said if they could attach shelter to trees and create different storage areas, it would look more in order.

I found myself feeling stimulated and inspired and a little frustrated at the same time. There was a sign that read, “We are progressives doing more than just watching The Daily Show.” It was true and I felt guilty. But that was the problem. I wanted to feel invited in, not derided for enjoying Jon Stewart. I wanted a bridge and not a reminder of my inaction. The website (occupywallst.org) is clear: “Our nation, our species and our world are in crisis. The US has an important role to play in the solution, but we can no longer afford to let corporate greed and corrupt politics set the policies if our nation.” It is time for DEMOCRACY not CORPORATOCRACY. I agree. I want to fight for these ideals too! I wanted someone to walk up to every semi-prep Brooklyn guy and hand them a card with instructions for how to get involved. In any way, from wherever. I was there to support the movement and I wanted to be invited in.

I found myself in agreement with the mission of the group and yet unsure if I fit in. I assume that much of the country feels like I do: compelled by the cause and unsure of my role. I wondered how people in the square would react if I showed up with a large pile of dress-shirts to donate. How would passersby on the street feel if the square were occupied by squares? I wanted to see blue-collars and white-collars and no-collars side by side in solidarity because the vast majority of us fit into the bottom 99%. I want Warren Buffet, the Patriotic Millionaires, and the signers of the Letter to the Future to show up because really, we all agree. And in the end, even corporations are made up of people (which is very different than a corporation being a person) and I think we pretty much all believe our system doesn’t work right now. We are broken.

So here I am, compelled to do something. To write about my experience and to support those sleeping in Liberty Plaza surrounded by police. My role in this growing movement may not be to occupy the square, maybe it’s to help spread the word. To encourage you my friends and the people who come across this to find your own role. The revolution may have already begun, and even if you never know when a movement will begin, don’t you want to play your part?

In solidarity,
Sam Utne