With so many people left out of the financial ponzy schemes of the ruling elite, this disenfranchisement of the public is essentially why people are occupying the financial centres of over 1500 cities world-wide. With Vancouver not exempt from this economic epidemic, I was interested to see just what types of people showed up at this occupation. When I showed up, it became apparent that this movement is for real, and that to me is a beautiful thing.
When I arrived at the Vancouver Art Gallery there was a sense of optimism that took over my psyche, and again I found myself unwillingly smiling for no reason; in turn inciting smiles around me. I took a picture of a fellow with a Jack Russell dog by his side, holding up a sign. (I will refer to him as John, for I have no asked his permission to be published). After the photo we began talking, and we quickly became friends after he found out I was camping out like he was. He offered up his tent to keep my supplies under cover, a generous act considering the small size of the tent. Later he offered to let me sleep in the tent too, but I thankfully declined simply due to the fact that his tent would have been cramped even just holding him and his dog. I was also adamant to sleep on the ground, something that was most definitely out of my comfort zone.
John also conveniently had sign making material; some cardboard pieces and a few markers. Inspired by the blog name, I wrote out in big letters: "Humanity First!"
While holding up the sign to the public entering the zone of occupation, I had many people taking my picture. This is a good thing, for it get's the message out there. People will go home and proceed to put the photos up on various social networks, causing a snowball effect which seems to be more effective than word of mouth these days. Snaps of photos became common, with silent smiles and thank-you's following from many. The people who thanked me appeared to be from all walks of life, characteristic of the representational diversity that was commonplace during the time I was there.
A woman approached John and I and we quickly became immersed in her knowledge as we began to converse. She told us she had a good paying job and was perfectly capable of paying all her bills and gradually reducing her debt. She then went on to explain that she has been very fortunate to have the background that she had, giving her the right mentality and financial opportunity to succeed in our current economic paradigm. She outlined various issues in our society, many of which that I had never heard of. This sharing of knowledge made me feel grateful that there are still people in society that like me, have jobs and a future but are still willing to fight for those who don't. She had a worried look as she explained her research based findings. It was clear that emotion was surely tied into her studies, as it is with mine. She informed us after about 20 minutes of discussion that she had to leave to tend to her pets, and proceeded to hand John and I a 10 dollar bill and told us to use it for a good meal so we were sure to sleep warm. She thanked us various times for occupying, and fighting the economic war for people who are financially or socially incapable of doing so. I am hopeful that I will meet this kind woman again.
After a couple hours of general speaking by the population in attendance, the General Assembly began. Essentially the General Assembly is an open platform for everybody to make their voice heard, as well as have their vote count. On the agenda was the rules of consensus, which laid the general guidelines of the assembly when issues begin to be discussed (This would not begin happening until Sunday, October 16th). Also discussed was accessibility issues for those with disabilities, as well as issues surrounding police presence in the area.
Vancouver PD and City of Vancouver littered the park, with staff members on site decreasing as the night progressed. Overnight there was approximately 8 officers to keep watch on the situation. Although presence in numbers was strong, the figures of authority were entirely respectful from what I saw. Many engaged in conversations with protesters, some going on short walks with homeless people to discuss issues on the table. I was very thankful cops and protesters were peacefully co-existing, considering the mindless riots that took place in June which has the city needlessly freaked out.
When the General Assembly wrapped up, an announcement was made that a "roaming dance party" was about to take form. John and I had decided just before this was announced that we'd have some down time, but quickly jumped at the opportunity to take part. Who doesn't like the idea of a roaming dance party right?
This was by far the most fun I've ever had dancing, and this has little to do with my lack of knowledge in the dancing department. It had more to do with the spirit of the "party". The diversity of our crowd was amazing, considering the social niches we often form and seem to only let loose with exclusively. The energy was unbelievable. The music was handled by a guy who had a transmitter connected to his Ipod, and he also was the owner of approximately 15 boomboxes that were obviously picking up his radio transmission. He set them down on the ground, and we gradually picked up on his notion. Soon the boomboxes were on peoples shoulders, being circulated as we began our journey through many areas of downtown. We ended up in the Burrard skating rink, then down Granville and into the Granville station in the "Pay Fares"zone. It was flooded with people. We left about a half hour after, and marched up Granville towards Granville Island bridge, gradually picking up interested citizens on the way who felt like joining in. When we hit the ritzy crowd of club-hoppers, many jumped out of the lines to come dance, and many just took pictures. It turned heads, and it was fun as hell. This march proved that partying can have a unifying tone, especially considering alcohol was nowhere to be seen. Just smiles and mental unity, that's all we needed.
Winding down, I went for a long walk by myself and eventually would seek haven beside John's tent. . My bed comprised of a tarp, a yoga mat for comfort, and a small blanket. I was very bundled up in terms of my clothing, but bedding was scarce. This was poor planning at it's finest, I cannot beg for sympathy at all. I fell asleep relatively warm and cozy, just needing to wiggle my toes for a while to keep them from getting too uncomfortably cold.
I woke up 2 hours later extremely cold. Attempting to get warm, I decided to get up and take a walk to get some blood flowing. I wandered through the Art Gallery yard and proceeded to read a monument type of thing, which was situated in front of the first aid tent. I unintentionally attracted the attention of the medical professionals inside the tent and they asked me if I was feeling at all cold; I nodded. She ushered me in, and I unfortunately felt kind of stupid needing their attention when it was my own incompetence in the planning process that created the whole situation. I explained why I was so cold and she just quietly laughed as she gave me blankets and coffee. I talked with this nurse for about an hour, and with her and another guy for an additional hour. They were both nurses who volunteered their time for occupiers, and they explained their stories to me. I told mine as well. We shared stories and shared sentiments, calmly getting to know each other more and more through experience and understanding. We talked about struggle to medical anomaly's and all the way back to low-income housing on the downtown east side. I will never forget the conversations I shared with these two people. I eventually thanked them for all their help and encouragement and got on with my day.
I walked down to the waterfront by myself to watch the sunrise, reflecting on the night before. I was lost in thought, revelation and revolution fresh in mind. I came to find the fear I have of the years ahead is shared by others, and that the injustices placed upon us the people CAN be changed. I remain concerned about the levels of social apathy on the part of the majority of society, but I fully believe this would change if only we were acutely aware of it and it's ability to undermine our daily lives. The occupy movements have become a community based resistance to decades of social, economic, and political oppression on the part of the 1%. I learned much from the people I met on that day, and will continue to head down there and support this movement. It's all we have left, as the saying goes "men with nothing got nothing to lose". The more economic collapse that takes place, the more people are going to question the system we've become trained to mindlessly support. Anybody and everybody should go down to the nearest occupy to them, and just ask questions and meet people. Get to know the people who have struggled, as well as those who recognize it and just want the opportunity to change it. Change requires support, and this is just the beginning of this support system.
Written by Shelby Bouchard
Follow me on Twitter: @SBtheradical
No comments:
Post a Comment