Occupy Wall Street

I'm so glad I came to NY for this. It was one of the great days of my life. I gave and received kindness, conversation, smiles, appreciation. There was hope everywhere. One man who told me he is a custodian in a Wall Street building said, "Just talking like we're doing here is a radical act. I've never talked to somebody like you before, not about stuff that matters to me, and look, there's that Chinese kid, he goes to the University of Chicago. I talked to him, and we're all about the same thing here." He was on his lunch break and came out to hold a sign. We stood next to each other, holding our signs. The people passing by gave us thumbs up or pumped their fists to show solidarity; people took pictures of us (I've never been photographed so many times in my life before); some held up the V for peace sign, most thanked us, smiled, said they are glad this is happening.

No one picture gets it, so I've put a set of snapshots on that other photo site.

Eve Ensler has written about it eloquently here. I also love what Naomi Klein says, here. I'm full of feeling, memory, bits of dialogue, faces.... It will take me a while to hold it all. I'm overwhelmed. But it was wonderful to be here. I felt as safe as I've ever been in my life, and again and again--what surprises me most--people said, "Are you OK?" "Do you need anything?" "Have you been drinking plenty of water? The water's over there." "Did you taste the eggplant parmigiana they're serving?" "Take care of yourself, Mama." "Thanks for being here with us."

The love is just amazing. The music is lively and various (and LIVE). There's a free lending library full of BOOKS: poetry, literature, politics, history, economics. The food is surprisingly good: NY restaurant food donated in support of the movement, and also little individual casseroles brought from people's homes, bags of cookies passed through the crowd, bushels of apples, vats of ice cream. Live music all day, from both ends of the park, and people with guitars, people with altars, and meditation circles, and a group doing Tai Chi, and people with microphones walking up to each other and asking, "What do you think is the best solution?" Young kids with brooms keep sweeping it clean. The various "camps" fold their sleeping bags neatly and arrange photo ops; some offer photocopied handouts. Monks, nuns, ministers, therapists, and off-duty nurses and doctors walk  the pathways and offer free services. Paths are kept clear so people can circulate through the park without being hampered; young people will gently say, "Excuse me, we need to clear the pathways, can you take your conversation over there?" Artists draw what they see, and thousands and thousands of people take pictures and videos.