Occupy Austin Day 22

America-what are you doing?

Today was a turning point in the occupation. Across the country, the actions of the police officers in Oakland have caused a collective sense of outrage from plenty of people, including police and elected officials. The good news is the police across the US did not take the lead of the Oakland police and start acting crazy on everyone else. In fact, there was a sense of peace and organization today. Because we are so connected to each other, from person to person, from city to city-a hurt on one camp is a hurt on all and we can feel it. And we can feel it when the pressure is relieved, such as the pullback by the fascists, who frankly don't know what to do with us right now. They vast majority of Americans support us. The fascists realize they can't live with us and they can't shoot us. There is simply too many of us. The top 400 households in America make more money than the bottom 150 million people. You want to fuck with us? Well, come on, then.

The reason for the easing of tensions, at least in Austin, is two-fold. First of all, the police know we are unarmed, and are now working with us to keep the camps safe. They are learning most trouble is coming from rumors and saboteurs who have nothing to do with the movement. Secondly, the rules and structure set up in the camps after long hours of painstaking work are starting to accomplish what they are intended to do-which is keep the peace and create progress. But most importantly, the social services that do exist, along with some church groups, are going to the camps and helping those who need immediate help.

This is good news, because good people, who are ignoring the voices of douche bag religious-fascist mouthpieces, like Pat Robertson, who've told churches to avoid the Occupy movements, are realizing what is happening to our society, and seeing an opportunity, are stepping up to help. Although the occupiers want to keep this a non-religious event because of the fear of fascist religious dogma infecting the movement, we realize there are some people who come from local churches and charity groups whose main goal is to help people who need help now, not in the Utopian future we hope upon hope we will one day see. Because frankly, the Utopian future is not going to keep you warm as the cold wind blows the camp to shreds.

But this is part of the awakening the occupy movement is creating in America. It is obvious that many folks who got involved in the movement were shocked by the depth of the homeless problem in America. Although the idea anyone wasn't aware of it is difficult to get your head around, idealistic young people, and even the intelligentsia, usually pick and choose what they want to see. But once they left the dorm room or comfortable home, it was uh-oh, what do we have here? And why are these rag-tag people so angry and threatening? We are finding out that we are angry about what might be taken from us, while they are angry about what has already been taken from them.

An example of this coming together as a community was evident on Day 21, when a lady from a group home came to the Occupy camp and offered some of the most mentally ill shelter and access to medication and doctors, which they eagerly accepted. This was an important moment, because the reason the camps all over the US are attracting the mentally ill is because there is food and they feel safe there. Also, because so many folks are just wandering around the country these days, those that just came in from the road have no idea how to get around the city, where help may be located, or even have a phone or money to access public transportation. The fact someone came to the camp to help these desperate folks means the larger community wants to help. And then, in Austin at least, the police are carefully picking off the trouble makers one at a time, and they apparently ended up getting the crank and smack dealer, which stopped the blatant hard-drug abuse that was occurring.

The plaza was organized, clean and neat.

You could feel a new day of cooperation had evolved now that the neediest were helped, the troublemakers removed and the terrible events in Oakland finally made America wake up. Social services, already struggling with funding cuts from the state and federal government, and still taking the time to help us is very encouraging. So yesterday, even in the blustery afternoon and evening, I felt optimistic and knew the movement was becoming bigger than a few fascist cops and drug addicts could destroy. The police and mayors all over the country are  beginning to realize they are the 99% too. Their pensions are getting raided, all the city services are in danger of being cut, and anyone is in just as much danger of ending up on the street fighting to survive as anyone else nowadays, because the money went to-well, you know.

It is hard to believe the shit you hear that continues to spew from the fascist right. For example, I was just listening to Paul Ryan (R.Wisconsin), the Republican poster boy for fascism, blame Obama for starting a class war, as if one side can blame the other for the mess in which our country is fermenting. Well-there's a class war all right, and the fascists are winning because of the laziness and apathy of the American people who are more upset about Adam Lambert kissing another guy than the fact they are getting mauled by corporatism. But that is because they were told by the propagandists to hate on Glamour Boy rather than the thieves stealing the world blind.

After I got home late last night after freezing my ass off, I saw one of my Facebook friends, Dale, who I grew up with, had posted the picture of the bloodied Iraq war veteran injured in the Oakland police assault on the unarmed protesters. Dale is one of those people who always wants everyone to re-post fascist propaganda about supporting the troops and the flag, etc. Apparently, you're only supposed to support the troops when they are getting their legs blown off while defending the military-industrial money machine that is contributing nothing to our economy, but is happily murdering innocent children overseas. But when those same men come home and fight against an American experience that has gone from the promise of "work hard and prosper," to simply survive the fascist assault on our civil rights, then gets critically injured, he is fodder for smug jokes. Dale's quote was, "that's what you get for sitting on your ass in a public place because someone is making more money than you-get a job!" That was followed by several of the fascist talking points commonly heard on the myriad propaganda sources available 24/7. I commented that, "Sorry-we are going to win this time-whether you like it or not."

The real Occupy Austin crowd prepares for  a cold night.

Although, early yesterday afternoon was comfortable, about 5 pm a cloud bank formed in the north and the cold wind came whistling through the plaza. For the first time, the plaza was populated solely by Occupiers as most of the people who needed help, or blew in from Hades over the previous few days, were now gone. There was a meeting at the flag pole at 5:30, and it was with the folks who are actually occupying the plaza for the cause and are staying there 24/7. These folks have seen it all by now, are survivors and deserve our utmost respect. These are the folks putting their lives on the line in this freezing cold plaza to make the United States a place where everyone has an opportunity, where businesses and homeowners can get loans and the immorality that exists on the federal level is stopped. The cold wind whipped around them as they made plans for surviving the night. Blankets were needed and there was even a shortage of water, so donations are still desperately needed. You can contribute by going to the needs list on the resources page at occupyaustin.org.

Bridget with her awesome coat. 

About that time I heard a call for a volunteer and I went with a group to the third floor of the parking garage where a man was donating some coats and hot drink containers. We carried them downstairs and there was one awesome coat that I was happy to see distributed to Bridget. She is in a wheelchair because she broke her leg in a terrible accident, then lost her home because she was unable to work  and the medical bills piled up. But Bridget had good news. A lady who was involved with Occupy Austin as well as a local church, had guaranteed Bridget a small apartment the next day, but Bridget still needed to make it through the cold night. Regardless, she was so happy and excited about her new place. Although Bridget has been on the street since March, all it would have taken to keep her in a comfortable home is affordable healthcare. That was all that she needed to keep from falling through the cracks. But for now, Bridget is on her way back up.

Heather

On the other hand, I talked to Heather, a lovely woman with a 4 year-old daughter and husband. She is an artist and her husband is employed with a good job, but is also a photographer showing his collage work at the East Austin Studio Tour in November at Pump Studios. His name is Kafka Lenton. Heather is at the plaza to show support because she sees a lifestyle that seemed so much easier to maintain even a few years ago, beginning to elude her family, even though they are working very hard.

Heather feels she isn't just treading water, that she is drowning, and she knows it is the same for most Americans, they just don't want to admit it. That fact I know is true, because in America, admitting  failure is considered taboo, even though our entire country is failing right now. I've always learned if you fail, the first thing you do is to fix the problem and start over. But in America, we are not only ignoring the problem, we are making it worse by enabling the criminals that caused the problem in the first place. Amazing. And even more amazing is how many American sit and let this happen to their brothers and sisters.

And as I was talking to Heather we realized all her family needs to thrive is once again, affordable healthcare. That's it. Just like Bridget who only needed healthcare she could afford to keep her home. That's all millions upon millions of Americans need to survive. The lack of affordable healthcare is destroying our population and breaking the backs of our businesses. And I've said this before-the fact we have an entire party running for office that is competing over how many folks they can prevent from having healthcare is an outrage.

Universal healthcare is such a simple fix to keep Americans from being stressed and homeless, it's hard to believe the fascists are allowed to get away with denying it from us, while they pad the books of the people who have all the money with our tax dollars. Unaffordable (or no) healthcare destroys our culture. It stifles creativity and snuffs out the artist, who instead of creating beauty, is tethered to a life of misery crafted by a lawless corporate system designed to destroy the human spirit. It is this deep-seated cruelty and self-hatred that now defines the American experience. Why oh why, are we not all involved in stopping this insanity?

Since 1985, the divisiveness in America has eroded our sense of oneness. That is when the burgeoning fascist right-wing did away with the Fairness Doctrine, that was supposed to create fairness when it comes to political programming. Each side, by law, had equal time. Since then, the Limbaughs and Rupert Murdochs, have polluted the American consciousness with a 24 hour diatribe of hatred aimed at people who either need help, or want to offer help. They've brainwashed an entire generation telling them that helping each other is a socialist scheme that will lead to Marxism. And these propagandists make their money by airing commercials and public relations spots that contain even more propaganda from big polluters and organizations serving as fronts for the fascist maggots that are consuming the rotting corpse of the America they think they've killed. But I've got good news. There is life in that rotting corpse, and that is what the Occupy movement is about, which is creating opportunity for all who want it, and smashing the mantle of fascism that erodes our very souls.

At the GA meeting, the much awaited speech by Austin's police chief, Art Acevedo, was finally given after he waited his turn on "the stack," or list of speakers. The use of electricity by the occupation appears to be cut-which thankfully, means no PA-and  we have to resort to the mike check, where the speaker says a few words then the crowd repeats it so others can hear. The Chief had to go along with the new method of communication, which is used throughout all the camps, so it was slow going. But he said the Austin police department stands with Occupy Austin and this is not Oakland and no one has to worry about getting hurt, as long as we follow the few simple rules they've laid out for us. He went on to say, "The APD is there to protect us and our right to protest." That was met with lots of sparkle fingers. Then a few people, who are determined to be jerks, asked something like, "If that's true, why you carrying your gun then?" or some crap like that. But everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and even the 20 or so new folks who attended were excited. Suddenly, we could all see a future paved with hope rather than horror. Is there really hope for us? I say yes, and am sticking to it.

Just before leaving the freezing cold plaza, I spotted Nathan, a precocious 12 year old, who has been at the plaza with his guardian every day. He says he loves it here because of the community spirit and how nice everyone is to him. I asked him, "Ten years down the road, when you tell your friends about this and what it was all about, what will you say? He replied, "That I was part of it, and that I helped change the future."