An American Autumn

Day 4 - Freedom Plaza / Occupy DC / Occupy the FED

2011-10-09T16:59:00.000-07:00

Freedom Plaza - Action Committee Meeting

Veteran's Peace Protest - the White House

Occupy D.C. - General Assembly Meeting

Then Occupy the FED shows up

& we march back to the White House

10/9 - New York Times Editorial

2011-10-09T06:06:00.000-07:00

Protesters Against Wall Street - Great article about the cause

"Extreme inequality is the hallmark of a dysfunctional economy, dominated by a financial sector that is driven as much by speculation, gouging and government backing as by productive investment."

"When the protesters say they represent 99 percent of Americans, they are referring to the concentration of income in today’s deeply unequal society. Before the recession, the share of income held by those in the top 1 percent of households was 23.5 percent, the highest since 1928 and more than double the 10 percent level of the late 1970s."

"It is not the job of the protesters to draft legislation. That’s the job of the nation’s leaders, and if they had been doing it all along there might not be a need for these marches and rallies. Because they have not, the public airing of grievances is a legitimate and important end in itself. It is also the first line of defense against a return to the Wall Street ways that plunged the nation into an economic crisis from which it has yet to emerge."

Day 3 - Air & Space

2011-10-08T18:16:00.000-07:00

October 2011 - Freedom Plaza

Occupy D.C. - K Street

Back to Freedom Plaza

On to the Air & Space Museum

10/7 - Day 2 of the Occupation

2011-10-08T06:52:00.000-07:00

10/6 - Day 1 of the Occupation

2011-10-06T15:31:00.000-07:00

After a ten hour bus ride we arrived in D.C. a little after 10am this morning. We checked into our accommodations, showered up, and hit the streets. As we walked down 11th Street NW towards Freedom Plaza nothing seemed out of the ordinary for a mid-morning workday in a large city. The sidewalks were filled with business men and women hustling in either direction, some with hardhats, others with espressos. A concerned mother warning her child about the dangers of placing one's dirty hands in their month. Traffic flowing in all directions.

But then as we turned onto Pennsylvania Avenue we started to hear a faint roaring sound, similar to that of falling water. We knew what it was. Freedom Plaza.

As we crossed 13th Street NW and approached the outskirts of the plaza we were greeted by a whole host of scenes. Two large models of the infamous military drone with a banner strung between them reading "Stop the Drones, Stop the Wars". An older man dressed in fancy coattails with a top-hat and a pig's nose, holding an empty can and sign that read "Brother, could you spare a billion"? A woman holding a sign that reads "Standing on the side of love". And other protesters as well, all just as unique.

But they all shared a common bond; that of frustration with their once grand government.

10/5 - D.C. Bound

2011-10-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

We leave tonight for D.C. via a megabus from Buffalo, New York. We'll arrive tomorrow morning, October 6th, the first day of the Occupation. Freedom Plaza, just two short blocks from the White House, will become the epicenter for what is hoped by many to be an open-ended, nonviolent, protest against all forms of economic injustice suffered in our country. The occupation is being organized by a group of dedicated, life-long activists known as October 2011, with about 100 other various organizations supporting the cause.

Similar occupations are currently taking place all across the globe. OccupyTogether estimates that there are 337 similar occupations currently being organized in cities around the world. This movement draws its inspiration from the Arab Spring, a wave of non-violent, people's revolutions in countries throughout the Middle East this past spring. Now, it is America's turn.

What started with Occupy Wall Street in late September has grown into a widespread uprising by ordinary American citizens against corporate-personhood and the evils associated with the unchecked, profits-above-all-else mentality. American citizens are demanding to once again be the government's priority when it comes to education, food safety, housing, the environment, infrastructure, civil liberties, vote rights and so on.

The goal of our trip to D.C. is simple: to provide an unique perspective on the events of the occupation that might otherwise be lost by the main stream media. We are excited for the challenge and are looking forward to offering you our view on these historic events.

E Pluribus Unum.