Today I went to the San Diego Civic Center, where the Occupy San Diego movement has set up camp. Literally, we arrived around 10AM and there were people still sleeping, some on the hard concrete and some on the small patch of dirt (that may have once been some sort of landscaping). There were about 75 people there when we arrived and more people were joining all the time, they seemed to be taking shifts. There was definitely tension in the air between the people there and the police presence. There were about ten police officers present, when we first arrived one woman was shouting at the officers. The source of the tension seemed to be the food distribution. The police officers seem to believe that there would be no conflict if there were no food distribution, because that attracts the homeless population, but some occupiers take pride in the non-discriminatory manner that they share their resources.
There are two distinct groups of people that are “occupying” the Civic Center. There are those who consider themselves occupiers, who are very knowledgeable about what is happening, and very vocal about their presence. Then there is the homeless population that seems to be occupying simply for the food and sense of community that is being created on the street. I did speak with a man that has an occupier mindset but who has been homeless (by choice) for 44 years, so there is some overlap between the two groups. From talking with a few occupiers (members of the homeless population seemed unwilling to talk to us), the best time to see what the movement is doing is at night. They host teach-ins, where members of the community come and teach about a topic that is relevant to the Occupy movement. They have nightly meetings, both general meetings and committee meetings.
The Occupy Movement is the ultimate manifestation of modern day class conflict. The occupiers are ‘normal’ people like you and me, and they are taking a stand against those who are unfairly privileged and disproportionately favored because of their wealth. As time goes on the middle class shrinks more and more, and the Occupy Movement is calling for reform so more people can have the opportunity to better their economic position. The occupiers believe that Wall Street is the source of America’s economic problems, and although there is some difference of opinion, the end goal is the same, economic reform. Talking with the people occupying San Diego was a real eye opening experience. These people may not have a clear idea of exactly what they want to be done, but they know that something is wrong with our economic situation and that something needs to change.
One occupier said, “Where is this movement going? I don’t know for certain, just show up and we’ll see”
I consider myself to be working class and I did not speak to anyone from the movement that was like me. Since this was my first visit to the Civic Center Plaza, I asked several of the protesters if maybe there was a different crowd that showed up in the evening, but they replied in the negative. It is possible that they did not understand my question. I asked several of the police officers if there was a different crowd in attendance in the evening, and they replied that it was the same group of "nuts." I was thinking that maybe some of the leadership of the movement was working for the "Man" during the day and only showed up in the evening. If I have the time, I may show up for one of their rallies, or in the evening or on the weekend to see what the crowd is like. I was dissapointed with what I saw today (11/15).
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