Back in New York for a few days. One of my top agenda items was to visit OWS, so yesterday afternoon I took the subway to Fulton Street to see what it was all about.

I didn’t really intend to make a diary out of it, but following Booman’s recent post on the front page about the freaky nature of the movement (as perceived by the RW media) I had to make a comment to his post and then figured that some images from the spot would be useful.

Re: What They Hear on the Radio (none / 1)
Kudos to you for the strength to listen to more than a few seconds of that stream of garbage.

What I learned is that most of this country is being told that the Occupy protestors are engaged in rape, public defecation and urination, unprotected sex, and rampant drug use.

I spent a few hours at OWS yesterday pm. Not a sign of drug use, everyone I spoke with (also the ‘freaks’) were entirely lucid. There were certainly some fringe groups latching on to the movement (Free Tibet, Stop China’s Communist Party, etc.), but they were relegated to the perimeter, outside Zucotti proper.
There was not even a whiff of feces or stale urine in the park, though I noticed such odors several places elsewhere in the city on my way there. The area is certainly not conducive to sexual activity, but if anyone should be stupid enough to engage in unprotected sex, well, that is not against the law.
There have been two cases related to molestation/rape, both by the same person – a suspect is in custody. Groups have organized to advocate against abusive behavior and to provide safe space for women.
Sanitation is impressive, a crew with brooms and dust pans is continuously at work – any garbage on the ground is quickly removed.

Maybe I’ll put up a brief photo diary once my pictures have uploaded.

   
So – here are some samples of what I saw:


Right in the neighborhood of the criminals


Tourist attraction (double-decker in background)


Lots of tents – not much space to move around


Good advice – Police State Advisories


Have a free custom made t-shirt (small donations accepted to replenish paint)


Daily planner


Keep it clean


The view half a block away

They are preparing for the long haul and I dropped some green for the winterization project.

There was one arrest while I was there. Apparently, someone was trying to sell candy without a permit/license just outside the camp and refused to stop when told so. As he was hauled away, dozens of OWS campers stormed up to the barricade where this transpired. Quite impressive how quickly and strongly they reacted. Equally impressive was the quick mobilization of police. While walking around I noticed that there was barely any (uniformed) police around the camp. Within seconds there were suddenly at least 50, maybe as many as 100 lining up on the side where this transpired. It got a little tense for a few minutes, but then reverted to calm.

My experience with everyone I spoke with was that they were highly respectful and keen to avoid unnecessary confrontation. I was addressed as “Sir” several times – kind of weird, guess I’m getting old.

I am determined to go back before returning to Geneva on Monday. I’ll take my son there tomorrow afternoon after he finishes his SAT.