An Occupy Thanksgiving

By Scott Galindez, Reader Supported News

26 November 11

arrived at Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC, just after midnight on Thanksgiving Day. Most of the Occupiers were already asleep in their tents. I made my way to the info table and was welcomed by two volunteers. They showed me to my tent, which was provided by a kind woman named Crystal, who was home visiting her family for Thanksgiving.

I decided to head to McPherson Square to check out the Occupy K Street encampment before calling it a night. It was much livelier - the protesters are younger there, and it is located near some hip DC nightclubs.

I finally settled into my tent around 3 a.m. and got a few hours' sleep. I awoke to a busy park; there was a charity run for hunger relief in the area. The real heroes of the day were busy in the kitchen making breakfast and preparing to cook the Thanksgiving meal for the Freedom Plaza community.

(photo: Scott Galindez/RSN)

The kitchen, led by Tom, is very organized. Everyone was pitching in with cleanup and unloading donations from members of the community. The cooks were fantastic. Tom and his crew pulled out all the stops. For me, one of the highlights of the meal was the mac and cheese. Too bad Pat Robertson wasn't around to try some.

There was shrimp wrapped in bacon, along with all the usual trimmings. There were four turkeys - three were donated already cooked, and one was a masterpiece that was deep-fried on-site by Tom. Many of those in the camp had come down from New York or other encampments, and I heard many of them touting this as the best kitchen among all of the Occupies. Following the meal a makeshift theatre was set up and Occupiers watched movies.

(photo: Scott Galindez/RSN)

This was the first Thanksgiving in years that I felt like I was at home. Home, to me, is living in a community of people working for change. That spirit was present in Freedom Plaza this Thanksgiving.

I will be embedded in Freedom Plaza for the next week before moving on to Zuccotti Park, where 5,000 people were served a Thanksgiving meal. I will be reporting from Occupy encampments for the next few months. Tonight I am thankful that I am part of a community that is working to improve the lives of millions of people around the world. And we at Reader Supported News are thankful for the support you have shown us.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

(photo: Scott Galindez/RSN)

Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian, and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counterinaugural events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott will be spending a year covering the presidential election from Iowa.

Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.