It's not often I find myself sitting in a cafe and get a call from an international number. I’m not exactly big in Europe, or anywhere for that matter. So, when I heard the voice on the line say that he was a doctor calling from Uganda and that he was watching what we were doing in San Francisco and reporting on us via his radio station - well, it is hard to describe how exciting that was. The doctor called to send his passionate hope that we would be successful in “wrestling from that evil government our just demands which would remove the pressure from millions suffering under the yoke of American Imperialism." Not that there’s any pressure or anything...

I first heard about Occupy Wall Street (OWS) on Facebook and knew right away I wanted to be part of it and didn’t like being 3,000 miles away in San Francisco. I had seen a documentary about the 15 May (15M) Indignant’s movement (in which people filled city squares across Spain and some protesters started camping in public space in Madrid and the idea spread). I was moved to tears by the documentary and felt that this idea of camping in the square, in public places, was very revolutionary and powerful – you could see it in the faces of the people who were there. It provides people with an instant community and a place to vent frustrations and talk about how to solve societal problems.

I had an intense feeling that this was something I’d been waiting for all my life. I think many people who come to this movement feel that way, and that they were called to participate. People will talk about how the world is a mess, but in the US we have been silent for too long. Many have wondered when people in the US would finally take to the streets. It occurred to me that we could do the same thing as OWS here in San Francisco. I did a little poking around on the internet and came across an active group which was planning to occupy the financial district here.

I joined the group organizing in San Francisco. A few of us met initially over internet relay chat (IRC) channels. One of the organizers is an art student and he created some flyers which we posted around the city. We had one in-person meeting at Art Internationale (a gallery and meeting space in North Beach) on September 11, 2011. The room was filled with poets, art students, and longtime activists.

Belle Star was at that meeting and she became a constant presence at the occupation. She had heard about the meeting through a flyer passed out at an Operation BART protest. A fellow poet and activist lawyer who was at the meeting recognized Belle as a legendary activist. She came with her own Guy Fawkes mask and was full of enthusiasm. Belle has served as legal counsel for Occupy SF and has often been a liaison between the police and occupiers.

We had no idea if the police would let people set up tents (it is illegal to sit or lie on the sidewalks between 7am and 11pm in San Francisco -
http://www.baycitizen.org/sit-lie/story/sit-lie-measure-poised-pass/ ),
or if protesters would be arrested. We hoped that we would make people question the extensive and oppressive powers of the banks, that maybe we would get into the news and have some impact, and that others would join us and grow a movement. We had no idea what to expect, but we had each other and we had Occupy Wall Street.

On September 17, 2011, Occupy the San Francisco Financial District kicked off in front of the Bank of America building, at 555 California Street, aka the “Wall Street of the West.” Around 150 people participated in the rally. Members of US Uncut and the Revolutionary Poets Brigade were present, as well as international students and people of all ages. Independent media documented the event with photos, tweets and video. We shared the megaphone with people in the crowd to hear stories of how they have been affected by corporate greed. A twenty-dollar bill was set on fire. After a couple hours the rally split up into one group which marched to Wells Fargo, and another group which stayed and met in a public assembly. Plans were made to meet again in Union Square the following Saturday. Four people camped out at 555 California Street that night, in solidarity with OWS.

Two of the original occupiers were young men who were on their way to Oregon, when they came across an Occupy SF flyer and decided to stay. The movement had captured the imaginations of Xander and Skud – as issues related to corporate influence over their lives and the lives of all Americans are topics they study and discuss constantly. These young men, who call themselves “gutter punks,” impressed me with their sharp analysis of the status quo of American life and our addiction to wealth (along with oil, alcohol, entertainment, and drugs). They emphasized our need to take responsibility for our lives rather than letting ourselves be controlled by corporations and the ruling class.

Evan, 17, had taken a train from Vancouver , B.C. to participate in the first week of Occupy SF. A handsome blond with a good head on his shoulders, Evan came across as a model student, likely from a good family. That first afternoon an older gentleman indicated to me that he was going to give Evan a place to stay as it wasn’t apparent whether anyone would camp at the site. When I learned that Xander and Skud were staying overnight I introduced Evan to them and they embraced him into their fold. Evan would return home a week later and help organize Occupy Vancouver.

Rob joined the ranks of the early campers and has remained very issue-focused. He is a Ron Paul supporter and is opposed to the Federal Reserve Bank. Rob is also a do-it-yourself legal researcher and has represented himself in court. He and Belle Starr have worked closely together on legal issues related to the occupiers’ first amendment rights. Rob is currently maintaining financial records for the Occupy SF camp. He is often a voice of reason among the free-form chaos of the movement. Rob finds inspiration in the roots of the first American Revolution and has suggested the creation of pamphlets like the ones used by Thomas Paine.

Michael, or “Pirate Mike,” was also an early camper and has been a “die-hard” occupier to this day. He quickly took a camp management role, organizing the “troops” to maintain order and take care of practical concerns related to cleanliness, etc. Like Rob (and Naomi Wolf, author of “Give Me Liberty”), Michael looks to America’s revolutionary past for inspiration. He has often thought of the camp as a non-violent militia and has talked about the group’s role as sowing the seeds of revolution like Johnny Appleseed planting apple trees.

Leano came to us from the East Bay. He was here the first few days, and found a role encouraging cars, buses, and taxis, etc, to honk their horns to show support for us. It was a morale boost for us and I think it helped keep his energy up for those long days of protest. Leano is a student at Laney College. He kept talking about how we need to transition to a “resource economy.” I was skeptical at first, not only of what Leano was saying, but of other rhetoric I would hear from various protesters. Leano invested his own money to create some video DVDs and started handing them out. When I had some free time I watched the videos, “Wake Up Call,” (http://youtu.be/ZoYaI9uy8nU) and “Zeitgeist: Moving Forward” (http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/) and was really impressed! The films do a great job exposing the issues and explaining what we are up against. They provide an in-depth history of the Federal Reserve, and highlight some of the secrets of the 1%, such as the fact that “George Bush's grandfather, the late US senator Prescott Bush, was a director and shareholder of companies that profited from their involvement with the financial backers of Nazi Germany”
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/sep/25/usa.secondworldwar).

And then there was me, a tall blonde with a full-time job and an M.A. A tech worker in the city by day, revolutionary poet and protester by night. Graduate of Smith College and fan of the Grateful Dead. I helped make signs, and brought some fact sheets and revolutionary quotes to hand out to people and read into the megaphone. I brought food to share, mainly fruit and Clif bars. I protested at 555 California for the first three days and then went back to work and continued to support the camp in my free time, both in person and organizing online. Many poets from the Revolutionary Poets Brigade have provided ongoing support from the outset and continue to support the movement.

One night when I came by the camp after work, I was told that a journalism student from Madrid wanted to help us start a newspaper. The next evening I met this student, Victor, and a group of us went to a nearby coffee shop to plug in a computer and see his template. By the time the next Saturday general assembly came around we had a newspaper with photos, text and poetry. That night something unusual happened. While in the coffee shop I saw a call come in on my phone from overseas. Later that night I listened to my messages and had a call from a doctor in Uganda! He said:


"We are all waiting for and anticipating the success of your movement to wrestle from that evil government your just demands which will remove the pressure from millions suffering under the yoke of American Imperialism. I have a radio station and will report on what is going on there. One day justice will be done.”


Shortly after this call I was asked by the Voice of Russia for an interview. A reporter wanted to interview someone immediately and Adbusters’ Senior Editor Micah White had given them my contact information. I did the interview via my cell phone from the roof of my apartment building. I think the interviewer did a good job bringing out my thoughts:
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/09/29/56940312.html.
People in Uganda and Russia were hearing about Occupy San Francisco before our own local (mainstream) media was covering it.

The Occupy movement definitely has its challenges, and dedicated people are working on turning those challenges into opportunities. One of the strengths of the open source nature of the movement is that anyone can participate. When someone identifies an obstacle, they can choose to be a part of the solution. George Lakoff, Cognitive Linguist & Professor at UC Berkeley, in a panel discussion at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, talked about the "framing" of Occupy. He said that Occupy is a moral movement that is about whether “you care about your fellow citizens, and are you willing to take responsibility for both yourself and them."

Despite its challenges, the movement has had many successes. Occupy in 2012 is seeing smaller encampments and larger protests including more general strikes and port shutdowns. In response to Occupy LA’s call for a nationwide General Strike, actions are being planned for May 1st
(http://www.occupymay1st.org/2012/04/21/nationwide-general-strike/).
It is becoming easier for people who can’t make it to meetings in person to participate via conference calls (http://interoccupy.org) and online forums (http://occupy.net). Corporate personhood is being challenged by Sen. Bernie Sanders (D, VT) and political bodies such as the New York City Council and the Montana Supreme Court.

Last November Politico reporter Dylan Byers did a news search for the term “income inequality,” and found that usage of the phrase had increased five-fold since Occupy began
(http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1111/Occupy_Wall_Street_is_winning.html).
Rob and Michael are still camping with Occupy San Francisco. Belle and I continue to support the movement, with countless others. Won’t you join us?