I received a plea via my personal Facebook page this morning for rain gear for the Occupy Baltimore movement and decided to head down to their camp with some tarps.
I park on the other side of the harbor as I am “one of the 99%” and can’t afford $20 for a garage that smells like urine. As I walk to the demonstration I notice so many of the buildings circling Baltimore’s downtown are the “too big to fail” banks. I used to work down there years ago and never really noticed that. Strange how long-term unemployment can sharpen one’s powers of observation.
The demonstrators have positioned themselves in the perfect place - the corner of Pratt and Light Streets in McKeldin Square in view of the big banks’ office windows. I cringe at the thought that those bank employees may be laughing at them behind the tinted glass as those evil people did on Wall Street to the occupiers there.
I had driven by them and honked at them on Thursday night and it seemed like a fairly small group. I’m not sure if it was larger today. Maybe 50 people? Even though it seemed a relatively small movement, the gonzo photographer in me ended up snapping over 70 pictures. These people are very creative. And creativity can often stem from frustration. This website was born out of frustration.
The set-up was much like it is in Zuccotti Park in New York – kitchen area, medical center, library, media center, and even a day care center. It’s possible they were even more organized than New York. They also had a daily schedule and areas to post suggestions and requests. If any of my former colleagues in advertising are reading this, they need graphic art services and printing.
I’m directed to speak to their “media person.” The gentleman approaches me and starts off the conversation by telling me of their strict no-tolerance policy for alcohol and drugs. I assume he opened with that because of Baltimore’s reputation thanks to TV shows like “The Wire.” He tells me he’s a civil liberties attorney and he’s there to make sure the protestors’ rights are protected. Everyone is calm and collected, including the police, which is a relief if you’ve ever seen them on Youtube. I ask the attorney if the media has been pestering him about having a clear message. He tells me no, because they have a clear message. He doesn’t tell me what it is though. I tell him for me it’s about being unemployed for years and feeling that no one in the government cares, as they are too busy lining the pockets of corporate America. He tells me Occupy York (PA) is forming now. I ask about permits and he tells me they filed for an open-ended permit this morning. The upcoming Baltimore Marathon also holds a permit for McKeldin Square for this Saturday, but was gracious enough to let them stay. Ironically, the marathon is sponsored by several of the big financial institutions.
Occupy Baltimore is a show of solidarity for New York. A video on their website also talks about Wells Fargo having a predatory lending field day here in town. Last week we told you about how every billboard we saw in the Washington Metro was for Wells Fargo.
It will be interesting to see how Occupy Baltimore develops and I know I’ll visit again with more supplies soon. If you are local, you can check their website here for their needs.
Baltimore’s certainly a city where the divide between the haves and have-nots seems like a canyon sometimes. It’s really as simple as that.
Here is my entire slideshow below:
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| Occupy Baltimore - McKeldin Square |
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