Occupy Orlando 2.0

Posted on by Thor

September 17th marked the one year anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement. An open forum was held at the Administration Building (201 South Rosalind Avenue) in downtown Orlando. Last year the Occupy Orlando demonstrators camped out in Senator Beth Johnson Park on Lake Ivanhoe for about two months. Some demonstrators were arrested for  petty actions like writing on the sidewalk with chalk or sleeping on the grass. Personal items were confiscated by police. The group was ejected in December and they then moved down to City Hall. The demonstrations then slowly lost ground.

About 25 people at most gathered for this one year anniversary. One news van was parked nearby. I was surprised to find the Occupy leader in a stiff pressed, collared dress shirt with a black tie. One speaker felt that the anarchist principles of some members of the group undermined the cause. Another speaker felt the movement wasn’t dead but was now regrouping and working within the system to bring about change. The Occupy movement has been used by advertising and the “We are the 99%” slogan is now a part of popular culture.  More than once, the importance of getting people registered to vote was pointed out. Many of the young demonstrators were new to the disappointments that came with little or no change. Change never happens fast however. Lives were lost in the battle to bring equal rights to all men and it took decades for women to gain the right to vote.

I sketched Jim Howe of the Communication Workers of America as he spoke. Hundreds of thousands of petition signatures were gathered to get a sick time initiative on the November ballot. County Commissioners seem to be doing all they can to stall the initiative which would require employees to offer sick time to employees. If approved by voters, the sick-time initiative would require employers
with 15 or more workers to provide paid time off to employees who are
sick or caring for a sick family member. Both full- and part-time
employees would earn one hour of sick time for every 37 hours they work,
to a maximum of 56 hours per year. In a service industry town, I can imagine many businesses wouldn’t feel they profit from a sick time initiative.

One speaker who is running for public office, said elections should not be about raising the largest amount of campaign money. He felt elections should be about reaching the most voters online. A young demonstrator said that since the movement broke up, he has been occupying a MacDonald’s where he talks to people about change. The important thing is that he remains out in the community sharing his thoughts and opening a discussion. A speaker shouted out, “Mic check!” everyone shouted back, “Mic check!”. “It’s good to hear your still out there” he said. After the last speaker was finished, the grey sky opened up and it began to pour. Everyone scattered for cover. I wrapped my sketchbooks in plastic and walked back to my car huddled under my umbrella in the deluge.

Day 99 of Occupy Orlando

Posted on by Thor

It had been 99 days since demonstrators first Occupied Senator Beth Johnson Park on South Ivanhoe Boulevard. The 99% planned to celebrate the 99th day with free music in the park. The crowd was sparse, perhaps forty people but their spirits were high. There were setbacks but their voices were not silenced. I sat down and sketched during the sound check. Someone had a bunch of those New Year’s Eve noise makers. A car alarm went off and there was a call and response that happened where the alarm would sound and then the demonstrators would follow with the noise makers. There was a festive atmosphere, a feeling that this was an important anniversary. I felt good being among people who were passionate about the Democratic process.

I stayed for the first set. The performer with the Greek hat and orange shirt sang folk songs about the 99%. The sun was getting low on the horizon and the warm light made dry pine trees down by the lake glow a warm orange. Shadows grew long on the lawn. Photographers wandered about shooting photos. When the music stopped, the sketch was done. It is encouraging that voices are still being heard. I packed up and hiked back to my truck on Magnolia. Time to get back to the grind to try and make ends meet. The 99% are still standing strong.

Occupy Orlando Evening of Day 19

Posted on by Thor

I’m working strange hours this month from 5 pm to 9pm. I decided to drive down to the Chamber of Commerce after work to see how many people were still camping out in the Occupy Orlando protest. As I approached Senator Beth Johnson Park, I saw a tall man in an overcoat and fashionable hat balling up yellow police caution tape. I asked what the police tape was for and he told me he was souvenir hunting. People aren’t allowed to sleep in Orlando Parks so the protesters moved to the vacant lot across the street. Before long the police forced the protesters off the vacant lot since it was private property. The yellow tape was put up to remind protesters to stay away.

There were between 20 and 30 Occupy Orlando protesters who looked like they would be sleeping on the sidewalks that border the park that night. One guy had a hammock set up between several trees and he slumbered peacefully, an American flag tucked into the hammock rope at his head. I was told one man was sleeping on the sidewalk and he accidentally rolled onto the park’s grass. He was arrested. There was a folding table set up which had kitchen supplies.

It is fine to be in the park so long as you are awake. There is however a curfew. I heard drumming and walked into the park. Political protest signs were lying in the grass. I approached the make shift drum circle and started sketching. Another fellow listened, lying on the sidewalk and resting his head on his skate board. The rhythms punctuated the night. I rocked as I sketched. The drumming was interrupted when someone walked up with his laptop open. A live streaming video showed the thousands of people gathered in Oakland, California. The fellow with the cigarette and Amish beard looked at my sketch and did a happy jig. “That is so cool.” He said.

Two young college girls were seated in the grass next to me. The red headed girl had come from NYC’s Occupy Wall Street to join the Orlando protest. She was upset that her boyfriend didn’t join her in the protest. The other girl calmed her, explaining he was probably afraid. On November 6th eleven people were arrested in Beth Johnson park in Orlando, so the 0ccupation does have risks. On Halloween the red headed girl had to come up with a make shift costume out of the duffel bag of clothes she had brought from NYC. She told people she was Molly Ringwald and sure enough, she was a dead ringer.

I didn’t talk to anyone about politics, grievances or changes that need to be made. For me, It was enough to be witnessing a peaceful national demonstration that is unprecedented. Americans are assembling, and their voices are being heard. People suddenly realize, they are not alone, they are the majority.

Occupy Orlando

Posted on by Thor

The Occupy Wall Street demonstration in NYC has caused similar demonstrations across the country. Occupy Orlando began at 8am on Saturday October 15th at the Orlando Chamber of Commerce. The protest’s aim was to unite the 99% of Americans struggling to survive today’s economy. The organizers asked people to come out not just as individuals but as participating citizens of society. I parked several blocks away expecting a large crowd. As I walked closer I heard the voices over loudspeakers. The crowd wasn’t as large as I expected. There were perhaps a hundred people in the public park carrying signs and milling about. There were so many cameras that I thought the media accounted for a quarter of the people there.

I immediately focused on the group of people meditating. I set up my artist stool and started to sketch. As I got lost in the details I relaxed and the din of the demonstrators grew quiet. The first person at the mic was a singer who unfortunately sang off key. A woman running for public office spoke of the day she took her child to Lake Eola to watch as the people feeding the homeless there were arrested. Her little boy couldn’t understand why people would be arrested for feeding the hungry. The surreal is common in the City Beautiful.

At one point I found a TV cameraman blocking my view. A microphone was shoved in my face and I was being asked questions about the demonstration. I guess when the media get desperate they interview the media. The reporter’s questions were argumentative so I lost interest and returned to my sketch. He seemed to want to imply that a corporation’s only responsibility is to the stock holders. But I’m a stock holder who is losing money. I side with the protesters since I undeniably make less money than I did before 9-11. There were conspiracy theorists behind the mic who I didn’t quite follow. Of course with all the invitations of free speech, a man stood on a milk crate with a bible in his hand and he shouted hell and damnation.

I had to be at work by 1pm. I finished the sketch of the silent meditators and realized I had time for one more short sketch. I sat near a group of children painting bright signs with finger paint. A young girl was making a sign with sharpies on foam core board. The sign read…”Dumbeldore would be Disappoint.” Did she run out of room on the sign or did the sign simply not make any sense? One sign I did like was, “We need more Jobs.”

There was going to be a march downtown. I decided I had to leave in case the march shut down the street I was parked on. The demonstration felt unfocused and splintered. The demonstration was peaceful with an undeniable dissatisfaction in government and corporations. As I left people were still arriving. One guy shouted to me, “Hey, your going the wrong way!” There may hare been close to a thousand people ready to march through downtown. Part of me was angry as I drove to work on a Saturday. I had a headache. I had red sugar coated aspirin but no water. I popped two aspirin in my mouth. I couldn’t swallow them. The sweet coating wore off quickly and the sharp sour aspirin taste kicked in. I shoved the aspirin under my gums and it dissolved slowly leaving a bad taste in my mouth for hours.