T minus 1 day

[mellowtigger]

A homeless man asked me to buy him some food yesterday. On the way to work, I stopped at a Taco Bell to grab a quick meal. I was standing in line when a thin man behind me (in his 40s, like me) told me that he was homeless. He asked me to buy him food, and I did. While waiting for it to arrive, I told him that a group of people were meeting Friday in downtown Minneapolis and intended to have food available. Not just Friday, but every day for a long while to come. Something is very wrong in America, and "business as usual" is not fixing it.

At the occupation's training meeting Wednesday night, I told one guy about my Taco Bell experience from a few hours earlier. He said that he had seen 4 different people digging in trash bins for food in downtown Minneapolis that day. Something is very wrong in Minnesota, and it needs to change.

Now is the time to demand that our government serve its people rather than its corporations. The 99% are increasingly marginalized and desperate. It's time to reclaim our influence.

Hurdle 1: Overnight. Staying overnight is acceptable! This news is great! There is, however, "no camping". I think that means sleeping bags are acceptable but no tents that can hide people or equipment from police view.

Hurdle 2: Restrooms. Public restrooms are available during business hours but not afterwards (no exceptions), and the county forbids placing port-o-potties on the plaza itself. We are working with the county for permission to setup port-o-potties somewhere. At worst (and I'm not looking forward to this option since I'm on Sanitation committee), during the nights we will try buckets with some privacy, then we take turns hauling away the buckets.

Hurdle 3: Police. Wow, I learned tonight much more of the "bad side" of life in Minneapolis than I really wanted to know. It's the kind of stuff that you secretly suspect but even more secretly hope is just pessimistic imaginings. No, I listened to the people who actually photograph, film, and report the things done by police. I hope the troublemakers on both sides can keep their urges under control tomorrow. Please, everyone remain calm, then everything will work out fine this weekend.

Just so you know... some hospitals apparently develop a habit of "losing" material or testimony that would help you prosecute the police. If you're ever injured by police, be sure to ask to speak with a hospital chaplain after they send you to a hospital for your injuries. It's a neutral 3rd party whose witness to your story may help document your later court case. Don't trust your doctor to record your testimony that the police injured you. Hospitals apparently earn money from the cases sent to them by the police, so it's in their interest to keep the money flowing.

Yes, it's definitely time to erect a barrier of separation between corporations and government.