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Forum Post: Crystal Zevon, Searching For Occupy

Posted 10 years ago on Oct. 7, 2013, 11:45 p.m. EST by shoozTroll (17632)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement

Yes. That Crystal Zevon.

"I can still recall my sense of ‘shock and awe’ when, at home on a break from 4 months of ‘occupying’ a tent, two General Assemblies (GAs) a day and multiple protests each week, I watched on live stream as the police charged through the Washington, D.C. encampment at Freedom Plaza. They tore down our tents, took apart the kitchen and issued threats to the Occupiers still standing their ground. From home, I did the only thing I could do and responded to tweets that the Occupiers were hungry and put out a call to send them pizza. When all was said and done, a few symbolic tents remained, but the Occupy movement was (according to mainstream media) declared ‘dead’.

I sat at home for months, depressed, deflated… yet unwilling to be defeated. In July, 2012, I was in Paonia, Colorado to scatter my parents ashes, when a local guy named Sid and I decided to protest the younger Koch brother, Bill’s, WWII tank that was to lead the July 4th parade. Brandishing a homemade sign that read “Are You Trying to Buy the Planet or Just Take It” with “Democracy Can’t Be Bought” on the reverse side, Sid stopped the tank and parade, and I filmed it on my phone. I uploaded it to YouTube, and to our surprise, it became the lead story on the Rachel Maddow show the next night.

Fueled by that incident, an idea began to germinate. Perhaps the mainstream had declared Occupy dead, but I knew of Occupy groups who were still meeting, still protesting and making a difference. I realized that if we continued to film and report everything we could, some of it would inevitably get picked up by the mainstream… and, better yet, we might find the way to creating our own mainstream.

So, I bought a camera, took a week-long course in film production, packed my Prius and, on January 13, 2013, I took off with my Japanese Chin, Wilma (my constant dog-companion since her rescue while I was still living at Freedom Plaza) to search for occupy. I truly did not know what I would find, and must admit to a gnawing fear that I was going to return home to report that Occupy was, in fact, dead. As it turned out, that was most definitely not what I discovered."

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mike-friends-blog/searching-occupy-we-all-live-downstream

10 Comments

10 Comments


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[-] 1 points by crickwall2011 (1) 10 years ago

ThANKS cRYSTAL I was at Occupy freedom Plaza those same four months and I too was deeply depressed to return after the great SmackDown to find my beautiful tent home and all its contents vanished from the site. I had left camp for Superbowl weekend to escape the horrendous weather, and knew that I should be at camp but couldn't for the moment relinquish my warm electrified surroundings until about wednesday (can't quite recall) but by then the stormtroopers had done what they were hired to do....But vanquish the spirit of Occupy, never.

[-] 0 points by shoozTroll (17632) 10 years ago

All in all, a beautiful story.........................:)

[-] 1 points by GirlFriday (17435) 10 years ago

Well, that's kind of odd. All of these twits that are allegedly all about Occupy that are all about banding together are MIA.

How surprising is that?

[-] 1 points by shoozTroll (17632) 10 years ago

Ooooops. this response was for you GF.........................:)

http://occupywallst.org/forum/crystal-zevon-searching-for-occupy/#comment-1007725

[-] 0 points by GirlFriday (17435) 10 years ago

It's ok. I got it.

[-] 0 points by crickwall2011 (1) 10 years ago

'twits' that are 'MIA' ? In case you weren't paying attention those camps were physically broken up by state employees with guns, tear gas, and were arresting people who wouldn't leave. why hasn't your post been removed yet?

[-] 1 points by GirlFriday (17435) 10 years ago

Twits that are MIA, fuckers on this site that pretend to be all about Occupy but are actually right wing shills. Is that a problem for you?

[-] -3 points by HCHC4 (-28) 10 years ago

"Whether we're called Occupy or First Nations or just a solitary guy in Kentucky, the meaning is clear. We are family. We’re in it together. We all live downstream."

[-] 1 points by GirlFriday (17435) 10 years ago

Well, in your case, you are not my brother from another mother, you are a different species and the rest of us live down wind.

[-] 0 points by shoozTroll (17632) 10 years ago

Thanks for noticing. I found this to be a well written touching report on what's going on around the country.

As for those who skipped it?

Fear of giving a hit to Michael's web site, is the only reason I can think of.

I tend to evoke the fear of linkage among the pretenders.

I now have a lot of respect for the Former Mrs. Warren Zevon.

I will buy the book, next time I get to Barnes & Noble.............:)

I've been a fan of Warrens, since his first album.

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