Photo: Stacy Lanyon
Occupy Wall Street drew my interest after the September 17th action. I read about it after I got back to town from a film shoot on September 19th. What sealed the deal for me was, on the next day, my son was arrested in Zuccotti Park having brought breakfast down from his Food Not Bombs activism earlier that night. He was among the seven arrested at 7AM and subsequently held for questioning at the 1st Precinct. I learned of his arrest from other occupiers. The precinct never called me to say they had him, though he was 17 years old. His mistreatment by the NYPD lit a fire under me, and I was at Zuccotti Park the next day. Basically, I haven’t left since, though my work and family responsibilities temper the amount of time I can give to OWS. I was immediately drawn to the energy and devotion of everyone I met and the flame that had grown dim since my antiwar activism in the late 60’s and early 70’s grew into a bonfire. Raising kids, pursuing a career, trying to fix the system from within through campaign support and being disheartened by the results had created a lot of dead wood just waiting for the torch.
Occupy is vitally important today as the beacon of change, the light of possibility, the fight worth fighting as if our lives depend on it because they do. We the people are at the mercy of big money and ruthless amoral oligarchs who have no interest in the welfare of the planet or its people. This dilemma shows itself in all aspects of life from healthcare to housing to civil liberties to state sponsored oppression. What can’t be denied though is the power of people coming together as one to share their optimism and stand against overwhelming odds because we know that sooner or later more people will wake up, and we will bring the change so desperately needed.
I see a future where the health of our planet and the welfare of all people are seen to be so directly linked that short term gain and rampant greed become sins of the past that future generations look back on as another Dark Age in the long history of civilization. Occupy is the Enlightenment heralding the Renaissance that is our only hope for survival.
Interview by Stacy Lanyon
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