OccupySacramento March Number 2
by Mark Gonzales on Saturday, October 29, 2011 at 6:32pm
A few weeks ago, I took the plunge and marched with Occupy Sacramento. Today, I happened to march again. However, instead of just chanting "What does Democracy look like, this is what Democracy looks like" we chanted things like "What do we want? Brains! - Who's do we want? The City council!". The Zombie March was on and I had my voice ready.
To my surprise, we walked through the outdoor Downtown Plaza Mall. You name a mainstream department store, they're probably there. Macy's. Yep. JCPenney's. Yep. Pac Sun. Yep. And on and on. People who buy such clothing I'm sure aren't in-the-know about the issues are we are chanting about.
"Who are these chanting folks?"
"Well, the news say they're a bunch of hippies saying that want to Axe the rich or somethin'?"
"Oh--- look honey, these stilettos are half off!"
"Pumpkin, I told you only one pair today!"
We march through while our chanting rings through the pillars of commericialization. We make the message clear to even the children that are having fun in the playground area in the middle of the mall. Gosh, we have to get the young ones to start thinking critically. We round the corner and pause allowing the vibration of our voices echo.
Later, we march on toward the locations of the big banks. We stop at Wells Fargo to chat and hold our signs in the frame of windows speaking our message. Folks didn't seem to mind. I'm sure they have heard the same message before and now probably give the extra step to encourage all prospective clients to open up new accounts. We move passed the massive B of A building while chanting "Banks got bailed out, we got sold out!"
Eventually, we step onto the steps of our lovely Capitol building. We keep our chants loud and clear. Suddenly, one of the marchers with the speakerphone comments how the police have not followed us. "Why?" Because we come here peacefully to assemble on "Our what? Our Capitol!!". We begin to continue our chants even though not many people have converged today and look at ourselves in glee- happy that we have chosen to step out of our own living rooms and family obligations to make a stand. We stand joyful to be among the few to recognize that forces beyond our individualistic decisions, there is much more to responsible for in the vastness of our society. The lone drum beats with our hearts. Some people yell. Some people stand calm and firm. We bask in our own glorified restlessness until the blue shirts come upon us.
Because we did not have a permit, we were violating the law. The law states that we cannot protest on the steps of the capitol building as an assembly. Rather, we must have a permit to do such an action even though the constitution states we have a right to peacefully assemble. Alas, the CHP officer spoke through her vehicle microphone "It is an unlawful to demonstrate in front of the capitol building without a permit. You will be arrested if you do not move to the sidewalk." Sticking to their word of a fruitful democracy, the organizers gave some options: "Raise your hand if you want us to leave.... Now raise your hand if you want to depart back to Caesar Chavez Park where we started"... most chose the later.
After the CHP and some of the organizers talked about how it was unconstitutional to allow us to exercise our right, we headed back to the park.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeHLBVG5yas
Peace starts with You.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Death Revisited
I attended my sister's friend funeral last week.
I didn't plan to go but my mother felt like she should so I tagged along. We were told to meet at the cemetery. So we did. But my sister, who was there already, told us that we need to go to the church service first before we come here. My mom said that was fine and we headed toward the church. My sister told us it will be an open-casket service so we got mentally prepared.
You see, last time I saw a dead body was when I was 7.
My great grandmother laid out before me lying softly at peace like a brittle toy that had been used timelessly. Placing my fingers in the shape of a peace sign, I laid them down on her cheek. The coldness startled me. I didn't expect such stiffness.
That was my first exposure to death and that experience was definitely flash-backed on as I approached the church. Walking with my sister and mother was another of my sister's friends. I thought it peculiar that my sister's friend brought along her 4ish old boy. Reactively, I said to myself "Why would she do that?!". As we stood in the back of the church waiting to be seated, I saw the open-casket and secretly wondered how the child would react. He seemed to be clueless about what was going on.
We took our seats in the 100-max person church and held our ears open to hear the sermon and hear the stories from the family about Richard. The little boy sat in front of us with his mother. Flashbacks from other deaths came streaming in - remembering the sight of my grandmother- I wanted to retract my statement about bringing the young boy in the church. While he accompanied other children- surprising enough- to the church service, he began to learn through the transparent grief that loomed in the air. He began to cry when a close relative of the dead expressed himself with full upsetting conviction.
To this end, I wanted that boy there. I wanted him to touch the sadness that hung vibrantly in the air. I wanted him to know that this is the future of the existence of life. That sadness which touches the deepest crevasse of human existence is generated through the detachment of beings. This is what may be called decathexis.
The boy's mom's hands were surrounding in this time he was exposed to such reality. This is imperative. For what good does this experience due him if he is not safe and cared for in the proper way. His mother's love allows him to see death is moved through with patience and understanding; making him afraid more of death will will him to deny, ignore, or even shame it.
After the sermon was over, all the people lined up in an organized fashion and walked over to pay respect to the body and greeted the family. Looking at Richard's peaceful face, I thought of my grandmother whom I never knew and knew that they would be okay. How could they not, they looked so peaceful. In recollecting upon the additional losses in my family and friends circle, I get so awestruck about how a body with so much life- can look so peaceably dead. How a fully-abled body with a vibrant personality exists no more. Oh- the heartbreak. Oh, the loud pitch of despair rang in the voices of family and friends that passed. Richard's mom was taking hugs from everyone that was present and I thought never to scuttle outside without partaking in the act of giving love. So I did.
The little boy, of course, was eager to leave. Rightfully so. I am apt to wonder how he will be affected in his life. I hope that he realizes what realities in life but not to harp on them so much to not recognize that life is for living.
I didn't plan to go but my mother felt like she should so I tagged along. We were told to meet at the cemetery. So we did. But my sister, who was there already, told us that we need to go to the church service first before we come here. My mom said that was fine and we headed toward the church. My sister told us it will be an open-casket service so we got mentally prepared.
You see, last time I saw a dead body was when I was 7.
My great grandmother laid out before me lying softly at peace like a brittle toy that had been used timelessly. Placing my fingers in the shape of a peace sign, I laid them down on her cheek. The coldness startled me. I didn't expect such stiffness.
That was my first exposure to death and that experience was definitely flash-backed on as I approached the church. Walking with my sister and mother was another of my sister's friends. I thought it peculiar that my sister's friend brought along her 4ish old boy. Reactively, I said to myself "Why would she do that?!". As we stood in the back of the church waiting to be seated, I saw the open-casket and secretly wondered how the child would react. He seemed to be clueless about what was going on.
We took our seats in the 100-max person church and held our ears open to hear the sermon and hear the stories from the family about Richard. The little boy sat in front of us with his mother. Flashbacks from other deaths came streaming in - remembering the sight of my grandmother- I wanted to retract my statement about bringing the young boy in the church. While he accompanied other children- surprising enough- to the church service, he began to learn through the transparent grief that loomed in the air. He began to cry when a close relative of the dead expressed himself with full upsetting conviction.
To this end, I wanted that boy there. I wanted him to touch the sadness that hung vibrantly in the air. I wanted him to know that this is the future of the existence of life. That sadness which touches the deepest crevasse of human existence is generated through the detachment of beings. This is what may be called decathexis.
The boy's mom's hands were surrounding in this time he was exposed to such reality. This is imperative. For what good does this experience due him if he is not safe and cared for in the proper way. His mother's love allows him to see death is moved through with patience and understanding; making him afraid more of death will will him to deny, ignore, or even shame it.
After the sermon was over, all the people lined up in an organized fashion and walked over to pay respect to the body and greeted the family. Looking at Richard's peaceful face, I thought of my grandmother whom I never knew and knew that they would be okay. How could they not, they looked so peaceful. In recollecting upon the additional losses in my family and friends circle, I get so awestruck about how a body with so much life- can look so peaceably dead. How a fully-abled body with a vibrant personality exists no more. Oh- the heartbreak. Oh, the loud pitch of despair rang in the voices of family and friends that passed. Richard's mom was taking hugs from everyone that was present and I thought never to scuttle outside without partaking in the act of giving love. So I did.
The little boy, of course, was eager to leave. Rightfully so. I am apt to wonder how he will be affected in his life. I hope that he realizes what realities in life but not to harp on them so much to not recognize that life is for living.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
OccupySacramento
This afternoon, I attended the Occupy Sacramento's march and general assembly in the historic Caesar Chavez Park in middle of Downtown.
Before I arrived, I had to hop one bus and one light rail trip to get to the park that is situated in one of the most popular spots in midtown. After paying for my $6 daily pass, I hopped on the bus thinking about how that expense may have prevented many different people from attending this monumental event. In Sacramento, a daily pass is $6 while one individual trip regardless of what the distance is between the two spots (200 feet or across the city), the cost is $2.50! Needless to say, the output of energy that is focused on attending protests could be increased by the presence of cheaper transportation costs. In cities where density is high seems, to me, to be more conducive in creating a pathway to gather large crowds of people.
Nonetheless, I walked off the light rail- rounded the corner onto J Street where the protest was held. I looked ahead and recognized a few protesters on the high-traffic corner of J Street and 8th Street. There were protestors on both sides of the corners. I crossed the street and walked into the park. I spotted Cindy Sheehan railing behind the bull horn getting people fired up about the issues. I heard that she would be present and I appreciated the opportunity to hear her speak on the issues for 20 minutes. After some additional instructions from organizers, we were on our way to march toward the capitol. We chanting either "We are the 99%" or "What does democracy looks like- this is what Democracy looks like" will full vigor. I stood with the crowd not wanting to lose my voice but didn't really have a choice. Everyone was mindful of the rules and stayed on the sidewalk. Organizers moved along the march lines to keep up the energy and stayed chanting the whole time with us. One of the most best moments was when we rounded the one block so we had clear view of all of the protestors moving in a U-shape toward the capitol. It was great to see so much excitement and so much energy pouring out from people of all ages and ethnicities. We marched approximately 15 minutes toward the steps of the capitol of the Golden State. We gathered together in a fan-shape around the steps and after a few minutes were told to sit. After sitting, I glanced behind me and saw a flood of protestors sitting peaceably and quietly. We heard about 5 speakers giving inspirational to informational speeches. Occupy Sacramento's lawyer was one speaker. He told us with conviction that (paraphrasing)...
the local media has framed Occupy Sacramento as disorganized and fragmented. There is talk about the mob rule. Well, I would like to say that the government permitted two wars to be fought. Where was their plan?
This, of course, reigned in chunks of applause and hard claps. Other speakers renewed our sense of social change and how this movement is more than a general movement- it is a global revolution- an international consciousness expansion. One spokesperson read aloud and told us to repeat the 7 demands of the Occupy Movement:
1) End the Collusion Between Government and Large Corporations/Banks, So That Our Elected Leaders Are Actually Representing the Interests of the People (the 99%) and Not Just Their Rich Donors (the 1%).
2) Investigate Wall Street and Hold Senior Executives Accountable for the Destruction in Wealth that has Devastated Millions of People.
3) Return the Power of Coining Money to the U.S. Treasury and Return to Sound Money
4) Limit the Size, Scope and Power of Banks so that None are Ever Again “Too Big to Fail” and in Need to Taxpayer Bailouts
5) Eliminate “Personhood” Legal Status for Corporations
6) Repeal the Patriot Act, End the War on Drugs and Protect Civil Liberties
7) End the Imperial Wars of Aggression, Bring the Troops Home from All Countries, Cut the Military Budget and Limit The Military Role to Protection of the Homeland
After some more informational discussion, we were on our way back to Caesar Chavez park. Once again, the protestors took the time to chant which included to the on-lookers in office buildings, other pedestrians, or people driving in the area. We all settled back in the center of Caesar Park where announced were made that the General Assembly would be starting in about an hour. Meanwhile, I sat and wrote some notes while two late-to-mid-twenty-year-old people sat next to me.
Honestly, I didn't know how involved I was going to get until the march started -I was just going to go there and get some interviews. But when the march started, I invested in giving my voice up for chanting. However, there at the park, I wanted to get engaged so I turned my shoulder and asked the couple about why there here today beside the obvious reasons. One of the them talked about how she wanted to see changes in the educations system and how we do not learn about how the systems in the social world work. There isn't any educational programs that help us see what really goes on in many different realms. The other person was quite assertive in saying that he would love to see a changing of consciousness happen. He said that people are regular things to do and they don't really understand what's happening around them. They bills to pay and children to raise. They can't invest themselves in figuring out the banking system. They seemed quite exciting about the whole movement and acknowledged it's international presence. After discussing a few other items, I thanked them for their time and walked over to get a better view of the general assembly which had almost started.
The GA, as they call it, simply started out by the facilitator telling the people about each agenda point. The main feature of this night's GA was whether or not the GA wanted to adopt the Occupy Wall Street's declaration. The GA passed it. You can read it here.
http://occupywallst.org/forum/first-official-release-from-occupy-wall-street/
Some people wrote a Occupy Sacramento declaration which was up for a vote in the GA in order to be adopted. That vote was turned down. Prior to the voting, the GA had a "stack" which is a procession of people who stand in line to proclaim their two-cents on the matter at hand. Two stacks were made for each call for adopting the Occupy Wall Street declaration and the Occupy Sacramento declaration. Many expressed that in order to keep international solidarity in the Occupy movement, the Occupy Sacramento declaration should not be adopted. A good point was raised in that Occupy Sacramento will be partnering up with the Davis, CA, San Fran, CA, and the Berkeley, CA Occupy protests soon and to adopt the Occupy Sacramento declaration would make it difficult to collaborate with others.
So, as of 6.42pm Oct. 15 Pacific time, the Occupy Sacramento GA adopted the Occupy Wall Street declaration.
Night was falling and the crowd was waning but the facilitator was still robust in her presence and rule keeping. Signs still lay circled around the fountain in the middle of the park such as "The end is near (thank god)" and "Stop the Keystone TL pipeline". People were putting them back on the ground where they took them at the beginning of the day. The pop-up tents were still out. Sprinkles of people were still present when I departed.
Hopefully more to come. Live on in peace.
Before I arrived, I had to hop one bus and one light rail trip to get to the park that is situated in one of the most popular spots in midtown. After paying for my $6 daily pass, I hopped on the bus thinking about how that expense may have prevented many different people from attending this monumental event. In Sacramento, a daily pass is $6 while one individual trip regardless of what the distance is between the two spots (200 feet or across the city), the cost is $2.50! Needless to say, the output of energy that is focused on attending protests could be increased by the presence of cheaper transportation costs. In cities where density is high seems, to me, to be more conducive in creating a pathway to gather large crowds of people.
Nonetheless, I walked off the light rail- rounded the corner onto J Street where the protest was held. I looked ahead and recognized a few protesters on the high-traffic corner of J Street and 8th Street. There were protestors on both sides of the corners. I crossed the street and walked into the park. I spotted Cindy Sheehan railing behind the bull horn getting people fired up about the issues. I heard that she would be present and I appreciated the opportunity to hear her speak on the issues for 20 minutes. After some additional instructions from organizers, we were on our way to march toward the capitol. We chanting either "We are the 99%" or "What does democracy looks like- this is what Democracy looks like" will full vigor. I stood with the crowd not wanting to lose my voice but didn't really have a choice. Everyone was mindful of the rules and stayed on the sidewalk. Organizers moved along the march lines to keep up the energy and stayed chanting the whole time with us. One of the most best moments was when we rounded the one block so we had clear view of all of the protestors moving in a U-shape toward the capitol. It was great to see so much excitement and so much energy pouring out from people of all ages and ethnicities. We marched approximately 15 minutes toward the steps of the capitol of the Golden State. We gathered together in a fan-shape around the steps and after a few minutes were told to sit. After sitting, I glanced behind me and saw a flood of protestors sitting peaceably and quietly. We heard about 5 speakers giving inspirational to informational speeches. Occupy Sacramento's lawyer was one speaker. He told us with conviction that (paraphrasing)...
the local media has framed Occupy Sacramento as disorganized and fragmented. There is talk about the mob rule. Well, I would like to say that the government permitted two wars to be fought. Where was their plan?
This, of course, reigned in chunks of applause and hard claps. Other speakers renewed our sense of social change and how this movement is more than a general movement- it is a global revolution- an international consciousness expansion. One spokesperson read aloud and told us to repeat the 7 demands of the Occupy Movement:
1) End the Collusion Between Government and Large Corporations/Banks, So That Our Elected Leaders Are Actually Representing the Interests of the People (the 99%) and Not Just Their Rich Donors (the 1%).
2) Investigate Wall Street and Hold Senior Executives Accountable for the Destruction in Wealth that has Devastated Millions of People.
3) Return the Power of Coining Money to the U.S. Treasury and Return to Sound Money
4) Limit the Size, Scope and Power of Banks so that None are Ever Again “Too Big to Fail” and in Need to Taxpayer Bailouts
5) Eliminate “Personhood” Legal Status for Corporations
6) Repeal the Patriot Act, End the War on Drugs and Protect Civil Liberties
7) End the Imperial Wars of Aggression, Bring the Troops Home from All Countries, Cut the Military Budget and Limit The Military Role to Protection of the Homeland
After some more informational discussion, we were on our way back to Caesar Chavez park. Once again, the protestors took the time to chant which included to the on-lookers in office buildings, other pedestrians, or people driving in the area. We all settled back in the center of Caesar Park where announced were made that the General Assembly would be starting in about an hour. Meanwhile, I sat and wrote some notes while two late-to-mid-twenty-year-old people sat next to me.
Honestly, I didn't know how involved I was going to get until the march started -I was just going to go there and get some interviews. But when the march started, I invested in giving my voice up for chanting. However, there at the park, I wanted to get engaged so I turned my shoulder and asked the couple about why there here today beside the obvious reasons. One of the them talked about how she wanted to see changes in the educations system and how we do not learn about how the systems in the social world work. There isn't any educational programs that help us see what really goes on in many different realms. The other person was quite assertive in saying that he would love to see a changing of consciousness happen. He said that people are regular things to do and they don't really understand what's happening around them. They bills to pay and children to raise. They can't invest themselves in figuring out the banking system. They seemed quite exciting about the whole movement and acknowledged it's international presence. After discussing a few other items, I thanked them for their time and walked over to get a better view of the general assembly which had almost started.
The GA, as they call it, simply started out by the facilitator telling the people about each agenda point. The main feature of this night's GA was whether or not the GA wanted to adopt the Occupy Wall Street's declaration. The GA passed it. You can read it here.
http://occupywallst.org/forum/first-official-release-from-occupy-wall-street/
Some people wrote a Occupy Sacramento declaration which was up for a vote in the GA in order to be adopted. That vote was turned down. Prior to the voting, the GA had a "stack" which is a procession of people who stand in line to proclaim their two-cents on the matter at hand. Two stacks were made for each call for adopting the Occupy Wall Street declaration and the Occupy Sacramento declaration. Many expressed that in order to keep international solidarity in the Occupy movement, the Occupy Sacramento declaration should not be adopted. A good point was raised in that Occupy Sacramento will be partnering up with the Davis, CA, San Fran, CA, and the Berkeley, CA Occupy protests soon and to adopt the Occupy Sacramento declaration would make it difficult to collaborate with others.
So, as of 6.42pm Oct. 15 Pacific time, the Occupy Sacramento GA adopted the Occupy Wall Street declaration.
Night was falling and the crowd was waning but the facilitator was still robust in her presence and rule keeping. Signs still lay circled around the fountain in the middle of the park such as "The end is near (thank god)" and "Stop the Keystone TL pipeline". People were putting them back on the ground where they took them at the beginning of the day. The pop-up tents were still out. Sprinkles of people were still present when I departed.
Hopefully more to come. Live on in peace.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
October Reigns
I have been very blessed since I have been back to Sacramento. I hoped/hope to accomplish several goals while I am here because I do not know of my plans in the future so I want to have a blast with the time I know I will be here. I will be in Sacramento through June of 2012.
In July, I received a job at the American Red Cross. I started on Aug. 1st and I have been learning a lot. I cannot believe it's been two months already. The interview was fantastic and I thought it was too good so I tried to keep my hope down. But lo and behold, they called me back the next day and said " They would not need a second interview" and they hired me right on the phone. I was thrilled.
I have been learning a lot about the American Red Cross vocabulary, processes, systems, and staff/volunteers. They are in love with acronyms. And just like in any job, there are things that I dislike but I am willing to endure through my program completion date in mid-June. It's a job that requires a lot of flexibility because there is something different every day, lots of time we are hurrying to finish a proejct then told we have to wait, and that there is a wide spectrum of work involved.
These last two months, I have been attending lots of classes and events/seminars.
During these interactions, I am finding what I like. Rather soon, I will be pigeon holing myself into areas which suit me best. Already, I am partial to any project that allows me to interact with people whether it is teaching a class, staffing an information booth, or giving a presentation.
I got very lucky in getting this job. But that is just the butter on the corn. One of my main goals in coming back to Sacramento is to spend time with family. Well, I have been scheduling movie watching with my cousin David. We are on a roll and we continue to keep watching. I, along with others celebrated my Mom's birthday early September. I have been giving bread and random desserts to different family members that live right near me. I have spent lots of time with my Dad. I am still working on spending time with my sister but she has visited us a few times and I am proud to say that we express ourselves rather well with each other. My sister and I haven't been very close but we seem to have a good footing on a strong foundation now. I told her I want to take her to a independent film soon. In addition, I have spoke a lot with my neighbors whom I consider friends as well.
And of course, I have been in contact with my girlfriend Natalie who is now in France teaching English (Natalie's blog: http://nataliefranceadventures.blogspot.com). We talked a few times during the time she was in Paris but now she is in her final destination where she will teach English to a class of elementary school children. We have plans to Skype as soon as she gets internet back at her Host Family's household.
As always the case, nothing's perfect and there are some days I just want to keep to myself but all in all, this experience of re-visiting Sacramento is going so well and I am so grateful to have this opportunity to not only have a good job but a good footing with everyone around me.
In July, I received a job at the American Red Cross. I started on Aug. 1st and I have been learning a lot. I cannot believe it's been two months already. The interview was fantastic and I thought it was too good so I tried to keep my hope down. But lo and behold, they called me back the next day and said " They would not need a second interview" and they hired me right on the phone. I was thrilled.
I have been learning a lot about the American Red Cross vocabulary, processes, systems, and staff/volunteers. They are in love with acronyms. And just like in any job, there are things that I dislike but I am willing to endure through my program completion date in mid-June. It's a job that requires a lot of flexibility because there is something different every day, lots of time we are hurrying to finish a proejct then told we have to wait, and that there is a wide spectrum of work involved.
These last two months, I have been attending lots of classes and events/seminars.
During these interactions, I am finding what I like. Rather soon, I will be pigeon holing myself into areas which suit me best. Already, I am partial to any project that allows me to interact with people whether it is teaching a class, staffing an information booth, or giving a presentation.
I got very lucky in getting this job. But that is just the butter on the corn. One of my main goals in coming back to Sacramento is to spend time with family. Well, I have been scheduling movie watching with my cousin David. We are on a roll and we continue to keep watching. I, along with others celebrated my Mom's birthday early September. I have been giving bread and random desserts to different family members that live right near me. I have spent lots of time with my Dad. I am still working on spending time with my sister but she has visited us a few times and I am proud to say that we express ourselves rather well with each other. My sister and I haven't been very close but we seem to have a good footing on a strong foundation now. I told her I want to take her to a independent film soon. In addition, I have spoke a lot with my neighbors whom I consider friends as well.
And of course, I have been in contact with my girlfriend Natalie who is now in France teaching English (Natalie's blog: http://nataliefranceadventures.blogspot.com). We talked a few times during the time she was in Paris but now she is in her final destination where she will teach English to a class of elementary school children. We have plans to Skype as soon as she gets internet back at her Host Family's household.
As always the case, nothing's perfect and there are some days I just want to keep to myself but all in all, this experience of re-visiting Sacramento is going so well and I am so grateful to have this opportunity to not only have a good job but a good footing with everyone around me.
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