Photos From the Front

Went down to Zuccotti Park downtown today to see the hard core Occupy Wall Street contingent camped out there. I went with my friend David Kaplan to donate a pair of blankets I bought for them. The nights are starting to get cold. I stayed only briefly, but I took some photos.



Zuccotti Park viewed from Liberty Plaza. In the background is a Di Suvero sculpture. In the foreground are throngs of people, protesters, gawkers, tourists, sympathizers, and street folk.




Zuccotti Park viewed from Broadway. Despite the apparent chaos, the whole thing was well organized with donations of food, blankets, and clothing constantly coming in. In the foreground in this picture is an impromptu library. There were kitchens, and a remarkably sophisticated press office fielding interviews and managing what appeared to be internet broadcasting equipment.




Here is dangerous radical attorney David Kaplan, who volunteered his services as a legal observer.




Here I am looking like warmed over death with sinus irritation. I have a terrible cold. I had a wonderful time despite that, and I hope I didn't donate my cold with the blankets.




Some of the young campers, most of which looked very young.




The police seemed very relaxed considering all the news about police brutality at the rallies, possibly because of signs like this, possibly too because most of the violence is committed by police supervisors who tend to be resented by the rank and file cops.





Making signs.




Various signs. There were a number of spreads of signs around the park.




A favorite sign.




Another favorite sign




Meditating to wake up.




Even more people camped out in the park




And what's a protest without drummers?





The park is right next to the World Trade Center site. Here is #4 WTC from the park.




And behind #4 World Trade Center, #1 rises.




Here is a collection of hardhat union signs at the WTC site. Could the slow-motion plutocratic coup d'etat threatening our country drive those old enemies hard hats and hippies together? Could be. Unions were a big presence in the park with the hippies; SEIU, TWU the transit workers, the UAW, and the teachers' union.

We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both.

-- Justice Louis D. Brandeis, U.S. Supreme Court


UPDATE:

Paul Krugman sides with the hippies this morning, and why not? The Very Serious Guys in Suits have been lying or stupid for 30 years.