You Are HUGE!

Well I finally went to my spokes council meeting I have been inquiring about for months, but no one seem to have any information about them for me. Typical, not surprised. It was a chance invite to hear that a group of people from Zuccotti Park will be attending a spokes council meeting last night, while resting after fetching my good Raven Raven from the hospital nearby the park. 

Of course I inquired a little more about it and ask, “Can we talk about finance? He replied, “Of course you can that is why we are going”. I was told in 10 minutes the group would be leaving. I told Raven and a few others such as the young woman who took Raven to the hospital, Sparkle. Only about 5 minutes past when I heard the group shout from beyond the barracades, “We’re leaving now!” I had a total WTF moment and desperately cried out, “PLEASE! Wait! People are coming now!” I realized that Raven couldn’t walk that fast and I didn’t know the address, so I ran up to the group and I was told the address. I then ran back to where Raven was being to walk. Sparkle and another male protester walked with us. They eventually had to leave us behind because Raven couldn’t keep up. 

It didn’t matter to me at all, I had to catch up and chat with Raven anyways. Even though we were promised MetroCards at the park and I insisted we ride the subway, but Raven refused, the location was “within walking distance”. Anything but, we became seriously lost. Not a soul really knew about the street this meeting was located on. We were just about to throw in the towel after almost 45 minutes of aimless walking until I pulled out the GPS navigator on my phone and was guided by the arrow. 

The doors were looked and the lights were off. I knocked and pleaded out loud to open the door! We tried Sparkle, didn’t answer. I was about to send an angry tweet to all of the Occupy Wall Street pages until a see a group huddled smoking outside a doorway across the street. I had a feeling it might be the meeting location, but I was just about to throw in the towel, yet again, Sparkle called. The group was apart of the meeting. Did they give me the wrong address on purpose, after practically leaving us in the dust at the park?

I see a lot of familiar faces and I was hugged outside. Indoors however, the reception I received when I made my through piles of people sitting Native American style on the ground was rather icy. I heard whispers of me being a “loud mouth” and a “disruptor”. I ignore it because I am overwhelmed with joy when I heard Sparkle’s voice say, “Hey! Chantal My Love! Over here!” I sat down in a high-barstool chair next to Sparkle and the other male protester who left with us. Raven is outside chatting with our friends. The meeting room was stuffy and people where talking in circles about “marginalized people”, who deserves what, and we hear a representative from Occupy Philly kindly ask for legal aid and support during this period of uncertainity of when they too will be raided. A few nice lawyers spoke up and on their behalf. I think they volunteered their services. I couldn’t keep focus because of the whispers and the hole on the side of my head burning through, due to evil stares from others. Most likely organizers. *shrugs* 

Sparkle and I raised our hands for 20 minutes, and was ignored. A man I knew from the park was on “stack” and he announced new plans made up by the group of dedicated, mostly displaced protesters, of keeping Zuccotti Park alive and where/how to show support. He was articulate and spoke gently. Of course there was clapping and “spirit fingers” to show approval. I began to loosen up and let down my guard a smidge, until I heard the ugliest voice known to mankind screech across the room, “I don’t know what that was about…” She said some other obnoxious things as well. I had serious long-overdue things to say so my case of word vomit sounded something like, “BITCH! You’re about to find out! How dare you criticize his announcement. You don’t do it to anyone else!” 

A few people booed me and said some horrible things, until my family who was present injected beautifully in my behalf. I had the courage to stand up and face everyone to say something like this, “This meeting is FUCKING BULLSHIT! You NYU fucks think you’re better than everyone else? Spending donation money to live it up while my family barely scrapes by? They’re not Homeless drunks or drug addicts. These people keep the park YOU told them to Occupy, ALIVE!!!!!!!!” I heard some cheers as I ran out of there stepping on people (Unintentionally of course! I needed to get out of that vapid space of translucent, yuppie, self-righteous web of bullshit!) 

A man who I wrote about in a previous post saying rude things about displaced protesters at 60 Wall Street stepped in my path and said, “Maybe your friends are exactly where they want to be, miserable!” (Of course he lowered his tone of a decibel to where only to two of us can hear.) I seriously had an outer body experience when I got into his face and told him something like, “Keep fucking playing with me or disrespect my family, I WILL LAY YOU THE FUCK OUT! You’re that same fuck from that day at 60 Wall Street! Get the fuck outta here! I will knock you out there is NO cops here!”. Then I turn to the camera to yell, “I hope you all got that on camera!” I was about to leave when I realized how crazy I’ve become because of the oppression the finance committee was inflicting upon us, he says one last thing, “If you were to knock me out you would be just like the drug addict scum you’re talking about”.

Yes, he said that! Everything turned to black when I hit him. I was so distraught after I did that I ran like a child and wailed a frustrated cry into the streets. I thought I was to be arrested, but no cops involved. A nice man who I know cares about the people I am speaking up for comforted me. He took initiative to see if I were okay. He also told me not to worry about what happened, because many people have hit him as well, and that he is hard to work with at times. I feel better but was still losing hope, Sparkle came out for me too, and told me they get the message and allowed us to be on “stack”. She was a little nervous, but gained confidence as a redheaded young woman with glasses gave her the courage. This woman was very nice to us. Her speech was beyond amazing, it was to the point and left no room for question. People cheered. It was truly extraordinary. The same guy I hit earlier was in eye shot of on me purpose smirking, whispering about ,with another organizer while looking and laughing at me. This is truly insane. They judge a certain group of protesters for not being “good enough”, and act like high schoolers? 

I took Raven to a nearby to get something to eat and Sparkle, the male protester, and another protester named Uncle Bob ran into us and I was told the sad news that “nothing will be done for us”. We need to all come together and reform Zuccotti Park and the direction these corrupt organizers/finance committee is taking us. I heard stories and accounts of organizers receiving the head’s up before the raid at Zuccotti Park and didn’t tell anyone, for weeks. Nan Terri is apart of the finance committee and from what I hear from people I trust, is so corrupt. One person said they were asking her for the financial records weeks before the raid, and she was putting it off, and now they were “conveniently” lost during the raid. I heard another story from someone different of her using that excuse as well. How is that possible when I heard 3 stories from protesters who saw her shake a cops hand and was granted a 5 minute head start to gather her things before they raided the park? Prove me WRONG if I’m lying NAN! While my Occupy Wall Street family where beaten, violated, and scared, the organizers were at the W Hotel. PROVE me WRONG PETER DUTRO! You couldn’t even look me in the face last night.

We all parted ways and I run into the guy I had an alteraction with. Yes, he was still talking shit, in front of a patrol car making shit hot, might I add. I told him there would be round two if he didn’t leave me alone. The night was stressful/blissful in a sense. It was stressful that shit wasn’t resolved, but blissful to find out that I have new supporters from all walks of life who commended me on taking a stand. I am attending more meetings, listening to different ideas from people who feel the same as I do, and not walking away until my job is done.