Occupy Portland - Part I: The Great Camp Out

Occupy Portland March @ Pioneer Square

Occupy Portland kicked off with a 10,000 strong unpermitted march through downtown, and ended in an occupation of the two parks in front the Justice Center and Police Bureau in the shadow of the Wells Fargo Building. I had a brought a large piece of cardboard and blanket to reserve a space. A tent, tarp and mexican food followed.

We wanted to camp at the occupation to lend some legitmacy to the effort. If educated and employed young adults camped alongside people that didn't have any other choice maybe people would recognize this as a legitmate movement and actually take the time to listen.

The effort definitely hasn't been easy.

Most people can't do this. They have families or jobs or whatnots, but they visit, drop off food, and ultimately help in the efforts. It takes a village.

So, to say the least, there has been a change of plans. In the upcoming weeks, I'll use my volunteer time to help the Occupy Movement. Finding out how I can be most helpful will definitely prove to be a challenge, but this is a lesson for anyone trying to get involved with a small overworked non-profit. Sometimes an organization doesn't have the structure or capacity to handle the good intentions of everyone that walks through its proverbial doors.

The Occupy Movement, however, is aiming to do just that. It seeks to use the energy, power & skills of every sympathizer to send a message to those with the power & know how that the average American is pissed. We've been ripped off and screwed over in far too many ways for far too long. How to help send that message is a whole 'nother story. Extreme volunteering. I'll let you know how it goes.