My experience at Occupy the Fed/Occupy Chicago yesterday (with pics)

[Pizzo]

I went to the occupy chicago/occupy the fed protest yesterday. We arrived at around noon. Initially the crown was small because there was also an anti-war protest going on at Michigan Ave that was headed our way. The crowd slowly built up with all sorts of people; a couple of Ron Paul supporters were there who immediately sniffed us out, a couple of truthers, communists, socialists, anarchists, people pissed at everyone, etc. Little by little the crowd grew and eventually the people from the anti-war march (they marched to Obama 2012 headquarters) made their way to LaSalle st. Leading the way and stopping on the corner across from the Fed was a Chicago socialist group. They had a mobile speaker system and were doing call & response chants. Apparently the answers to all of their problems = "Tax the Rich". The chants were: How are we gonna end the war? Tax the rich, tax the rich. How are we gonna create jobs? Tax the rich, tax the rich. How to we fix the deficit? Tax the rich, tax the rich. How can we finally get a Cubs World Series victory? Tax the rich, tax the rich :) They basically drowned out anything else. The small group we had we responding with "End the Fed, End the Fed" instead. We left for a while to recharge our phones. When we returned there was now a nice little group at the Fed which is across the street from where the main group was. We wound up staying there and helped hold up the long "End The Fed" tarp (pic below) made by the kid in the Fawkes mask (non sure if he was from Anonymous, and i didn't ask). I didn't go there to campaign, but what I did do was promote the Black This Out moneybomb to all of the people who were there protesting the Fed. Only one person there who visits the Daily Paul was already aware of it. Another person there said he makes monthly donation. So I guess it was good to get the word out on that. The only two negative interactions (aside from having to endure the mob chants of stealing peoples money) was a woman who saw the picture of Obama in joker paint as potentially racist. I explained to her that no, it is because he is a clown. Keep in mind right above him is Dubya in clown makeup as well. The other negative interaction was toward the end, a gentleman came up to our group wanting to know why we were protesting the Fed while other people had "real complaints". That conversation went nowhere. Here are some pics :


http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc422/PaisleysAndPlaids/chi/photo3.jpg
http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc422/PaisleysAndPlaids/chi/photo.jpg
http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc422/PaisleysAndPlaids/chi/IMG_2405.jpg
http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc422/PaisleysAndPlaids/chi/IMG_2406.jpg
These are the signs we brought. The yellow drum was there already and has End the Fed written across the side. There were people playing the drums all day and this is permanently at the protest site.

http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc422/PaisleysAndPlaids/chi/photo2.jpg
This was also already there when we arrived.

http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc422/PaisleysAndPlaids/chi/IMG_2435.jpg
http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc422/PaisleysAndPlaids/chi/IMG_2434.jpg
Unfortunately, both of these people were also partaking in the "Tax the Rich" chants.

http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc422/PaisleysAndPlaids/chi/IMG_2418.jpg
I directed the woman holding this sign to the Fed building if she wanted an answer to her question.

http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc422/PaisleysAndPlaids/chi/IMG_2443.jpg
This sign as well as all reactions to my sign except for one showed that people may be finally laying blame on Obama for the wars.

(cont.)

[Pizzo]

http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc422/PaisleysAndPlaids/chi/photo4.jpg
The Socialists and their portable speakers.

http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc422/PaisleysAndPlaids/chi/endthefedtarp.jpg
http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc422/PaisleysAndPlaids/chi/IMG_2446.jpg
http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc422/PaisleysAndPlaids/chi/IMG_2430.jpg
For the second half of the afternoon we wound up staying here and as previously mentioned I promoted the moneybomb to everyone there. Everyone was happy about the straw poll results as well.

Here is a link to my photobucket album with more pictures if anyone is interested :
http://s1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc422/PaisleysAndPlaids/chi/#!cpZZ1QQtppZZ24