Occupy Tucson is ON! report from today's planning meeting. Pic heavy

[OffWithTheirHeads]

Occupy Tucson

Today I went to the first organizational meeting of Occupy Tucson. At its height, I don't think there were more than about 100 people there but I also don't think Occupy Tucson even existed more than about a week ago and what we didn't have in numbers was more than made up for in enthusiasm!










The meeting started at 9:A.M. and this pic was taken about 9:30


The meeting was called for the fountain on the corner of Congress and Stone which is private property and we knew in advance that we might be asked to leave. Sure enough, about an hour into it, the building security guard showed up, followed shortly by Tucson's finest.



They were nice but told us that the building management would prefer that go elsewhere so we moved on to Viente de Agosto (Pancho Villa) park, about a block away. Several folks stayed behind to police the area, making sure that there was no trash left behind. In fact, it was resolved that at this and future events, one of our goals was to leave no trace. Not so much as a cigarette butt.



This whole thing has a very short fuse as the actual occupation will begin on October 15 and a lot of planning needs to be done in a very short amount of time. It was decided that a number of issues needed to be dealt with including everything from legal issues (we already have a legal team in place) to food, art, medical, PR, IT, cleanup and even Yoga and meditation. Committees were later formed to address each of these and people joined the committee they felt most comfortable with.

The whole process was quite cumbersome, in fact, it was often like herding cats. Anyone who wanted to speak, on any issue, was allowed floor time with the talking stick and people often got off topic but in the end, everything that needed to get done, got done and it looked an awful lot like Democracy to me.

The next planning meeting, with reports on what we all got done this week, and what remains to be done, will be at Pancho Villa Park on Sunday, October 9, starting at noon.

The actual occupation will start in Pancho Villa Park on October 15. It may migrate as events dictate.

As soon as web sites, facebook info, u-tube links, etc come on line, I will be updating this info. (I joined the PR group.)

If you can get involved, even just by spreading the word, we welcome your help. If you are one of the 99%, please come to the next meeting. As someone else posted at DU recently, either be a rebel or be a slave.

If you would like more info, PM me. I don't know a lot yet but I'm learning fast.

Peace
Bud