Fort Myers was one of the first forts built by the United States Government along the Caloosahatchee River in southwest Florida to be used as a base of operations against the Seminoles in the early1840’s. In the late 1850’s the fort was abandoned, but it was reactivated in 1863 by the United States government, which I have always found remarkable since Florida was one of the earliest states to secede and was long a member of the Confederacy by the time the fort reopened.
Today it is a city with a population of about seventy thousand and is the county seat of Lee County. Now there are lots of things for tourists to want to see or do Fort Myers, visit the summer homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, catch a Red Sox game at their spring training facility in City of Palms Park, or visit the Caloosa Nature Center and Planetarium. As for me, my idea of a good time in Fort Myers is to hang out with the good folks who Occupy Fort Myers.
Without making this a political post, suffice it to say that I attended an Occupy Fort Myers open mic rally by the old Federal Courthouse on January 20, 2012 to protest the second anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling commonly called Citizens United. If you are interested in learning more about the ruling, you can read about it on the Cornell University Law School website if you like a lot of “section this” and “whereas that” in your reading or you can go to the Wikipedia link which is much easier to digest.
I'm not here to talk about the reason for the rally, I want to tell you about the people who attended it. In spite of everything said about Occupiers in general. I want you to know that it was evident that probably all of us had showered, and in conversations here and there, I learned that most of us have jobs, or families or volunteer in a nursing home or in an environmental group. Apparently, Occupiers do have lives and manage to occupy anyway.
Early in the rally, one of the organizers used his mic time to remind us of the code of behavior we should try to maintain. If someone disagrees with our position on an issue, we should listen to their opinion and speak cordially. The police have worked cooperatively with us and we should respect their person and the job they have to do. And so on. Basically it was a reminder of good civics and good manners.
We did accost passersby and ask them to sign petitions. And if they said no, we wished them a good day and moved on to the next person walking down the street.
A few days later one of our number got locked up at a political function. He has been released awaiting trial and I saw him Saturday. Folks are chipping in for his defense fund and we are all praying the felony counts get reduced.
Well, Tuesday, January 31 is Primary Day in Florida and although I’m a registered Independent, lots of my neighbors are Republicans and they’ll have the opportunity to vote.
Thia week to celebrate Primary Day, the Occupiers will be protesting Florida’s brand new third party voter registration law. We are going to do that by registering people to vote. I know it sounds like a pretty radical rebellion. Helping Americans to exercise their right to vote is something I have been doing routinely for forty years, as evidenced by this post from several years ago. I don't think the Florida state legislature has the right to stop me. And why am I sure the law is ridiculous? The League of Women Voters has announced that for the first time in seventy-two years, they have suspended registering new voters in Florida. The League also is party to a law suit against the state of Florida because the new registration and voting laws are so egregious.
Today it is a city with a population of about seventy thousand and is the county seat of Lee County. Now there are lots of things for tourists to want to see or do Fort Myers, visit the summer homes of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, catch a Red Sox game at their spring training facility in City of Palms Park, or visit the Caloosa Nature Center and Planetarium. As for me, my idea of a good time in Fort Myers is to hang out with the good folks who Occupy Fort Myers.
Without making this a political post, suffice it to say that I attended an Occupy Fort Myers open mic rally by the old Federal Courthouse on January 20, 2012 to protest the second anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling commonly called Citizens United. If you are interested in learning more about the ruling, you can read about it on the Cornell University Law School website if you like a lot of “section this” and “whereas that” in your reading or you can go to the Wikipedia link which is much easier to digest.I'm not here to talk about the reason for the rally, I want to tell you about the people who attended it. In spite of everything said about Occupiers in general. I want you to know that it was evident that probably all of us had showered, and in conversations here and there, I learned that most of us have jobs, or families or volunteer in a nursing home or in an environmental group. Apparently, Occupiers do have lives and manage to occupy anyway.
Early in the rally, one of the organizers used his mic time to remind us of the code of behavior we should try to maintain. If someone disagrees with our position on an issue, we should listen to their opinion and speak cordially. The police have worked cooperatively with us and we should respect their person and the job they have to do. And so on. Basically it was a reminder of good civics and good manners.
We did accost passersby and ask them to sign petitions. And if they said no, we wished them a good day and moved on to the next person walking down the street.
A few days later one of our number got locked up at a political function. He has been released awaiting trial and I saw him Saturday. Folks are chipping in for his defense fund and we are all praying the felony counts get reduced.
Well, Tuesday, January 31 is Primary Day in Florida and although I’m a registered Independent, lots of my neighbors are Republicans and they’ll have the opportunity to vote.
Thia week to celebrate Primary Day, the Occupiers will be protesting Florida’s brand new third party voter registration law. We are going to do that by registering people to vote. I know it sounds like a pretty radical rebellion. Helping Americans to exercise their right to vote is something I have been doing routinely for forty years, as evidenced by this post from several years ago. I don't think the Florida state legislature has the right to stop me. And why am I sure the law is ridiculous? The League of Women Voters has announced that for the first time in seventy-two years, they have suspended registering new voters in Florida. The League also is party to a law suit against the state of Florida because the new registration and voting laws are so egregious.
Shortly after I wrote this, the city of Oakland and its Occupiers had a major clash. It's not the first. May it be the last. I assure you that in General Assemblies throughout the Occupy movement, there will be much conversation and a sharpening of divergent opinions. In the end, may it lead to peaceful change.
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Terrie
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11 comments:
It's very helpful to get the insider's view about the Occupy movement. Do people really think protesters are the great unwashed? Let's put this in perspective. Where would we be without activism? Women without the vote. Children exploited. Workers underpaid in dangerous workplaces. Still bowing to England's throne, for that matter. I've got the same blood singing in my veins, Terrie. Good for you. The world is watching.
Terrie, thank you for this update, and thank you for your participation in Occupy Fort Meyers. It's frightening, and very sad, to consider the threat to the democratic process posed by the Citizens United ruling.
Good to see things from the inside. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Hi Lois,
These times are very similar to 1968 in that many people want to believe that Occupiers are the fringes of society. And I'm sure some are. Also, Occupy camps have welcomed anyone and everyone who wishes to participate and no one's motives are questioned. So you can get quite a mix.
Anita,
Citizens United just highlights what has been going on for years. Do you remember calling customer service, not being satisfied and asking for the name and addy of the CEO and the person on the phone supplies it? No more. Well that is just a general statement but in my recent experiences one with ComCast and one with SunTrust Bank, the CEOs are hidden under so many layers that you cannot find them unless you pretend to be an investor. (Which is what I do.) Comcast is so bad, that no matter who you call, write to or email, the same man (Mr. Evans) calls back and basically tells me, he likes me and doesn't want me to leave. I dropped them as a service provider and didn't even know if there was another provider in my area, that's how furious they got me. The second time I got as far as the executive offices I was told that the answer to my question was too complicated for me to understand.
Now that corporations are that brazen in there treatment of people who PAY THEM EVERY MONTH FOR A SERVICE,why not become more open about the political influence they have?
Charles,
Every Occupy group is different and fairly autonomous. Each group has regular General Assembly meetings (Ours are on Wednesday night and Saturday afternoon.) All are welcome and all can speak. Everyone can contribute agenda items. And the goal is to reach consensus on all activities and positions. For example, there are folks who think that the Supreme Court members who gave us Citizens United should be impeached, but they are willing to go along with those who think putting forward a Constitutional Amendment specifying that corporations are not people is the way to go. The Amendment may never pass. The Women's Rights Amendment never passed but the battle caused change. And change is the goal.
Interesting info about the Fort and the insiders view of the occupy movement there. Good for you for joining.
Thanks Reb, and the beauty of Occupy is that no one actually joins. People just show up.
Good for you Terrie! I give 100 percent credit to the all the people are trying to restore the "We the People" part of government. My daughter got me interested in the Occupy movement, so I've been following different groups' progress. Maybe the Women of Mystery could do an anthology?There are definitely no lack of crimes or motives associated with loss of human rights.
Cindy, thanks for the support, and thank your daughter.
I think vigilance is so necessary. when states can pass laws restricting people's right to help potential voters to register, if no one complains, the restrictions will get tighter and tighter.
When I worked in Municipal Government, I had a sign in my office that read: "I wondered why somebody didn't do something. Then I realized I am somebody."
If each somebody did one something for what they believe in the world woudl be a better place, even if, over all, we differ.
http://nightlycitizen.com/2012/01/31/a-response-to-voter-suppression-in-florida/
This is the link to a report on our voter reg efforts and why they were necessary. I am not in the picture, it must have been taken during one of my strolls around the park during which I begged folks to come over and register.
How stupid is this law??
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