It was ten years ago this week that Occupy Wall Street came to San Diego. Many San Diegans – and OBceans – were involved in the movement over the months, and the OB Rag gave extended, in-depth coverage.
So, this is an open thread where you, dear reader, can share any memories and / or thoughts of the Occupy movement.
Looking back a decade, was it relevant? Was there any lasting effect? Just who was the 99%?
Was it a movement by socialists or anarchists? What banks got bailed out?
Did the Occupy movement blame President Obama? What was the big deal, anyhow?
What I remember most is when it was discovered that there were almost more undercover agents and cops than actual protesters.
The Old OB Hippie wrote us: “What I remember from that first day was after we had returned to Children’s Park, the huge atmosphere of solidarity. I looked around and only saw one person I knew among the thousands – Ernie McCray. At first I felt saddened – but then realized what a wonderful thing that was for an old San Diego activist: being at a demo and not knowing anyone. I then realized what depth and breadth the new movement had, even in conservative San Diego.”
After posting this, I saw myself in the photo. Lower right. Wow, 10 years ago.
Today’s U-T: “After years of declines, America’s middle class now holds a smaller share of U.S. wealth than the top 1%.”