We’ll be filming the trailer for the film tomorrow, December 10, at noon in front of Vox Pop, our late great little coffee shop – it got laid off too.
Forty years ago during another time of great social upheaval, Melvin Van Peebles wrote “Love, that’s America.” The lyrics of the song, unfortunately, remain pertinent today. Because of its continued relevance several people have used it in video montages about the Occupy Wall Street movement. You can easily find them on YouTube.
I happen to think this particular one is the best so far, OWS, Occupy Together, Melvin Van Peebles, and not just because we did it! Really! Yes, there are unconscionable actions being perpetrated by police forces at various Occupy sites, and it looks like there is a good chance that there is a coordinated effort between administrations of some of the larger cities to quell the occupiers, but this song, and this movement have this shared underlying message: LOVE. Love always wins in the end.
Angela Welch
Writer, filmmaker, disability advocate
917.887.6707
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Angela Welch
Cell: 917.887.6707
Press Release from One of the 99%
New York, NY November 15, 2011 – At 1:45AM this morning the New York Police Department raided Zuccotti Park, Liberty Plaza, home of the Occupy Wall Street movement. They tore down tents, threw the personal belongings of the protesters into dumpsters, along with thousands of dollars worth of donated items, for the stated purpose of “cleaning” the park. They evicted the protesters, then after telling them they could rescue their belongings, barred them from returning to the park to pick up those belongings. I understand they also barred the press. If you haven’t been to Liberty Plaza or one of the other Occupy Wall Street sites across the country and around the world, you might not understand it when I say that my heart is breaking right now. There’s a spirit in that little park that is hard to describe. When people ask me about it, I always say the same thing – you just have to go see for yourself. Except now you won’t be able to.
Part of me thinks this had to happen sometime, and that the movement will keep going. And I believe that these things are true. But the other part of me, the part that knows what it is to be marginalized, the part that has had to fight so hard over the past three years for what little I now have, the part of me that just doesn’t understand how those in power, you know, our “public servants,” can sleep at night knowing there are so many people struggling so hard, so many people in desperate circumstances – people who haven’t been able to find a job in three years, people who have lost their retirement pensions, people who have lost their homes, people who can’t afford their medications, people who are sick and can’t afford to see a doctor, college graduates burdened with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt, and on and on and on – that part of me is sad and tired. Meanwhile, those few in power look into the camera and say to me and everyone else who is the victim of their recklessness, their sense of entitlement, their greed, and their complete lack of compassion, that we should simply try a little harder, be willing to settle for a little less. All because their real constituents want more.
I overhead one elderly woman at an OWS march, after thanking the protesters, say “the old people, we are treated like garbage, we don’t count.” And every time I think of those words, my heart breaks. But the elderly aren’t the only ones who don’t count – the sick, the long-term unemployed, the disabled, the veterans, basically anyone who has “nothing to offer,” meaning tax revenue. We live in a society that measures everything on the scale of profit. Can’t get paid for it – doesn’t count. Even those who have worked hard all of their lives, those who have given so much, even those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, are shown over and over again, that indeed they “don’t count.” And I have to ask – not just for me, but for everyone, what kind of people are we that this is considered acceptable?
And then along comes this little group of people who stopped on September 17, 2011 and said – Enough; we refuse to continue living in a society that measures everything on profit, and then rigs the game so the house wins 99% of the time. And there occurs an almost immediate groundswell of support, because even those who claim not to understand why those protesters are protesting, know exactly why they are protesting; and for the first time in a long time, we feel hope. But after two months, the powers that be decide to raid the park, throw away the possessions of those who, while starting a revolution, have made that little park their home. And they do it in the middle of the night, under the cover of darkness, in the way of cowards.
And the politicians will be on the news soon, with their reasoned explanations, and ritualistic passing the baton of responsibility. And the mainstream press will cover this in much the same way they cover most things – they will try to fit this “event” into a neat little box, then move on to something more glittery and easily put into sound bite form. And me? I’ll get up and do what I do every day, which is to tell people’s stories. I won’t stop and I won’t give up. But for now, I just have to take a little time and say that my heart is broken.
Franklyn shot this amazing footage during the Occupy Wall Street march on Times Square for the Global Day of Action. The NYPD had cordoned off a large area in Times Square and herded the protestors in at the end of the march. What made them take this action is unknown, the march had been quite peaceful until the thousands of marchers (estimated at 20,000) were stuck in this penned area which was much too small to comfortably contain everyone. Then they tried to “maintain order” (which was orderly until they got in there), with mounted police. The marchers were trying desperately to avoid contact with the horses, both to protect themselves and the horses. Franklyn shot this from inside the pen: NYPD Times Square.
Being an independent worker is by its nature to some degree a subversive act. Being self-employed means your loyalty is to yourself, anyone working with you and your community/client base, not to an employer. It also means that you are perhaps even more concerned than the rest of the working population about the state of the economy – there is no cushion provided to you by a company – no pension plan waiting for you, no unemployment insurance, and if your clients aren’t making money, neither are you. You are by definition, closer to the streets because you see first hand how the economy is faring.
We all know the answer to that these days. And we are all feeling it. Here are some folks who are not only feeling it, they’re doing something about it. Maybe it’s a bit messy right now, movements usually are at first, but they are doing something about it, for all of us.
The Last Word Interview with Michael Moore, part 2, posted with vodpod
Lawrence O’Donnell interviews Michael Moore at Occupy Wall Street.
The Last Word Interview with Michael Moore, posted with vodpod
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There are many ways people get lost in our society, many ways people are marginalized. One example-current reports put the national unemployment rate at around 9.5%. But those numbers don’t include the longer-long-term unemployed-those who have been out of work for more than the maximum benefit weeks currently allowed (the post-99ers). At the point they are no longer eligible for unemployment benefits, and therefore no longer filing, they drop off the rolls and out of the statistics.
But this film isn’t just about the ways in which our current system doesn’t work – it’s about the people who continue to forge ahead in spite of the roadblocks. I know a lot of these people. My neighborhood in Brooklyn is fortunate to contain a high number of freelancers, of artists, of musicians, filmmakers, writers, all kinds of creative folks doing all kinds of creative things. And doing them in spite of a really tough economy and in spite of the lack of benefits that people in the “traditional” workforce take for granted.
These are people we want to have around! They are tenacious and tough and creative and they deeply care about the community they live in.
Are you a freelancer? A musician? A writer? Are you receiving SSDI money and struggling to find some kind of work you can do that will help make ends meet without risking the loss of your benefits?
We want to hear from you. If you live in Brooklyn, we really want to hear from you.
What are the challenges you face? How are you managing in a tough economy? What do you love about your work? What would you like to tell policy makers? What would make it easier for you to succeed? What do you want others to know about what you do?
Here’s your chance – wfyl2011@gmail.com.
