I should have written it up last week, but I’ve been struggling with a commission in uncharted technical territory and a victory garden being despoiled by an opossum. The opossum is so acclimated to people that she lumbered casually off the porch when I opened the door on my way to the studio; she had been picking through the compost for weeks (THAT’s how that mango pit got 5′ from the bin!) and more importantly, eating my seedlings. Point being, this post is too little too late for May Day, but I wanted to post these videos and a couple of comments.
I’m the only one at my office that I know of who took May Day off. Hell, of the folks I talked to I’m the only one who knew what it was—except for the Colombian custodial guy, who is a Union plumber that’s had to do custodial work for years because of the nationwide construction sag. His greeting was: “I know where you were yesterday!” Otherwise, the ignorance was depressing, but the march was more fun than usual because I met up with a large group of friends. The chatting made for poor observation…so this would have been a thin blog anyway.
This little girl was the highlight of the march for me, and one of the highlights of the whole OWS experience, though she mightn’t have been there with her mom in the coalition-building days of Liberty Plaza. She shouted with such poise and confidence, and incredibly, without appearing to be shouting. In the first video she’s saying “Tell me what you want tell me what you want! Tell me what you need tell me what you need!” to which the crowd responds “JUSTICE!” She was a bit shrill in person but really got your attention because hers was obviously not an adult voice. In the second she’s saying “They say cut back!” and the crowd responds “WE SAY FIGHT BACK!”
Art of Olive Green 