Yesterday was “Guy Fawkes Day,” or as some had declared it, “Bank Transfer Day.” In an effort to build awareness of this day, activists in my community took to the streets and “occupied” their local banks. We staged protests all over town in front of Bank of America, Chase and Wells Fargo branches, handing out information on the unethical business practices of these institutions, as well as contact info for a number of local credit unions.
The response has been nothing short of phenomenal! Nationwide, over 1 million people have closed their accounts at the major banks and moved to local banks and credit unions. All told, this last month has seen $4.5 billion in deposits pulled from the Wall St. banks! And we’re not done yet, as the movement continues to gain momentum with small businesses.
The actions of the last month have had me reconsidering the cynicism I once had for actions like this. All my life I’ve seen people protest against what they thought was wrong or for what they thought was right, and have seen very little in the way of results. Issues like abortion and gay rights which have deeply divided the country and still do continue to draw people, sometimes to engage in dialog and often to scream at each other across picket lines.This time, however, it’s different. This time the support from the community is amazing and at times almost overwhelming! I used to think that in order to protest, you needed several people. One person with a sign is just a wacko with too much time on his hands. Two people with signs are fodder for ridicule, at best. I used to think that unless you had half a dozen minimum it wasn’t worth even showing up. I think differently now.
Over the past week there have been times when I was the only one standing in front of the bank with a “Close Your Account” sign, handing out flyers. But I was not alone. Over and over again, people driving by would honk their support, giving me thumbs up, walking up to talk to me and ask me for information, or to tell me how they were in the process of closing their accounts. Several times people would pull their cars over and join me! Most meaningful of all was having stranger after stranger walk up and say “Thank you for doing this.” That meant more than my words here can say because it drove home one strong message. We, the 99%, are right! Our message is reaching people and they support what we’re doing by an overwhelming majority!
Even when the occasional person would drive by and flip me off or scream out of their car “Get a life!” it didn’t bother me. I suppose I might feel differently if my position was far more unpopular but the fact is that it isn’t! These trolls are few and all their efforts to rattle us in our protests with their rude hand signals are far outweighed by the dozen or so other drivers who are actively honking their support! As someone once said, don’t try to change the haters. You are not a Jerk Whisperer!
As I look forward to the coming year, I feel empowered. I’m feeling less and less like my voice doesn’t count. The occupation movement is primarily a wake-up call to a nation that has been asleep for far too long, and we are awaking to find that our roar is loud! I have seen now the power of one single person who is willing to stand up and speak his mind. At first, I was a little nervous and self-conscious standing out there by myself as most people would be. Not anymore. Why? Because I know now that I’m not alone!
I urge everyone to get out and work for change. You don’t have to “occupy” anything; you don’t have to camp downtown or even attend GA meetings. You don’t have to have a large number of friends standing by your side. All you need is conviction and a willingness to act. Start in your own neighborhood. Talk to your neighbors and share ideas. Go protest at your local Citibank or BofA. Find out for yourself how powerful an “army of one” can truly be!
With that in mind, here are a couple of pointers I would share with those now activating themselves to get involved. Remember, there are no hard and fast rules and one must always be adaptable to the situation at hand.
- SMILE! No one likes a protester who scowls and looks overly serious! Have fun and let it be known you are having fun. When you smile at people they will often smile back and this alone makes them more open to your position.
- When you are standing on the street with a protest sign, WAVE AT PASSING TRAFFIC! This is a great way to illicit honks of support or, at very least, return waves and thumbs up! When people see their fellows supporting you, they are much more willing to show you support themselves!
- HAVE INFORMATION! This is very important! Often, the media and the movement’s detractors have tried to claim that we don’t know what we are protesting about. Prove them wrong! If I’m going to protest at, say, BofA I do my homework first. It doesn’t take long, do a Google search and you’ll turn up tons of ammo. If you are urging people to move money to credit unions, have a list available to people who ask. People like and respect facts and will take you seriously if you know what you’re talking about!
- DON’T FEAR THE MEDIA! You yourself may not wish to appear on the nightly news but having someone with you who is – especially with larger protests – is important. A well-spoken informed representative is a very potent weapon against what is often a very biased media.
- Be non-violent and DON'T BREAK THE LAW! Do not litter or vandalize the business you're protesting. Do not be verbally violent with people who are rude to you. Smile at them, don't cuss them out. Not everyone is ready to be unplugged from the matrix. Let them have their opinion and don't feed the trolls.
- PROTEST IN THE SUBURBS! Most of the occupations are in city centers and many of them stay there. Get out of downtown! The working class are by and large not going to see you there. Go to them, don’t expect them to come to you!
- HAVE FUN! Remember, you are one of the good guys and your cause is noble. Most people support you! Wear that as a badge of honor and enjoy yourself!
