Frustration is running high and strength low this week. We've thrown ourselves into winterizing the occupation. It's a good plan; using cast-off pallets and thinning a bamboo forest for materials. But it takes man-power and careful planning between the Tues/Wed rainstorms that seem to happen each week. Slowly but surely, the tents are above ground on a double layer of pallets and protected by an tarp covered bamboo A-frame. Those of us who spend multiple days at a time there are individually finding ways to insulate our tents to maximize body heat and minimize wind. So far, it seems to be working.
Resources are dwindling. Because the "story" now is our preparations, and not our actions, we've left the media focus...which is fine, for now...but what it means is that donations have slowed to a trickle. The city refuses to turn on the electricity in the plaza (we'd pay a reasonable fee, I'm sure) and we are forbidden to use anything with an open flame. There is no way to heat food until we get access to a nearby church. At the beginning, we were fortunate to get some donated coffee and hot water. We still do, but a good deal of the time, when it's needed, one of the Occupiers will run out and buy it.
The blankets are nearly gone, between Occupiers and the homeless that come through. We also give them a canned good and some of those ramen noodles if they are hungry, because we can't heat them up anyway.
It sounds grim, but there are successes. Locally, we've seen our governor consider saying no to fracking. We've spoken to or been visited by church groups, youth groups, and organizations who are receptive and supportive of our mission. Nationally; we see a lot of hiccups going into election season. Both parties are stumbling around trying to figure out how to answer to the jobs crisis, the economic decline, the social issues that are rising up because of the thousands of dedicated Occupiers out there, saying NO, we're mad as hell and not going to take it any more!
WE HAVE A VOICE.
It's been silent so long no one remembers quite how to use it, but by next spring, I imagine folks across this nation will have their voices back, loud and clear.
It's been two months since from Occupy Delaware's humble beginning and one month of full-on Occupation. We're struggling, but strong. We stumble, but we rise up.
We're the 99%.
