What is occurring right now in our country is remarkable. The occupation of Wall Street in New York City is now in its fourth week. Occupations in hundreds of other cities around the globe, including city hall in downtown Los Angeles, have also begun. The occupiers have gathered in squares and plazas to debate, discuss and organize what to do about our failing economic and political systems. They have shown a disciplined commitment to non-violence. Although the movement has been portrayed in media coverage as leaderless and without defined goals, the reality is quite different. I visited Liberty Plaza in Lower Manhattan and Freedom Square in Washington, D.C., last week and heard stories of foreclosures and lost jobs, cuts to education and crippling medical bills and student loans. What I saw was a laboratory of possibility, fueled by a diversity of expression and beautiful art. Precisely because the occupiers arrived without a ready-made set of demands, it is a movement with unlimited potential.
So, Malibu, go and see for yourself. Visit OccupyLA, our very own encampment in the park adjacent to Los Angeles City Hall. Talk about issues that concern you. A great awakening is happening, with an opportunity to participate in genuine democracy.
Barbara Ferris