The "99ers" Story

It was an ordinary day. Heading to work at the gallery where I work part-time and passed a lawn sign, much like the signs you see during an election campaign. Plastered on it in bold letters was "I'm a 99er". This is in reference to the 99% of the population that are hoping that the 1%, or the wealthiest people in the country, will pay their fair share of taxes so the 99% doesn't have to suffer from another tax increase or lack of services and health care. I knew there was an Occupy Wall Street encampment in downtown Lancaster and decided it was time to go and talk to some of the 99ers who are camped out on the area next to the Lancaster Police Station. Headed in Prince Street and arrived at the corner of Prince and Chestnut to be greeted by a guy holding a sign; "Value All Life, Love All Lives". Parked, put enough money in the meter for 30 minutes and headed toward the tents. Maybe 15 to 20 tents in various colors occupied the corner strip of straw-strewn grass that was next to the police station. Ground belongs to the city of Lancaster, but the protesters have an occupancy permit for the area. I approached a fellow about 25 years old who said his name was Hafid, although I'm not sure I believed him. After teaching for as many years as I did and raising threechildren, you can usually tell when someone is lying to you. He told me he had moved to the Lancaster site from the Occupy site in Harrisburg. Has found that this city is less sympathetic to the protesters. Many yell obscenities at the as well as "Get a job"

as they pass by in their cars. I asked him if he has a job and got a negative response. Then I asked if anyone who occupies the tents has a job. He told me many do and some work more than one job. My next question for him was, what do you expect to accomplish with this protest? Answer to me was to show the inequality in the classes of the population in the US. Not sure how he plans to do that by camping out on public property for weeks on end. They had no specific leader among the group, but I was led to a large tent and asked to visit with the people inside. After being offered a chair, another young man in his early 20s by the name of Kavy, again not sure I believe him, spoke to me. He had just returned to Lancaster from New York, after that encampment was terminated. He had been there from the beginning of the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York. About half a dozen young people occupied the tent with he and I and I asked what they did with their time. Played music most of the time and talked. To me it seemed almost like camping out with your friends. Other than the one fellow holding the sign when I arrived, I did not see any involvement with the public to tell them about their beliefs; no literature to hand out telling about their cause. I really wasn't impressed. I'm not sure what I wanted them to do, but maybe spread the word about the plight of the lower and middle class in the US would be a starting point. Tough to do that while sitting in a tent on a beautiful sunny day. I was invited to spend the night, but declined since I never enjoyed camping, even as a child. I was told of

a city meeting that evening they were going to attend to see if they can extend their permit beyond the end of the year to occupy the city land they are on. Has to be cold in those flimsy tents! I too feel for the unemployed and homeless. My way of protesting is by casting my vote on election day. I did not question the young people I had talked with, but certainly hope they also visited the polls on election day. I do admire their determination to show the city of Lancaster how they feel about social and economic inequality, greed as well as corruption in our government and the undue influence of corporations, but I'm not impressed with the way they are doing it. Seems there just has to be a better way. Maybe I just missed something! I hope!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.