An Odyssey to Take Back the Capitol.

An Odyssey Begins

On a chilly Sunday night a small group of citizens from the Green Bay area gathered at the DePere Park and ride. In the dark they were assembling to begin a journey From North East Wisconsin to the Capitol of the United States. An endeavor organized and funding by the group Wisconsin Job's Now and with the support of the United Steelworkers Union.

A diverse group, ranging in  age and backgrounds as wide and diverse as the community they were to represent. A community who identify as themselves as the 99%. The first leg would take them through the Fox River Valley, ending with a very short hotel stay in Milwaukee. Their route would have them picking up more along the way. It was a short layover  then on to the buses bright and early on Monday for the main journey to Washington DC.

The ride was for most part comfortable on the large touring buses that were acquired for the trip. With each bus having a "captain", roll call was called after each bus "break" in which riders would depart the bus for a short gas station break. We smokers looked forward the each one.

With the Buses departure from Milwaukee at about 8am, and a dinner break at around 7 pm, the group arrived in Chevy Chase, Maryland at the 4H National Conference center in the rain. The rain would become a constant companion for much of the week we would soon find out. The facility was basic, but clean and was adequate to meet most of our needs. Wireless High speed internet was throughout the facility.

After a little confusion of room assignments and location, soon the group was settled in, glad to finally be off the buses and looking forward to their first day of taking the Occupy Movement to Take back the Capitol.

Day One of Take Back the Capitol

The next morning starting with boarding the buses (school type this time) for the 45 minute ride to the Mall, in Washington DC home to the main encampment of the "Take Back the Capitol" event. This was a nationally organized event done in spirit with the #Occupy Wall Street movement. But the other #Occupy camps in DC were not directly involved in this event, as they were focused on other just as important themes and or messages.

As we arrived there was as usual some confusion, but it all came together shortly after some strong coffee and a breakfast of egg and croissant were found and consumed . Then more coffee.

We were instructed to register at the tables where we were assigned to groups that were being sent to specific representatives on the hill. 

I was with the group that was sent to see U.S. Representative Sean Duffy (R-07) . Rep. Duffy is a former Lumberjack competition champion and Lawyer. He had opposed the Democratic supported Dodd-Frank bill that the Democrats pushed after the most recent financial crisis that has fueled America’s stubborn economic downturn. A bill that would have reigned in some of Wall Street excesses by those that then benefitted by the tax payer bailouts in the trillions of dollars. 

With the Federal Reserve Bank fervently resisting a currently pending bill to require an audit of the total amount sent to Wall Street in 2008, corporate control of government increasing, the effect of big money in politics combined with stagnant wages, the record loss of living wage jobs and massive bailouts of Wall Street firms who were the root cause of our economic distress, we carried a message. A message that our representatives were ours and do not belong to the big money special interests of K street and those they represent. A message that said "were are here, and we are not going away". A message that clearly states "we demand change". A message that states we demand the end of our taxation without representation. Our general focus that day as directed by the organizers was on jobs. Jobs that pay a living wage that can actually support "the American Dream".

As some of you who have come to know me may notice, I can always bring any theme that finds it's basis in economics back to the root cause of monetary policy and the control of our monies in this country by a secretive and private Federal Reserve Bank. A Bank that many of our greatest leaders throughout American history warn us would be the leading cause our enslavement to the money controllers,  the impoverishment of the American people and the end of the American Revolution. 

Our mission that first day was to take the message directly to our elected representatives by marching to their offices and insisting of  having our concerns heard. By insisting that we be listened to, and that not all Americans are not going to quietly sit by while their country to sold out to wealthy self-serving private interests with far less than the good of the country and its people as their primary concerns.

I am not that so sure that any of the participants were hopeful to actually speak to any of the Representatives that day.  But some of us were successful that day. In my group’s case, I learned that Rep. Duffy had be a co-sponsor to bill HR 459 to audit the Federal Reserve’s bailouts of Wall Street in 2008-2009. I wondered if Rep. Duffy would be willing to explain my fellow occupiers why this is a very important bill that we should support. This was also a sort of strategic positioning common in politics that placed him in a positive with us, thus offering the possibility of letting him "sell" himself and his efforts to our group. After asking this in such a manner and with this type of wording to his chief aid, the aid quickly went to his office and got on the phone. I wasn't that much later, maybe an hour or so, that we received word that the Representative would indeed meet with some of his direct constituents that had come  from his district in NE Wisconsin.

With a small group of constituents along with a coordinator on their way to meet with Rep. Duffy, the rest of us moved to another location in the building in front of Rep. Paul Ryan. There was an interesting sign on the locked office door (most remain unlocked) that may, or may not have been directed at our group. By now word had spread throughout the building that members of the 99% had  occupied the building. I observed the resolute but eventually unsuccessful attempt to speak to or see Rep. Ryan, which didn't really surprise me. In the case of Rep Duffy, where there was at least one issue that he could say that he is on the side of the 99%, there is or was no such common ground with Rep Ryan regardless of how small or minute.

With the likelihood of any more success rapidly decreasing, I decided to take it upon myself to make my way back to the main camp to get to the media tent. There I could at least get out a quick report on the day’s events so far and publish a few of the many photos of the day.  

With the weather conditions quickly worsening and the mud of the camp grounds getting thicker, the day was essentially done by 5pm. Sandwiches (somewhat soggy) were provided in one of the tents, and I grabbed two. Another 45 minute bus ride back out to the 4H then lead to an evening of reflection on the day’s events with the various members of the groups that we had lost communication with throughout the day. There was a wide range of success expressed, with many basically feeling ignored by the representatives they were to see. 

Overall, everyone I spoke with did feel that day was an overall success. As far as anyone could recollect, no such specific effort had ever been made in this exact manner by this or any other recent movements of recent memory. A new method of directly expressing dissatisfaction with the status quo had just been tried and executed with limited success. A model for future events had just been tested. A model that I feel we will soon be seeing often in the near future, especially after the winter and entering next year’s election cycle and political conventions.

Day one ended not in a tent in the mud, but with a hot shower and warm bed, and as a former Ranger, I am happy and not ashamed to say.

To March in the Rain

Day two began with less confusion and more rain than the day before.  After a long lost bus ride … coming soon.

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Take Back The Capitol, To March in the Rain

The Bus to No Where

Day two began with less confusion than the day before. In an attempt to get ahead of the game, I wanted to board the first bus leaving the 4H Center in route to the main camp. This would give me a little more time to do things like fill my coffee thermos, check my email and blog stats, and generally try to get an understanding of today’s planned events. Just as I got out to the bus assembly area, I noticed the first bus just pulling out. Bad luck for me. I quickly boarded the next bus in line and noticed my friend Mark already on the bus. After a short wait of a few minutes, the bus pulled out and after a few  minutes took a turn that I did not recognize from the ride of the day before. Confident that the bus driver was sure of his route (being a local and all) and was avoiding some of the road construction I had noticed before, for the ride. I sat back and got comfortable as the bus took various turns and twists through the tight streets of Chevy Chase, Maryland on its way to Washington DC. After a while most of noticed that at the 45 minute point that we should have reached the  Main Camp had come and gone, we were still making turns and turn a rounds and that the bus driver was obviously lost. The bus would become to be known later in the day as the “lost bus”.

One of our organizers was on the bus and approached the driver, who by now was somewhat frustrated and a little bit defensive of his performance. With the use of a bit of delegation and the technology of an IPhone with GPS, he determined our location and a suitable route to the Camp and negotiated with the driver to abandon the directions he had been given and follow the instructions of our Wisconsin based organizer and his IPhone.  Finally, after a ride of almost two hours, we arrived at the camp, the last bus to arrive by almost an hour.

It was now a mad rush to the media tent to check my stats and email, then off to the food tent for breakfast burritos and hot black instant coffee. While getting my coffee, I was informed that our group from Wisconsin would be assembling next to the tent for the big march into the downtown area and K Street, home of the celebrated Washington and Wall Street Lobbyists that short of the Federal Reserve Bank, seem to be the root of our current evils. 

The rain was now a steady downpour, increasing from the steady mist of the morning. It was going to be a wet day and a wet march. Upon reflection, it dawned on me that the weather would suit our needs as to letting those who we were speaking to that we were serious enough to not to be deterred what so ever and put off by a bit of harsh weather. We were serious about what we were doing and the message we were there to deliver. And a bit of bad weather would not deter us.

Assembling the March

For close to an hour the various groups representing the several dozen states present began to organize as one long formation. Separated and designated by the color of their signs representing their various states, and any other groups and or organizations they may have been representing, the large formation came slowly together. One such example of a specific organization is Wisconsin Jobs Now, a major organizer of the group from Wisconsin.

Once the various groups were organized by the states and groups they came with, the large long procession finally started out of the camp mall and on their way to K Street. While this formation was headed out of the Mall where the camp is located, the other #Occupy Wall Street camps were also just setting out with their own groups in large processions of protesters marching to the same location. Within an hour, the various groups and processions all converged on K Street. It was quite a sight. 

We March to K Street

I have seen larger demonstrations, but never in a march that targeted a specific location that represented a specific influence over our lives and our rulers. Seeing the merging of the various processions and the large diversity of the being represented by the marchers, I was quite impressed. It did feel as if what I was doing was historical, not only  in its importance to our lives and the future of our country, but in personal sense as well.

As the processions moved, the Washington DC Metro Police, as well as several other agencies whose vehicles identified them from the FBI to Homeland Security, moved dynamically with the crowds and adjusted to the size,  movement scope and movement of the massive demonstration.

As I was photographing the march, I noticed a good number of locals who had to admit that this was far different than the many other demonstrations that occur in Washington DC. This one was different in its makeup, more vocal, louder, and much larger than was usual. It was also spread out in a way over several blocks to make maximum usage of the people present in order to achieve that most disruption and attract the most amount of attention.  

As the rain picked up a bit, I wondered at what point the Police may take action as several intersections were being actively blocked along K Street. Even small tents were being rapidly set up smack in the middle of one intersection.

The weather was becoming a challenge, least for my camera, a Nikon P90. The moisture was badly fogging up not only my lens, but the sensor as well. Just repeatedly cleaning and wiping the lens was not working.  I had lost my camera lens cap in Milwaukee while covering the Occupy the Bridge event. It fell through the one large crack I saw in the bridge to the Highway below. Everything in my pack from notebooks to spare gloves and food were getting wet. The new cheaply made civilian pack I was using was not designed for inclement weather. 

As the rain increased, in noticed a disruption in the crowd about two hours after the march had started. Something had occurred that caused the Police to react and at least one man I could see was being arrested. He appeared to be an organizer of some sort. He appeared to a member of the local #Occupy Wall Street movement, Occupy Washington DC. As there is more than one #Occupy Camp in Downtown Washington DC, I was not sure which group or camp he was from. There was a huge amount of media present while this man was being arrested. There were individuals there among the officers and basically surrounding the area that were verbally protesting to the arrest. As the arrest was occurring I even noticed the man being arrested joking and laughing, with the officers keeping a light mood as well. It did appear that Law Enforcement as well as event  and protest leaders and or organizers where making a strong effort to keep the events violence free. I even noticed several people actually petting the nose of one of the Horses the Mounted Police Officers were on, and all seamed well and cordial at that point. I did hear of other incidents , but I did not observe any myself. On a note, the #Occupy Wall Street movement has no specific leaders, only organizers, according to their original mandate. This was one of the specific points of the first #Occupy  Camps on Wall Street in New York City.

Shortly after this, I noticed that I had completely lost the local  Wisconsin Delegation of the March. I was not sure what group I was now photographing. At any matter, at that point my camera battery was letting me know I was getting to the last few shots. I would do my best to make the last shots count. I quickly pulled out my military issue compass to shoot a quick azimuth. I would follow the group I was with back to the main camp. After a turn, the large crowd I was now following, or leading actually (in order to get good frontal shots) was now being escorted by a Metro Squad car, and at times it actually appeared to me that some uniformed officers were marching with the protesters, not just among them. Interesting? In any way, I did not see any violence. There was some though. There are quite a few videos of the event on YouTube. I hope to again be Video ready soon, as I  am never really satisfied by what I find on the YouTube.

The size and overall intensity of the March was what impressed me. That combined with the location and organization of the several different groups converging from different directions. This impressed me as the kind of organization methods that will eventually result in actual change. From the reaction of the locals, it appeared to be a March and protest for the books. I observed locals watching the march from rooftops, and high office windows. One would have to assume, if  this was just another march like any other, this would be a reaction that would not be expected. I took this as a sign that this was a  protest that was being noticed.

The procession I was following, now maybe about 700 to 1000 Marchers that had broken off from the other Marches and main location downtown on K Street, was now headed in the direction of the Mall and the main “Take Back the Capitol”  camp. I followed along on the side and sometimes in the front next to the escorting squad as we slowly headed back to the camp. At that point the camera was out of battery, and I was now just along for the ride.

RTB

Like the day before, upon arrival at the camp my first stop was the media tent to write a story and publish a  handful of  photos of the march as quickly as I could. After a struggle to get my camera connected to the media tent laptop (with no drivers, the SD card readers did not work) in order to get some photos, the story was easy to write, even if I didn’t spend much time in the editing process. I always seem to make a few blaring errors. I was done with and had published my report in no less than 60 minutes. I was surprised to see it was almost dark already. 

Even more soaked than the day before, and pretty muddy too, I finally made my cold and wet self to a bus waiting to fill up with riders to go back the 4H Center. There was one person on the bus (the media man from Wisconsin Jobs Now) and the wait would be a long one. I quickly made my way back through the camp in the hopes of recruiting a few more riders, but to no avail. Now resigned to a long wait on the bus, I was happy to see quite a few other riders on the bus by the time I got back on, and within a short 15 minutes, we were on our way. No lost bus this time. 

Within an hour we arrived back to a quiet facility, as most were in the process of drying out and getting dry clothes on. A  rumor of Pizza in the lobby circulated. My friend from Milwaukee Ryan and I went to  see but wondered if it was a false rumor as no Pizza seamed present. About 25 minutes later we decided the rumor was not for real, and headed the recreation room. Ah … Pizza. At least one last piece was still on the last Pizza tray with my name on it. The rumor as it turned out was “part”  accurate. I still had some soggy sandwiches for later, and they would come in handy.

After a discussion of the day’s events and their effectiveness with some of the organizers from Wisconsin, we agreed that it was a good two days of events. By early evening it was time to retire to my room to clean up and get some rest for the next day’s events. We had received word that the touring buses would be there in the morning. We were to load our belongings onto the touring buses as we would not be returning to the center the next day. Instead we would head out of Washington DC directly from there to get a jump on the mind boggling traffic. I wondered if everyone had got the message.

The Alarm Sounds

The next morning started with the fire alarm going off around 5:30. As we quickly rose and assembled outside, it soon  became apparent that there was no major fire. Although we did not know it at the time, a small fire was started (someone burning a small piece of paper apparently) in a garbage can. Another group was staying at the Center and was the cause.  We quickly returned to our rooms to prepare our things to load on the bus home and waited for the tour buses to show. As the same school buses were waiting, and we were to board the tour buses, a few of our group left on one of the school buses. They did not inform anyone either. Once it had been determined that a group had in fact headed out, the tour buses departed for our last day in Washington DC as part of the “Take Back the Capitol” event.

Sunshine, and Mud.

The camp was still pretty wet from the rain, but at least the sky was clear. After a quick check of the email, and an Egg Burrito, it was off to see what the day held. I heard of a group that was going to John Boehner’s office. I went to the area where a group was being prepared. There was a rather good speaker there motivating and organizing his troops.

Once again, I had a plan of sorts. I was aware of some of the bills that Congressman Boehner was working on and or looking at. I wished to ask him directly on the status of HR 459, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2011. Rep. Sean Duffy was listed as a co-sponsor. I wanted to know why Mr. Boehner was not pushing the bill. I did have some bi-partisan support. I was quickly shot down, being told that there was only one person designated to actually speak to or at Congressman Boehner if in fact the opportunity arose.  That person would be stressing jobs.

My Opinion 

As I said earlier, I usually attribute most of these problems (like the loss of living wage jobs and their replacement with low wage jobs, often doing the exactly same job) to the Federal Reserve, Wall Street, and the nice, close personal relationship they enjoy. I was not to get my opportunity. I decided to go my own way, and quickly moved to the media tent to do some research on what and where Mr. Boehner would be. I soon discovered he would be in session most of the day, and it would be very unlikely that anyone (other than maybe some close lobbyists) would get to see him, especially on the hill.

Making my way around downtown Washington for a bit, and shopping for some snacks and items for the bus ride home took up most of the rest of my day. Taking a little time to enjoy the capitol area was a nice break.

The camp was filling up with the returning groups and individuals. There would be a ceremony at the end of the day along with a meal. It would start around the time we were to assemble at the Tour Bus pick up site. Although less that several hundred meters away, we would not be able to take part in  either.

The Ride Home

We didn’t wait long and soon we were boarded and on our way out of Washington for a supper and an uneventful ride back to Wisconsin. We would break back up in Milwaukee to head to our various homes throughout the state.

Overall I think the trip and the method of going directly to the persons responsible for the laws that make the country tick is the best example of democracy in action. If nothing else it lets those in power know that there are people out there, a lot of them, who are unhappy with their money being taken from them and used by others (courtesy of the Federal Reserve) to make fortunes. Just like the chant goes, “Tell me what democracy looks like, this is what democracy looks like”.

Indeed.

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