Yesterday, SF Kossack Productions pulled off a good one:
Jesse LaGreca, aka MinistryOfTruth occupying himself with the Golden Gate
In a fly-by-day maneuver instigated by Shockwave and midwifed by navajo and jpmassar, a bunch of SF Kossacks had pitched in to fly Jesse out to Oakland to catch a little bit of the MoT vibe, introduce him to his West Coast occupying brothers and sisters, and last but not least, show him his long-lost roots, as he had expressed his desire to finally see San Francisco, the place his mother once roamed in the early sixties.
It was a high stakes operation, not only because Jesse had less than 24 hours in town (flew into Oakland at noon yesterday, left at 6am this morning) and Shockwave was driving up all the way from SoCal to pick him up from the airport (let's just call him the Kossacks' Neal Cassady), but because navajo, the driving force behind all things SF Kossack-related, couldn't be on site because she was sick. Though far from absent (we all got text messages sending us lots of love and instructions on how to kick ass - just kidding on the latter), the task of documenting this historic gathering fell to us rookies. As jpmassar already documented this morning, we had a lot of meaningful interactions with people from all walks of life.
This diary is the visual accompaniment to a magical day, an attempt by kimoconnor and myself to walk in the shoes of navajo and be the documentarians of this plucky little community for just one day.
Hopefully there'll be some more pics in the comments, but for starters, here's the day as seen through Kim and my eyes.
[UPDATE] davekro posted a diary with link to lots more pics.
jpmassar had suggested the Biryani House near downtown Berkeley BART as a perfect meeting place for its accessibility, good prices and food, and because it's big enough to handle a fair number of people without a problem. And he was right, it was the perfect gathering place. In attendance, from left to right: Glen the Plumber, Debbie (Catilinus' friend), jpmassar, kimoconnor, catilinus, MinistryOfTruth, davekro, allie123, glorias, Shockwave's peace sign.
Here's the rest of Shockwave, a giant!
This was about breaking bread...
and catching up on the last few turbulent weeks, making sense of it all, in a way that sometimes only real life interaction can. jpmassar shared his experience's with OccupyOakland...
and of course, allie123's story was even more spellbinding in real life...
Jesse pretty much rocked the joint from the moment he entered. I don't know how he does it, I mean the dude must have slept just a few hours in the last few weeks, but he was on fire, presumably running on oligarch-smackdown combustion fuels.
He's like, "look, we've been screwed over for way too long, and sitting by idly..."
"We've gotta start busting some moves, shifting things around, speaking truth to power..."
And you know what, the next time I'm debating one these heartless Breitbart clones, the gloves are coming off. No more Mr. Nice Guy!"
And with that, he pounds his fist on the table, waking up the whole damn restaurant!
Let's take this conversation to University Ave...
Shockwave getting a kick out of MinistryOfTruth
citisven (me) busting a hoop move to get MinistryOfTruth and catilinus' attention
back atcha, kimoconnor and citisven
It's about 3pm, we've had lunch and vented like sailors, and while half of the crew is heading straight over to OccupyOakland, kimoconnor, jpmassar and I are hopping in the car with Shockwave to get Jesse to San Francisco...
This is where our hero's secret to his indomitable will and stamina reveals itself...
But not for long, 'cause that'll wake you up. Hello San Francisco! Tweeted.
Move those rusty bones...
kimoconnor showing her beloved hometown...
Postcard from SF...
kimoconnor, MinistryOfTruth, jpmassar, Shockwave
Sitting on top of the world...
Okay guys, just one question: "Do they sell belts in SF?"
"They sure do, Jesse, let's head to Haight Ashbury..."
Voila!
MOT got himself a fine belt at an army surplus store on Haight Street, but not before hoisting a couple of frosty adult beverages...
Then it was off to OccupyOakland.
upon arrival Jesse paid tribute to Scott Olsen...
and immediately talked to this young woman, who has a pre-existing condition and had been unable to obtain health insurance. jpmassar diaried this morning about the encounter and possible solutions to her problem.
The sun had already set but the vibe was good and full of music...
and mutual support...
Meanwhile, we had a happy reunion with our fellow kossacks allie123, Glen the Plumber, davekro and catilinus.
while Jesse was talking to everyone from local organizers...
to Adam Gabbatt of the Guardian UK... (update, article here)
The impression I got was that OccupyOakland had resurrected itself quite well. Frank H. Ogawa aka Oscar Grant Plaza was up and running and bustling with anticipation of Wednesday's general strike. It was great for us Kossacks to experience this together, and I think Jesse enjoyed all the encounters and conversations as well. He said that this was the biggest one he had seen yet, which should make Oaklanders proud.
So here's to OWS everywhere, to MinistryOfTruth for being such a passionate, unwavering and eloquent representative of the movement, and to a big and peaceful shutdown on Wednesday!
And Jesse, we hope you come back soon, because y'know, you don't get that kinda view just anywhere...