Occupied in Louisville

Occupy Louisville and Occupy Kentucky have both come out of the recent Occupy Wall Street movement. And today they came out onto the streets of Louisville. Maybe 150 or so people, at the times I saw it up close (lunch time and 5pm) each with a seemingly different agenda and reason for action. There were posters to "end the fed", to "bring our groups home", to "stop the war on workers", to "legalise same sex marriage" and incongruously to "eat the rich". But actually to me this very diversity of ideas and views that has been so mocked by US coverage (Fox news reporters have barely kept contempt for a "leaderless movement" out of their voices) is what is so interesting about it. I asked one young woman why she had turned out, why she had chosen this form of action, and she said that she was so fed up of not hearing her views being reflected accurately, by political representatives and by the media that she just wanted to come out and be heard. She said "I never thought I'd have to be so radical to put across what I think are moderate views: live fairly, don't hurt others, don't judge other people's lifestyles... I grew up thinking these were American values. Now you need corporate sponsorship just to get to speak to a representative and remind them why you voted for them. It's just so messed up".

After the rush hour traffic died down, and it was less about getting passing motorists to "honk their support", it was very interesting to see how the group themselves started to explore and talk about each others issues. Two almost stereo-typical Southern "good old boys" who just want their troops home started talking with a young, nose-pierced lesbian about why she wants the right to marry her girlfriend. Musicians played the kind of music that I'm pretty sure the "cool" college kids who were there wouldn't listen to in a year long iPod strike. And curiosity got the better of the more anarchic and they started listening to the reasons that had brought people out, rather than instructing them n how long they should stay. For me, that's where the power of "occupy" seems to be residing: not in the occupation itself, but how the people doing the occupying are chiding to spend their time. More than one person remarked to me that these are the conversations America needs to have - between it's citizens - and not just between it's politicians and the media.

It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.