Only someone who hadn't been at a camp or visited would not already know this. The camps are a nexus for people to assemble in solidarity to address the problems that be. There is a definite feeling of unity not found elsewhere. There is a sense of empowerment not found elsewhere. There is the real accomplishment of the sense of beauty and power and potential when decisions are arrived at and acted upon. Those in need were provided for under the concept of Mutual Aid. The homeless, sheltered. The hungry, fed. Education and unity activities...a sense of belonging, an effort to overcome and educate regarding cultural boundaries. The camps are living symbols of the possibility of another world, one not corrupted beyond repair as are the top levels of the politics which are supposed to represent us yet allow banks (who nearly destroyed the economy) to continue to run rampant with zero punishment. It is the focal point of the voice of the People.
The People peaceably assembled to redress the government with grievances. And were beaten and jailed and reviled by corporate media and Congress member Peter King, member of the DHS (no conflict of interest there).
Which is why the 1% MUST send the cops to destroy it. Which is why "the commons" is a vanishing concept. Divide and conquer. When people cannot assemble and feel their power, their capacity to build a better world...they can't change the world as efficiently.
These are our cities. This is our country. Politics are merely representations of the will of the People. At the camps, it is directly participatory Democracy, as it should be. Occupy revealed the politicians to be complicit in the trouble facing our nation, our world. It's up to the will of the People, which is the root of the word "Democracy".
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