What #OccupyMiami learned from #OccupyBoston learned from #OccupyWallStreet
Up until a decade ago, I’m guessing that reporters got to see one major movement in their lifetime. Maybe two or three if they were R.W. Apple, or some other red-nosed journo stalwart with longevity. But in my mere half score of covering pols and pimps, contractors and detractors, whores and wars, I’ve already witnessed a number of full-blown culture spats, each with a cast of characters worthy of their own trading cards. From the Tea Party to Al Qaeda to the hackers who gangbanged Scientology, I’ve had front row seats to see the status quo get pounded more times than I remember.
Which is why the Occupy movement is the most exhilarating subject I’ve witnessed in years – a twofold thrill, both selfish and selfless, and not necessarily in that order. On one hand, I know that the occupiers are right – and that regardless of their tactics, I stand with any individual or entity who counters the sort of greed and theft that’s left America in shambles. On the other hand, the one with the pen in it, I’m now convinced that of all the flashbulb memories and mass movements I’ve covered, this one will grow the quickest, and become the biggest.
If I had any doubts about the Occupy promise, they were eliminated yesterday, when I drove with my mom to check the first planning meeting for the budding Occupy Miami movement. I’d arranged to visit my family in South Florida months ago, and considered canceling my flight to watch the Occupy Boston camp settle in on Friday. But I’m glad I didn’t; what I saw on Miami Bay, in the shadow of the JFK-dedicated “Torch of Friendship,” was as telling as anything I saw in Boston last week. People aren’t just angry – they’re angry enough to spend their entire day negotiating how to change shit.
You can check out the rest here…
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