Occupy Movement
On October 6, 2011, I attended a protest in Washington DC called "Stop the Machine! Create a New World", that later became a second "Occupy DC" group in solidarity with Occupy Wall St. in New York City, which started on September 17, 2011. Occupy Wall St. inspired thousands of people worldwide where hundreds of cities were occupied by those who had had enough of the economic inequality and corporation greed. People were camping out across the world to demand change, and Taking Actions became part of the movement.
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There were two Occupy groups in DC, one that had started at McPherson Square on October 1, 2011, and one that started on October 6 at Freedom Plaza after the "Stop The Machine" event. I attended daily General Assemblies for weeks at Freedom Plaza.
The Occupy Movement brought together people from different backgrounds, races and ages. Those issues affected us all, and I was very proud of my fellow DC residents and those who came from other states to support the movement. I had a great time meeting other activists and the most inspiring people who had decided to camp out to demand peace, freedom, good education, healthcare, and equal rights, no matter our socioeconomic status. |
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On October 10, 2011, I was interviewed by Telemundo, for the evening news. Check the article HERE.
Because of my participation with Occupy DC, I went to New York City on October 22, 2011 and spent time with the occupiers from Wall Street (pics below). Since being part of the movement, I have participated on several marches, rallies and protests, including: Global Day of Actions (10/15/11), Occupy Franklin School (11/19/11), Occupy Carols at Chamber of Commerce (12/15/11), Occupy Congress (1/17/12 - pics below), No War On Iran (2/4/12), National Occupation of Washington DC (3/30/12 - pics below), May Day March (5/1/12), Occupy DC's 1st Year Anniversary (10/1/12), and several others.
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On October 13, 2011, I posted an "Occupy" picture (below) and encouraged people to share it in their social media to raise founds to help the DC Occupiers. I decided to donate $2 for each "share." After 4 hours, the picture was "shared" 57 times, for a total of $114; however, I made it $120 and donated $60 for each Occupy DC group.
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Visiting Occupy Wall St. - October 22, 2011
Occupy Congress - January 17, 2012
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Occupy Kabaret Street - Franklin School
November 19, 2011 On this day, we participated in a nice tour through different locations in DC while learning about old occupations and the history of others community movements. By the end of the tour, we witnessed the occupation of the Franklin School, which had been closed for 3 years and served as a shelter before. We stayed by the building in solidarity with our fellow occupiers, until the police found a way to get in and arrested them.
This video summarizes that awesome day. |
Trying to reach out for the Latino community in the DC area, to participate in the movement, I contacted El Zol, the Spanish language radio station that interviewed me about autism the previous year. They had me live in their morning show on January 25, 2012. Check it HERE.
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National Occupation of Washington DC
(Rally against EPA) March 30, 2012 |
On March 30, 2012, during the National Occupation of Washington DC (pics above), I was interviewed for an Occupy Documentary by Venispa, a production company based in London. On July 12, 2012, I received a text from Venispa informing me that the documentary was going to air in HispanTV, a Spanish language news channel in the Middle East. The first part of the documentary aired for the first time on July 12, 2012, and the second part on July 13, 2012 (watch both parts below).
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The Occupy Movement reminded me of the activist in me; I recalled back in the 90's when I used to organize and participate in protests in school for fair transportation fees and better education system. Occupy introduced me to others like me, people ready to take action to demand change for a better world. I felt understood, and I was very excited to be part of a movement that had awaken many and encouraged them to stand up for their rights.
I witnessed how the media were ignoring what was happening; they did not want to show to the world that the people had had it. Many occupations across the US were attacked by the police, and they, on several occasions, provoked activists to retaliate for bad press. There were many rumors of possible infiltrators within the occupations, and recently one was uncovered here in Washington DC.
Many may have agreed or disagreed with Occupy, but no one could deny that a lot of us would not stop our lives and camp out for months to make a statement; that is why I became part of Occupy, because I wanted to join thousands of people willing to stand up for something instead of complaining and do nothing.
By the time the 2 occupations in DC were evicted, in early February 2012, I was very disappointed. It was sad seeing how the US park police destroyed both camps. However, I was very proud of the occupiers in DC that lasted 4 months, becoming one of the longest last standing occupations since October 2011. These evictions were very significant for me. This movement changed my life; it gave me a voice, and the push that I needed to stand up for what I believe in.
They took the occupiers out of public places, but they never silenced us. I am still active with other activists through social media and participating in some events/actions when possible. I truly believe that if we want a change, we have to do something to make it happen. I am very proud of the time I spent with my fellow activists, and I am ready to continue standing up and taking actions!
WE ARE THE 99%!
I witnessed how the media were ignoring what was happening; they did not want to show to the world that the people had had it. Many occupations across the US were attacked by the police, and they, on several occasions, provoked activists to retaliate for bad press. There were many rumors of possible infiltrators within the occupations, and recently one was uncovered here in Washington DC.
Many may have agreed or disagreed with Occupy, but no one could deny that a lot of us would not stop our lives and camp out for months to make a statement; that is why I became part of Occupy, because I wanted to join thousands of people willing to stand up for something instead of complaining and do nothing.
By the time the 2 occupations in DC were evicted, in early February 2012, I was very disappointed. It was sad seeing how the US park police destroyed both camps. However, I was very proud of the occupiers in DC that lasted 4 months, becoming one of the longest last standing occupations since October 2011. These evictions were very significant for me. This movement changed my life; it gave me a voice, and the push that I needed to stand up for what I believe in.
They took the occupiers out of public places, but they never silenced us. I am still active with other activists through social media and participating in some events/actions when possible. I truly believe that if we want a change, we have to do something to make it happen. I am very proud of the time I spent with my fellow activists, and I am ready to continue standing up and taking actions!
WE ARE THE 99%!