Kris
How would you define Occupy ?
I can’t. In part because to define may limit scope, and in part because it turned my life upside-down, back to front, and inside-out … and I have still not stopped spinning.
What were you doing before Occupy ?
Emotionally:
I was trying, as best I could, to run my life as best I could. Trying to be both politically aware, and active in life to assist my family and others that needed it.
I was totally wrong, I was emotionally nowhere near where I thought I was. I was in fact counterproductive.
Physically:
I was 100 meters away, working, reconfiguring IT hardware & software firewalls on behalf of “banks” etc.
Explanation below 🙁
Why did you participate in Occupy?
Farhan, I blame Farhan :-p
What impact did Occupy have on your personal life?
The building I was inside as Occupy London srarted was evacuated. It was a full scale anti “terror” thing … My tasks in hand were by definition done out of hours. There were very very few folk in the building I was in, and fire/evacuation alarms sounded. When I went up to street level, security stopped us leaving. We heard loads of fast moving footfall, sirens, orders being shouted. Fifteen minutes later, the doors opened and we were greated by sub machine guns held by ‘police’.
We were quickly ushered up a side road on foot, away from the area. I had a bad leg and due to no error on my part couldn’t keep up with our escort officers. I eventually got engulfed in a swarm of police folk heading the other way, and I ended up at the corner, next to M&S.
I dodged a couple of questions from police about who I was, until one asked for my ID, & I answered that my wallet was inside my overcoat, next to my case, five floors above the room I was actually working in, and showed the ‘visitor’ pass I was given … and was ejected from the area :/
I write that all as a preamble, the ‘physical’ impact of the day. It helps fill in gaps in the “What were you doing before Occupy?” section. It does nothing about explaining the actual impact that Occupy has had on me, as this section seeks an answer to, as that impact is emotional and intelectual, and a totally different form of physical – the manner that folk from all backgrounds shared skills, information, confidence, equipment, expertise, netwoks, and changed together, to new folk, but not all the same. Folk were encouraged to hone undiscovered skills, things that once realised changed folk deep inside. I’m far from the person I once was. Industries I once earned good money from are now my targets – to say more, would be foolish.
Did Occupy change the ways you think, feel and interact with the world? If yes, how so? What do you feel that you learned (or unlearned) that was unique to Occupy?
Please see above 🙂
What impact do you think Occupy has had on the economic and political situation?
All in all, in regards to economics, none. Those in control promised things, less was done, and either reverted or new back doors were initiated to circumvent changes.
Politically, at government (England) level, kinda the same as above, but they are in each other’s pockets. At street level however, folk are more empowered to not just seek change, but to ‘Be The Change’, just look at Scotland with the surge in SNP who were very active in Occupy north of the border, and now hold a large chunk of Westminster. Whether they can make something from it, we’ll see. The ordinary woman /man on the street now knows more about what powers can be used against them by police. Groups like BTBB now get hundreds to attend and stop evictions.
Given the current political and economic situation, what is your view on what people can do to bring long lasting systemic change?
Stand as SNP candidates in England LOL
I don’t vote SNP as they are not local to me, so I vote Green. It’s very unlikely that voting could ever change anything, if it could, as the saying goes, “they’d” make it illegal … but without it, we’d already be taking potshots at the “they” in question.
Some see leaving the EU as systematic change, forced by the election box …….. Is it? Or is GB still as powerful at controlling societal opinion (frequently not even their own society) as ever.
Before Occupy, were you involved in activities related to the reasons why you participated in Occupy? (Activist groups, campaign groups, media platforms, volunteering, research, etc)
Yes
Which ones?
Volunteering with homeless orgs, running youth groups.
Are you still involved in activities related to the reasons why you participated in Occupy? (Activist groups, campaign groups, media platforms, volunteering, research, etc)
Yes
Which ones?
Activist media outlets (when health allows), and something I learnt about at OccupyLondon … Anti-Fracking! (Also when health allows)
Are you still actively working or engaged with people that you met through Occupy?
Yes
What kind of activities are you doing together?
Media and others not suited to sharing via a WP site.