Sunday, October 2.
The sun rose high in the noon sky above Washington Square in New Orleans as a crowd started to gather. A diverse group, with men and women ranging from their early 20s to their 60s and from a handful of different political backgrounds, had soon assembled in front of a small whiteboard.
While the nearly 100 members of the crowd may have each had their goals and agendas in mind, the movement, like the popular “Occupy Wall Street,” aimed to fight back against the flawed banking system.
This is what I saw when I first arrived at the Occupy New Orleans General Assembly, and my expectations definitely soared. Having clamored for change for several years myself, it looked like this could be a legitimate chance to participate in an attempt at revolution.
Perhaps my revolutionary daydreaming spoiled me. By the end of the meeting, my expectations weren’t quite met.
Now, let me say I completely support the members of Occupy New Orleans and find their goals much in line with my own. Whatever my own personal disagreements with their methods may be, this is not meant to deter anyone from contributing to their cause, and I encourage everyone to join them in their struggle.
For me, the two hours I spent with them showed me how some of the greatest ideals simply don’t make for the most organized and effective cause.
Not surprising, just like myself, many of these people were idealistic and outspoken — traits most would agree are perfect for helping to fight to change the system. Additionally, in an attempt to help get away from the few ruling over the many mentality the group itself intends to get rid of, there was no true leader to the assembly.
While there may have been those helping to guide the protest, the event was organized with the idea of the majority being the deciding factor. The protesters’ aim was to make a true democracy, with no one person having the ability to do something “against the spirit of the