Google has blacked out their iconic graphic. Boingboing is “unavailable today”. Congress needs to know that censoring the web under the guise of preventing piracy is ill-advised and would cripple the legitimate flow of information on the world-wide web.

I am not a data pirate. I rarely use other people’s work on my website. I am a content creatrix, and I depend on sites like Google.com and BoingBoing.net to inform, educate and inspire my work. I depend on the ebb and flow of link-sharing, the good will of fellow bloggers to share my efforts with their readers.

In all probability, this site would not be affected by SOPA/PIPA. But far too many of the sites I depend on will be impacted.

Take a moment and head over to Google and sign their petition. take action!

A sign taped to a low bench at Poet’s Park in Oklahoma City, OK.

On my birthday, no less!

As 36,0000 people marched across the Brooklyn Bridge, a poem was projected onto the Verizon building from an apartment in the projects.

I arrived at Railyard Park in Santa Fe, NM on Wednesday evening, just in time to attend the
GA. After the meeting, I was shown to an empty tent, with the assurance that should the “homosexual gentleman” who’d used it the night before return, that he was a sweetheart, and don’t be afraid. Inside were several blankets, three pillows, and the words “God Is Good” written on the inside of the canvas. Later I noted that one of the blankets was a handmade quilt, in the Wedding Ring pattern. There was a hole in the tent canvas, which explained the use of a tarp draped over it. Scattered amongst the rumpled blankets were three empty booze bottles, ranging from a nip to 750 mil. Also were some clothes and a rhinestone belt. One of the blankets smelled of urine. It was cold, and my feet suffered. No gentlemen of any sexual orientation appeared in the night, thankfully.

Once again, the park was occupied mostly by the homeless, with some visits by working group members. One gentleman came by and washed dishes, and left with an admonition to remind people to wash their own dishes in the future.

Mostly I just observed the people in the camp. They went by nicknames, mostly, but they offered standard first names when introducing themselves, followed by …”but folks call me…”. One young woman, who introduced herself as “Wings” politely refused when I asked if I could make a portrait of her, saying she’d had her retinas scanned when she was released from jail, and she wasn’t comfortable having her picture taken.

There was another woman there with blonde dreadlocks, who seemed to have a hard time communicating, and would sit by herself or wander back and forth between the mess tent and the fire. When she did speak to any of us, it was an effort, and sounded just slightly stilted.

One man in the camp spent his time carving wooden branches, and carried a lovely cane he’d made himself with carvings. He spoke mostly Spanish, or English interspersed with Spanish phrases.

Food was distributed to campers first, and then other homeless were served.

Random thoughts and observations:
It’s hard to wash dishes when the wash water is frozen in the morning.
Down comforters aren’t always enough to keep you warm at night.
There will always be people who complain loudly about the behavior of others, to the point of alienating everybody else around them, and then THEY will be the subjects of complaints.
The Rules aren’t always followed, but it’s best not to flaunt it. Nor snitch about it on your way out.
People still look after one another to some degree.
Salvation Army does offer showers to the homeless. But what you are not told is that they are cold, and is it any wonder the homeless stink rather than risk pneumonia when it is below freezing at night?
Yes, the homeless are Occupiers. Keep in mind that they are fed, have tents and blankets, a warm fire, and are part of the 99%. To exclude them would be hypocritical, against the objectives of the movement.

I’ll be hitting the road in a few hours, and will try to post images tonight when I reach Oklahoma City.

Onsite sign making in progress: “Support Local Business”

NBC News 3 reporter waits to go live.

This is a growing set on Flickr of images taken at Occupy Las Vegas Area 99. Enjoy.

I’ve visited Area 99 in Las Vegas twice now. The first time was at about 7 am, when bleary-eyed occupiers were just rising from their tents. I met about 5 or 6 of them briefly, spoke with them about who they were, how long they’d been in the camp. I learned that not all of the tents has a person sleeping in them, but I did not learn why.

My first impression was, and remains, that homeless folks are providing the camp with overnight occupiers–which could be construed as exploitation at first blush. But realistically, I’d say if that is the case, it may be a good situation for both Occupy Las Vegas and for the homeless who shelter in Area 99. I’m assuming that there are rules that must be followed while in the camp, or they risk being asked to leave. The camp is legal, clean, well stocked, and has a security team. The people I spoke to felt confident enough to express opinions that were not completely in line with what I understand OWS to be about, but at least they were able to express them openly. I’d say that is a good thing.

I learned today that due to differences of opinion the initial group has split; Area 99 is the home of Occupy Las Vegas, and Occupy LV is now a separate entity. Tonight at the General Assembly, I noted that Crystal Glass (AKA @mizztazz) stressed being civil about the split, emphasized that OLV and Occupy Las Vegas were two separate groups with the same end in mind but different means.

Also at the GA tonight I saw a wider range of people; Mostly Caucasian (which is about as helpful as the term “Semitic” when describing a wide swath of human genotypes), what appeared to me some Latino/Hispanic, a few African Americans. Also in attendance tonight was a man who told me he was running for $POLITICAL_OFFICE, and he began enlisting my help by asking me to help him find a person with a “trust fund” to either run or fund his campaign. I told him that my blog was about what was happening at the various Occupy movements, and that I didn’t feel comfortable using it as a platform for candidates. “But don’t you realize the power of this movement?” Yes, and that’s why I don’t want it co-opted by politics. At that point he exclaimed “Fine!” and he stormed off.

During the meeting, a mini van pulled up with a donation of a futon mattress. The donor was a woman who lives in Las Vegas, but asked for anonymity because she works in the public sector and has to maintain a low profile. She listed a long family history of political activism, and said she’d been waiting 50 years for people to stand up and say “no more!”. She got a list of the needs of the camp, and said she’d try to bring some of them.

Next post: The split, and information received from a community outreach representative.