Two Occupies by Tom Nash – Opinion Piece about Occupy Eureka Movement

Most of us are aware of the continuing occupy protest near our county courthouse.  What you may not know is that there are actually 2 separate occupations underway.  The one known at Occupy Eureka is composed of a core group of about 3-5 committed regulars.  They are occasionally joined a few semi-regulars and on special occasions by larger numbers local progressive activists. The members of the core group are polite, considerate and thoughtful patriotic citizens who deserve our collective admiration for their unwavering dedication to the betterment of America. You might disagree with their politics, but you should at least appreciate the sacrifice required to sit daily in quiet protest, rain or shine, because they believe that things have gone terribly wrong with our country.

The other occupy has no name. It is much larger than Occupy Eureka. They occupy the streets, parks, greenbelts and courthouse steps of our city 24 hours/day because they have no home to go home to. They are lost souls who have become untethered from American society. They are seldom appreciated nor often admired. They are less committed to lofty social causes and more dedicated to basic survival. They have always been a lightning rod for indignant social disapproval and castigation. Whether you choose to blame them or find fault in social inequity is a subject worthy of discussion, but not relevant to this letter. Suffice to say that most of our citizenry would prefer not to walk past, look at, or otherwise interact with these people.

My point is that the occupation of our public spaces by the homeless has very little to do with Occupy Eureka. That some of these people have chosen to exist, and sometimes misbehave, in the vicinity of the courthouse should not reflect on or influence ones view about Occupy Eureka. O.E. is a healthy counterbalance to the undue influence that moneyed interests have on our political discourse. The other occupation is a social issue that is not going away, even if they are driven from the courthouse steps.

Tags: America, eureka, occupy, protest, street, wall