Wait a minute, there’s no Octopi! Oh…Occupy Regina. I get it.
The very loosely organized Occupy Regina demonstration was laid back in a Manana kind of way. Mellow. Cohesion is the enemy of anarchy but even the anarchic need to get organized to be effective. This demonstration could have used more angry witty signs, a sweet sound system or at least a rancorous screechy megaphone. It was difficult trying to listen to the speakers shout over the coffee-housing crowd, the windy rustle of autumn leaves, and hushers hushing other hushers.
Heck, even Regina’s Finest deigned to mobilize their bike squad (affectionately known as Team Horton) to check out the proceedings. Heck, there was more media than police presence.
Speakers took turns talking about homelessness, the ever widening disparity between the rich and the poor, unions, work, farms, aboriginal issues. I didn’t hear anybody mention Wall Street though. Maybe I missed that part.
One young man, whose name I recorded but was lost in the babble of the crowd, was/is trying to organize a tent-in and called for a meeting of like-minded folks. At the moment he only had three people interested.
“There are people who offered to bring tents and foods. We already had someone show up with bannock. I think we can take care of each other better than the government can. We’re going to have fun while we speak out about all the evil we see,” He said.
I’m all for a tent-city in downtown Regina. I told him so. “But with only three people it’s so much easier to get arrested,” He lamented.
I reckon that’s the risk you have to take if you want to be a grass roots activist.
Trust me on this. I’m an Indian.