Cornel West returned to talk to the people in Liberty Plaza this afternoon before the 4 o'clock Stock Marker bell daily march; it was a clearly a mutual admiration society
I was downtown this afternoon visiting friends actually living with #OccupyWallStreet, and to meet others there who had come down for the first time to see what it was all about. I wanted to join the march which snaked through the Wall Street neighborhood twice every day, but I arrived early enough to breathe the air charged by the commitment and energy which sustains this remarkable phenomenon. This is the working map of the the encampment, but it's actually looking more and more like Tahrir Square each day; @NickKristof, who showed up later in the day, wasn't the first to notice this, and he's not likely to be the last.
When I arrived Cornel West was at the top of the steps at the eastern end of the park. This time I didn't see him address the entire group, as he did a few nights ago, telling the General Assembly, "Don't be afraid to say 'revolution'". Instead, he seemed to be holding court, and he was loving it, as we all were.
at about 3 o'clock representatives of the SEIU [Service Employees International Union] arrived, bringing cases of bottled water for thirsty campers
the media and information office is still one of my favorite photo subjects, although it's probably in a tie with the General Assembly
no explanation necessary
the pre-march advisory assembly, just before the crowd pushed off
the moment we stepped off the skies turned black and within minutes we were all drenched by torrents of rain which continued (at least for me) until I finally escaped down a subway stairway an hour later; as we neared Broad Street on a narrow sidewalk these food cart workers, who were cleaning up their kitchen, both gave us thumbs up
we marched straight up Broad Street, passed the Stock Exchange, and eventually headed east on Wall Street; meanwhile anyone who like me was not covered by a plastic poncho had been soaked to the skin within minutes; and these people go out twice a day, rain or shine - and many of them live outside, rain or shine; that's pretty awesome