I went to a protest.

There was a big march from campus down to the Occupy Wall Street protests today, and I hopped on because one of my professors gave us an assignment to attend. I felt sort of conspicuous being a "protest tourist," but with so many people there I don't think I stuck out. We walked really far but it didn't seem like it - all the way from west fourth to south of City Hall, and there was a lot of just queuing around waiting for the police to let us through. No one was arrested or roughed up where I was - one of the friends from class who walked down with me has been to the protests something like six times working on a photography project, and she explained that a lot of the police in the blue-shirted uniforms feel like they should be walking the protest but their supervisors (white shirts) are keeping them in line.

Some of the people there didn't seem clear on what they were protesting. I wasn't entirely clear on what they were protesting. Mostly I was just amazed by the sheer number of people. I'd hazard to say that there's a lot of anger in America, but it's not particularly focused - there's no clear idea of how to go about making things better short of nebulous things like "Tax the rich," "Nationalize healthcare," and other things the corporations will never let happen. There was a lot of anger about the bank bailouts and I think the lack of jobs? 

I have other pictures but this is the only one I have handy. I took it while we were standing on the steps outside City Hall. 

I'll be frank and admit that there probably wasn't any real reason for me to be at that protest. I've had a comfortable, financially-secure childhood. But at the same time I had every reason to be at that protest, because I'm a college student and I don't want to have to live off my parents forever and in a year or two... that's the world I'm walking out into. But I'm also a privileged white girl who shouldn't be complaining but who knows. 

I'm glad I went. I'm glad I was there. I'm glad I saw what it was about, even if I don't entirely understand what it was really about.

Just gonna toss a Regina Spektor song here and quietly sneak out the back.

-Leez