Occupy Community

Get out of the way, we are building a community.

Target the night before Hurricane Sandy

So, the thing is, I live a pretty cushy life. I go to school, I have a job, a wonderful home, and a puppy. Two weeks ago, DC missed a destructive hurricane that hit landfall 100 miles north of us. I am lucky. We are lucky. We went shopping to "prepare" for the hurricane Saturday night, there were no D Cell batteries or water. No bread left on the shelves. But we were prepared, I even filled a 5 gallon bucket with water (I never prepare). Nothing happened, we didn't even lose power. 

This weekend I took some donations up to Brooklyn to St. Luke and Matthew's Episcopal Church, the hub of Occupy Sandy. It was amazing, we got there and they told us it was a 30 minute wait to unload donations, cars went down the block. A bus of teenagers had just been unloaded and were in the process of orientation by Occupy volunteers. We unloaded our meager donations, some flashlights, baby blankets, batteries, winter coats, etc. and they were immediately loaded onto trucks, vans, cars to be sent out to where there was need. The whole time the parish was just getting out of Sunday services, sitting among boxes of supplies, extension cords, tables, and Occupy signs.  

One of three orientations happening, simultaneously, at Occupy Sandy.

I am so proud to be an Episcopalian watching this community in Brooklyn open their doors, allowing a bunch of extreme hippies, with masking tape name-tags, invade their space. What were the old ladies at church thinking about their pews, choir loft, and their kitchen? Yet, I bet, even if they are mad, they are secretly proud. It swells my heart to think of everyone praying among those boxes being delivered daily from the Occupy Wedding Registry. The rest of the church community can learn from St. Luke & Matthew Episcopal Church. They are truly living out their mission to "serve their neighbors and foster and strive for justice."  

I was very impressed with the openness of St. Luke & St. Matthew Episcopal Church in Brooklyn. It was really a beautiful site to see this church open its doors in a way I cannot imagine. I didn't know the church I was dropping stuff off at was an Episcopal Church until we arrived. Heartwarming to say the least. We can all be proud Episcopalians with this congregation. 

Sorting items for delivery, Occupy Sandy

As my heart was warmed, I kept thinking there has to be more that I can do, I felt so humble watching all these people scurry around, loading diapers, baby wipes, cleaning supplies into boxes, awaiting transport. Groups of people were bring large aluminum trays of food to the basement for distribution to those home-bound, without power 13 days after the storm. 

I can only think how small we each are compared to this showing of community, love, need, purpose. All these small people just trying to make a little difference, all types of people. It was so beautiful how so many small people can make such a huge thing happen. I'm left wondering how come these things don't happen on a regular basis. How is that we only come together when there is a major life-altering change to our neighbors? 

I keep thinking, I'm not doing enough, how can I do more. None of us are doing enough, but at the same time we all are doing enough. We all must create community through these experiences. The Occupy Movement has shown how community building, collaboration, and social media have brought the world together to build a world where we can help each other in a real-time way. 

Loading a Uhaul for delivery

All day, all week, I followed Occupy Sandy's twitterfeed, trying to keep a sense of what they needed, what to collect, where they were going, what they were doing. It is a beautiful movement, so agile, fresh, quick. So much faster than more structured organizations. The flexibility of this type of "mutual aid" is awe-inspiring. They accept all types of volunteers, they find a way for you to contribute, ways to include, well, the community. When I walked into the church, it was littered with poster board, cardboard signs, tons of laptops, and slips of paper, everyone seemed to be on the phone taking messages, reading emails and text messages. It had the air of something real, something tangible.  

We are inter-connected, we are interdependent. We need each other, not just in emergencies, but always.  

Tons of supplies being distributed across the Rockaways, Staten Island, Coney Island, Red Hook.