From Occupy Everett to Occupy Seattle

Occupy Everett is the most civilized occupy site I've ever seen. There's space, all this space, and the tents are all neat and tidy. 

The main tent has, get this, a door, a real door, made of wood, and looks waterproof and cozy. 

If Martha Stewart were to join the Occupy movement and create her own tent city, it would start like this.

A corporation is not a person and neither is this lighting fixture.

So I'm taking the 510 back to Seattle from Everett. I've gotten a call from City Hall and, as the permit holder for Occupy Seattle, I'm needed for some sort of crisis. The bus pulls off the 5 at downtown, takes a left on Fifth, and can precede no further. The intersection is being blocked by Occupy Seattle. Yeah, that's right. Occupy Seattle was blocking the bus taking the permit holder for Occupy Seattle to the site in City Hall. Fuckers. The bus driver had no choice but to take another route but was kind enough to let me out. Here's what I saw.

As near as I can tell, this sign says " Banks are flammable, cops are ticklish."  THIS is why they  stopped my bus?

Oh great, these guys. Perfect. That little old lady is about to get pepper sprayed and make it on Keith Olbermann  while  I get pepper sprayed and don't make it on anything. AGEISM!

Oh great, these guys. Perfect. They really look like they've got my best interests at heart.

Not strictly true. He wasn't counting on a feisty old lady getting pepper-sprayed.

Radioactive Man makes a grand appearance.

I ate a banker once. Tasted like chicken.

Hello Kitty got pepper-sprayed. Why didn't THAT make the news?

Shiny happy people

Featuring Fidel Castro on drums.

Red-eye not caused by pepper-spray. Red-eye caused by camera. Bad camera. 

Actual pepper spray actually getting sprayed into crowd on street and then on me on sidewalk.

So at this point I'm asking myself why, why, why did the Occupy Seattle movement block my bus to the Occupy Seattle movement? So I'd have to get off the bus and get pepper-sprayed? Fuck this shit.

This is what things look like AFTER you've been pepper-sprayed.

I did not allow anyone to do this to me. I suffered my pain in silent rage at the bastards who did this to me.

This woman was pregnant and had a miscarriage days later that she blames on the Seattle Police Department. 

In the sixties, the civil rights movement had sit-ins in cafes in the south that had signs outside saying 'No niggers allowed." When they were arrested, they brought the signs to the media's attention, proudly proclaiming that this was an outrage that shouldn't exist in America. The sit-in was site-specific. And so I am left asking myself What exactly was so important about occupying the corner of Fifth and Pike? It just seemed a stupid way to rile up the police. I got pepper-sprayed, and so did 84-year-old Dorli Rainey, who ended up getting an apology from the Mayor and appearances on national television where it turned out she was a perfect spokeswoman for the movement. I guess it wasn't so stupid.