Occupy Rochester: What A Waste

By DAVY V.

As a filmmaker and writer, I am very passionate about my work exposing issues such as police brutality and misconduct. However, when it comes to me supporting a movement or a cause, I really need to believe in it before jumping on board. Maybe it's because my experiences have shaped and molded me into being a little skeptic about people's intentions and motivations when it comes to a specific cause or a movement.

I've always had a great deal of respect for Rochester Indymedia, Rochester's independent media outlet, offering an alternative to mainstream media. Indymedia covers a wide range of issues, in a real, raw and accurate way not seen in today's sensationalistic corporate- run media.

In 2004, when I was arrested and charged with harassing Rochester Police officer Thomas Rodriguez, after I featured a video clip of him in my film "R.P.D.: Badges of Dishonor, Corruption and Murder!" beating Lawrence Rogers, a mentally ill African-American father to death in a Wegmans parking lot, Rochester Indymedia was there to support me. Which is why, a few months back when Dawn Zuppelli of Rochester Indymedia asked me to come speak at the Occupy Rochester camp, I obliged.

Once there, I realized that everyone seemed to have their own agenda. I was met with a cold response and I left with a strong feeling that Occupy members had no clear plan of action or direction. Even still, I supported the movement.

When Rochester Mayor Thomas Richards ordered Rochester Police Chief James Sheppard and his rogue cops to arrest innocent, peaceful Occupy protesters, I wrote a piece titled: "Don't Let Rochester Mayor Thomas Richards Fool You... He is The 1 Percent." In that piece I blasted the Mayor, R.P.D. Chief Sheppard and City Government for wasting taxpayer's money by selectively targeting and arresting non-violent protesters at Washington Square Park, while doing nothing about drug dealers openly selling drugs in other City parks.

When R.I.T. student Jonathan Foster was arrested while covering the arrests of Occupy Rochester protesters for his school magazine, I was disgusted that despite there being countless members of the local media at Washington Square Park that night, Foster was the only one singled out and arrested by the R.P.D., even though he wore a T-shirt with the word "REPORTER" printed on the front, clearly identifying himself as press.

As someone who knows all too well how vindictive City of Rochester officials can be, having been arrested for exposing the corrupt Rochester Police department, and who has documented the R.P.D.'s well known retaliatory tactics against innocent citizens, I wrote a letter to newly-elected Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley denouncing Foster's arrest and asking that the charges against him be dismissed. Eventually Rochester City Court Judge Theresa Johnson dismissed the charges against Foster as well as all Occupy Rochester protesters.

When I first heard of "Occupy Rochester" I thought "Wow! What a great movement, what great potential! To have hundreds of people every morning march to financial institutions such as Bank of America and Wells Fargo and rally outside, putting pressure on these companies." Now that would have been great, if it would have actually happened. But it didn't. And I'm not talking about a couple of small rallies. I mean daily, concentrated, effective rallies and protests sending a clear, strong and direct message to these greedy corporate institutions who have received hundreds of millions in Government bailouts, only to turn around and evict innocent families from their homes while simultaneously paying their CEO's millions of dollars in bonuses.

Instead, Occupy Rochester set up tents, had their charges dismissed, and did absolutely nothing, except occupy a park. I have to admit, I never really understood the whole point of staying in the park overnight anyways. I mean instead of wasting their time and energy on fighting to sleep in a park, Occupy Rochester would have been so much more effective applying that energy during the day! After all, wasn't one of the main objectives of the whole Occupy movement to be visible? To make noise? Who is visible at night? People sleep at night.

And then it hit me. I had been duped. And so had everyone else who had come to find themselves rooting for this movement called "Occupy". Everyone, including myself who thought it was about time that citizens stood up to these corporations, and to the Government for allowing the disgusting disparity that exists in this country between the "haves" and the "have nots".

When I drive through downtown Rochester and see all the tents and cardboard signs at the Occupy Rochester camp in Washington Square Park, I can't help but shake my head in disappointment, and think "What a waste." What a waste of potential and opportunity.

Simply put, Occupy Rochester failed. It could have been and should have been so much more. What was supposed to be the "99%" standing up to the "1%", ended up being a bunch of misdirected, unorganized people fighting to sleep in a city park, and being arrested. Even after managing to get the Mayor to give in to public opinion and pressure and grant them all day access to the the park, they dropped the ball!

"Occupy Rochester" became "Occupy Washington Square Park". Instead of holding "sit-ins", in front of financial institutions and establishments, Occupy Rochester protesters "sat in" their tents.

Take care,

Davy V.