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Community Corner

A Day in the Life of Occupy Petaluma

Their days filled with group meetings, yoga classes and free meals, activists are tackling big issues about what's wrong with the world and how to change it; some say Occupy movement may result in new political party

The fun part about Occupy Petaluma is that you can make up your own name.

Like a nom de plume for writers, the Occupy phenomenon includes room for participants to fit their names to their socio-political focus.

Take Nicholas littlejohn with a small “L.”

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Nicholas has been a Petaluma resident for the past eight months, following a stint working in the Portland mayor’s office. His last name might start with a big ‘L,’ but when we met, he was feeling sort of Robin Hood-ish and so I agreed to call him Nicholas littlejohn. 

“So far, we’ve had no problems, and the police and neighbors have been nice about everything. One lady said the park has never been quieter,” said littlejohn. “We want to encourage people to come visit. We have coffee. We have free wi-fi. If we just had some solar panels and a new Dell laptop battery…”

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With a touch of “V for Vendetta” theatrical flair, the organizers of Occupy Petaluma, which launched on October 29, definitely have their creative juices flowing. Creativity, open-mindedness, and a slew of “what if’s…” are in the air at Occupy Petaluma’s Penry Park basecamp overlooking the Bank of America parking lot and southward downtown along the Boulevard and Kentucky.

A general couldn’t have picked a better location.

With their overnight permit extended to Nov. 22, a Port-a-Potty that has finally been delivered and a decision to group camp under one super large tent, the 25 to 35 "occupiers" feel they are a small but authentic part of a national movement to reject mega-business mindless consumerism while standing up for the little guys – the 99 percent – who are floundering economically.

Their days are filled with group meetings, street protests, conversations, yoga classes and free meals.

“People have to work and school, so during the week, during the day, not many people are here,” said littlejohn, adding that many more people are part of the Occupy Petaluma movement that the core that can typically be found at the park.

“Come down during the morning commute for coffee and we’ll loan you a sign to protest on the corner,” he added offering up donated coffee from Acre and and as a lure.

On Thursday, a steady stream of visitors inquired about how they could participate, support or spread the message.

One neighbor delivered a bean soup and cornbread lunch assuring the recipients that it was her mother’s recipe. She said she cooked it for them “including a nice big ham hock” because she appreciates what they’re doing.

Former librarian and writer Eleanor Goodman, 80, stopped by to deliver needed file folders and stayed to talk about her impressions of Occupy Oakland, which she attended with a group of friends.

Her interest in the Occupy movement had a unique impetus.

“I’ve been writing my memoirs, so I’ve just been home a lot. There’s a lot to write to cover The Depression, WWII, the Civil Rights Movement, and Viet Nam. So, for a break I’ve been watching old Star Trek movies,” she said.

One day she walked out of a room and when she walked back in Captain Kirk was shouting “Engage! Engage!”

“And I thought, I’ve lived through so much, but what’s going on now? I should probably go check things out. So I went to Oakland.”

She obviously likes the energy at Occupy Petaluma. It’s not a sit-in. To her, it’s more of a Think-in. A chance to imagine a different kind of society.

“A lot of people know something is wrong but nobody really knows how to fix it. There are no solutions right now, but we could think about, dream about, how it could be. I have no idea how to fix it all, but I do know there is plenty. There is enough,” said Goodman.

It seems that the Occupy movement has no goal, no destination, but Nicholas littlejohn feels that the Founding Fathers foresaw the need to create safeguards for freedom of assembly particularly for times like these.

“There is a goal, an ultimate decision point (for the Occupy movement). By the Fourth of July, the 99-percenters will hold a national general assembly in Philadelphia, which could be the beginning of a new party,” said littlejohn.

One prevalent message on Occupy Petaluma’s handouts call for Americans to “take back control of Corporatism.”

But with violence plaguing some Occupy camps, including a man who was killed Thursday night at Occupy Oakland following an argument, many questions remain. How many times will the council renew the group's permit to camp in the park? And nationwide, will the "occupations" deliver the political and economic changes they're after?

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