"occupy the dinner table"

VS.

okay so i didn't coin the term, Em did. still, besides being catchy it struck me as counter-revolutionary (in a good way) in the face of national occupy movements. when i pass by the occupy tent encampment in front of Seattle Central Community College every morning, not only do i pinch my nose (it smells kinda funky) but it also strikes me as dis inviting. no one asks me to go in (i'm not really sure i'd want to) and gatekeepers just stare at me while i stare right back, trying to imagine what might be happening inside the 30+ tents congregating on the lawn. some tell me "drug addictions runs rampant" within the plastic walls, while others say "they are really the most dedicated, nicest people". I may never know exactly what is happening inside the tents. I do wonder how many disapproving or quizzical looks they get everyday.

i recently read an article in the new york times that talked about the role of homeless people within the occupy movements. homeless people are finding occupy encampments all over the country as a refuge instead of their usual lonely/cold/concrete sidewalk plots. at organized encampments, homeless people will most likely find: (free) food, (free ) water, (free) 24 hour safety patrol, (free) entertainment, and (free) companionship all in one place. if you had the choice between a watch-your-back-kind-of night or a well-lit, cushy lawn which would you choose?

in the times article, one lady made a comment that pointed fingers at many homeless saying that most "suffered" from "mental problems" and were disturbing the peace at occupy camp sites. she seemed generally annoyed with their presence. i thought her comment on fellow protesters or, um homeless people, reveals that even within the 99%, there are factions. whose the most righteous occupier? i guess the woman could tell you. i certainly could not.

though the push for unity in public spaces like Seattle Central aims to bring folks together, something ain't quite right about the finger pointing. aren't we and they the ones we're fighting for? occupy the dinner table is a completely different take on the protesting shenanigans, and an even better way to counter the powers of the 1%. the occupy movement, after all extends beyond the tent city encampments.

Em reminded me that the 1% is as removed from the protests as possible. they laugh from their penthouses as the rest of us run a muck on these streets. but they are not the only ones missing. i hear many people my age expressing a sense of apathy or even guilt for not joining downtown protests, but i don't blame them. unless you're in oakland, california, nothing seems momentous.

one way we can make the revolution personal is to bring it home, right through our front door and onto the dinner table. if you don't feel comfortable inviting strangers into your house, how about partnering with an organization where you can feed those without a home or access to a daily hot meal. this is a more practical and humane approach to show others we are one, that united (not divided) we stand.

opening neighborhood places and spaces to our fellow brothers and sisters that we quickly dismiss puts our protest chants into practice. yeah its one thing to yell in unison about all the injustices around us that are destroying our neighborhoods, families, and cities. but its another to take an act of faith inviting someone who you may not know to join in food, conversation and love at your dinner table. and they don't have to be smelly. even people who take showers everyday and don't look homeless, are. so be careful, and instead of pointing fingers and in my case pinching noses, lets start asking who needs a meal. and more importantly: who can we invite for dinner?

i've been attending protests since i was 18 years old and honestly i've never felt the magic. often i question why i'm even there, and how said chants roll so nonchalantly off my tongue. i've never felt conviction, and never really been one for group thought. but when Em and i were talking, occupy the dinner table, seemed like a better way to show my solidarity with the occupy movements. occupy the dinner table is more personal. if you feel the love magic among the sea of hundreds/thousands yelling chants and holding signs, please don't let ODT stop you, do your thang. since feet marching and fist pumping protest aren't for me, in the near future, I want to share a meal with someone in need. sometime in the next three months, instead of buying groceries for just myself, partnering with a church, NGO, or friends will be the way I show solidarity to the growing movement.