OCCUPY KC EARNS TEPID RESPONSE TO THEIR SUNDAY AFTERNOON DOWNTOWN KANSAS CITY EMPTY BUILDING PROTEST!!!
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon at the height of their protest, Occupy KC earned less than 100 protesters for their cause in Downtown Kansas City.
That's not to say their message and words aren't powerful but within the group there have been serious questions about leadership, planning, organization and an internal struggle for control. Sunday's protest and march was a reflection of this negative synergy.
Personally, I just don't understand why anybody would bother protesting a bunch of empty buildings downtown in order to get people to take notice about increasing wealth disparity in this nation. It really was the equivalent of preaching to the choir yesterday @ Ilus Davis Park.
Still . . . The small crowd was just as spirited as ever and seemed to get even more riled up despite a soggy field for their protest.
A good sign . . . This fight against capitalism was a great opportunity to sell merch and a rather smart lady made a nice haul selling $5 buttons to the 99% and their supporters.
I had hoped there would be more costumes with the march so close to Halloween but these vets talking to an Anonymous navy dude stood out the most.
I didn't seem a drum circle but the poetry at the outset of the gathering was rather good and definitely inspired the crowd.
Check the list of speakers and notice the UMKC and Union domination of the event . . . Sadly, I would have thought the Kangaroos could at least bring more students to the march that seems in part dedicated to their horrific loans.
And, as usual, on the outskirts of the protest there are Union organizers looking on . . .
All things considered, it wasn't a bad protest . . . But like most things in Kansas City it was simply . . . MEDIOCRE given that organizers had been touting their numbers for weeks.
On the bright side . . . Unlike other parts of the nation . . . Police and and protesters have managed to keep a truce and refrain from any unproductive clashes involving a movement that hasn't really reached critical mass and seems to be hitting a downward trend in Kansas City.
LINKS . . .
CHECK THE AWESOME OCCUPY PHOTOS FROM ERIC BOWERS!!!
Radioman was there!!! But completely wrong about numbers.
NBC Action News was the only station that bothered to provide significant coverage: Occupy KC marches with message
Sprinklers Come On During Occupy KC Rally
Kansas City Occupy Wall Street Protesters
I was there. 200 is generous. if you don't count all the people with cameras, union folks and homeless there were only 50.
ReplyDeleteSo anti capitalist selling items? Why should they just reallocate them?
ReplyDeleteThese people are the textbook illustration of 'Educated Idiot'. Where are the loose, angry pit bulls when you need them?
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing like an "internal struggle for control" among a group of less than 100 people to demonstrate what KCMO is really all about. In fact, if these folks are already more interested in who they are than in what they do, they may very well be ready to run for some political office.
ReplyDeleteWhat do they want who to do? OWS has already changed the conversation in the country from how much spending can be slashed to how we should invest in the future, because the media, which has the attention span of a gnat, loves a new story every 15 minutes. It may be time to declare victory, pack it in, and go home before the snow gets too deep.
The remark about "....UMKC and unions" tells you everything you need to know. Two groups of people who think they are "owed" something without earning it. This small group of empty heads protesting an empty building earns them the award for most ignorant people ever!
ReplyDelete"Down with Capitalism" and "Eliminate Money" buttons, $5. Seeing it...priceless.
ReplyDeleteNo mention that DHS sent four patrols to guard the federal courthouse?
ReplyDeleteActually, Tony, even during the workweek, City Hall is mostly empty-.......headed!!.
ReplyDelete"a movement that hasn't really reached critical mass and seems to be hitting a downward trend" - Watch that "downward trend" turn into a total nose dive as the temperatures drop below 30 degrees. Those tens of protesters will pack up their camping gear and head inside.... As opposed to going back to work.
ReplyDeleteI was there when they started the march at about 3:45 and there were a heck of a lot more people there than 50 or even 200. I will have to look at my videos and do a count and then add about 50 that were to the side or behind me.
ReplyDeleteI was hoping to see thousand out there, that didn't happen. I am puzzled why so many on this blog are citing numbers that are way to low to anyone that was actually there. Are they lying, blind or do they have an agenda? The turnout was OK by KC standards, but not great.
It was also nice of the city to give the ground a good soaking before the event. That made it uncomfortable to walk around or stand and damaged the grass in the park.
10, 100, 1000, 10,000, 100,000...it doesn't matter. Independent - mainstream voters view these people as idiots and the union guys as opportunist.
ReplyDeleteObama'a risky effort to associate with these people is indicative of how desperate he is. Mainstream - independents put him in office and now they will take him out.
7:58 - I couldn't agree more.
ReplyDelete7:58 is right. While these people are unfocused, that doesn't mean that some things are not very broken in this country.
ReplyDelete7:58 is on it. Obama is behind the whole deal (Acorn, Van Jones, Govt Employees Union, etc) but it's gotten away from him. The attempt to draw independents into the 99% stupidity was a reach at best. There is a 1% yes, but at least 75% in the middle don't align themselves with the "class warfare" angle. Most of the others are Dem activist, freaks, slackers, union, and self pitying minorities.
ReplyDeleteGoodby Barry.
Why don't u love the protest? Kansas city is content to be ruled by the 1%
ReplyDeleteBREAKING!!!!!
ReplyDeleteTKC EARNS TEPID RESPONSE TO RECENT BLOG ENTRIES!!!!
10:02 - Well said!
ReplyDeleteTony's KC Tea party...where women are exploited and fat middle aged losers excercise their 1st amendment rights. LOL
ReplyDeleteTony couldn't wait for the rally to lie about it. So he lied about it in advance and then followed up afterward. This is his facebook post from saturday afternoon where he has already framed the event as a failure...what a pathetic personal attempt to kiss the establishments @ss-
ReplyDeletesnip-Tony's Kansas City
OccupyKC protests an EMPTY City Hall in Kansas City on Sunday. Some say it's a critical measure of their local support: http://t.co/rjVQYTx9
LikeUnlike · · @TonysKansasCity on Twitt · Saturday at 4:33pm via Twitter ·
So what else is New?
ReplyDeleteIt's Kansas City.
Or Suckersville.
Nothing happens here. Can't fight crime, get raped by developers, E-tax dollars are wasted, don't have decent streets, snow removal is poor. Businesses are pulling up stakes and leaving or just going plain out of business.
No Surprises here. It's Kansas City. Little wonder "Occupy KC" failed.
tent city is a disgrace. If people really knew what was going on there they would shut it down. Even among the supporters.
ReplyDeletei work for an area media outlet and requested an interview before the first occupation and I got one response --- they told me that they would contact me but never did.
ReplyDeletething is, Midwestern folks have about as much bite as a poodle. And now seeing the anarchy signs and $5 buttons in the middle of anti-capitalism messages...ho-hum.
Looks like the revolution I thought was coming isn't coming. The only thing these people are occupying are the toilets.
IT should work better now.
ReplyDeleteOnly problem with your analysis is that this event wasn't protesting City Hall.
ReplyDeleteIt was using a "Free Speech Zone" park built by the 1%er Davis family and marching from there through the Old Northeast as a means of "diversity outreach".
The event was sanctioned by Occupy KC but organized mostly outside of Occupy KC by labor & political organizers.
This movement does not get its energy or agenda from labor or political organizers, it gets its vitality from continuous 24/7 protest, so it's no surprise the labor/political organizers' event had a somewhat lackluster appearance.
We are happy to have the support of anyone, including labor & political organizers, labor is obviously motivated by the energy we've generated with our 24/7 protest.
Anyone is welcome to contribute to this movement in any way they can.
I like occupy KC but none of the buildings around the park were empty.
ReplyDeleteIf you're not protesting City Hall then why have the protest there.
There is no denying it was badly planned. Other Occupy protest get up in people's face and cause them to take notice. This one just occupies the background. I am a supporter of occupy and I want them to do better but it seems like so many of them just want to occupy the spotlight.