(Javier Cervantes/Borderzine.com)

Occupy El Paso – A wimpy protest against an ambiguous foe

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EL PASO – The cold morning breeze of October blurs the historical Plaza of San Jacinto where a handful of people occupy the plaza in an act of solidarity, adopting a cause originated by one national feeling: inconformity. Occupy Together is undoubtedly the most important movement of the decade, spreading all across the country and some important cities around the world; and although Occupy El Paso is not as massive as in New York, or as aggressive as the Oakland (Cal.) movement, it is still a symbol that conveys the same message. For the past three weeks, San Jacinto plaza has witnessed how both workers and jobless rally against the unfair distribution of wealth in the U.S. From students drowning in a sea of debt to veterans from all the 20th and 21st century wars, the diversity of the crowd is vast. “I’m here because I truly believe that we actually can do something,” said Claudia, an Iraq War veteran who encountered a jobless country after the war. Like Claudia, I had experienced some of the same problems that started this movement; however, sincerely speaking I remain a little bit skeptical about the honesty of our petitions.

“Should I allow myself to live like this any more and let this injustice continue?” asks an Occupier. (Jacqueline Armijo/Borderzine.com)

Occupy El Paso demonstrators demand social justice

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EL PASO – Protesters crawled out of their tents and stretched as the morning sun greeted them at San Jacinto Plaza, all of them sharing a passion for banning corporate greed. At first I didn’t know how to feel about Occupy Wall Street, which is a movement that has gained momentum and spread to other parts of the U.S. and even the world. You have people protesting in Rhode Island, California, and Virginia and even in England. The movement is made up of people who established a peaceful protest although they come from different political backgrounds and religions. They argue that there should be an end to the corruption and self-indulgence of the wealthiest one percent of the U.S. population, which is inflicting a wrong upon the rest of the U.S. – the other 99 percent of Americans.

The El Paso Occupiers mingle next to Los Lagartos sculpture. (Luis Hernández/Borderzine.com)

El Paso’s Occupy movement seeks justice, but their expectations may be too great

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EL PASO – There are small herds of them scattered between the trees, some shirtless and tanned from the sun, sitting around in cozily crammed circles that are set-up between their tents along with various handwritten signs they have made and carried for weeks. I went into the San Jacinto Park completely convinced that I would be called to join their ranks of Occupy El Paso and come out smelling like the downtown streets of El Paso. I thought that they would try to convert me and convince me to go pro-hippy, sleeping in the grass with them, and laughing over text messages out loud to each other while a siren goes streaking by, but that’s before I stumbled into the red and white-striped food tent and got a taste of humility. In the food tent, I timidly approached a man in a tan sun hat, with clear blue eyes that wrinkled when he proudly told me he had been Occupying El Paso for 10 days. When he started talking about his story, I nearly joined the Occupy movement on the spot – but didn’t.