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Occupy Lexington is Alive and Planning for a Spring Offensive
Tents occupy space on corner of Esplanade and E. Main in Lexington

The afternoon light had morphed into dark clouds overhanging the city as a troublesome wind chilled to the bone all unprotected street people. It was 2:00 p.m. on a Saturday and the protest movement was still alive.

Where Chase Bank’s downtown fortress of a building looked down on the main drive of Lexington’s financial center, a lone figure stood against the harsh wind, against the quiet of being without an audience, and against the overbearing presence of King Banks. He was the symbol of a people’s protest movement holding on to its place within the geographical inner ring of status quo power.

His name is Francis. He stands alone with a sign that challenges all that passed to think about their lives under the hard realities of America controlled by corporate power. “Our government should work for us, not Wall Street”

In a town driven crazy by the color blue, I found it intriguing that the protesters had captured the moment with their own use of the color blue. Francis was dressed in a blue jacket, matching the blue corporate symbol of Chase Bank. The occupiers main tent and command center for operations during the winter was also UK blue. Probably the protesters never thought of the strong symbolism of colors in our society.

Francis, a college professor, admitted that at times it is rough standing alone on a street corner. However, he was quick to add that this was a part of a new American history being written on the streets of America. He told me that the plan is to hold on until spring when, because of the Republican war on itself, people will join their Occupy Lexington in numbers. He felt that by spring people will wake up to what is going on with their election process and realize just how big corporate money is trying to buy this election.

In fact, at this juncture of E. Main and Esplanade, in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, the sign at Francis’ feet made known to the world, that at this intersection in America, Occupy Lexington stood “In “Solidarity with Occupy Wall Street.”     

 Francis stood in the exact spot that the first protesters of this summer stood when a force of more than fifty came to the Chase Bank and set up Occupy Lexington in October 2011. At that time, energy was high. Each of the protestor felt proud to be part of a national movement to fight to save the American dream and culture from corporate dictatorship.

Fall was filled with yet warm nights and the atmosphere of youth on an adventure and party times. It is now winter and the numbers have shrunk. There were eleven hardy souls iOccupy Lexington hasn't given up spot in front of Chase Banknside the big blue tent.

What is going to save them is the prospect of a mild winter and the fact that individuals like Francis, in his late forties, have joined the ranks of Americans who want an answer to their question on the sign at his side “If corporations finance political campaigns, has government of the people, by the people, for the people perished from the Earth?”

As I rode away, I wondered if we as a people are ready for that answer, or do we become consumer zombies and keep trying to shop our way into denial that there is even a problem?           I hope Francis is right that the people will wake up in time to fight and take back their country.

I hope history will write that in the early part of the 21st Century, the people rose up and reclaimed their rights as free men and women.


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