Video still frames from Occupy Wall Street in New York, November 17, 2011.
My Assignment: Capture the action for TV news packages throughout the day. The hype: For the second month anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street in New York the pressure was building. Only a few days earlier, Mayor Bloomberg cleared the tents from Liberty Park (aka, Zuccotti Park) in lower Manhattan in the pre-dawn hours and now it was standing or sitting only, no more camping overnight. The park had wrap-around steel fences with only one entry point and private security guards stationed inside and police on the perimeter.
At around 7:45 a.m. on November 17, 2011, thousands began their march toward Wall Street. The drums were beating. Whistles were blowing. Cops on scooters and horseback lined the streets making for some interesting visual juxtapositions. Moreover, there were more video and still cameras (not to mention iPhones and Droids) than I've seen in a very long time. Nobody stayed home. I followed the front of march and focused on as much of the drama as possible. So long as I remained close to the police, the taunting protesters weren't far behind.
Suddenly, I got squeezed up against a parked car with the rush of the mob behind me pressing hard with nowhere to go. People were screaming for the cops to let us pass. Finally, they relented and we made our way to Pine and William Streets, about three blocks from the New York Stock Exchange.
A few dozen protesters sat down in the intersection and soon the arrests began. I jumped out to capture the action and to my surprise a cop elbowed me in the chest. He said nothing. So much for having a press pass! Another cop ordered me back on the sidewalk. They were using their nightsticks to push and intimidate. At one point someone grabbed a night stick from a cop and threw it. I saw it fly through the air, but I wasn't recording. A missed moment I wasn't happy about that! I was fighting for a good angle as arrests were being made about 15 feet away.
In the mood of collaboration a college-aged kid started telling people that "his" cameraman (me) needed to get out in front. He helped push people apart so I could squeeze in and focus and have some elbow room. A cop shouted at him to move and he said he was with me. I turned to the kid and said, "Are you serious? You're gonna get us both arrested!" Then I pushed him back and said, "I don't need your help! But thanks."
You never know what you're going to get when you're roaming the streets covering a protest. You try to be careful, but if you're not close enough it's hard to get the pieces of the story you're there to cover. It might be exciting at times (even an adrenaline rush) covering a historic movement, but after a few hours of following the crowds I was back at the satellite truck resting--exhausted physically and mentally. I needed time to refuel. Wouldn't you know it that during my respite, a bloody confrontation broke out at Zuccotti Park? Missed that one just two blocks away. Should of, could of, would of!
Occupy Wall Street originated with a group of people who brought their diverse voices to New York to raise the heat on the government and spotlight the economic inequality this country is facing. The tents came and the movement spread. The politicians and police reacted.
The digital cameras captured every move--by amateurs with smart phones and by the established media through stills and video. As I've said before, it's a lot like fishing: some days you get lucky and some days you come up dry. Nevertheless, if you keep "working it," you'll tell the story one shot at a time and hopefully come out unscathed!