Sanjeev Rabanhat/Civil Beat

Editor's note: Sanjeev Ranabhat, a journalism student at Hawaii Pacific University, has been chronicling events at the Occupy Honolulu camp at Thomas Square Park since Saturday Nov. 5, when Honolulu police arrested eight activists.

Young and old. From the military and from the university, local or from the mainland. The faces of the Occupy Honolulu encampment at Thomas Square Park are diverse.

The Rev. Teresa Bowden, 75, an Episcopalian priest, came to the camp on Thursday to support the protesters and to show her dissatisfaction with corporate greed and inequality for the poor.

“These are very fun people. They were very nice to me, very welcoming,” Bowden said.

Bowden said she wishes that people her age would join the Occupy Honolulu group.

As for those who disagree with the protesters, she said, “God bless them.”

Dylan Pilger, 18, from Kapolei, was dropped off by his parents to stay overnight at the camp. “I want to support this group and spread the information about what Occupy Honolulu is,” Pilger said.

Pilger, who was home schooled, is an actor and musician.

“I never realized that politicians are funded by corporations,” Pilger said. “I’ve learnt about APEC and how it works."

Pilger’s parents, Eric and Claudia, were concerned about their son’s involvement with the Occupy group because they knew that some protesters were arrested at the camp last week.

“His mother and I wanted to support him in something he thinks is important, but as parents we're also concerned, so we thought the smart thing was to drop by and actually see what was going on,” said Eric Pilger, a 51-year-old software engineer at University of Hawaii.

Eric Pilger is skeptical about the movement.

“I don't hear a clear message yet. But I think maybe they are on to something important that is hard to pin down, so I'm definitely in favor of what they're trying to do.”

General Assembly Makes Decisions

Protesters at Occupy Honolulu spend most of their time meeting, talking, planning events and waving signs to drivers on Beretania Street and Ward Avenue.

A minimum of 20 people is required to form a quorum for the general assembly where decisions are made. Attendance has ranged as high as 70.

“There’s no leadership. Everyone must agree for a proposal to be approved," said Megan Brooker, 28, who has master’s in public affairs.

Caterina Desiato, 31, a doctoral student at UH from Italy, comes to the camp every day and stays overnight whenever she can. She has a message for people who hate the movement.

“Often people who try to raise awareness about a problem are seen as the problem by others, who might be suffering for the same issues, but might not want to see it or hear it,” Desiato said.

Another protester, Michael Broady Jr., 23, of Waialua worked for the popular TV show “Lost” for three years.

“I had a well paying job and I go to a community college but I want to drop it (school) and focus on alternative learning methods,” Broady said. “Because of the competition and influence of money, I refuse to take part in that system.”

Broady is passionate about global sustainability, about building gardens in urban and rural areas.
For most protesters, the camp is no less than home.

The Occupy Honolulu Camp

The Ward and Beretania corner of Thomas Square Park looks like a vibrant community. Nearly 10 tents are crammed together on the sidewalk. Two large canopies are tied together to make space for the general assembly and a small kitchen. The space turns into an overnight sleeping area, with mattresses and plenty of pillows. A small generator provides enough power to charge laptops and cellphones. Campers are comfortable but the traffic noise and the honking – drivers who honk for support – make it difficult to get a good sleep.

Some protesters bring their pets and kids with them. Protesters call the children: “Occupy Kids.”

Activists have a designated smoking area some 20 feet away from the camp, a corner for washing dishes, compost and a recycling-corner. Protesters use the bathroom at the park. They pick up the trash from the park and clean the bathrooms.

“We are all helping each other,” said Pilger. “This is not for the money like corporations. Their goal is to help themselves."

Late at night, when there's no more general assembly or marches, campers get together and talk story or play music. Some work on homework on their laptops; others are busy tweeting and posting photos on Facebook. Some read books, others watch movies and some sit on folding-chairs holding signs through the night.

'Think Critically'

Monisha Das Gupta, an award-winning author and director of South Asian Studies at UH, has been involved with the Occupy Honolulu movement since the first day. She's happy to see the movement getting bigger.

“We are claiming what has been taken away from us," Gupta said. "We are claiming the right to free speech, we’re claiming right to be in the public space without being fearful, we’re claiming the right to take control of our own government."

Gupta urged those who don’t support the movement to “think critically” and asked them not to “act against their own interests” as they belong to the 99 percent.

“It's not just we are radicals and asking for something impossible, we are asking to take back our democratic rights … and the democracy,” Gupta said.

Another UH professor, Rich Rath, 51, who teaches history and who’s been deeply involved with the Occupy movement, said the people belong on the street when the government is corrupt.

“We’re here to listen to people and hope they listen to us,” Rath said.

Jester Peterson, 27, a U.S. Air Force officer based at Hickam Air Force, manages to find time to hold e-signs on his iPad at the camp at night.

“My fiancé was killed in 2006 in the Iraq war,” Peterson said. “I’m against war, that’s one of my reasons why I’m here. There was no reason for us to go in to Iraq."

Despite criticism from his military friends who think the Occupy movement “is stupid” and that he's “wasting time,” Peterson believes he's making a difference. “It’s important to me. The kids are going to be enslaved in debt,” he said. “ I don’t care what people say. I’m here for my dead fiancé.”

When motorists occasionally yell “go get a job” at the protesters, Peterson says, “I have two jobs and probably make more money than you.”

As for now, the Occupy Honolulu group seems to be content with its camp and what it sees as the increasing number of people supporting the movement.

But no one knows when the protesters will be forced to leave the camp or where the movement is heading.

DISCUSSION: What do you think about the Occupy Honolulu movement? Join the conversation below.

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