Occupy Phoenix the Spirit Lives On

 Occupy…..The spirit lives on …..

Thank you to both  Ezra Niesen and Dennis Gilman for both being there separately to video/ document the night described below. It was 

at times uncomfortable, but they were there and they took the time to document what happened.  And, It is individuals like  who help to put sunlight on injustice by documenting it before it can be hidden and denied.

https://youtu.be/AqwJuJJXI58

 One evening on October 15th 2011 at Margaret T. Hance park …..Occupy Phoenix protested non-violently the 1% being given out special favors in our society while the people were given nothing but crumbs and treated unjustly….. And for this we were arrested like common criminals by the Phx P.D. 

I am the one with the white t-shirt and orange hat Ezra Niesen’s video getting arrested with other non violent citizens at approximately 13:37 into the video.

In Dennis Gilman’s video I’m also wearing the orange hat and white t-shirt.

Then after being arrested I and some of the others were placed in the back of a police paddy wagon for the supposed five minute drive to the downtown Maricopa Az County Jail…..Well …..  that five minute drive ended up being approximately 40 to 45 minutes with the air conditioning turned off. I almost collapsed from heat exhaustion. 

 Upon arriving at the downtown Phx jail ….. a phoenix, police officer opened the paddy wagon and with a big, sarcastic smile on his face, said sorry for forgetting to turn the air conditioning on.

My charges were dismissed because they were unconstitutional charges as we were in a public park which the city falsely claimed was private and because we were peacefully petitioning our government representatives in this public park for public redress.

Some of the other young people sadly immediately pled guilty when they were advised not to do so. But others listened to our appointed defense attorney and ultimately had their unconstitutional charges dismissed. 

Approximately 40 people were with me that night, who were arrested for non-violently sitting down in a public park asking for redress under the US Constitution with their elected representatives. We were told by some officials in the city of Phoenix at the time that Mayor Phil Gordon said he would come to talk to us, but he never showed up and instead we were arrested. 

To this day, I’m still asked if I regret that night getting arrested and I do not. We did the right thing we stood up non-violently as public citizens. We did not break windows, we did not burn cars and we did not try to stab police officers with flags we instead said that we loved them and we meant it because they were human beings and that it seems was the key ingredient  ….. actually not being fooled into hating other groups of people, because of very powerful individuals and groups in our political, economic and social society who like the one percent sit at the top of our constitutional Democratic republic trying to use us as pawns.

After that night we were called the “Phoenix Forty” by someone in the press but in reality we numbered in the millions all across this country and the globe for simply trying to stand up non-violently while advocating for justice and equity in our country, and in countries around the world .

Here is Dennis Gilman’s video of that night….. https://youtu.be/dcsqO0rtj48

Leonard Clark 

9-25-22