And So It Begins...
Monday Sept. 3
Today proved to be an eventful one. The day started with
breakfast at a small Charlotte diner called Mattie's. Much to the same degree
as Mattie’s diner; Charlotte held a number of unsuspected surprises. The day
commenced with caucus meetings ranging from the black caucus, Native American
caucus, youth council, and ethnic council; just to name a few. Within these meetings I had the pleasure of
hearing a number of notable speakers representing the Democratic Party. The
likes of Congressman Mike Honda, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and many others all
played a role in our “emersion” into the Democratic National Convention, first
hand. I attended the ethnic council meeting. This meeting was great. It was
very informative. Unlike the caucus, the ethnic council does not have delegates
on its board; rather, its purpose is to better help facilitate voting and
political activism within all of America’s ethnic communities. In addition,
campaign manager Buffy Wicks provided us with a campaign update; emphasizing
the importance of voting within every ethnic community. After the caucus
meetings I had the opportunity to really take in all that Charlotte offered in
hosting the DNC. Carolinafest served as the perfect backdrop for the throngs of
people intent on gaining the experience of a national convention. I expected to
see groups organized outside with signs and bullhorns, but much to my dismay,
there appeared to be nothing of the sort. The activism it seems is a bit more
low key in Charlotte. This may serve the police forces well in maintaining
order and peace, but it certainly made it difficult to find people that truly
considered themselves activists. Nonetheless, “pounding the pavement” proved to
be successful for me. To wrap up the night, we attended a black tie event
hosted by the Democratic Party of Georgia. This event was an opportunity of a
lifetime. Delegates, senators, and press all together sharing in the experience
was something for the record books. My hopes are that tomorrow is just as much
a success as today.
I enjoyed your post and especially your honesty. I am sorry you missed out on the protests. There was a Protest Parade on Monday (Labor Day) that included groups such as Occupy Wall Street, West Virginia Labor Initiative, U.S. Postal Workers, and many, many more. There were tables and booths set up in Frazier Park about 10 blocks north of the convention center. Like you commented, the police were ridiculous in their "caging" of the convention area. I am a Charlotte native and I had to walk that same maze miles to get back to my car. I participated in the Protest Parade. There was also an Occupy group in Frazier Park outside the gates of the convention south of town at Marshall Park. They tried to get into the gates Sunday before the convention and were blocked with force. The streets were lined and lined with policemen. See photos on my YouTube (just a short clip--I'm trying to load more) at youtu.be/513dwh4yXeA
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