Status Update: Occupy OKC Camps Out in Kerr Park

Some wish to live among the sounds of chapel bells, 
I wish to run a rescue mission within yards of hell.
-- C.T. Studd

Bored with Wall Street
I have to admit I'm getting a little tired writing about Occupy OKC, but there are no other Oklahoma bloggers writing about it (that I can find) and I feel some weird sense of responsibility to keep up with the citizen journalism (ha!) since I first broke the story September 29. (By the way, have you seen my collection of more than 100 Occupy Wall Street logos?)

I didn't go to Kerr Park last night to take pictures of those camping out. It still bugs me that the original Facebook Page was deleted. You can restore pages on Facebook up to 14 days, so somebody isn't copping to the truth about what happened, but whateverrrr. 
 

Luv the "Thanks OKCPD" sign. So distinctly Oklahoma to thank the authorities. 

As I wrote about on Sunday, if the movement rebounded it would prove on some level the commitment of those involved. There are now 750 people on the Occupy OKC page. Tulsa has now over 4,000. NewsOK finally reported on the local movement last night, and according to the story, there were about 100 people camping out.

Will Clergy Occupy Wall Street

I've noticed some comments on the Occupy OKC page from local clergy. It reminded me about a story I saw the other day about clergy members from Brooklyn marching alongside Occupy Wall Street (New York). It also reminded me of an interview with Frosty Troy, founder of the Oklahoma Observer, which I heard a couple years ago. I blogged about it in a post titled, Oklahoma's pulpits fall silent despite rising tide of child poverty, neglect, death. 


If anything drives my interest in Occupy Wall Street it's Troy's assertion that the pulpit has been too afraid to speak out against greed.

Are you washed clean of greed? 

There is an awful lot of talk in the Occupy Wall Street movement about the "99 percent." But, 99 percent of the people in this country are not washed clean of greed. People among every socioeconomic level exploit others in their accumulation of money and things. The poor do it, the middle class does and the rich do it. And, honestly, there are those among the 1 percent who do it less than some of those among the 99 percent.

Am I washed clean of greed?

The hardest thing to do is examine ourselves; the proverbial board in my own eye as I point to the splinter in another. Every other week, when the housekeeper comes to clean my house I ask myself if I'm exploiting her. Am I paying her a fair wage?

I ask myself this same question every week when Robert and I split a plate at 1492. Will my tip be fair, generous even? When I pay my electric bill or my water bill, will I give a little extra for those who can't pay? Will I give generously at Christmas to my child's teacher or will I keep as much as I can for myself?

There are people who owe me money. Who have never paid me back even though they said they would. People have broken contracts with me. Clients haven't paid. I could take people to court, but better as Proverbs states to settle it on the way.

Which debts should I forgive? Some owing is unjust. This is a difficult notion to wrap one's mind and heart around, but I believe it is true. What is permissible is not always profitable, honorable or beneficial. This reminds me of a sermon I heard one time. It was about Old Testament judges. Their greatest power was regarded not in their ability to punish, but in their ability to pardon.