A Walk Through Occupy Baja

Sunday morning dawned overcast, rainy and chilly here in Baja Georgia.  I had read in the paper a couple of days ago that the Occupy Jacksonville movement was underway and that they were determined to create a 24-hour presence like their Wall Street brethren.  I decided to take a ride downtown and see if this was for real or just another fair weather occupation.

I was greeted by the erstwhile group who had taken up camp in front of city hall.  I thought the traffic signal was a nice touch.

This encompasses the entire Occupy movement here in Baja, an area of the country painted solidly red.  The protesters wanted to set up shop in a large, central-plaza park across the street but park rules, in an effort to discourage the homeless, prohibit camping.   Camping is also prohibited on the sidewalk so the protestors had to stay within the narrow orange brickwork between the sidewalk and the street.  But still, they seemed to be in good spirits and even offered me an apple.

Meanwhile, across the street in the central park, the real occupiers of downtown were lining up for lunch, along with Bibles, being distributed by a small Christian church.  People on the front lines trying to make a difference.  Conspicuous by their absence were congregates of the 20,000-member First Baptist Mega-Church located just one block away.

Residents enjoying their lunch and a card game.  Note iPod headphones.  I guess life on the street for some ain't as austere as we've been led to believe.

Another resident, enjoying her brown-bag lunch and a new Bible, loudly proclaiming to one of the church members, "Ya'll oughtta be gittin' paid for this!"  "Ya'll shouldn't be out here doin' this for free."  I'm not sure which is the case, she doesn't understand Christian charity or Economics 101.  Apparently, both.  But she was happy.

Another resident, who disturbingly looked like she could be any one of us, found a quiet spot to read her Bible and enjoy lunch.

An interesting juxtaposition, the facade of Baja's new $350 million courthouse located two blocks from the square.  Justice has its cost.

The facade of another $350-million Baja boondoggle.  A place where, in Jesse Jackson's words, "My people can entertain you" before they visit a more familiar facade.