Occupy Wall Street/Occupy Boston host Skill Share Party

Presenting the nights format /Photo by Matthew J Shochat

On January 27th, 2012, at 6pm, about 150 Occupy Boston and Occupy Wall Street protesters gathered at The Democracy Center at 45 Mount Auburn Street in Cambridge. The first couple hours were spent as a casual meet and greet between both parties. Food was provided by the Brookline Food Co-Op, founded fifteen years ago by Tom and Vicki Schnoes. The Brookline Food Co-Op receives donations from local restaurants, bakeries and supermarkets that would otherwise be discarded. The food they receive is used to help those who don’t have enough resources in order to feed themselves and their families, which include those who face homelessness, live in subsidized housing, and immigrants just coming to the US.

The Wall of Possibilities /Photo by Matthew J Shochat

At 8pm, everyone then got together as the presenters discussed what exactly would be happening that night. The form was described as a Non Structural Conference in which individuals place a paper on a portion of the wall with a time and place to meet, on a ‘Law of Two Feet’ format. These groups would then discuss the topic including educating others, troubleshooting issues, and expanding personal growth on socioeconomic issues. Such topics on the wall included “How Spirituality and Politics influence Occupy Movement?”, “Conversation on Facilitation Challenge”, and “Non-Violent Direct Action.”

For those who may not have found the event as engaging as others, Occupy Boston’s Screen Print Guild was located in the Library for anyone who desired to create prints. The event lasted until at least 1am before the crowd dispersed.