Occupy Democracy

I was downtown riding my bike near the Federal Reserve building when I saw the protest. It was a small group of scruffy looking people, led by a woman with a megaphone. She was yelling a series of indictments at the imposing brick facade. I watched trying to figure out what they were protesting and moved on.

It was later that week that I realized I had witnessed the beginnings of the Occupy San Antonio group, yet unformed. The Occupy Wall Street protest was just getting ramped up, and a few forward-leaning people in other cities were seeing where it was going: a national outcry against greed, corruption, and unjust practices. A cry for justice!


We have enough to go around
, and enough for the risk-takers that drive our economy to be rewarded substantially for their investments. We must also ask, how much is enough reward? As much as can be taken? As much as legal loopholes allow?There are different kinds of justice. Social justice  refers to the extent to which society’s institutions ensure that benefits and burdens are distributed in ways that are fair and just. This is not to say that everyone gets the same compensation, but that everyone has enough when there’s enough to go around.

What we’re seeing in the Occupy movement is not protest in the traditional sense where we work to change one thing. The Occupy movement is an expression of national outrage for a set of unjust practices that need reform. What we’re seeing isn’t revolution but democracy in action. We are witnessing the heart of a nation that feels betrayed, and thank God, as the motive power of Love, we also live in a nation where we need not remain silent about that betrayal.

I also want to put out this invitation: If you’re willing to organize a congregational response, or are involved in Occupy San Antonio, I’m willing to support and participate in that action—in addition to work I’m currently doing to support the occupy movement.

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