It's Day 16 of the occupation said a sign at the information tent this afternoon, near the medical tent and the legal tent, which is behind the drummers, and not far from the food tents, the cooking and washing-up facilities, the comfort tent (free clothes and umbrellas), the "people's library," the port-a-potties and the other 50 or so tents (mostly for sleeping) now at Academy Park near the state Capitol.
Bands were playing, with more scheduled tomorrow afternoon (hip-hop, I think). They were set up in front of the statue of Joseph Henry and the graceful old Albany Academy building, now HQ of the school district, and in full view of some nice old buildings on Elk Street which are mostly offices for lobbyists.
Yesterday, they apparently held an interfaith prayer vigil.
There was an anti-hydrofracking tent whose message I don't agree with, and elsewhere an anti-Republican sign I thought a bit one-sided (Governor One-Percent Andrew Cuomo is a Democrat, after all). Some of the rhetoric on stage seemed a bit over the top. No wonder the statue of General Philip Schuyler, a revolutionary but part of the one percent, was looking askance away from the park from his perch in front of City Hall. But I have to admit I am impressed by the progress of Occupy Albany. They could use some stuff, signs said, including flashlights, bags of sand, volunteers.
"Occupy Albany is a drug-free gathering," said one sign. I didn't see any cops around, or any need for them. My favorite banner of the day, carried by some middle-aged regular-looking guy, was this: "I can't afford to buy a politician, so I bought this sign."
Update: The wife (who teaches at Lake George, which explains the first item in the post) has some pics of the occupation on her blog.
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