Cape Politics

Occupy Falmouth participants speak out Saturday

The first Occupy Hyannis took place last Friday afternoon on the Village Green. But the folks in Falmouth beat them to it, holding their first Occupy event Saturday, October 8. After that, Occupy Falmouth demonstrations in front of Bank of America on Main Street have been held each weekday and again this past Saturday.

In the video above, produced by Maxine Wolfset, demonstrators were given the opportunity to speak their minds, this past Wednesday, October 12.  Although personal reasons ran the gamut, they were all brought together by the Occupy Together message.  Among the many participants was Paul Rifkin, who said of himself, "I'm just an old hippie, trying to save the world."

The day coincided with a special occasion--the 94th birthday of Thelma Goldstein--a Falmouth resident and lifelong Democrat activist. Participants took a moment to serenade Mrs. Goldstein with Happy Birthday.

Future Occupy Falmouth demonstrations are planned. Occupytogether.org is an unofficial meeting "hub" for all the individual groups springing up across the country. The website lists five towns on the Cape (Falmouth, Harwich, Eastham, Proivncetown and Plymouth) with independent occupy organizations.

Maxine Wolfset is a former public school teacher, piano instructor, and hospital administrative assistant.  After moving to Cape Cod in 2000, she began producing short documentaries at a public access studio in Mashpee, and has received regional recognition and several awards for her films.  Her films show great concern for the environment and for local/national events.  She has shown her films to local non-profit organizations, has been interviewed on cable access programs and tapes live meetings at her local Town Hall.  Some of her productions are posted on YouTube.com.

Crowd turns out for first Occupy Cape Cod gathering in Hyannis Friday

Organizer calls the event a way of exposing the needs of the people

Over one hundred concerned Cape Codders gathered on the Hyannis Village Green to stage the first Occupy Cape Cod event.  Rain drove the crowd under the bandstand, but did not dampen their spirits.  Last then half that were expected to meet at the green today. 

Senator Dan Wolf (D-Harwich) addresses the crowd briefly. Screen capture from David G. Curran video.

Participants carried signs reading, "We the people are pissed" and "No more blood for oil".

Diane Turco of Harwich organized the Occupy Cape Cod event. As a teacher, Turco has students who live in hotels and shelters and only have a warm meal at school.  Turco saw Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Boston as a real spark, "a way of exposing the needs of people and coming together to some resolution."

Other Occupy groups are popping up all over the Cape.  The Occupy Falmouth event started last Friday and continues weekday evenings and Saturday mornings in front of Bank of America on Main Street in Falmouth. Occupytogether.org is an unofficial meeting "hub" for all the individual groups springing up across the country. The website lists five towns on the Cape (Falmouth, Harwich, Eastham, Proivncetown and Plymouth) with independent occupy organizations.

For more information on Occupy Cape Cod, find them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

Read the original story here.