The Prodigal Altar Boy

Thursday, December 22, 2011

It’s the Final Countdown - #9 Occupy Baltimore



2011 – Last 100 Days
Prodigal Altar Boy Countdown
T-9 Days and Counting
22 December 2011

Goal:  1 hour per day working on the film

Details: 
Watched Karen Everett’s Ultimate Guide to Structuring Your Documentary week 2 module: “Three Act Structure”
Total time:  1 hour

Goal:  30 minutes per day music practice
Details:
Warm up on the MojoCaster
Grace City Christmas Service Songs
Mary, Did You Know
Emmanuel
We Three Kings
The First Noel
You Are The Living Word
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Joy To The World (Unspeakable Joy)
Total time:  1 hour

Goal:  15 minutes exercise per day
“Round up From the Ground Up” workout
Kettlebell Swings – 5 reps per side - 20kg kettlebell
Kettlebell Squats – 5 reps– 20kg kettlebell
Kettlebell Cleans – 5 reps per side – 20kg kettlebell
Kettlebell Military Press – 5 reps per side – 20kg kettlelbell
Kettlebell Snatch – 5 reps per side – 20kg kettlebell
Kettlebell Row – 5 reps per side – 20kg kettlebell
6 sets
Total time:  16:30
 
Goal:  15 minutes per day working on the score for the movie
“Donated” this time to Christmas Eve music work

Nine Days – It’s the Final Countdown

My Top Ten Favorite Things of the Last 100 Days:
#9 - Occupy Baltimore

Occupy Baltimore took many hits in the press.  In the end, they departed McKeldin Square without incident, which might have translated to a whimper in the press.  I think the Occupy Baltimore people had a larger impact on the city than anyone would care to admit.  If you line up the Occupy Baltimore timeline alongside the other events in the city, one can posit had Occupy Baltimore not been there, things might have turned out differently.  When I look at the Grand Prix/BRD meltdown, I can see an alternate outcome in the absence of Occupy Baltimore.

Examining public statements from Baltimore City officials concerning the Grand Prix financial reporting, even though initial reports showed the race brought in less money than projected, the reaction of city officials ranged from questioning the validity of the reports (done by university researchers), promising a city-sponsored study, to a concession that even if the race did not generate the projected revenue, it was still a good thing. 

As the Occupy movement grew nationwide and solidified in Baltimore, the movement’s de-emphasis on what they “wanted” to focus on the disparity between “the 1%” moneyed elite versus “the 99%” raised many questions about who benefits from government support of “business.”  As the Occupy movement voices got louder and resonated with everyday city residents, you can see a shift in the city’s attitude toward BRD officials.  The BRD CEO resigned, reporting of BRD mismanagement and near usurious terms of a last-minute loan seemed to validate many of the Occupy paradigms of how catering to the 1% is often at the peril of the 99%.  Before Occupy Baltimore exited McKeldin square, Baltimore City would attach liens to BRD and the former CEO, promising that if the city isn’t paid by year’s end (ahem,  NINE DAYS AWAY), the contract for the race could be null and void.

So while most of the public’s memory of the Occupy movement gets dumbed down to something like this:

The reality for Baltimore is the Occupy Movement probably saw that BRD got exactly what they deserved, and probably saved the city some money.