"We are not destroying anything. We are just witnessing the system destroying itself."
--Slavoj Žižek Speaks to Occupy Wall Street

I went down to Occupy Seattle with one of our colleagues today from about 1:15 to 2:15 pm. Today the scene was pretty calm, but there were dozens of people there. The food/med tent is still set up and is the center of activity, with people chatting in small groups all around. A musician sang for the group, and some people driving by honked their horns in response to those standing by the road with signs that decried the financial system. "I love my country, but I do not trust its financial system."

I spoke to two people who stood out as members of working groups. They said that they were very sleep deprived. While there is not a formal library, some book donations have been passed around, and some volumes do make it back around. Anyone wanting to create literature such as brochures is encouraged to bring a draft by for general approval. Such efforts would be welcome.

Six to eight Seattle PD officers on foot or on bikes observed the crowd, while two parks employees mingled with protesters and people in vests cleaned the park. The officers were on the sidelines, but responded to those who chatted with them. As I left, one of them passed out some pamphlets to the others, joking about "intel" - I'm glad they were reading.

The creepiest keeper-of-the-peace was the private security guard standing outside the Bank. He was packing a shiny pistol and watching the pigeons. At least three security cameras have a view of the park.