Life in the ‘Tent-hood:’ A Family and the Employed Occupy

Darrell Henderson, an unemployed protester of Occupy DC, wakes up in a blue tent on the southeast end of McPherson Square amongst a number of cold and hungry protestors.  

Henderson has been occupying D.C. for almost three weeks and shares a tent with a complete stranger. He keeps warm with the help of a yoga mat, two sleeping bags and a comforter all donated to him by supporters of the movement.

Every morning Henderson gets up at around 9 a.m. and walks to the nearby CVS on the corner of 16th and K St. NW to purchase a box of cereal. He returns to his tent to eat a bowl of cereal and when he is finished he leaves the box of cereal on the kitchen table for others to eat.

"I believe that if I do not need something, I will leave it for others," Darrell Henderson said.  

The Occupy DC kitchen serves breakfast every morning. But Henderson chose to make a box of cereal his daily contribution to the kitchen.  From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., the AFL-CIO Building Investment Trust headquarters offers showers for the occupants. Henderson goes there for a shower every two days.

After breakfast Henderson goes to Starbucks to check his email on his laptop. By lunchtime you can find Henderson at a local museum archive or taking a long walk through the city. He usually buys his own lunch and spends the rest of the day entertaining himself by reading, writing, and listening to music on his laptop. Henderson has three pairs of pants and three shirts. He goes to a nearby laundry mat to wash clothes.

For dinner Henderson eats whatever the kitchen serves.

"I plan on writing a book about my experience here at Occupy DC," Darrell Henderson said.

Henderson has a degree in finance and history, and is occupying to represent students who graduate to an economy where they cannot find jobs. He is also fighting against government corruption.                          

Zachariah Caraway, known as "Baby", is a volunteer cook in the Occupy Kitchen.

"We all eat! People stop by and ask us what food we need. We tell them, they bring it and we cook it. There is always enough for everyone to eat," Caraway said.  

"I wake up at 6 a.m. and start cooking breakfast. We usually eat eggs, bacon, and toast."

Caraway has been occupying McPherson Square for about two weeks. He vowed that he will not leave Occupy DC until he sees everyone occupying leave with stable homes and jobs. As an employee for Washington Gas, Caraway is part of the employed group of individuals. He goes home in the mornings to shower, goes to work and returns to McPherson Square to sleep and help out.

Eight tables, three propane burners, a blue tarp covering, ice chests and donated food make up the Occupy DC kitchen.

"The are no bosses here at Occupy, but I have taken a leadership position in the kitchen," said Khalsa, the unofficial supervisor of the Occupy DC kitchen. Khalsa said that before he joined the Occupy DC movement the kitchen lacked order and cleanliness, and organization.

"I strive to make sure the kitchen upholds the guideless of the Department of Health," Khalsa said. "I am a produce operator and I worked at Coca -Cola for eight years. I understand how important clean food is. There would be not Occupy DC if its occupants became too sick to stay."

Khalsa promotes healthy habits for all volunteers. Volunteers must wash hands thoroughly and switch gloves when touching different foods. He even has hand sanitizer on the table for those being served.  Much of the food donated is by strangers so he makes it his duty to thoroughly inspect all foods.

The Stanton couple is the only couple with children still occupying at McPherson Square.

John Stanton is a free-lance technical writer from Richmond, Va. Stanton is occupying McPherson with his wife and four-year-old twins, a boy and a girl.  The Stanton family have been occupying since Oct. 6.

"Occupy DC is a way of drawing attention to how politics and money are interconnected in this country," Stanton said.

Stanton plans to occupy until the American economic fear of action is eliminated. He wants every American to have a fair say is how their money is controlled.

"There is only one way I will leave and that's if my children want to go or it gets too cold for them," Stanton said.

The Stanton twins are the only children still occupying at McPherson Square and John Stanton believes that they are having a lot of fun. In the daytime, the twins' mother does educational exercises with them; afterward, they are free to play for the rest of the day.

"There is a safe community bond here. I trust that my children can play freely. There are people at every exit of the park that keep a safe watch on them,"Stanton said.

There have been three other children who have stayed the night but the Stanton kids will stay until they are ready to go.

 The protestors of Occupy DC vary. The majority are working class citizens who work full time jobs.

Protestors have received much support from the McPherson community. There is a private list of places to take showers and nearby restaurants have been lenient about allowing the occupants use their restrooms.

"We donated left over food and coffee. The food would have just been thrown in the garbage," said Delauren Dean, an employee at Starbucks.  

It was a generous call made by the employees. Starbucks has not become an official sponsor of the movement.

Subway located on 1444 I Street NW has also loaned a friendly hand by donating 20 sandwiches to the occupants of McPherson Square.

Sazu Rashid, manager at Subway said, "We know they are fighting for a good cause and we thought it was the right thing to do."