In November of 2011, 24 Occupy Wall Street protestors marched from New York City to Washington, D.C. Seven of those marchers formed a Mobile Occupation, called Walkupy, and continued on to Atlanta, Georgia, arriving there in late January. Altogether, they marched 1,000 miles in two and a half months.
Occupy the Highway is the journal of Sarah Handyside. It chronicles the trip, day by day, detailing everything from blisters to the insides of jail cells. It tells of frozen nights spent in abandoned buildings, and the miraculous hospitality of complete strangers. It's a story of camaraderie as well as a picture of the challenges inherent in mobile communal living.
Walkupy marched to raise awareness about social and political issues facing the United States, and to create a network of people willing to work for change. The marchers held rallies and teach-ins to inspire and educate others, and to spread the concept of horizontal democracy.
The mobile occupation demonstrated the dedication, determination and conviction of the Occupy Movement. Starting out with only $500 and living off of donations from supporters, members of Walkupy showed a willingness to sacrifice health, comfort, stability and safety in support of their ideals.
Amid the perspectives of scholars, political commentators and mainstream reporters, Sarah Handyside’s story stands out as the point of view of a citizen who chose to develop her own opinion of the Occupy Movement by engaging in it directly -- in a very physical way. Occupy the Highway is a human experience, not a political or intellectual commentary.
Occupy the Highway became available through Createspace.com and Amazon.com on the 17th of September.
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