I was able to visit the Occupy Phoenix rally on Saturday, and the down and gritty occupation on Monday. I find it a bit disingenuous to refer to them as hippie dancing, vegan, smoking bums who only have themselves to blame for being in their position. In the same breath, to think of them all as saints or naïve but earnest oppressed and disenfranchised youth would be to give them a gloss and polish worthy of the director of The Help. That image also gives a false impression of who these people are.

Despite what some Republicans and media hype folks might want you to believe, there is a clear message with all the divergent groups under the Occupy umbrella. They are mad. They may not be sure if they are mad at government in general, in politicians or corporations but they do know the American dream that has been instilled in us since birth, the contract that if we work hard, stay in school and do the right thing that we can have a happy life, has been broken. They have tried to shout and tell their stories through traditional means, but no one will listen to them, so they have taken to the streets to voice their concerns. While it has made for a messy alliance with unruly and sometimes opposite factions, they realize the goal of their anger is the same.

Unfortunately, the larger population, while also feeling frustration at the current system, is unwilling or unable to fight. Fighting a system is messy and uncertain. Many of us can't see camping out in the open for a long period of time, with no clear goal in mind, with law enforcement and government officials making it difficult to protest. Like many things worthwhile in life, protesting isn't like it seems in the media or in waxing nostalgia. You will hurt if you get arresting, it will be depressing to be in jail, it will cost time and money to have to hire a lawyer and appear in court. If you have something relatively stable; a job not making enough money but a job none the less, a spouse or children that need your income and emotional support, going out and protesting for the greater good can form a conflict. If you add to this elected officials and media types showing unflattering images of the people at the Occupy rallies, it's hard for the average Jane and Joe to take the time to show their solidarity.

Because of this, one of the unfortunate by-products of the Occupy rallies, especially the larger ones like New York and Los Angeles, is the circus or entertainment aura of the occupation. With the amount of celebrities and pundits who have visited the Occupy Wall Street rally, you would think many of them woke up in the morning wondering if they should go to a play, visit Donald Trump or check out the scene at Occupy Wall Street. It seems like an afterthought, something to do so they can be seen and give the impression of caring. They show up for a bit, say a few words, get pictures taken, then jet off to dinner and a show. While the message is getting out, there is a celebrity party atmosphere which I fear is starting to dilute the message. In smaller media cities like Phoenix, the relatively small numbers of occupiers will make people used to the constant large crowds shown in New York, that the Occupy Phoenix support is low. Another factor adding to this impression is the lack of local media coverage both professional and by the organizers themselves. Even calling them organizers is imprecise since the movement is grassroots, but this means the basic message is lost because no one is in charge of shaping the narrative. Those that may be sympathetic to their cause and with media savvy have no one or a focused outlet to get the message across. The professional media is looking for the angle, the reason why they are out there but it is easier to focus a camera on the tie dyed people and the folks in Guy Fawks masks. It's a dangerous short hand because it only reinforces the weirdness impression many in the public has about the group.

With the Occupy Phoenix movement, the numbers on Saturday were close to 2000 or more people in Cesar Chavez Park. On Monday the numbers were down to about 60. To see the coverage in the local media on Wednesday the numbers looked to be around 30. In all honesty that is a remarkable number considering these are the hardcore, stay until the end protesters, but to a public used to seeing the 100s in New York, the impression is different. The optics have been defined by politicians against the movement; that of misguided and angry people who caused their own misfortune and if they put as much effort into getting a job as they are in protesting they would have found a way out of their condition.

As far as the protesters promoting themselves, it hasn't been consistent. As of now there is a Facebook page and two sites devoted to Occupy Phoenix that are 'official' but there are many more that either branch out from them or are independent. A day ago I wanted to see if the protesters were staying overnight in the park and between the two sites and the Facebook page I got different answers. The clearest interpretation I got was at this time they cannot sleep or stay in the park area, but they can be on the sidewalk around the park as long as they don't sleep. It seems they are trying to negotiate a compromise on those rules.

It is tough to say if the movement can sustain itself outside of the large media markets where people will flock to get attention. Hundreds of people camped out will bring people to join their cause, to think about their cause and will allow for the media to get the optics it needs. Less than 50 camped out on the sidewalk would be considered a nuisance by many. When there was the 2000 plus on Saturday, with a lot of the cooperation going on, there was a feeling that this was going to be a massive movement. Reality set in during th evening when close to fifty were arrested and with the relatively low amount of people at the park now, they will have to be very strong and stall-worth people to remain there without the camera, with little public support.

I know in a sense it sounds like there is a bleak picture being painted about the possible success of Occupy Phoenix, but it is all well and good to have a romantic and even inspirational view of the occupation, but the reality, or at least the impression of the reality at the moment, has to be laid out so when those tough times come people aren't discouraged. They have to know what to expect so they know how to deal with the reality of the situation. Even on Saturday, when I left the event, I went to catch the light rail and a older gentleman asked me what was going on in the park. I said it was the Occupy Phoenix rally, assuming he already what it was about. When he seemed confused about what I was talking about I quickly explained it to him. He kind of snorted and said something like systems been messed up for years, marching isn't going to clean it up. When I was there on Monday, watching the downtown workers walk past the park, quite a few of them looked at the protesters like they were part of a freak show. I specifically remember three guys in suits walk by trying not to laugh.

I sympathize with the Occupy Phoenix group and I will continue to go down every week or so to listen to stories and bring them to light in Chaotic Fringe.