Simone WilsonUpdated after the jump: How the rain is affecting Occupy Colleges, the movement's college-student offshoot (headquartered in L.A.). And click here to watch soaking-wet protesters trudge into City Hall and appeal to councilmembers, live.
A perk of occupying L.A, one would think — as opposed to occupying, say, Wall Street — is a perpetually sunny SoCal sky under which to air your grievances.
Then you get a day like today. By 5 a.m. this morning, Occupy L.A. protesters outside City Hall were drenched in an early-October gift from the weather gods.
Protesters immediately began Tweeting requests for rain gear (in addition to the constant stream of pizza, and vegan!, that Angelenos have been sending over in solidarity):
And the movement's secondary Twitter account, @OWSLosAngeles, posted a video called “It's Raining” to its live-stream log. It's mostly just a bunch of bored geeks putsing around the technology tent, but you get the picture:
Their socks may continue to sog well into late afternoon. According to City News Service, “much heavier rainfall is on its way, starting around 11 or so and lasting between three and six hours.” And “once the heavy rain stops this afternoon, we'll likely have showers through tomorrow afternoon.”
But if they're able to stand their ground until Friday, which these stubborn class warfarers still seem to have every intention of doing, Los Angeles should “see a return of warm, dry, sunny weather,” reports City News.
Of course it will.
Update: Natalia Abrams, one of the “facilitators” for Occupy Colleges, the L.A.-based movement in which college students are walking out of their classes at noon (it's already begun on the East Coast and middle America), tells us L.A. organizers are discussing the possibility of hosting sit-ins instead of walk-outs because of the rain.
“It's definitely hindering the Los Angeles walkout,” she says of the crappy weather. But as for Occupy's downtown branch: “I know there are still people at Occupy L.A. that are still there and protesting, which is awesome,” she says.
We'll keep you updated on the turnout at L.A.'s universities — and how they cope with the elements that be.
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