A conversation with David Dollens Occupy CoMo

From the beginning, David Dollens called the shots. “We’ll talk at my apartment,” he says, walking from his post in front of city hall. “But on the way, I have to stop at the bank and then at a gas station.” Why the gas station? “To get lottery tickets, of course. It’s all rigged, but I keep buying tickets to help pay for education. And maybe today I’ll get lucky.”

Nearly 70 years old, Dollens commands respect not just because of his military service, his grizzled beard or his commitment to a number of causes, but because everyone around Columbia seems to know and love him. “Hey Dave!” a student shouts from his car as Dollens ambles past a few homeless people who also greet him by name. “I’ve been around a long time,” he explains. And he doesn’t plan on going anywhere. Dollens has been campaigning for the rights of impoverished and oppressed citizens for as long as he can remember. His latest cause is Occupy CoMo, Columbia’s version of the Occupy Wall Street movement that aims to draw attention to the income inequality in America. Camped outside Columbia City Hall for hours and sometimes days at a time, Dollens and his fellow Occupy CoMo protestors crusade for the rights of Americans who, he feels, do not have a voice.

How long have you been an activist?

My father owned a pizza parlor in Mexico, Mo., when I was young, and he served all races. Black people didn’t even have to go in the back room. They ate out front. Some of them would get up to let the white people sit, and he would say, “No.” That’s the way I was taught.

What’s the most generous thing you’ve ever done?

I met this couple who were homeless and had two little kids, so I’d buy them coffee and sodas. They were out every day, and it was getting cold, so I went down to the bank and got out $1,000. I don’t have much, but I’d saved a couple thousand, so I got that and put it in an envelope. I waited a couple of days and finally saw them. I just shoved the envelope out to them and their eyes got so big. They said “Thank you” and the woman said she’d pay me back. Well about a year or so went by, and I didn’t think anything about it. And the next thing I know, they’re knocking on my door, and they gave me $1,000 plus $300 interest. But I didn’t take the interest. I had no idea that they’d pay me back! It amazes you what some people will do.

Have you participated in any other protests?

I went on a protest at city hall in 1985 in Columbia. I read in the paper that they were gonna do away with the free health clinic for the poor people. They weren’t gonna fund it. Well, I figured the only thing I could do was go down and sit outside city hall for a few days without food. And I did for 30 days. When you fast that long, you just want to hug everybody that walks by.

In your opinion, what is the Occupy Wall Street movement about?

It should have been done 30 years ago. But this movement is about how people want change. These college kids don’t have a chance for the next 20 years — they owe too much money. The government owns them. And there are no jobs out there. They say on the news that 44 percent of graduates are unemployed or working in minimum wage jobs that don’t require a college degree, and they’re gonna have to live at home or be homeless. It’s that pure and simple.

What do you hope to accomplish by protesting in Columbia?

To make people aware of what’s going on. The news said that the after-tax income of the top one percent in America has gone up 275 percent between 1979 and 2007. The poorer people’s wages have gone up only 18 percent. You can get your pencil and paper and see how much the cost of living has gone up in 10 years. That’s why I’m out there. I don’t want to steal from the rich, but we’ve got to do something.

What are you and the other protestors going to do about the cold weather?

Nationwide, it’ll just fizzle. What I understand is it’s growing, but this cold weather is going to mess it up. But I hope it’s going to come back in the spring. But I’m not sure that even the cold weather is going to stop some people.

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve seen while protesting?

The people protesting with me. I was amazed that we had everyone from a prosecutor, teachers and a lieutenant colonel to students and kids with bachelor’s degrees at the protests. I was amazed that we had a veterinarian who got laid off. That’s what I’m seeing down there.

What’s the most disheartening thing you’ve witnessed since joining Occupy CoMo?

There was a college kid who came out here, stuck his head out the car window and said (to the protesters), “I’m gonna kick all of your butts,” and that really pissed me off. There’s a lieutenant colonel down there. Twenty years in the military and three wars. For this college kid to tell him he’s going to whip his butt — that just isn’t going to happen.

Do you have many students out there supporting the cause?

Ninety percent of the kids who drive by support us. Nationwide, there’s the growing Occupy Colleges movement. I’m hoping that this is their generation’s chance to do something.

How do you feel about the people who come out with signs that say things like “I love turtles” or “free hugs”?

We had one down there that said, “I’m a banana.” That’s OK, as far as I’m concerned. They’re down there. That’s what the movement’s about. The kid asked me if he could put up the sign that said “Free hugs,” and I said, “Yeah, put it up there.” He gets to hug a lot of girls. I wouldn’t mind that.

Source:
http://www.voxmagazine.com/stories/2011/11/10/conversation-david-dollens/