While all eyes at the stadium were fixated on the Brooklyn Tech Engineers football game, one man had his sights set on something bigger.
As the first quarter of the noon game ended, I noticed a man holding a large sign making a run towards the exit. As I walked closer I realized that his sign didn’t say ‘Go Engineers!’, but instead it read, ‘Brooklyn is the 99%.’
Nathan Fisher, 33, a Fort Greene resident, was on his way to Grand Army Plaza to join protestors in Saturday’s Occupy Brooklyn. Fisher graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1996 and says he tries to attend a couple football games every year.
“I’m a proud Engineer but I’m also a proud American,” said Fisher, a freelance web-designer. “I would love to stay and support these guys, but I have a higher calling.”
Fisher agreed to let me follow him to the Occupy Brooklyn protest but refused to be photographed. “I have had some bad run-ins with police at some other protests and it is probably best that my picture isn’t out there.” Fisher said he was one of the over 700 protestors arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge on October 1st.
“It was so stupid that we were thrown in jail,” said Fisher. “They put us in plastic handcuffs and loaded us into buses and we just sat there for hours. We finally got to the police station later that night, and I only sat in a cell for a couple of hours after that.”
Fisher received violations for disorderly conduct and blocking vehicular traffic but says it was all worth it and he would do it again if given the chance.
“Our country is in trouble and this movement is necessary. It is important that Brooklyn holds this rally and shows our leaders that we are part of the 99 percent.”
As we walked down Flatbush Avenue, Fisher was calm. But once we crossed into Grand Army Plaza he erupted as if he were cheering for his high school team. He waived his sign as he joined the over 100 protestors in the plaza.
For the next couple hours he chanted and sang with the other protesters calling for “economic justice.” He spoke with Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz as he mingled with the crowd.
“Having Markowitz here is a great sign,” yelled Fisher through the chants of the crowd. “It shows that our movement isn’t being ignored by politicians and there is hope.”
The crowds began to break up in the late afternoon as some made their way to Times Square to continue protesting. Fisher decided not to attend the rally in Manhattan.
“Today was a victory for not only Brooklyn but our movement. I will go home tonight with a great taste in my mouth because of our victory.”
Brookyln Tech also scored a victory with a 41 to 0 win over Midwood.
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Contact Joey Maestas via Twitter @jmaestas22
See more of the Brooklyn Ink’s Occupy Coverage.
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