So – I’m siting on the uber-crowded #1 train, headed uptown to Harlem to busk & this guy, in jeans & a sweatshirt, is standing by the pole in the middle of the train. His head is bobbing left-right-left-right & I hear what sounds like the faint crunching noise of a walkie-talkie. ( I can spot that noise a mile away) ME: “Is that I walkie-talkie I hear?” I said to the guy in the jeans. “Uh…Uh-huh” he whispered, half under his breath as if he had not wanted me to ask but instead to just go away. ME: “Are you a cop?” I said louder this time. His head bobbed back & forth faster now & nodded yes to me in between bobs. ME: (quite loudly this time) “Well, you should really turn that thing down, or get a different system or something, or else everyone will know you’re a cop!” The undercover cop shrunk down into his sweatshirt as if he wished he could just disappear. The train doors opened & shot the formerly, totally in control cop a huge smile as I hopped off onto the platform 🙂 #ows

I kind of thought the trains would be empty of cops with all the Occupying going on above ground – ha! Dream on Heidi.  It appears they’ve hired more cops! I said to one of the officers after the eviction of Zuccotti Park; “You guys seem to multiply in front of our eyes. It’s like you’re breeding i real time. It’s nuts!” Luckily, he had a sense of humour.

Two days ago I went to 59th to do what I do, sing & make folks smile & dance & two rookie cops (you can tell they’re new ’cause they’re young, they always walk in pairs and their uniforms are all sparkly & shiny) spotted me from across the train tracks and changed their normal slow saunter up a few notches to a jog.

A ‘jog’? Seriously? I’m singing, not mugging someone.

I watched as the two rookies bounded up the stairs knowing they were excited to come and ticket me as it would show their supervisor that they were ‘on point’. Little did they know I knew what was up. I had seen them see me even though they didn’t know I’d seen them. (Get that? 🙂 And somehow I managed to pack up my guitar, amp, books, CD’s, patch cords, mic and guitar case onto my huge dolly all in under 30 seconds. Before the two cop’s feet hit my side of the platform I was sitting on the bench, blending in with all the other commuters, chatting away as if nothing was amiss.

I waited. Soon the two cops jogged over to where I’d been singing just moments before & watched as they turned around a few times, mumbled to each other, dawned a baffled look and went back to their slow saunter patrolling the 59th St Platform, I suppose trolling for more ‘terrorist musician’ types

I disliked having to stop making people happy but I really enjoyed outsmarting the NYPD 🙂

Then yesterday, we at Occupy Wall St took it up a few notches. Two nights before, Mayor Bloomberg (or Emperor Bloomberg as we often now call him here in NYC) let his dogs loose on us and raided Zuccotti Park between the hours of 1 & 3 AM – arresting and kicking everyone out & lining up blocks of Sanitation Trucks into which he had they trashed all the Occupier’s belongings, including the most coveted “People’s Library” full of fabulous donated books for anyone to read at any time. The timing, one day before our next big rally was not lost on anyone. Perhaps he believed it would squash the movement but, as history has shown many times throughout this movement,  it accomplished the complete opposite. As the #OWS says “Arrest one and two more will come”

Fast forward 48 hours, the turn out at Foley Square was beyond huge. After a relatively bloody & violent morning with over 200 arrests and one protester having his head bashed into the sidewalk by the NYPD, knocking out his teeth, over 30,000 protesters rallied at Foley Square in Lower Manhattan then marched to the Brooklyn Bridge. the crowd was enormous. It was freezing out there as the wind whipped in and out of the tall office buildings of Lower Manhattan. However, being surrounded by so many eager, hopeful and light bearing souls was magical. I marched with elderly women with canes and walkers, parents with one, two, and three children in tow and Doctors supporting the 99%. There was every race, colour, age, language you can imagine represented last night.

People have their opinions of what the Occupy Movement looks like – let me tell you it’s all of us. No matter who you are. It’s everyone.

There was also a fabulous light show that entertained us on the side of the Verizon Building as we marched …Stay creative, stay peaceful, stay loving <3 #OWS

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Thanks & keep you updated on our progress

This could be fun 🙂

Prior to Irene’s arrival I took my bike & toured from 42nd St down to Battery Park, the ocean as I wanted to see what was going on. The city was a ghost town with almost every window taped up in preparation for Irene. I have no real camera so the shots are pretty bad – but I did find some interesting stuff. It was a magical ride & the energy was something I’d never felt before in this city.

I love this city! : )

Fancy Irene Tape job from last night so I could sleep in relative peace 45 stories up :

Press camped out @ Battery Park in anticipation of Irene

Press @ Battery Park in anticipation of Irene's arrival

EVACUATE TO SAFETY sign on West Side Highway

So – we’re on the ‘backside of the Hurricane’ now as CNN’s  Anderson Cooper do deftly reported while, of course, not one hair was displaced by the gail force winds whipping behind him 🙂

Public Transport is still completely out in the 5 boroughs and NJ is bracing for some major flooding as storm surges and rivers crest tonight and tomorrow. But NYC has taken it well and seems to do the hunkering down thing pretty well when it’s needed.

Finally, just two hours ago, right as she is pulling out Irene’s wind  locked me out of my apartment actually by slamming the door on me & I just got let back in to finish writing you all this update. Thank you Irene – you crazy Hurricane, you!

Hope all of you  are safe & sound & with power

Love & light & dryness & calm for a while 🙂

Heidi & The Subway Diaries