When do you know a movement has run its course?

When it loses supporters who were willing to donate to its cause.

Let's review.  Initially, I was supportive of the Occupy San Diego movement.  I blogged about seeing the initial march and how I supported them.   I visited the site and wrote about their platform.  And twice, I donated food and water to them.

It's pretty clear I was supportive of their message and their platform, which included things like bringing back Glass-Steagall and implementing a tax system like the one Warren Buffett advocates.

But they lost me.

They started to lose me the second time when I went to give food and water to them.  Most of the people were very polite and appreciative of the donation.  But as I was helping another person bring what he purchased for them to the site, something happened.  He dropped some change, and when he bent over to pick it up, one of the occupiers took the change, threw it, and said go fetch.

After that, when that gentleman and I were talking, he gave a biscuit to a dog.  The person who owned the dog was very appreciative.  And someone else with a dog was taking pictures.

On my way out, I walked over to where that dog was.  I said to the dog, "hello, puppy" and the owner snapped at me "leave my dog alone."  It's a very strange situation when the human's the bitch and the dog isn't.

Now mind you, I had just given food and water to these people.  Talk about ungrateful.

I was still supportive, but not as supportive.  I wasn't going to let a few bad apples spoil the bunch.

Then the San Diego police moved in to clear the area.  There are reports that excessive force was used.  On the other hand, people have said that bottles and cans were thrown at the police.  I'm sure there's some validity to both the charges of excessive force and to the police contention that they needed to protect themselves.

But the response of the Occupy San Diego protestors to this was what cost them my support.

This is what they posted on their facebook page.

"In every nation, in every age, you tell us you’re indispensable, that without you we’d all be killing each other. BUT WE KNOW WELL ENOUGH WHO THE REAL KILLERS ARE. YOU WON’T FUCK WITH US MUCH LONGER."

I cannot support an organization which basically says what NWA said a while ago -- fuck the police.

Instead of pushing their platform they've chosen to act like a petulant child.

You can protest until you are blue in the face and you can camp out on whatever spot you want.  But if that's all you're going to do, you won't accomplish anything.

How about having someone talk to the media about how you want Glass-Steagall reinstated or the Buffett taxation plan put in place?

That is something people can rally behind.  That is something that is actionable.

If you're just going to sit there and insist that you can put tents up when there's a law on the books that says you cannot, you'll just get arrested and lose support.

If, on the other hand, you put together a cohesive message with something people can act on, you will become a force to be reckoned with and you will accomplish something.

Hopefully, they'll do the latter and I'll be able to support them again.

Until then, no food, no water, and no more support.