On Friday, famed activist and documentarian Michael Moore visited Occupy Oakland to address the crowd. Moore laughed and joked with protesters upon arrival, saying, "Two people have flown in from Occupy Anchorage and they are here to help us cope with the winter."
But the mood turned somber when Moore asked the crowd for 30 seconds of silence for Scott Olsen, the Iraq war veteran who was critically injured at the Oakland protests on Tuesday. "We are all Scott Olsen," said Moore. "Someone asked me who the leader of this organization was, and I said, 'we all are.'"
"Something good will come of this movement," he promised. "This weekend will be a watershed moment in Oakland." Moore told the crowd that the Occupy movement had killed apathy in the country. "They turned off Dancing with the Stars!"
Moore then told the crowd that he had tried to contact Mayor Jean Quan several times, but that he was still trying to reach her. The crowd booed loudly at each mention of her name. He promised to try and reach her again once the conference concluded. "I have to tell you," he said. "the other night, not being here and watching from afar what took place here, it was really horrifying, to see what took place here in this country."
Before he left the podium, Moore thanked the crowd and encouraged Occupy Oakland's perseverance. "Millions are inspired by you because you didn't go away. The next night, you came back."