No. 689 Jesse Fruhwirth

Transcript (75 pages) of an interview by Erin Halcomb with Jesse Fruhwirth on 22 November 2011. Part of the Occupy Salt Lake City Oral History Project, Everett Cooley Collection tape no. U-3106Jesse Fruhwirth, a journalist, activist, and prominent member of the Occupy Salt Lake City movement, shares his memories of the early period, the occupation of Pioneer Park and the subsequent police raid. Mr. Fruhwirth´s comprehensive interview begins with his background as an activist, liberal son of Republican parents in North Dakota, who became increasingly disillusioned with the American political establishment. After moving to Salt Lake City to be near family, he spent time as a journalist, particularly for Salt Lake City Weekly. Mr. Fruhwirth´s interview is a blend of narrative, covering Occupy Salt Lake from his involvement beginning in the movement second week and culminating in the raid on Pioneer Park, and of philosophical and political commentary on the movement in particular and on American society as a whole. He discusses the Occupy movement´s lack of unity and what he sees as a tension between cautious and more intense participants. The interview focuses especially on the movement´s relationship with the Salt Lake City government and police. Along with eighteen others, Mr. Fruhwirth was arrested during the police raid on Pioneer Park, after participating in a symbolic tent setup. He discusses such disparate angles to the movement as the mission´s perceived vagueness, connection between Salt Lake Occupiers and other Occupy movements, and its relationship with the Salt Lake homeless population. Project: Occupy Salt Lake City. Interviewer: Erin Halcomb