Voices from Zuccotti Park: David Everitt-Carlson, 55
Rebecca Davis AND Anjali Mullany, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
David Everitt-Carlson paints protest signs in Zuccotti Park. His latest project is painting a carboard box, in which he sits as he paints.
Name: David Everitt-Carlson.
Age: 55
Where he's from: New York City.
Employment status: Unemployed. He has worked in advertising for more than 30 years. "I will spend half a day in a Starbucks. I will send my resume to X number of companies, to the HR department. I will go and have interviews that don't mean anything at all."
Political affiliation: None.
How long has he been coming to Zuccotti Park? "I've been here on and off for the last two weeks, I come when I can. Otherwise, I'm looking for work."
Where he sleeps: The 30th Street Men's Shelter.
How long will he continue to visit Zuccotti Park? "As long as I feel it's effective. I think it's getting more and more effective."
Why did he join the Occupy Wall Street protests? "We're not doing well. We're not doing well internationally, in terms of our perception, and also in terms of business. We don't work internationally well, commercially. We operate an army well. That's about it. The last ten years of war have not been good for people at home, they're not good for Americans overseas."
>> See the video of Everitt-Carlson at NYDailyNews.com
What are his demands - and who is he demanding them from? "I've heard the word 'demands' a lot here and I don't care for the word 'demands'. Makes it sound like a hostage situation. I think what's going on here - I like it more that we're accumulating a 'things-to-do' list. There are hundreds of agendas here and that people are able to come and speak to those agendas is what's going on. There's a large sign over here that says, "The medium is our message". I made that sign, over that way. The medium is this gathering, the medium is painting a sign. That's what people are doing, people are speaking out and saying something is not right. I think that is the most important thing right now. Agendas can come later."
That said, he does have a few specific demands in mind. "Spending money at home on infrastructure and job creation, and taking care of people on the homefront instead of fighting war in other countries for not very good reasons."
What do his friends and family think of his participation in the Occupy Wall Street protests? "I don't think my family knows about this. My father is 82. I can't imagine he would think this is a very good idea. I have two sisters who live in the Midwest. This is far, far away for them, so, I don't know."
How has participating in the Occupy Wall Street protests affected his personal life? "I haven't painted sign for 35 years. I put myself through college painting signs. I learned how to paint when I was a teenager, and I wanted a job in art. And the only job you can get as a kid is at a sign painting shop. And I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed it. I don't know, it's peaceful...So, that's really sort of rekindled something. I don't think you can sit at home and paint signs, I mean this works, the environment works. So that's been an unexpected joy. I think otherwise, it gives me confidence, and gives me hope, and what more can one ask?"
How he feels when he looks at Zuccotti Park: "It makes me smile. I feel really good. Honestly. To come home, to go home in the evening when I need to be home to a shelter, doesn't make one feel very good. But to be here, it helps me understand I'm not the only person who feels the way I do. We don't all feel exactly the same, we don't all have the same agenda, but we're here in support of each other, and that's something you can't buy. It's quite nice."
