Elizabeth Holmes (left) and other Boston occupiers in Harvard Square on October 23  (Blast Staff photo/John Stephen Dwyer)

Elizabeth Holmes (left) and other Boston occupiers in Harvard Square on October 23 (Blast Staff photo/John Stephen Dwyer)

BLAST: Who are you?

ELIZABETH HOLMES: Who am I? I’m Elizabeth, also known as Mom or Eli.

BLAST: What do you do?

EH: I am a part of medical, safety, wellness, legal and jail support; was in media and direct action.

BLAST: What’s your gripe?

EH: I’m tired of hearing that there are people starving, not receiving (and being billed for) medical care, without a shelter, without quality education. I work in the hemophilia community and teach; several of my gripes come from my experience in both the medical and education fields. Everyone will have access to free quality comprehensive care and free quality education. I’m not sure how that’ll happen but that’s why I’m involved in Occupy.

BLAST: Share a memory?

EH: I walked out of the medical tent at “Take Back the Capital” [in Washington, DC] grumbling about not being able to volunteer there and ran into a bunch of Occupiers mic checking about co-option. It was like running into my long lost family members at the mall.

BLAST: What’s next?

EH: I’m working on a few projects – comprehensive care training for occupations, supply acquisition solution so we can stop spending money, getting medical training to some Occupied Farms, a free comprehensive care clinic in Boston. I’m traveling and am currently at Occupy Wall Street doing research and completing apprenticeship-type experiences. I plan to bring this knowledge back to Boston and then travel about the US with a friend from Occupy LA.

About The Author

Contributing editor John Stephen Dwyer is in love with his native Boston but has also done work in Amsterdam, London, New York, Paris and other cool cities. In recent months he's photographed notables including Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, and Rosalynn Carter.

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