84-year-old defends Occupy movement, hangs up on Dori

Dorli Rainey, 84, is a celebrity now after she was caught in a cloud of pepper spray in downtown Seattle Tuesday night.

Rainey was standing at the intersection of 5th and Pine along with other members of Occupy Seattle. Commuters on their way home did not have patience for the disruption and, after warnings, the police unloaded canisters of pepper spray onto the crowd.

A photo of Rainey with milk streaming down her face has made its way around the world.

“I don’t want to be the face of the movement. I want people to get passed that and look at where we are.”

Despite her old age and assumed wisdom, critics have not been kind to Rainey, saying the burning sensation she surely experienced was deserved.

But Rainey defends the movement’s action because it did ruffle feathers.

“Can you tell me how you can get attention in this city if you have a serious issue unless you block an intersection or two or three,” she asked 97.3 KIRO FM’s Dori Monson.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has been blasted for not having a clear focus or vision. It may only be a place for lazy, unemployed young people to congregate, smoke, and spout out jumbled ideas.

So who better to explain the movement than someone who has witnessed numerous ups and downs in the economy and certainly numerous protests, whether local or national.

“Our goal is regime change,” answered Rainey. “Look at what’s going on when you listen to the campaigns now. The money in those campaigns buying themselves elections. Why would you buy yourself an election unless it was beneficial to you?” she asked.

Rainey did not have an answer for Dori about who she would like to see in office. And then she hung up.

By Stephanie Klein, MyNorthwest.com Editor