There’s little like a spirited rally to get the blood pumping. There’s nothing like an Occupy-Oakland style march to get the heart beating double-time, even if you are in shape.

And there’s really nothing quite like having Scott Olsen showing up at your rally and marching with you, looking better than ever.

Eight days ago, the Lakeview Elementary School in Oakland was Occupied. The school session had ended, and the Oakland Unified School Board had long ago voted to close the school and use it for administrative offices. But concerned citizens have refused to give up.

The Oakland School District, trying to avoid the no-win situation of having police drag parents, teachers and students out of their once-and-hopefully-future school in full view of the media, opted to hope the protest and occupation would wither. They probably didn’t contemplate three hundred people showing up in support of the occupation after marching from Oscar Grant Plaza in downtown Oakland, led by a student brigade…

But that’s what happened today.

Click here to read the entire essay, with more photos and video, at Daily Kos.