For a little while, the yellow occupy sandy mutual aid patch safety-pinned to someone's sleeve or backpack was a common sight around town, and on one level it worked just like any other brand encountered on the sidewalks and subway stairs of New York City: as a declaration of affinity, affiliation, and belonging. But part of what that patch meant, too, was that none of us would ever again have to wait in hope of someone to come rescue us, even in the face of events so terrible they challenged the ability of the city itself to function.

— Lifehouse by Adam Greenfield (Page 73)