The photo of 84-year-old Dorli Rainey that went around the world

I was getting my hair cut the other day when a conservative looking woman with a poof  hair do (that is by no means a criticism) said to the room, “Dorli Rainey is my hero.”

If the name doesn’t immediately jump to mind, Rainey is the 84-year old woman who was pepper-sprayed by police during an Occupy march in Seattle last week.

Whatever you think of the Occupy movement, here are 5 things to know about Rainey:

1. She has been involved in local politics since the ’60s.

2. She says she did not intend to join the protest that night. She was walking by on her way to a transportation meeting in the Northgate neighborhood of Seattle.

3. Rainey has a blog titled, Old Lady in Combat Boots.

4. She says:  ”I believe change begins in the streets, and all citizens have the power to make a difference.”

5. The sight of  her, an old woman with pepper spray dripping from her face, has become the iconic photo of the Occupy movement.

What, by the way, do you think of the Occupy movement? And Rainey?