What the Occupy movement is not.

[Rabblevox]

(note: I speak only for myself, not for Occupy Portland or any other Occupations...but I am an active part of the Occupation, and have worked for social, legal, and economic justice for decades.)

My only direct experience is with Occupy Portland. I've been following other Occupations as closely as I'm able. Occupy Portland has been forced out of it's base camps. (now fenced and guarded by riot-gear cops).

WHAT THE OCCUPATION IS NOT!:

We are not dirty dope smoking hippies!
Yes, there is an element of that. But the REAL story is families, and elders, and clergy, and teachers, and union workers, coming together to say ENOUGH!

We are not anarchists.
Most of us want to change the political and social construct, we don't want to eliminate it. Anarchy and violence serves no one, in the end. Most Occupations have remained completely peaceful on the Occupiers side. If you want to see anarchy, look for the guys with clubs and gas attacking a peaceful crowd.

We are not without goals.
EACH Occupation is developing it's own goals and strategies. We largely support each other, but please understand that there is no over-arching movement. No national headquarters. (not even local headquarters) Occupy Portland does NOT ask permission from OWS, or OLA (and vice-versa) Our goals are largely modeled on the original OWS Statement of Intent, but our goals will be ours, not OWS, or Dem party, but OURS.

We are not a directly political movement.
There will be no Occupy candidates. There will be no Occupy ballot initiatives. That's old-school, and it doesn't work anymore. Most of us will continue to vote, some will continue to campaign. It's a nice figurative gesture that I don't oppose, I just never get confused and think that electing a good person, or defeating a bad ballot initiative REALLY changes anything.

[MedleyMisty]

1. I love you

:)

You're an inspiration. One day I will convince the spousal person to go with me to our local Occupy. Thank you for being there.

[lunatica]

2. Thanks for this good information

Our political system is pretty broken so I'm very happy that the Occupy movement isn't part of that. I like the idea of General Assembly meetings where creative people can brainstorm. Group creativity can be very good.

And I'm very proud of the fact that it's primarily a peaceful movement.

Thank you again.

[TheWraith]

3. "We are not a directly political movement." And that's where the problem is.

It's a basic fact of life. The goals of OWS are political in nature: changing economic rules. You cannot have a non-political organization with a political goal--if you don't believe me, ask the American Anti-Slavery Society.

[Cid_B]

4. Question...

"We are not a directly political movement.
There will be no Occupy candidates. There will be no Occupy ballot initiatives. That's old-school, and it doesn't work anymore. Most of us will continue to vote, some will continue to campaign. It's a nice figurative gesture that I don't oppose, I just never get confused and think that electing a good person, or defeating a bad ballot initiative REALLY changes anything."

Then what are you going to do? Anything short of taking part in the political process is just whining...

Do you think that just hanging out and impeding cities and businesses will create change but voting and putting out your own candidates won't?

[Rabblevox]

9. "anything short of taking part in the political process is just whining" WTF?

I'm just guessing that you have zero experience with with resistance movements. You obviously have no experience with the Occupation, and have never taken a *good* poli-sci course.

Because the ignorance of that statement is staggering and appalling.

Yes, eventually, we will need candidates and ballot measures to support our values. That time is not now. The time now is two-fold, 1, to make TPTB very fucking afraid, and 2, to "win hearts and minds" away from the MSM, the DLC, and their corporate sponsors.

Trying to run a candidate now would look as silly and ineffectual as Nader for President. Wrong time, wrong idea, back to school for you, young lad.

[Cid_B]

11. Check your own statement...

It wasn't "There will be no Occupy candidates right now" or "There will be no Occupy ballot initiatives yet" and but rather "That's old-school, and it doesn't work anymore."

It was pretty clear and definite. If you weren't effective in your communication and actually meant something else like "We aren't running candidates yet but will at some point in the future" then that is your lack. As it stands you stated that you were not going to participate, young lad.

Cheers

[Terry in Austin]

5. Political vs. electoral

Back during the SDS and antiwar movement days, you often heard the specifier "electoral politics," to distinguish it from the more general politics that the movement was doing. The sense was that the electoral sub-species of politics wasn't quite as relevant.

I think that this still pertains today. The OWS movement is already having political impact, and its strength may very well be diminished if it's channeled into established "political" -- i.e., electoral, channels.

[badtoworse]

6. You forgot something else you're not...

...that's effective. From what can see, your strategy is to be a major nuisance to local governments long enough so the political process and landscape changes for the better in some undefined way. In the process, you've alienated countless neighbors and local businesses and put the local governments in a position where they have to protect the rights of the people you are pissing off. You won't participate in the political process, but you expect politicians in Washington to pay attention to you. Why would they?

I hate to be negative, but I think the Occupy needs to seriously reconsider its approach. Otherwise, I think you are wasting your time.

[MedleyMisty]

7. Go to a general assembly

and bring up your ideas.

[badtoworse]

10. The OP already rejected my ideas

"Occupy is not directly political". If Occupy wants to accomplish anything, it is going to have to get in the game.

[girl gone mad]

8. "I hate to be negative"

Sure you do.

[Leftist Agitator]

12. Well...

"...your strategy is to be a major nuisance to local governments long enough so the political process and landscape changes for the better in some undefined way."

It worked in Tunisia. And Egypt. And Libya.

And it will work here, given enough time, despite the nattering of negative Nancies such as yourself.

"...you expect politicians in Washington to pay attention to you."

Nope. It is abundantly clear that with precious few exceptions, not a single Congressperson or Senator gives a flying fuck about anything other than the interests of the 1%. Why, given the track record of "politicians in Washington", would anyone expect them (as a whole) to pay any attention to the interests of the 99%, irrespective of any protest? They won't, and the Occupiers know that. So the Occupiers are doing something different, that hasn't been attempted before. It is abundantly clear that no traditional political process or electoral remedy is going to generate an effective solution to the many deeply entrenched problems that the United States faces, so the Occupiers have said a hale and hearty "Fuck this shit!" to the traditional means of effecting change within the confines of the system. Which is a wise move when what you seek to change is the very nature of the system itself.

[badtoworse]

20. Libya fought a bloody civil war and the violence in Egypt was unacceptable.

If that's where you see Occupy heading, you can count me out.

[Zorra]

22. Really? "Seattle city council passed resolution ...solidarity w/ OWS"

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE, THE MAYOR CONCURRING, THAT:

Section 1. By adoption of this Resolution, the City of Seattle recognizes the peaceful and lawful exercise of First Amendment Rights by "Occupy Seattle" and others.

Section 2. The structural causes of the economic crisis facing our society require decisive and sustained action at the national and state levels. Cities are harmed by the crisis and must play an important role in the development of public policy to address it. By adoption of this Resolution, the City Council commits to the following steps to minimize economic insecurity and destructive disparities:

1. The City will review its banking and investment practices to ensure that public funds are invested in responsible financial institutions that support our community. The Council may also consider future legislation to promote responsible banking and provide an incentive for banking institutions to invest more in our City, particularly with regard to stabilizing the housing market and supporting the creation of new businesses. This review should include evaluating City policies on responsible depositing and management of City funds. Moreover, the City will examine the number of home foreclosures in Seattle and the circumstances and causes of the foreclosures, the financial institutions involved in the foreclosures and the methods, tactics and apparent inequities that many people face in Seattle when lender foreclosure proceedings occur and will explore solutions intended to be more humane, civil and consistent with a spirit of assistance to the borrower.

http://clerk.seattle.gov/~scripts/nph-brs.exe?d=RESF&s1=31337.resn.&Sect6=HITOFF&l=20&p=1&u=/~public/resny.htm&r=1&f=G

So sorry to be such a killjoy.
:-(

[badtoworse]

24. I don't want to be a killjoy either, but,...

...talk is cheap. In my experience, measures like this are little more than political cover. They give the political hacks something to point to and say, "look, I supported your cause!". As a practical matter, little, if anything changes. The big money institutions aren't really impacted and the campaign cash keeps rolling in.

[OneGrassRoot]

13. This image complements your post (one of my favorite pics):

:hi:

[Rabblevox]

16. love it!

[FirstLight]

14. Thanks so much!

for being there, for sharing with us, etc... :hug:

i posted something about the next phase of the movement, or whatever...but now i wished i had read your post first!

I think being out there in the streets is a vital part of the movement, the 'we aren't going away' message is VERY muc an integral part of the movement. and i hope to someday get out there too and shake hands with local Occupiers... the fact that these groups of people have managed to share diverse thoughts and run their own communities, with medical, technological, food, and so many pother factions and committees working in harmony is AWESOME and a HUGE example for so many of us on how to set aside differences and seek to focus on what UNIFIES US.

it just worry about the winter, the raids eventual toll on all involved, and the fact that you are ending up caring for people who may have been in bad situations before you guys even got there...

edit to add: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2307840

[Lionessa]

15. Hey Rabblevox, I just had this exact conversation with a woman in Vancouver, WA

And of course you probably know the dramatic difference that crossing a bridge into WA is like. She is convinced that no one has the right to Occupy and they're all homeless drug/alcohol fiends. I nearly came unglued on her, but instead just kept repeating that I'd been through Occupy Portland numerous days and evenings and NEVER saw the crap that she claims to be seeing in photos. I said, "then the photos were doctored or were the result of police tossing peoples' belonging or not part of OccupyPortland, because I never saw trash on the ground or anything except respect for the parks.

[Taverner]

17. Awesome! And when asked what the Occupy movement is, in one word or less...I say "JOBS"

If I get two words, it's ECONOMIC INJUSTICE

[Lionessa]

18. Jobs could = jobs at crap wages and crap benies. I like your two words much better

[Taverner]

21. Well, I WAS limited to one word

Gimmie two words and it's economic injustice

But gimmie only one, and it's JOBS

[Lionessa]

23. Only one,... INEQUALITY or OLIGARCHY

[Cid_B]

19. And how do they do that?

In what way do the current actions of OWS lead to "Jobs"?

[TheKentuckian]

25. Maybe you should ask your establishment pols the same question.

[deutsey]

26. K&R I love that at the heart of the occupations is an attempt to reclaim

a free and open commons where a diverse range of people can come together and experience a real community (in all its messiness and all it authenticity).

That's the best way for human beings to live, not this highly processed, mediated, profit-driven, materialistic, self-centered, walking-dead existence that corporations create and that far too many of us buy into.

:thumbsup: