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What’s next for Occupy?
Interoccupy held a call tonight for updates from the Nato protests in Chicago. I had some sound problems and missed the early updates, but heard the very interesting last hour discussion about the future of Occupy.
One caller asked what tomorrow’s main message should be: the police state and freedom of speech or anti-nato.
Joan Donovan, OCLA and Interoccupy, reflected on how the people have gotten to see the police state in all its might used against citizens practicing free speech, and how this was something not seen seven months ago. Things are different. The people see that its different.
Dean Edwards, Occupy Oregon Media, relayed how the Frankfurt police did the protesters job: their over-the-top force of 5000 accomplished just what the protestors sought – they shut down the city.
Alexander of OWS pointed out that the structure of the current corporate system requires war, and the people are not having it. Tasha agreed and said we’re not taking it anymore, and we need to blitz the news and grow through outreach.
Victoria Ross, Occupy Buffalo and WNY Peace Coalition, thought we must keep the anti-war message front and center.
The focus then moved to beyond tomorrow and what’s next for Occupy.
Dean Edwards stressed embracing the larger vision of the 99%, and reports great success, even with non-ALEC Republicans, when you listen to their needs and approach them as one of the 99% community.
Joan agreed with many of the suggestions and said our Next Steps should be All Steps.
Victoria echoed that and gave a great analogy of the effect our united efforts will have to the effect termites have on a building. By the time you even know they’re there, the foundation is crumbling. She cited the tearing down of the Berlin Wall as such a moment for the people.
I recently read something about the early discussions calling for an encampment on Wall Street, and them trying to come up with one demand. What is our One Big Demand? We were taunted for lack of one, and it’s still an off the cuff answer: “I would be involved if they could only figure out what they want.”
This organic thing, this evolving people’s movement, could not come up with a demand because it is impossible. Because the entire system is broken. We must remember the larger vision of the 99% community, we must continue to protest, and let the police state assert itself into oblivion. Hey! We must continue to do just what we have been doing, only now we’ve grown up and are becoming highly organized leaderless leaders.
Next Steps? All Steps!
Joan – you invented a new chant. I’m with you.
7 Comments
Thanks for blogging this. The question of demands is, I think, a red herring. We say that the system is broken, they say, “Soup or juice?”
I like that – “Soup or juice”! Thanks for reading.
The most valuable target, the one that Occupy should aim at, is direct public financing of all political campaigns. Strike at the center of the enemy’s power
It’s the one that makes any other goals possible.
Focused power can win. Diffuse power will be broken up or ignored.
Start writing model legislation. Start lining up support. Legislators can’t really like spending half their time prostituting themselves for contributions.
So many petition signatures, “X” dollars for a primary, no outside help, no unpaid volunteers
Primary runoff. “Y” dollars.
Win the primary “Z” dollars for the general. and that’s all you can spend. Isn’t government supposed to be about intelligent use of limited resources.
Win the primary ”
Thanks for the summary. In my opinion it’s to the great credit of the Occupy movement that they have identified so many of seemingly separate problems and put them in the context of the broken system as a whole. Nice chant!
It seems to me that we need to recognize that the system has failed, and cannot be restored. Campaign financing is an outrage, sure. But even if you had public financing for all public offices, can anyone honestly claim that the utter corruption of the system would be slowed more than the tiniest amount?
No, the corruption extends far beyond public officials; it extends to the entire ruling class and their servants, which includes the media, the majority of the judiciary, most corporate management…essentially every position of power is either owned outright, or intimidated into obeying the wishes of the ruling class.
Trying to work for reform within a system that is owned by the mortal enemies of freedom is not a winning strategy.
I can’t claim to see a clear path to a decent human future for us all; I wish I did. But it seems to me that there are many different ways to approach the situation. It may be that all or most of them should be tried – this is not a time to limit our options. So yes, agitating for reform of campaign financing won’t hurt – as long as there are also many, many other options and approaches.
One possibility that I would like to see attempted is the construction of new avenues for alleviating the suffering caused by the current economic “rendering” of the 99%. Not charity, but ways to use both the internet and direct person-to-person contacts and groups to create alternate ways for people to help each other. Some of these new connections may end up being the seeds of a new, better sort of system. Sharing skills and knowledge just might be the key. And thanks to massive unemployment, there are a lot of skills and knowledge out there just going to waste!
In any case, finding ways to support and help each other outside the current system just makes sense. And it’s probably the best way that we can possibly grow our numbers. They have the money, the media, and the military…all we have is numbers. 99-to-1 odds make up for a lot. But most of those 99% are either apathetic or opposed to their own freedom, taken in by the relentless propaganda of the corporate media system.
For now, the elite has still allowed us the internet and the technical right of free association. We’d be smart to use them while we can to network, network, network. Human connections are something the elite do not understand and – I hope! – cannot cope with.
When a large enough percent of the public stand in direct opposition to the corrupt power structure that has been imposed on America by the “owners”, their data mining and surveillance will fail.
Coincidentally I posted today my suggestion.
http://my.firedoglake.com/pogue/2012/05/22/occupy-the-justice-system-a-proposal/
“For now, the elite has still allowed us the internet and the technical right of free association. We’d be smart to use them while we can to network, network, network. Human connections are something the elite do not understand and – I hope! – cannot cope with.”
This is definitely the rallying cry for phase two. Connect. Coordinate. Collaborate.
There is a conference happening in Syracuse, NY June 16, 17 which is focusing on bringing affinity groups and Occupy together to seek common ground and identify the issues we can and will all work on together. We will bring these ideas along to Philly in July.
The National Gathering in Philly is all about connection, networking and letting the message of all our Occupys rise up through consensus. At the end of that gathering, Occupy will have identified several key issues the people want to focus intensely on.
It’s going to be an interesting summer! I believe the voice of the 99% will become stronger than ever.