I have seen and heard many eloquent speeches and essays talking about how we need to refrain from violence against OPD. However, this is not working to stop the violence from our own people and it is not going to work. They are part of our movement, but they believe violence is necessary and somehow they imagine that the mass of Americans is going to rally behind it. Instead they will make us all appear to be extremists and hateful people. The time to end this is now. People like me who are pacifist will start leaving the movement if the movement cannot control the violent element among the anarchists.
Now I know that whole tradition of inclusiveness in progressive circles, and it is admirable. But we should not feel obligated to be tolerant of the intolerant. If the movement is characterized as violent and hateful, we will lose. You know how the Okies in the 20s did it, when cops surrounded their camps and tried to provoke them into a confrontation so they could kick them off the land? As soon as one person threw a punch at a cop, that person was grabbed and thrown out of the camp. As much as I do honestly hate to say it, we probably need to start exercising some exclusion along those lines unless we want to watch the entire Occupy Wall Street movement go down in flames on the streets of Oakland.
Is this too much of an extreme tactic? I don’t know. Maybe so. But if we do nothing, I’m convinced that we will fall apart just like all the other movements have. The only reason we’ve made it this far is our focus on Wall Street which brings in people like me, people who honestly don’t usually protest are starting to come out. The anti-cop rhetoric (I saw one person on Tuesday with a sign about killing cops) and the actual violence will turn the rest of the 99% against us.
I marched on Saturday with you guys, and I did not see these people dressed all in black who like to break things and hurt people. It seems as if the raid on Tuesday morning brought them out; almost like it was designed to bring them out. And so now we are caught up in the old protest narrative. It is a losing formula.
This is my message for those who believe the violence is justified: If I see you throw a rock at a cop, I am going to step in the way and you will have to throw the rock at me. Ask yourself at that point whether you enjoy throwing a rock at your fellow protestor — are you really into it for the action, or for the cause? The only way that I can get you to stop, without becoming violent against you, is to shame you and embarrass you and force you to prove whose side you are on.
Is anybody else with me? I think we need to practice non-violent resistance against the people in our own ranks who want to hurt other people. I don’t hate them, I believe that at least most of them aren’t COINTELPRO agitators, though some probably are, they are just passionate, young and foolish. But their behavior needs to change if they want to stay with us. They are using the strength of our numbers for their own purposes. None of them has the courage to go out there with just the 20 or 30 of them and attack cops. They need us, but we do not need them. The time has come for us to exclude them, no matter how much it seems to run contrary to our goals. If this movement is all about anarchy, it will definitely fail to catch on and have an effect.
If you see somebody arming themselves, ask them to get rid of the weapon. If they will not, then point them out to the crowd. Do not point them out to the police. Watch for them to take out their weapon and when they do, step in the way and allow yourself to be the victim. But if anybody else has a better tactic, I’d love to hear it. I’m just tired of hearing all this “oh please please don’t be violent.” Those people don’t listen to reason. They don’t care about saving capitalism, saving our democracy, they just want to tear everything down and the OWS movement with it if need be.
What I’m saying is that we need clear and universal tactics to stop this behavior. We don’t need to exclude these people if we can get them to change their behavior. Everyone needs to know what we are going to do when that situation arises to neutralize it. Yelling at them to stop is not working. We need to work together to keep our message peaceful.
Thanks for the response Octavio… hope to meet you when you make it here! I’m going to New Mexico myself for the weekend. But I will check up on events here on this website and with my wife, who is going to be attending the GAs while I am gone.
And I just want to agree, I think that it’s not hard to understand, especially if you’ve lived in Oakland for a decade plus like I have, the kind of anger towards the police and the establishment generally. Oscar Grant, the Riders, the whole history of the OPD is disgusting. That’s just the surface, just the tip of the iceberg and we all know it. Most of the horrors will never be documented. I don’t want to minimize the kind of terrorism that people here in my town have been exposed to for decades. But I am desperately pleading with people to put aside the urge to react violently and to stay true to the philosophy of Martin Luther King Jr. and to shame the authorities and the establishment into giving us our rights and into setting up a system that will stop giving away our commonwealth to the vulture banks
I’m really just trying to see if I can engage people in this way on this website, but not in a confrontational way hopefully. We’re all trying to make the thieves accountable. Our disputes are mostly tactical and moral. On the moral front, you don’t gain anything by having an argument. On the tactical front, I personally think the answer is clear. Whether or not violence against the police or government is justified — and a lot of people in the Tea Party seem to think it could be too, judging from how hard they grip onto their guns and 2nd Amendment rights — it really isn’t a tactic that’s going to accomplish anything.
thanks elkjohn. I wonder how cheaply we could obtain these gas masks? I only have a job that basically pays me barely above minimum wage (if adjusted for the fact that it’s a “temp” job so I have no benefits or vacation pay) but I would love to get some for myself and my loved ones and to make a little bulk order for everybody. I want to “shock and awe” the establishment with our resourcefulness.
You are quite right, there is no way we can use violence against the machine and have a good outcome. However, wearing football helmets, gas masks and hearing protection when the police do attack makes common sense. The tear gas & CS grenades could be collected and put in a barrel of water. But I must admit, I admire Sea Shepherd for using rancid butter (butyric acid) against the Japanese whalers.
I agree with you. But, unfortunately, this element you speak of is a best described as a permanent staple in the identity of SF Bay political action. I’m 37 and been active since I was 16. They were there then and they are still here now. Sure, there is a new generation of them, but it was interesting to me to see some of the people who were doing these things back in the day still alive and “kicking” in their 40s and 50s today. They can’t be isolated either. I think the best that can be done is to have an announcement or article taken out the express or something stating what the rest of us can do if we are around such folks. Perhaps, you could send your suggestions to the express? or other free press.
Thank you for this thoughtful piece.
I don’t agree with everything, but I think the bottom line is there, and I want to voice my support of that.
When we as a movement become violent, or engage the police with violence, we justify them to brutalize us.
As a movement, we need to do something about this. Violence and destruction of property undermines the message, undermines the strength of the people, and as I said, it gives the police and the city and indeed the media a chance to demonize what we are trying to do here.
Our strength lies in unified action, and in holding our selves accountable as we attempt to hold the system accountable.
and I also want to acknowledge how angry I feel, and I know many of you share this.
I am apoplectic about the history of police brutality in this city and in this country. (Look it up… it’s a fabulous word)
But we aren’t going to get anywhere through destruction, violence and even abusive rhetoric.
They have guns, clubs, body armor and back up. We have our hearts and our minds, and we need to do better.
I will be there as soon as I can…. We’ve got to come together, and we’ve got to stay calm.
Keep Climbing Oakland.
We’ve got along way to go.
(Also, write to the mayor. I am sending her letters daily.)
Octavio