Hi all,
It seems that many of us here are against the destruction and vandalism that happened during the Nov. 2 general strike. Below is a proposal I’m sending to the General Assembly. Let me know if you support it, the proposal will be read at GA either Sunday or Monday. The proposal is something we SHOULD do. The suggestion is something we CAN do, it’s optional and specifics can be discussed at a later time.
Proposal for the Occupy Oakland General Assembly
November 4, 2011
Between the people of Oakland and Occupy Oakland:
WHEREAS the Occupy movement is a non-violent, peaceful social movement,
WHEREAS destructive individuals defaced and vandalized Oakland property during the November 2 Strike that the Occupy Oakland General Assembly proposed, approved, and carried out,
WHEREAS Oakland residents are upset and embarrassed by the vandalism that has been associated with Occupy Oakland,
WHEREAS the destructive actions of said misguided individuals harms the non-violent nature of the Occupy movement,
WHEREAS the actions of those few disrespectful individuals is counter-productive to and obscures the goals of the Occupy movement,
WHEREAS we must treat others with respect if we expect others to treat us with respect,
WHEREAS we must put our money where our mouth is,
WHEREAS the whole world is watching,
IT IS PROPOSED THAT
1. The Occupy Oakland General Assembly publicly condemn the “black bloc” tactics and actions of said individuals and take concrete steps to prevent vandalism and destruction of property from happening again during activities called for by the Occupy Oakland General Assembly.
2. Occupy Oakland disavow any and all relations with said destructive and misguided individuals.
IT IS SUGGESTED THAT
1. The Occupy Oakland Committee make a goodwill gesture to the immediate surrounding community such as helping pay for the damages destructive individuals who associate themselves with the peaceful Occupy movement caused, but specifics can be discussed at a later time.
All of us allied with the Occupy movement should pass this proposal to let the Oakland community know that we stand by our commitment to non-violence
Thank you.
No evidence of right wing involvement? Please re-examine use of this strategy around the world and how it is gloated over and by whom. Do not be afraid to study the media of your enemies (as opposed to simply avoiding it) as they are certainly studying and manipulating you. The right absolutely do NOT fear images of the poor reacting like stereotypes of the poor (hence the mainstream appeal of music that confirms those stereotypes while enriching the one percent and maintaining a stagnant self enriching strategy.) Think of an innoculation process whereby a small dose of the disease is injected into the body in order to stimulate the immune system. Many of us (pacifist or not) would prefer to move under the radar of that immune system (enforcement, surveillance,) in order to build what the right truly does fear, a coalition of ALL who are abused by economic injustice, (including lower income republicans who are being manipulated with emotional memes and prejudices just as you are) The one percent is NOT operating a franchise in downtown Oakland, or driving around Oakland’s streets in blatant status symbols. Rage clouds thinking, if someone pats you on the head for that while handing you a stick and stepping back to record what happens, read some more books before assuming they are friends.
I am not advocating armed struggle. Weapons will not solve our problems. Allowing each person to speak for themselves instead of for will help though. Not being self divisive will help. The ruling class that controls the wealth, controls the media. If we reach out on the ground and face to face we can get the truth out.
You must realize that if people are responding angrily to the current social order and breaking bank windows and smashing expensive cars of the 1%, it’s because they have been subjected to an equal amount of repression. There has been no evidence that the ‘extreme right’ participated in black bloc tactics at protests at the general strike. The right wing sensationalizes it because they fear images of the poor they oppress angry at them and retaliating,
I do not claim to speak for the 99%. This is not my personal belief. This is based on years spent researching media’s impact on human behavior in America.
America is not Egypt. The people are in a different situation with different needs, beliefs, and culture.
The Occupy movement has not grown in response to media images of protesters destroying things. It has, however, grown in response to police using aggression and abuse against protesters. Fact is, the 99% will empathize with the latter, not the former.
EGYPT??? what next, a comparison to Syria? What does Egypt have now that you would like to emulate? What inspired the world was that huge peaceful crowd that refused to disperse, something no tyrant can dispute. Are you advocating armed struggle here in Oakland? To what end and for whom?
Paid by whom, those who want this movement to continue growing? Why do YOU think undercover police participate in and encourage black bloc tactics? Why do you think the extreme right participate in and sensationalize black bloc tactics? Whom does it serve and to what purpose?
The cops activate black bloc BEFORE bashing heads and using gas, what the hell would WE need them for afterwards? To protect us? When they show up masked and dressed identically in new black clothing they ARE a gang, and they look out for no one but each other. This is not our militant vanguard, which if appropriate would rise organically from those who love our communities and not from those who behave like a cult and express nothing but contempt for “normal” people.
The police “did nothing all day” ie (mysteriously disappeared) in order to encourage and participate in black bloc tactics. It has happened all over the world. Those of us who reject Black bloc tactics, whether pacifist or not, are rejecting the states reactionary narrative, which is manipulating you. All the apologist, codependant, abstract and contemptuous excuses for those who seek to squelch mass movement by any means necessary have “the enemy” laughing at us. Mass movement is also a threat to those who wish to keep their followers marginalized, full of despair and without hope for any positive “incorrect” solutions. Security culture is part of that, so are efforts to make camp inaccessible or unsafe for all but young adults.
How can you or anyone speak for the ‘99%’. I make about $8,500 a year at my job in retail and obviously struggle to pay the rent on my one bedroom which I share with my cat. I get no financial help from my parents. Many of my work friends and family members that I’ve discussed this with are glad that people in Oakland are fighting back against oppression.
When Egyptian ‘non-violent’ protesters burnt down police stations and killed officers during their revolution, I didn’t hear people lamenting the property destruction of the stations. Instead there were calls of support from across the globe in solidarity with the Egyptian people and their struggle against the police forces that have oppressed them for years.
doing the work of the police by self dividing the movement between ‘violent’ and ‘non-violent’ IS doing the work of paid provocateurs.
site is backlogged and needs some tech improvements on keeping comments in the open forum section. Hope to have it fixed soon.
FYI…I originally was in full support of this proposal as written…and then in reading the feedback here and doing more of my own research and thinking about how to effectively encourage all people to participate in #OO (i.e. getting away from the “exclusionary” wording that gets people’s hackles up while still insisting on a community agreement as to behavior norms that protects the most vulnerable among us), I came up with an alternative draft proposal that can be read here: http://www.occupyoakland.org/2011/11/draft-proposal-to-be-submitted-re-diversity-of-tactics-feedback-welcome/
I guess the moderators cut off comments at a certain point (is that on all posts, or is it content-based? I have no idea), but you can still “reply” to specific comments to make your voice heard, and/or email nonviolent99percent@gmail.com if you want to get involved in supporting this idea.
Re: the less controversial idea at the end of the original poster’s proposal above, i.e. #OO engaging in community service and community development, there is a pretty cool announcement about a community service committee forming posted at http://www.occupyoakland.org/2011/11/4076/. You can also email occupyandserve@gmail.com for more information/to get involved with the formation of this committee.
The most important point to remember is that the current regime was established and continues to rule by violence. Any violence perpetrated by its provocateurs, misguided citizens of one stripe or another, or anyone else plays into the hands of the current regime, making control of outcomes possible. The only path to overthrow the current regime is strict non-violence, which consists of regular people who refuse to hide and stand without fear in the face of the various forms of violence, and threats of the same, perpetrated by the regime. Anyone who is advocating violence or destruction of property does not understand the game and what it takes to win the fight we are engaged in. Be the perpetrators provocateurs, misguided citizens, or otherwise, violence cannot be part of any winning strategy for the Occupy movement. Violence it all its forms is the currency of the power of our oppressors, and they know how to turn it against us as sure as the sun shall rise.
i know this is long but it’s what i saw on nov. 2nd and it should show u where another occupy supporter stands on the proposal.
“On the day after the great General Strike of Oakland it appears many people have chosen to focus on the “violence” of property destruction and “Black Bloc” confrontations with the police, instead of the awe inspiring day of worker action, or the actually violent actions of a Mercedes Bens driver who hit and hospitalized two protestors and was let go by police, who themselves, exhibited extreme an unnecessary violent force. To those of you in the movement: this is divisive and counter-productive. We must stand in solidarity while addressing internal divisions over tactics through the General Assembly. That said, those choosing to scapegoat and marginalize the Black Bloc are also adding to the confusion and feeding into the state’s reactionary narrative by posing the police actions as responsive to the “violent antagonism” of the Black Bloc. These Apologist have chosen without any doubt to do the work of the cops, the city of Oakland, and the mainstream media who are all working for the bosses by mischaracterizing what really took place last night.
To shatter the illusions and set the record straight, this is what happened in and around Oscar Grant Plaza on the Nov. 2nd as night fell on the General Strike. Starting around 10:30/11:00pm youths in and around the plaza decided to rise up, and occupy the vacant Traveler’s Aid Society building on 16th street. Banners were raised, speakers and music were setup and a block party was in full effect. 16th street was the site of a beautiful party making the best use of our space and talents. Unfortunately, being the haters of fun, and defenders of capital that they are, the cops made it clear that this injustice would not stand and that they would violently force us back into the plaza. In preparation some people began to erect barricades and others began to discus what to do when the cops came (the advice was to simply lock arms and hold the lines without getting into skirmishes with the cops). The cops soon marched in, spreading out across 17th street, covering all three major streets on which protestors had amassed – Broadway, Telegraph and Frank Ogawa Plaza. The cops were making inaudible announcements, apparently to direct the crowd, and then finally a tear gas canister was fired on Broadway and the cops started marching on the demonstrators. It was at this time that the barricade on 16th and Telegraph was set on fire – it should be noted that there was not a single mind among the protestors on this issue and it was in fact the protestors who put the fire out. After a period of time the cops using extreme force pushed protestors from Broadway, Telegraph, 16th street, and out of the TAS building back into the plaza. Even though we had been told that the camp would not be evicted, the cops amassed once more and occupiers were warned by someone (in plain clothes) with a mega phone who was walking around the camp that the cops were going to raid and evict everyone in the next five minutes. And as I said the police speaker was inaudible even at the frontlines at the north of the park. At this point, none of us knew what the cops were going to do, their continued presence and threatening posture resulted in high amount of tension and anxiety within the camp. Many had awoken to tear gas spilling into the plaza from 16th, Broadway and Telegraph. For about an hour there was a standoff between the police and protestors. The cops then raided the plaza shooting numerous protestors with bean bags/ rubber bullets and tear gas dispersing the crowd and arresting over 80 people. It was during this stand off and raid that the destruction took place in the plaza itself.
The cops did nothing all day – they didn’t direct traffic, they didn’t respond to the “violent” anti-capitalism march which destroyed property, they did nothing in response to the hit and run that hospitalized two protestors. It wasn’t until night fell and the scrutiny left that the cops came out looking for a fight. It was the cops who were violent, who escalated the situation by being unclear and failing to communicate with or just lying to us. It was the cops who antagonized the occupiers by setting up “sniper” cover in an adjacent parking structure, and by taking peoples pictures, flashing blinding lights into peoples eyes and refusing to stand down after we had fallen back into the plaza. Without the cops amassing around the camp threatening people with arrest and violent attack – there would have only been a block party – but the violent police state showed up to smash our party – to foreclose our occupation of the TAS building– they came to reclaim the property of the lenders from the people – which is to say they came to take it from everyone to give it back to no-one. The TAS building is again the voided dead space of capital that is the threat of what will become of all of us if we step out of line or are simply determined to be no longer useful.
This is what the youth of Oakland took a stand against last night. We tried to reclaim the TAS building in all of it’s use-value as vibrant community center, a warm shelter form the elements, a place for parties, education and creating another world where we all have a say and an opportunity to participate in it’s creation. It was the youth of Oakland who came out into the streets and reclaimed the TAS building, who came out and said loud and clear “I am Somebody.” It was the youth of Oakland who stepped out to seize and occupy their futures. This is what was smashed last night, this is what was burned, and not by our brothers and sisters in the black bloc, but by the cops. They smashed another attempt by the youth of this city to reclaim their future and build the city according to their needs. We stand in solidarity with the youth of this community in ALL of their diversity. This is the narrative of the general strike that we will defend. This is the lesson we have learned.
The General Strike has been a historic success the character of which we will not forget. The diverse people of Oakland rose up, shutdown, and occupied the city of Oakland, our hearts, our imaginations and the way forward. From here we must pick up the pieces and continue on as a unified front. The General Strike for all of its shortcomings and limitations was a success. Now lets keep going.”
this can also be found at http://politicalcontext.org/blog/2011/11/oakland-general-strike-erupts-in-police-provoked-violence-recounting-the-night-of-november-2nd/
Thanks for the input Tiahtolli.
Excellent idea!
While “Occupy” in different cities have different agendas, we are still linked by common cause. I think we should also pay attention to what the rest of the movement is up to. For example, so far other movements haven’t had the same degree of violence and vandalism as Oakland. We should be more attuned to the movement at large and not just our small part.
Property destruction will be a turn-off to the majority of the 99%.
We can NOT afford to turn them off.
WE NEED THEM.
To have a successful movement, we need to recruit the masses. We can’t recruit the masses by scaring them away with disrespectful and/or violent tactics. The MAJORITY of the 99% are not extreme. We need them. They will not join the fight if they can’t relate to us.
Think intellectual strategy rather than emotional acting-out.
The proposal for the GA is an excellent idea.
We need to ask ourselves a very important question: Do we want to have a successful movement and create positive change for the 99%, or do we just want to vent our anger and frustration with destructive action?
History tells us, time and again, that we can’t have both. To have a successful movement, we need to recruit the masses. We can’t recruit the masses by scaring them away with disrespectful and/or violent tactics. The MAJORITY of the 99% are not extreme. We need them. They will not join the fight if they can’t relate to us.
Think intellectual strategy rather than emotional acting-out.
The proposal for the GA is an excellent idea.
I prefer this to the original proposal. Perhaps in addition, the GA could designate certain events as “mask-free”—or at least, there could be an agreement that no one masks up unless cops show up in riot gear.
Hi David,
I agree that there are many of us who want to condemn “violence” (a semantic issue), and this would be easy to do if we were in say in a small, homogenous group. It seems that the reality is that there are a great deal of Black Bloc fans in the camp, and passing a resolution condemning their protest activity of choice doesn’t have a good chance of passing due to their numbers.
What we *can* do is recognize that there are a great deal of individuals in the movement, and that many are rightfully upset and embarrassed by the Nov. 2 destruction and vandalism. Those of us who are upset need to have our sentiments recognized and acknowledged. However there are also individuals who choose to employ Black Bloc. But we have to remember that Black Bloc is not a “gang”. Anyone can use Black Bloc at any time. That’s what makes this so tricky, is that we’re not dealing with a “group”, but instead with individuals who choose to act a certain way at a given moment in time.
I think the best we can realistically do at this point in time is to encourage individuals to use peaceful methods of protest and ask those who do engage in Black Bloc to be a little bit more critical about when and where they use Black Bloc. I mean, if we’re having a peaceful Organic Apples Against the 1% action at Snow Park, a Black Bloc there would hurt the event and the movement. But, if the cops showed up in riot gear and started bashing heads and using gas, then that’s when we would really need Black Bloc.
I agree. It would be useful to the city for cadres of OO supporters to do the job of the city, such as cleaning up trash and so on… winning hearts and minds and what not.
What could be even better would be to provide free medical services (which as I understand) we’re already doing, or setting up things we think should be free, like free food. That’s something I think we could all get behind.
Claaamps, I definitely agree. There was a bit of name-calling.
I talked to some people who opened my eyes to Black Bloc and how it can be useful.
From reading the comments here, it seems that people are against the destructive behavior, not the people behind it.
Karma, thanks for the constructive criticism. I wrote a proposal similar to what you outlined. Stay tuned…
Hey Keith, thanks for the feedback.
I don’t know the specifics of what happened with the open forum, but as I understand it, it’s a place to vent, to rant, and so on. I’ve used it a couple of times to promote the Move Your Money Project (which is still ongoing. Now it’s Bank Transfer Mondays). I would definitely rant about it at the forum. BUT if you do want to get something going, the GA is the best place to try and do it via the proposal process. Be aware that it takes some time to get your proposal out into the forum, as there’s usually a queue of other proposals.
What we need really is a statement to establish that no person is excluded from the Occupy Oakland movement simply based on his or her belief in violence as a method of resisting oppression, but that the General Assembly does not recognize violence as an acceptable tactic at this point in time.
If we can’t even pass something like that, I don’t want to be a part of this any more.
Thanks; my wife is able to make it to most of the GAs because she gets off work at that time. But I had heard that there was one earlier in the day on Friday. If that’s not true, then I’m sorry to be passing along bad information.
calaverasgrandes, condemning violence is not about “pander to the media wonks.” It is about affirming the sentiment of the great majority of us in the movement. It is about respecting that violence or non-violence is not simply a choice or a means of expression. Those of us who are against violence are just as much opposed to the “black block” as we are to the cops. You cannot expect us to march with them. They have been warned time and time again, and I support any action to stop them. They have already damaged the reputation of too many progressive movements in the SF Bay area in the 15 years I’ve been taking place in actions. This movement across the country is too important to let them fuck it up.
These people in the so-called “black block” will NEVER march by themselves, as you suggest they should, because they are cowards. Pure and simple. They hide behind our numbers. It doesn’t matter what the cause is. They were out there breaking random people’s windshields during the Oscar Grant protests and during the protests against Iraq and Vietnam. They have no respect for the success of any of these movements; they only want to push their ideology and vandalize for the pleasure of it.
This national movement is not an inanimate object and neither is our community! OWS is working as mass movement, and some of us feel as strongly about that as these provocateurs do about their own agendas, whether they work for the police or not. I am not a pacifist, and neither are many of the other people preparing to defend this movement and our community from your friends who have threatened the safety of vulnerable campers/protesters and potential supporters while using them and this well supported cause as a cover.
You don’t need to preach to the choir here on “poor, frustrated youth” or who is the “biggest criminal”. The question is tactics for THIS specific movement, at this place and time. When you are doing the work of paid provocateurs you are a bolster to the system, not even a thorn in it’s side.
All the attempts at using legalese is to make the GA appear knowledgeable, and important. I suspect that they have a T.V. lawyer drafting this.
They can distance them selves as they wish. If you feel violence is a better approach. then organize your own group, and marches and conduct yourselves as you see fit. Your actions now are that of an interloper. Tarnishing another for your own gain.
Please hit me up so I can help, if needed. aammlloyd at gmail.com
Amanda
A proposal that Occupy Oakland renounce the recent acts of vandalism. This fills me with such hope. I worry that this will be discussed on Sunday when I am working and not Monday when I can attend. I worry that the attendance of the meetings (for whatever reason) does not reflect the overall makeup of Occupy Oakland. If this resolution does not pass, may I suggest getting signatures (proving widespread support), putting the word out, and passing out information before? I would be more than willing to help. Also, I think the language is beautiful, but should be simplified for the GA. Particularly if there is a peoples mic going on. I’m referring to the whereas’ and the therefores. Thanks for your voice!
Destruction of property, is theft of property and that sir, is criminal behavier, plan and simple! It matters not, what excuse you give it!
Good ideas. Would the Black Bloc be willing to separate their actions (in time and physical distance) from #OO sanctioned events?
This would help a lot with the main problem, which is that their actions can detract from the success of the bigger actions and allowing the movement to grow. I am not talking about pandering to media “wonks”. I am talking about the visceral reaction of many fully committed #OO and other #occupy individuals who feel deeply disappointed int the vandalism on Wednesday. Check the Occupy together blogs, and other sites. The vandalism against local business and retail stores has been widely criticized by other #occupiers.
If the Black Bloc is really committed to the common goals of the movement, perhaps they can , as you suggest, be persuaded to separate their actions from #OO events.
Btw, as someone who was raised by Anarchists in the late 50’s, I disagree that the strategies and tactics used by Black Bloc on Wednesday are necessarily representative of Anarchist thought and methods.
GA is always held at 7:00 pm. that’s time for working people to join in as well. however, sometimes GA’s go on for so long that people who work or have families have to leave and might not be able to vote on multiple proposals.
i don’t remember any proposal that came to the GA regarding vandalism.
I think it is short sighted to try and ban people from the #OO club. If you say the Black Block is persona on grata, they will simply show up anyway and use your marches as cover for more mischief. If the GA decides to distance themselves from “Anarchists” they would be doing two bad things. First they would be excluding voices in order to pander to the media wonks. Second, and this may be offensive to some, they would essentially be capitulating to the Communists and Socialists. Who, in my experience, are quite good at co-opting movements such as these.
I think that there should be some attempt at incorporating the spectrum of Anarchist thought in this movement. Maybe Black Block guys can be convinced to perform their actions outside of the period of time when a march or protest is occurring. In my experience I want less cops around when I am breaking windows. A march is normally an occasion of high police presence! It also, of course, is a magnet for riot police to perform many of these types of actions contiguous to OG plaza.
There is a media representation problem. Regardless of what you personally think of reds, the right wing media is already dismissing the entire Occupy movement as socialist. I would think that if we are concerned with media representation we should prune ourselves of signs with obvious Communist/Socialist slogans as well. Sad as it is to say in the year 2011, socialism is a bad word, and communism is a curseword. So when you say you are fed up with the abusive capitalist system and the corrupt dysfunctional political system. They can easily marginalize you with your red scarf and RCP poster. “Oh those kooky California socialists”. They do not want to accept that ordinary people live in Oakland that are fed up with losing a career every 5 years thanks to the cannibalistic CEO class. People that lost their jobs and their homes due to a bankers glib miscalculations. The same as the rest of the country.
Ok, i’ll take the challenge:
The confrontational actions of a portion of Occupy Oakland on the evening of Wednesday, November 2nd were not authorized by the General Assembly, and do not represent the spirit of direct democracy and inclusive decision making Occupy Oakland has, and is, struggling to embody. Their actions drew attention away from the powerful, peaceful, and historic messages of the General Strike.
Occupy Oakland cannot expel the “Black Block” without betraying our principles of democracy and inclusiveness; for better or worse, they are, and will be, with us. Occupy Oakland pledges to continue to struggle to broaden our movement AND defend it; to be flexible in our tactics but firm in our commitments. Our goal is a broad based and non-violent moment for social and economic change; to these ends, we will develop the means so that future actions are guided in all aspects by this goal. But we also will not stand by idly if inappropriate force is used against us.
Much of the above is factual. While I don’t agree AT ALL with the tactics employed, I have been challenged by some of the defenders of those tactics. If, for example, one of the elderly “rugged individualists” of OO was getting stomped in a secluded alley by Out Of Town cops for no particular good reason, a “flying squad” of Black Block shock troops would be a good thing to have. And I truly believe both that OO cannot expel the Black Block any more than they can expel the homeless, nor SHOULD THEY, even to appeal to comfortable middle class progressive like me, AND that OO needs to find some way of “Democratic Self Regulation” to keep the Black Block from hijacking the movement, not just in Oakland, but throughout the country, and keeping it from attracting and involving comfortable middle class progressive like me. ‘Cause like it or no, the movement needs to do that to bring about real change.
Remember all the deep, long-lasting structural changes that were forced on the unwilling oligarchy by the Seattle G-8 demonstrations? Neither do I; THERE WEREN’T ANY.. Same thing brought about by the SDS’ “Days Of Rage”.
The analogies to Egypt and Libya ring false to me. This is NOT a violent, authoritarian state, where the Rule of Law is meaningless, and, in the absence of any of the bulwarks of Civil Society, violence makes sense. Per Che (in the rules he himself did not follow in Bolivia…) the populace of THIS country is NOT ready for violent revolution. That populace KNOWS that non-violence CAN work…it’s seen in happen, with Civil Rights of all kinds (Violence had nothing to do with the advance of Marriage Equality, for instance).
So, let’s move OO in THAT direction.
I agree with a call for a proposal, and also a clean up effort. And I think a resolution needs to be passed that makes a statement on #OO’s position on vandalism. In addition reparations to undo damage because of Wednesdays events are going to be very important. I would be willing to help work on such a proposal.
It was property destruction not violence. Violence is against living beings, I saw the videos and all I saw were poor frustrated youth that have been oppressed by the police and the rich JUST LIKE ALL OF US breaking the possessions of the wealthy. Everyone’s crying over a few broken glass windows and a few charred trash cans? The ruling class, made up of our employers and rulers, do far worse to us. We must realize that the ruling class lives off our labor while we work all of our lives to create and maintain their positions.
Think about this.
In the current social order we are compelled by economic conditions to sell our labor to an employer ie the 1%,or risk unemployment and deep poverty. I make $8.50 an hour at my retail job. In a couple hours myself and my co-workers sell thousands of dollars of merchandise. We combine the funds we made in a day and send off the vast majority to our bosses. We workers gathered resources and manufactured the product, we workers transported the product to its warehouse where other workers organize it and shipped it to our store where we stocked and sold the product. In every step of the way there are workers creating the wealth, performing the labor and giving the largest share of their work to someone else. In no way did my employer (a small corporate board) do any of the work. They sit in their office buildings all day and make decisions that affect my life and the life of hundreds of my co-workers negatively and financially. They get the biggest checks and don’t have to worry about rent, or struggling to pay for bus fare to get to work, or having a past due electric bill and an empty bank account. With our measly wages, we purchase products and services made or performed by other workers who also give most of the wealth they make to their employer.
Billions of workers across the globe work to make the wealth and the ruling class robs us of it and lives off our labor.
In this way, the wealth of the rich is stolen from those who make it.
So who’s the bigger criminal? The underemployed and marginalized youth that breaks a bank window that foreclosed their parent’s home, or the CEO that never worked a day in their life having an expensive vacation in Vegas?
Besides, not everyone is going to be a pacifist and how it is democratic to force your dogma of ‘non-violence’ upon others? I think supporting police action against fellow protesters for having different views is in itself a support of violence.
A big reason Occupy Oakland has been this success if because people have used a variety of tactics to keep the energy and momentum of the movement going. Others Occupations have been smashed from refusing to budge from their rigid non-threatening stance.
I would also like to see the specifics. Sometimes the proposals of the GA have been too broad. For example the original General Strike pronouncement did give authority to march on any business that was not closed.
Absolutely. I am not a camper, at least not up to this point, but I have been to all the Occupy Oakland marches since the very peaceful one 2 weeks ago, I have visited and talked to people. Why was the GA for that vote held when people at work could not participate? Was it done deliberately so that the extremists among us would have more weight in the vote?
I completely agree with sentiment expressed in the proposal (the most critical need is to grow the movement, destructive behavior is the main reason more folks won’t get involved, so is the biggest threat to the movement). Also agree that the whereas etc form is inappropriate because its the language of government, is too wordy and stiff.
Where is the right place to discuss this issue in-person. I was at the GA last night and was told by the facilitator that raising the vandalism issue was not appropriate in the open forum item. Huh? The forum is “open” but not really. Would appreciate suggestions about this.
Comments, whether online or in-person, should be respectful. The this proposal “sucks” comment is not. People who don’t use their full names, often post inappropriate comments (a nicknamed respondent to my recent post about it being okay to close the Port for one day for the greater good, even though it’s unfortunate that some truckers and workers lost some money, said if I stood in front of his truck, he’d run me over). Glad to see another person who’s used their full name.
Hi Reisa, would you be interested in collaborating on such a proposal?
The “whereas stuff” is based off of UN resolutions; it gives a reason why the GA should condemn violence. Sorry if that wasn’t clear.
We should remember that the GA is comprised of many individuals. We should invite more non-campers and even local businesses to the GA to vote on this proposal.
if “too many people in oakland would rather see the movement fail,” then OO needs to think about why that is.
how would you simplify it?
While I strongly believe that a proposal condemning the violent and undemocratic actions of the Black Block is needed, this proposal DOES suck. Proposals should be simple, and to the point.
Personally, I think it’s important to hold off on submitting another nonviolence related proposal to the GA until we have something that has a better chance of passing. Handing out information and talking with people for a week before the proposal is presented could get more buy in. We’d also have more time to get the word out about when the proposal will be heard.
I agree with David that this doesn’t sound like something the GA would approve. David is the “why” you are referring to why proposals have been rejected? I don’t get to every GA and the website is not current with meeting notes. I would be interested in seeing the specific content of the rejected proposals.
I agree that the language seems a bit pretentious, but something along those lines, and more, needs to be done quickly. This is serious. A tiny fraction of people from Wednesday’s rally have diverted the National conversation from the core issues and a recognition of a tremendous showing of support for the cause, to a freak out over harm done to small businesses. Wall Street is smiling! I don’t know if those black bloc jerks are just idiots or COINTELPRO, but they have to be stopped! Some efforts could be made to educate – learn the history of previous FBI infiltrations to see how harmful those actions have been. Education about the principals of non-violent protest for those youngsters who know nothing about Gandhi and MLK. If the answer to the question of “why” doesn’t give us a way to work with the perps, then they cannot simply be allowed to keep causing destruction. Please don’t allow black bloc to destroy Occupy!
don’t alienate people from the movement. i do not see this passing. we are inclusive/not exclusive. the police & those they stand far are the truly violent ones. (oh and the jerkoff in the mercedes…) while there were mistakes made on wednesday to learn from, we do not need to fall into the traps that the 1%, those that protect them, and those who speak for them (mainstream corporate media) want us to. they want to place blame on anyone but themselves, cause infighting, and divide us until we are impotent & useless. i’ve seen “peaceful protest” “non-violent” folks decry damage to windows & paint on walls…and at the same time seen them be physically VIOLENT to people involved in committing this damage to INANIMATE objects. we do not need a witchhunt investigating people who broke windows/painted things….what we need is to investigate/press onward against our OPPRESSORS. xoxoxox
It’s too arrogant, with all the “WHEREAS” stuff. The GA has already rejected proposals to condemn vandalism. The real issue we need to resolve is, why? It seems like there are too many people in Oakland who would rather see the movement fail than see it accomplish something limited of their dreams.
This is a fantastic, thoughtful proposal; thank you for stepping up and putting it together. I was very disturbed and depressed by what happened at 16th and Telegraph Wednesday night/Thursday morning, and would like to get more involved with the #OO organizing process as a result. I will be at the GA Sunday, at a minimum, and would love to help you in any way I can/you need 🙂
Outstanding. Along similar lines, I think it would be great if OO developed a ‘Clean Up Oakland’ day, in which cadres of OO activists would fan out throughout the city to pick up as much garbage as possible. This would win the movement many new allies throughout the city and might sway some ‘fence sitters’ who might have been put off by the smashed windows and graffiti of Wednesday.