Since the day when Scott Olsen was wounded, I have observed that the police are much more calm, restrained, and organized. I cannot say the same for the protesters. They seem to be flailing around with the simplest, unachievable plans (e.g., “Move-In Day”) and are certainly making the police look good! Now, ask that question about police in Syria or China, and I might say “yes.” 17122
Many of us have felt bullied, shouted down, and silenced by a cadre of folks who seem to be intent on driving the Occupy Oakland movement into the ground. Is it time to identify problematic folks and ask them to leave? I think that the time is rapidly approaching. 17061
There are a lot of reasons that protest movements wax and wane. People have short attention spans, or limited time committments. People move, have babies, get new jobs, or have to deal with family tragedies. Other times, the attitudes of those protesting can lead to reticence. They can make even someone who has donated lots of time and resources feel hesitant to return. Sustained movements like Occupy Oakland have a social component and definite social dynamics, and those dynamics began to turn ugly around the time of the second raid … Continued
I have a lot more to say about the incredible and horrifying things that happened in Oakland today, but while I digest the experience, I’ll just share a brief anecdote. Around 3:30 PM, my son and I left the Move-In march as the first tear-gas canisters erupted. We decided to walk up 12th Street to catch the bus at Broadway. As we were walking towards Franklin Street, my son said ‘look, there’s Mayor Quan.’ Mayor Jean Quan was leaving some sort of event in Chinatown. She was completely unaware of … Continued
Do you guys know about these people? They literally represent a “5th column” movement. I think it would be interesting to print out some of their stuff and distribute it to the police that we see at OGP and the protests. check out their site http://oathkeepers.org they essentially advocate that US military and peace officers should uphold the constitution even if it means being insubordinate. They have recently begun a push to recall congress members that voted for the NDAA. http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2011/12/25/oath-keepers-launches-national-effort-to-recall-andor-remove-members-of-congress-who-voted-for-ndaa-military-detention-merry-christmas-u-s-congress/ On the other hand they are kind of on … Continued
It goes without saying that tomorrow will be a big day. Move-In Day promises to be the most significant Occupy Oakland action since the 12/12 port shutdown. If I were a believer, I’d be praying that OPD take the day off, let the 1:00 PM march go forward, and let the building occupation proceed peacefully. As I’m not, however, I’m instead going to hope that someone in a position of authority realizes that the building occupation presents the City of Oakland with a golden opportunity to finally get OO away … Continued
or maybe it’s already there. not just becoming stuck, but IS stuck. DoT, FTP, what it means to be a real “radical,” nonviolence, racial issues, misogyny, undercover greed/love of money, narcissism, patriarchy… all these issues…they seem magnified 10 fold in the movement. it’s just sad and hurtful. 16666
OK, first of all I just want to say I had a great time the last night, and the night before. I’m concerned about our GA. The GA was cancelled on Sunday…. why? The GA was cancelled last night…. why? On Sunday, the best I could gather from disappointed #OOers was that there were only 65 people present at 2:00 p.m. But often in the past when we are below quorum we begin the GA with forums or announcements, and by the time we get to voting we have reached quorum. And then … Continued
I’ll begin by stating clearly: this column should not be construed as anti-Occupy or even anti-anarchist. I’m not sure if I’m in favour of diversity of tactics, but I’m definitely in favour of diversity of thought. Please consider these serious if somewhat barbed questions from an enthusiastic Occupy supporter who considers himself a tentative but cautious ally of those of a more Bakuninan persuasion. 1. We are repeatedly told that black bloc is not a group, that it’s a tactic. I accepted the company line about this for several months, … Continued
With all due respect to the men and women of TAC, victory should have been declared after the end of last week’s successful FTP march. A few weeks ago TAC was predicting a thousand or more participants; this week, the march drew 50-100 (Jasper Gregory’s best estimate was 70). It’s probably not going to get any smaller than that in the weeks ahead, and I support your right to march whenever and wherever you like, but the point has been made and it’s little more than kabuki theatre at this … Continued