[Street] [Facilitation] [Ob-media] The Meaning of Last Night and Next Steps
Siham Jihad
serene.heart1 at gmail.com
Sun Dec 11 14:42:31 EST 2011
Salaam all,
While it is heart wrenching for me to lose the physical site, as I had
forged relationships, bonded with many and used the faith and spirituality
sacred scape a lot to keep me grounded. This said, there is no need to
ruminate on negative thoughts and start thinking actions.
After last night's GA, I was a bit lost in all these WG meetings which were
announced in the span of a few seconds, back to back to back and they are
all very important so I believe sending minutes or notes will help (me
personally) and I believe many others to prioritize their time and channel
their energy toward moving this movement forward.
I strongly believe that a nation-wide occupy coordination is one way to
draw the right kind of attention that we mean business. Marches, teach-ins
simultaneously at different locations will draw attention to our message.
Organizing weekly marches from the Commons to Dewey and back, just
symbolically reminding the public that we didn't dissipate nor did we
abandon our goals or deviate from them.
Meanwhile though, the humanist in me is very concerned about those who have
nowhere to go now. I've seen tears of despair and confusion and worry about
where to go next and it tore my heart to pieces. I am all for political and
by definition also financial activism, but I have to admit, I am more of a
humanist than a strategist. And that's fine, as they say we need to put the
cook in the kitchen. I joined the movement because it was inclusive of
every segment of our community and addressing all their issues however
minor they might seem to us as we look at the bigger picture, but it's the
suffering and pain of many that got me to join the movement so that may be
we could appease and alleviate some of it.
Due to finals and the cold, I will keep my son indoors tonight so I won't
be able to attend GA, however, I wish there was a way for us livestreamers
to also contribute even remotely as the decisions made affect us as well.
I'd like to see us getting busy moving this movement towards its main goal
and I am ready to give my all to get there. Let's move beyond what will
keep us afloat, and think big, think national news and deep impact. Let's
strike the 1% where it hurts the most.
Just my thoughts ...
Salaam
Siham
On Fri, Dec 9, 2011 at 11:50 PM, Direct Action <obda at occupyboston.org>wrote:
> I think moving forward, it will almost certainly be necessary to get
> affinity group structures formed, which I've been harping on for a good
> month or so now. With decentralized affinity groups, with a
> spokescouncil structure, we could effectively retain a lot of the
> organization the camp provides us while doing away with a lot of the
> problems that have arisen out of it, even allowing us quite a bit more
> of the element of surprise for various actions (we're under a lot less
> surveillance when we meet in private than we are when our groups meet in
> a public park...). The mailing lists in place are great to keep as
> well, but the benefits that would arise by fostering affinity groups for
> moving forward cannot be overstated.
>
> Anyway, that's easy to say, and a lot harder to put into practice. It's
> also something that has to happen horizontally, with a lot of autonomous
> decision making in order to get things moving. I think it's something
> that we all should be putting a lot of thought into...perhaps one of the
> best things we could do, after a raid, is simply start spending time
> with other occupiers in a more reasonable, every day setting, and
> getting to know each other, so that affinity groups are even plausible.
> Even things like "meetups" at local businesses for coffee, food, etc,
> perhaps even with publicity involved, to foster relationships with small
> business owners around the city, and be sure to keep our name and
> message out there. Obviously, said public meetings should keep security
> culture in mind.
>
> Hopefully that's helpful. You all are wonderful, and it has definitely
> been my honor to have had the pleasure of organizing with y'all for the
> past few months.
>
> Solidarity,
> Ted
>
> On 12/09/2011 02:18 PM, Allison Nevitt wrote:
> > So, in other words, there was an agenda by some which had nothing to do
> > with whether it was strategically wise to stand up in face of a police
> > invasion.
> >
> > We have so profoundly failed to address these issues - which require
> > physically blocking people from entering the space and having access to
> > resources - that a passive aggressive move was made.
> >
> > While I completely understand it, that approach fed into a lot of
> confusion
> > about what we were doing and what the message was.
> >
> > A raid means the end of the camp. That raid will come soon. We couldn't
> > hold out until the entire camp was going to be gone anyway, at this
> point?
> >
> > We need to get our act together folks. I don't say that in a chiding or
> > accusing way. We're struggling with some hard stuff, as a newly-formed
> > community. We're learning together. Now, we're at a transition. We need
> to
> > learn some lessons fast and find a more unified way to address things.
> >
> > I'd like to see us have some meaningful community dialogue about this and
> > find better ways to resolve things.
> >
> > In solidarity,
> > - Allison
> > Una at DailyKos
> > <http://www.dailykos.com/user/UnaSpenser><
> http://bostonlyme.blogspot.com/>
> >
> > <http://kossacksnetworking.ning.com>
> >
> >
> > On Fri, Dec 9, 2011 at 2:00 PM, Anna Aizman <anna at occupyboston.org>
> wrote:
> >
> >> Ironically many people who worked at Food, Logistics, Safety, and
> Medical
> >> were the most adamant about de-camping, and hoping that if we take time
> to
> >> strategize we could come back with a stronger, safer camp. Dewey Square
> was
> >> and will remain unsustainable - dangerous for women, houseless people,
> and
> >> recovering drug users. There are several drug rings at camp, and many
> more
> >> tents where people could stay and use hard drugs. We have been enabling
> >> people who'd been trying to stay sober, and offering a space for violent
> >> individuals who threatened, sexually harassed, and assaulted vulnerable
> >> homeless people and female activists. We failed to figure out a way to
> kick
> >> out the people who (though they are undoubtedly part of the 99%) did not
> >> share our goals and, instead, widely abused our community. We've been
> >> watching activists leave the tent city, and leave fewer and fewer
> people to
> >> take care of the daily functioning of the camp. We've been turning
> >> activists away from camp because we have no tent space for them to stay
> in
> >> -- the tents were increasingly occupied by people who had no interest in
> >> contributing even in the smallest way (insulting us when we asked for
> >> help). As a result, the energies of most on-site occupiers were divested
> >> from the movement, and towards camp maintenance, conflict resolution,
> >> substance abuse counseling (when none of us are trained in it).
> >>
> >> None of the people who stood for striking down tents were actually
> >> interested in ending the movement or parting with the idea of a camp
> site.
> >> Rather, we believe we need time to figure out how to have an occupation
> >> that is sustainable, an occupation that allows the activists who camp
> to be
> >> part of the larger movement as well as of the daily running of the camp.
> >> Maybe this means involving professional social workers or counselors
> >> on-site, or maybe it means having a vetting system to ensure a truly
> >> substance- and violence-free camp. I hope that we can keep in mind the
> >> difference between what we'd like for camp to symbolize and what the
> camp
> >> experience actually was -- especially for vulnerable people.
> >>
> >> There are a lot of meaningful relationships at camp but there is also an
> >> incredible amount of negative energy that's another reason for the
> >> exhaustion of so many OB activists. If we are defending Dewey Square and
> >> re-building it, I hope that, in addition to the faith of so many people
> in
> >> the tent city symbol, we take into account the experiences of the people
> >> who found themselves struggling to keep the camp from dissolving in
> violent
> >> conflicts or getting raided by police for drug use, violence, or sexual
> >> assault. I hope we do something different this time, because the Dewey
> >> Square camp never looked as beautiful as it did last night, when people
> >> demonstrated and danced in the streets. In reality, Dewey Square version
> >> 1.0 was far from festive and communal.
> >>
> >> -Anna
> >>
> >> On Fri, Dec 9, 2011 at 1:29 PM, Nicole Sullivan <
> nicole_sullivan at live.com>wrote:
> >>
> >>> Brian, I agree.
> >>>
> >>> While last night was a huge success in so many ways and I so proud of
> >>> that, we also decamped ourselves. My tent (the mike tent) is a filth
> hole
> >>> but it is still standing. Democracy isn't clean, it isn't sanitary.
> Its a
> >>> messy process that takes a lot of trial and error. Our encampment is a
> >>> symbol of our freedom. I do wish we did not capitulate so early.
> >>>
> >>> Thank you to all who are rebuilding today. I wish I could be there with
> >>> you, however I do need to get some life stuff done before tonight.
> >>>
> >>> Nicole
> >>> ------------------------------
> >>> From: asnevitt at gmail.com
> >>> Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2011 13:08:37 -0500
> >>> Subject: Re: The Meaning of Last Night and Next Steps
> >>> To: bdubkwob at gmail.com
> >>> CC: ob-media at lists.occupyboston.org;
> facilitation at lists.occupyboston.org;
> >>> obexpansion at gmail.com; ob-logistics at lists.occupyboston.org;
> >>> check_your_privilege_ob at googlegroups.com;
> >>> occupy-boston-people-of-color-working-group at googlegroups.com;
> >>> InfoTent at occupyboston.org; occupyeric at gmail.com;
> >>> movementbuildingob at masslists.org; ocupemos-el-barrio at googlegroups.com;
> >>> street at lists.occupyboston.org; obit at occupyboston.org;
> >>> occupy-boston-socialist-discussion at googlegroups.com;
> >>> occupybostonda at gmail.com
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Thank you for this, Brian.
> >>>
> >>> I'm sorry I cannot be there today to "rebuild". I have vast
> appreciation
> >>> for those of you with the stamina and the wisdom to do that work this
> >>> morning. I will be there as soon as I am able.
> >>>
> >>> I hope we can all remember that what we're standing up for - to demand
> >>> the end of profound corruption of democracy and the beginning of true
> >>> democracy for the first time in this nation's history - is far more
> >>> important than a pristine encampment which meets codes. As adults, we
> can
> >>> make a choice to take more risks than we would normally take because we
> >>> find it worthwhile. The city stops us from having sanitation, lowering
> fire
> >>> hazards, etc. and still we stay because this is about something
> bigger: a
> >>> just and sustainable society for all.
> >>>
> >>> No one here complained that Egyptians didn't have permits or weren't
> >>> meeting safety codes when they occupied Tahrir Square. I bet their
> tents
> >>> got dirty, too! We encouraged them to stand up to bullets and fire
> hoses
> >>> and tear gas, even though there was trash on the ground. They did the
> best
> >>> they could to manage it while they were protesting and we do, too.
> >>>
> >>> We, the 99%, have had enough of the oppression of the 1%. We will stand
> >>> until they forcibly remove us. Then we will stand again.
> >>>
> >>> - Allison
> >>> Una at DailyKos <http://www.dailykos.com/user/UnaSpenser><
> http://bostonlyme.blogspot.com/>
> >>>
> >>> <http://kossacksnetworking.ning.com>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On Fri, Dec 9, 2011 at 7:00 AM, Brian K <bdubkwob at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> Brothers and sisters,
> >>>
> >>> I just got home after spending over 2 hours cleaning and renovating the
> >>> occupation in Dewey Square AFTER all the events of the night, so sorry
> if
> >>> this email isn't totally clear....
> >>>
> >>> *Last night was a major moment in the development of our movement. It
> is
> >>> ripe with tactical and strategic lessons, and we must understand and
> act on
> >>> them IMMEDIATELY. What follows is my assessment of what we got right,
> what
> >>> we got wrong, and what the next steps are.*
> >>>
> >>> *What we got right: *
> >>> *
> >>> *
> >>> *Sensing a major threat to our movement, we mobilized the masses to
> >>> defend us! *We must have had a thousand people come and rally to
> support
> >>> of our movement. There were tons of people following the marching band,
> >>> tons more in a state of perma-rally by the north wall, tons more
> practicing
> >>> civil disobedience, and tons more just milling around, talking, sharing
> >>> ideas, and showing their solidarity in many ways.
> >>> We ended up taking the streets and shutting down Atlalntic ave. We had
> >>> only 2 arrests (that I know of), and everything was peaceful,
> jubliant, and
> >>> energizing. People of all kinds, young, old, abled and disabled,
> people of
> >>> color, students, union and non-union workers, and all segments of the
> 99%
> >>> all came out for unity and solidarity with Occupy Boston. Mobilizing
> our
> >>> social base all-out like this was the right thing to do and that is (in
> >>> part) why it was so successful.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> *What we got wrong: *
> >>> As painful as this truth may be, we have to face it squarely and
> >>> honestly: *we dismantled most of our own occupation without a fight.
> *In
> >>> this sense we really punched ourselves in the face. Needlessly.
> >>>
> >>> By 4 am, Dewey Square had only about 30% of the tents it did 24 hours
> >>> previously. There was trash and debris strewn on the sidewalks
> >>> and perimeter. And there were only about 30-40 people left from the
> 1,000+
> >>> who had been there at some point earlier. In other words, we weren't
> raided
> >>> by the police, but by 3:30 am, it looked like we had been.
> >>>
> >>> This was demoralizing because it looked like a post-apocalyptic occupy
> >>> that I saw in Denver, after they had been raided twice. But we did it
> to
> >>> ourselves. The Mayor/City/BPD/RKG achieved much of their desired
> outcome
> >>> basically WITHOUT LIFTING A FINGER.
> >>>
> >>> This was a strategic mistake. Period. Things like this sometimes are
> only
> >>> clear after the fact: the Mayor said "jump" and we jumped as high as we
> >>> could. This contrary to the very essence of the movement insofar we are
> >>> occupying to STAND UP and OPPOSE the dictates of the powerful, not
> tremble
> >>> in fear before them...
> >>>
> >>> *Next steps:*
> >>> Luckily, there were about 5-10 of us who were able to salvage the
> >>> situation a bit. We moved a bunch of tents on "weird street" that had
> been
> >>> left for destruction by the (non-existent) police raid, and moved them
> into
> >>> the main square to fill in some of the gaping (and depressing) holes.
> >>> Another 5-10 of us cleaned up the sidewalks, swept, and restored some
> >>> semblance of order to the outward appearance.
> >>>
> >>> But there is more work to be done. This means *anyone who can needs to
> >>> return to the Square ASAP* to help re-organize the space, re-purpose
> the
> >>> tents, re-allocate the pallets and walkway planks. Not for permanent
> >>> occupation, but for the next 24 to 48 hours of the struggle. Yes, the
> cops
> >>> can come Friday night (tonight) or Saturday night or Sunday night. We
> >>> should be ready for them to come on any one of these nights, but we
> can sit
> >>> on our hands and wait; we have to keep struggling, keep assembling and
> keep
> >>> speaking out against injustice.
> >>>
> >>> I'm not saying we need to bring back everything to the square. We can
> do
> >>> without the library books and other valuables in Dewey. But we need to
> >>> CONTINUE occupying until some decisive event that forces us into
> another
> >>> space. Otherwise they can effectively shut down our occupation with
> merely
> >>> the ever-present *threat* of shutting it down. Let us not allow
> >>> ourselves to be paralyzed with fear like that.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> *Why we messed up: *
> >>> Part of the problem is that strategically, many of us were thinking in
> >>> "post-Dewey" mode, yet we were not (and are not) yet there. We are
> still in
> >>> Dewey Square. And we must defend it.
> >>>
> >>> By dismantling our occupation, we essentially tried to shortcut the
> >>> difficult and painful midwife between where we are now and the birth
> of our
> >>> next phase: the police raid. This reminds me of a quote from Hagakure,
> the
> >>> book of the samurai from feudal-era Japan:
> >>>
> >>> "There is something to be learned from a rainstorm. When meeting with a
> >>> sudden shower, you try not to get wet and run quickly along the road.
> By
> >>> doing such things as passing under the eaves of houses, you still get
> wet.
> >>> When you are resolved from the beginning, you will not be perplexed,
> though
> >>> you will still get the same soaking. This understanding extends to all
> >>> things."
> >>>
> >>> Pick up on that. By trying to avoid the police raid, we ended up doing
> it
> >>> to ourselves. This had the desired outcome of our enemies (a massive
> >>> dismantling in Dewey), but we got nothing to show for it. Many of us
> may
> >>> feel "perplexed," but need not be if we "are resolved from the
> beginning"
> >>> to stand our ground.
> >>>
> >>> Just like the first raid on us, and so many other raids happening
> around
> >>> the country, raids are not pleasant, but they are a necessary part of
> being
> >>> an occupation that does NOT jump when the powers that be tell us to.
> >>> Otherwise we might as go home now.
> >>>
> >>> Remember: when people see the violence of the police officers arresting
> >>> veterans, manhandling priests, hog-tying peaceful 99%ers, this rightly
> >>> causes OUTRAGE. And it is that outrage that can help feed our movement
> for
> >>> the next phase. We must not evict ourselves; make them do it.
> >>>
> >>> As of now, we have a damaged (but not un-salvagable) occupation. Please
> >>> go to Dewey Square ASAP and see why. Especially Logistics and Food. We
> need
> >>> your insight, experience, and steady hands the MOST during the day.
> Today.
> >>>
> >>> As for everyone else, see you at tonight's GA...in Dewey Square.
> >>>
> >>> Revolutionary love and solidarity,
> >>> and now sleep.
> >>>
> >>> Brian
> >>>
> >>> p.s. please forward this to any groups/lists/folks I left out.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
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> >>>
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> >>
> >
>
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--
Siham Jihad
"Those who make a peaceful protest impossible, are those who make a violent
protest inevitable" ~~JFK
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