[Street] The Meaning of Last Night and Next Steps
Robin Jacks
robin.jacks at gmail.com
Thu Dec 15 10:23:00 EST 2011
There's some kind of construction going on at the Agassiz, or at the community center next door. I saw a bunch of construction workers on the roof yesterday. Also, I heard they were going to use the school in some capacity within BPS. We should figure that out before hypothetically occupying it.
On Dec 12, 2011, at 11:33 PM, John Doherty <jdoherty at iupatdc35.org> wrote:
> Occupy Schools
> Agassiz or Lee Wilson
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Dec 12, 2011, at 4:05 PM, "Steve Schnapp" <sschnapp at faireconomy.org> wrote:
>
>> My arms are raised and my fingers wiggling. Thanks, Chris.
>>
>> Steve
>>
>> Steve Schnapp
>> Senior Education Coordinator
>> United for a Fair Economy
>> 29 Winter St, 2nd Floor
>> Boston, MA 02108-4799
>> 857-277-7868
>>
>> --
>>
>>
>> on 12/9/11 4:44 PM, chris messinger at chris at bostonmobilization.org wrote:
>>
>> Brian, thanks for sharing your thoughts, and for your hard work these past few weeks, months and years. Your email sparked me to share some thoughts of my own, which have been shaped by many of the discussions I've seen on this list - but perhaps more often by conversations held off the lists.
>>
>> First: I've been down to OB about a dozen times in the last 2 months. I've brought groups of teens that I work with (day job) and attended some Free School University events. I've brought supplies, attended religious services, sat in GA's. And... I've been barely active in one working group. I've never washed any dishes. I've never mic-checked. I've never been arrested. I've never spent the night in a tent. And last night I went to a bar to celebrate my birthday with some friends, rather than head downtown to dance and pack.
>>
>> I say that because I expect some will write me off as not a "real" occupier. And despite all the language I've heard dismissing people like me - this work and movement is also mine, and has been all of my adult life. And from that staked claim, I offer some feedback based on my experience as a community organizer (not a movement organizer - I don't feel there's been effective movement in my organizing lifetime - though this feels closer to what I have been longing for).
>>
>> You said that departing Dewey Square had elements of tactical and strategic errors in judgement. I would respectfully suggest that it is only the previous - and even on that point the jury is still out. Opposing the "powers that be" is a tactic that is part of strategies designed to achieve goals that have as yet not been agreed upon.
>>
>> We don't yet have clear goals (that's ok - we're young), which makes it difficult to have clear strategies (that's ok -we're young), which makes it really really hard to have shared and effective tactics. I think this moment could teach us that actions taken in moments of collective indecision and disagreement will always be difficult to assess - and that's not a judgment on last night or you or on Occupy Boston. I look forward to more clearly defined goals and strategies in the months to come - before we can so definitively dismiss our tactics as incorrect.
>>
>> And, for my two cents, partial disbandment (I would push for even more significant disbandment of the physical site) seems a smart tactical move at this moment (to me) given (my) strategies to achieve (my) goals.
>>
>> Specifically, I think making the police forcibly remove the encampment is a tactic which diminishes the effectiveness of Occupy Boston for several reasons:
>>
>> 1. The police are not who I'm interested in strategizing against right now. For example: One of my personal goals (which seems shared by a heck of a lot of people) is a more equitable distribution of wealth. If I need to strategize about working past the guard dogs of the current unjust system (public and private police forces), then so be it. But I'd rather target the police who are protecting Bank of America than the ones who are enforcing a local mayor's limited authority.
>> 2. Police brutality has been well documented on the national stage as part of this national movement - and any positive influence that public witness can bring to bear has already occurred. Putting our bodies on the line to protect a patch of grass that not too many of us have any claim of "ownership" over is not likely to add anything to the national conversation about direct action tactics. If it's sole purpose is to make us feel good about ourselves and our willingness to sacrifice - I think there are other sacrifices we might make that would have a greater long-term impact.
>> 3. An additional direct altercation/inducement of violence/mass arrests simply confirms that Boston is no different than any other City in this country. Do we need to spend our social and political resources to prove that? The Mayor's commentary makes it crystal clear that Boston will obey the Department of Homeland Security's request quite readily. Our most valuable resource (as I see it) right now is our time and energy - not our books and tents or our bodies in a jail cell.
>> 4. And many others have said this elsewhere - it will be important in coming weeks and months to figure out how to support this movement growing back into the public sphere and public conversation. This, for me, is where the jury is still out. Can this movement transition beyond a group of tents and into a temporary (or sustained) force for change? Without Dewey Square - perhaps not - but I certainly hope so. Disbanding the camp will force the answer to this question sooner than later. But to answer that question, we need to articulate some more clear goals and strategies - then our tactical choices can be better evaluated.
>>
>> I want to offer that I feel just as connected as I did - and will be just as committed if the tents all disappear and Dewey becomes a space for direct democracy rather than ideal community.
>>
>> At the same time, I appreciate your continued amazing hard work, and your tireless efforts. I hope you're getting some sleep for tonight and beyond.
>> In peace, with love and community,
>> --Chris Messinger
>>
>> On Fri, Dec 9, 2011 at 1:08 PM, Allison Nevitt <asnevitt at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 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 palle
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