[Street] [MovementOB] The Meaning of Last Night and Next Steps

Marilyn Frankenstein marilyn.frankenstein at umb.edu
Tue Dec 13 17:25:45 EST 2011


By the way The name Œagassiz¹ would be very good to get  Œunoccupied¹ as a
name of anything as he was a vicious racist


On 12/12/11 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:
> 
>> Re: The Meaning of Last Night and Next Steps 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 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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