Reunion, Rejuvenation – Occupy Congress

January 17, in Washington, DC – the #teamoccupyyourmom / xo99percent reunion at Occupy Congress 

McPherson Square, Washington, DC on October 8, 2011

On Occupy’s four-month anniversary, Occupy Congress will hit the streets of Washington, DC. A grassroots effort, Occupy Congress is planning meetings with Congressional Representatives as well as rallies around the Capitol and a large multi-occupation General Assembly. Many of us will be staying with Occupy K Street in McPherson Square.

This administration has broken the social contract and bond with its citizens. The Occupy Congress Buses are filling up quickly, hopefully bringing thousands of people from across the country to the front steps of Congress.

Why?

Because while Occupiers have been busy with evictions, raids and arrests, Congress passed and President Obama signed the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2012 into law, bringing with it the possibility of indefinite detention for American citizens.

Because we currently face two additional threats to our free speech, access to information and free communication, and our ability to even demand our rights – the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Enemy Expatriation Act.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is a great resource for news on SOPA, on which debate has been postponed until Congress returns from recess. SOPA, sponsored by seemingly every large corporation, would give the government the power to shut down sites that are even suspected of committing copyright infringement. The bill is being sold as an anti-piracy measure, but its reach is so far beyond that. During the massive campaign to stop SOPA, a Phillies blogger detailed the implications the bill would have on fan sites and blogs. For the sake of transparency, please know that the writer is a long-time friend of mine from college. Ryan says, if he were to post a video of the Humpty Dance to the zoowithroy Phillies blog* -

- I’d be guilty of a felony for linking to that video.

- ZWR would be liable because he owns the site on which it was posted and as such be guilty of a felony and the copyright holder would instantly be allowed to shut down the site permanently.

- The company that hosts ZWR’s webservers is guilty of a felony for hosting the site.

- The guy that uploaded it to YouTube would have committed a felony by uploading it.

- YouTube is guilty of a felony for hosting it and/or not preventing it from being uploaded in the first place and, as such, could be shut down permanently.

- If ZWR were tweet the link to this post, Twitter would also be guilty of a felony and could also be shut-down because they (inadvertently) linked to this post.

Furthermore, SOPA may allow for the government to conduct deep-packet inspection, tracking and analyzing user-transmitted data, a filtering technique famously employed by Iran (aided by Nokia Siemens) to track and find activists in the violent aftermath of the 2009 Presidential elections. During the early days of the Arab Spring, it was reportedly used in Syria, Egypt, Libya and possibly Tunisia for the same purpose.

As for the Enemy Expatriation Act, our corporate-owned media has yet to cover it, but the text of the bill is clear enough:

112^th Congress: 2011-2012

To add engaging in or supporting hostilities against the United States to the list of acts for which United States nationals would lose their nationality.

Couple this with the NDAA and the Department of Defense considering protests low-level terrorism, and it is clear that we have to continue to speak out while we are able.

Occupy Congress is the next necessary step for the Occupy Movement.

Early backlash against the event tried to paint it as an SEIU-organized-or-sponsored event, suggesting that this was the union’s attempt to co-opt the movement, push for Obama 2012, and dilute Occupy’s message. The underlying implication was that Occupy Congress was a Democratic Party event and conservatives should not attend.

I spoke with Occupy Congress organizers, who assured me, “the SEIU has zero role in organizing this event.” This was corroborated by a long-time Occupy K Street activist I’ve met and consider trustworthy. Finally, an unknown individual or group using the hashtag #TCOT (‘Top Conservatives on Twitter’, a standard tag for conservative-leaning members) along with the Occupy Wall Street #OWS tag, issued this promotional poster in support of the action -

A TinEye search of over 2.0757 billion images yielded 0 results, so I don't know where this poster originated.

It’s been a long winter…a long 3+ months. It will be rejuvenating to finally meet Occupiers from across the country who we’ve only seen in video and pictures. We are influencing each other and changing the course of this country. I can think of no better way forward than to meet on January 17, chant nonsense, yell ‘SPOON’ at the top of my lungs, and parade around the Capitol. Please join us.

–xx

More information on #J17 can be found via Occupy Congress -

- on occupyyourcongress.info

- on Twitter as @re_occupy

- and on the Occupy Congress January 17th, 2012 Facebook page

Join the planning on the Occupy Congress Wiki.

–xx

Joanne

*It’s a long season and Phillies bloggers are a strange breed.

Policing Itself

The New York Daily News has published a sensational piece alleging police are directing the homeless and criminal elements to Liberty Park. It editorializes, “[t]he Wall Street protesters determined to ‘Occupy Everything’ now find themselves, in a sense, occupied.”

While the publication has a history of biased reporting against the movement, its claims have been echoed by at least one unnamed occupier, according to Josh Harkinson of Mother Jones Magazine.

Harkinson later reported that a spokesperson from NYC Dept of Homeless Services denied allegations that the NYPD was directing homeless persons to Zuccotti. In fact, the spokesperson said, they were conducting outreach at the park, encouraging people in need to “accept temporary housing.” As far as the criminal element is concerned, Sharman Stein of the Department of Corrections told Harkinson that inmates released in Manhattan are routinely dropped off at Canal and Center streets, which is about a twenty minute walk from Zuccotti.

Justin Elliott, posting on Salon.com, said:

Asked about the Daily News report, an NYPD spokesperson responded with a two-word email: “It’s false.”

Whether the specific claims made by the New York Daily News are true or not, the story finally made public questions that myself, other occupiers and the public have had about security at Zuccotti and the overall willingness and ability of Occupy Wall Street to ‘police itself’. I believe it is necessary to take security measures both to protect the freedoms and safety of occupiers and to preserve the integrity of the movement. Last night, via Twitter, I had several enlightening conversations about possible solutions to the problem.

My overall view:

• If someone does not accept the legitimacy of a group, they will not comply with its rules. OWS knows this better than anyone. There are likely other people at Zuccotti who have no desire to participate in the GA, marches, or other actions. It is a good place to blend in and, frankly, freeload. Zuccotti has no borders (and it should not) and is not an exclusive club, so we have no ability or justification to prevent anyone from entering the park. This unfortunately may include criminals (petty or otherwise), or people who generally want to disrupt things for the sake of it or because of an agenda. They may be provocateurs, those who do not think OWS is radical enough (ie they may not be committed to nonviolence), or people who just want to cause trouble.
• Engaging the police is to our benefit. First, they may be more likely to deal with you gently or even be more supportive of Occupy. Second, how can we expect their help with issues if we are calling them ‘pigs’ and treating them with hostility? One of the first things we chanted on Wall Street marches was “cops are the 99%”. We have seen the positive outcomes of engagement in Albany, where police refused to arrest protesters. @korgasm_ and I always made a point to reach out to the police, offer them food and water (they can’t accept in uniform but they appreciate it) and I believe it helped. One morning while I was still asleep, @kennethlipp came back to our site from the media tent and took my cellphone back up there to charge it. The nearby officers actually came over and asked me if I knew him (to try to determine if he had stolen my phone).
• OWS has to be responsible for itself. Just as the sanitation committee has mostly solved cleaning issues, the security committee and ALL responsible occupiers have to be responsible for policing OWS’s self-designated home. One suggestion is to ‘name and shame’ people-I certainly wish we had done a mic check and outed the kid who tried to steal (pardon, ‘salvage’) Kenneth’s computer. He made us uncomfortable the rest of the time we were there, and who knows what he may have done to others. Just as occupiers made signs saying “he doesn’t represent us” to follow the man with the anti-semitic sign, occupiers who witness violent or criminal acts should speak out. Maybe consider having responsible police liaisons report severe acts to a trusted officer. Maybe appoint and train a rotating committee of trusted occupiers to a mediation council to solve personal or low-level disputes.
• Finally, address issues openly and with transparency. This will preserve Occupy’s integrity. There are already so many elements against us and they have and will continue to speak about these issues in an attempt to discredit us. Beat them to the punch. Universities do periodic crime reports (by semester or annually). Consider putting out a bulletin listing incidents and, more importantly, how they were addressed by the community.

There are many places and groups from which we can solicit advice on this problem. One suggestion, by @KNDEA, is to contact Native American nations about tribal process. This would both guide OWS and be great outreach to some of the most marginalized people in the 99%. OWS has the fortune of being near the Shinnecock Indian Nation, located on Long Island, and nine other nations:

• Cayuga Nation in Seneca Falls, NY
• Mashantucket Pequot Tribe of Connecticut in Mashantucket, CT
• Mohegan Indian Tribe of Connecticut in Uncasville (Montville), CT
• Oneida Nation in Verona, NY
• Onondaga Nation in Nedrow, NY
• Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe in Akwesasne, NY
• Seneca Nation in Irving and Salamanca, NY
• Tonawanda Band of Seneca Indians of New York in Basom, NY
• Tuscarora Nation in Niagara County, NY

Another possibility is any number of the self-sustainable communes and communities that exist in this country.

Finally, the homeless should not be viewed as a problem. Sephir0t:

[I] discovered persons who simply felt that society didn’t want them. or maybe they didn’t have enough control

over their circumstances … so they dropped out, and/or turned to crime. but they *felt* they had been pushed out.

that’s my tentative 1st suggestion: give these ppl something to do, some kind of responsibility, in your society.

I’m not suggesting anyone has this mindset, but how disgusting would it be if people fighting for a better society were to think of themselves as doing the homeless a ‘favor’ by ‘allowing’ them to share food and supplies with OWS. If we think we are better than the current institutions, we should be conducting outreach to those who do not have the luxury of choosing to live in parks.

You are the media.

On our role as citizen journalists -

We should not be surprised or discouraged by lack of main stream media coverage. Corporate media has an incentive not to cover these protests – they are perpetrators of this broken system. While I am primarily a researcher, my role as a citizen journalist is in the tradition of those who so bravely faced the brutality of the Iranian government in the 2009 crackdown on post-election protesters. If I can honor them in any way, this is it: by documenting the occupation. I recognize that my challenge, and that of all citizen journalists, is to both report and rally.

“Make it Culture, make it accessible.” – from a friend

I see beauty in Occupy Wall Street. I watched the sun rise over the Ground Zero construction site on the first morning and I truly began to feel like we are creating something beautiful and sustainable. So much of the criticism about Occupy Wall Street stems from the apparent lack of one unified demand. While I know that others disagree, I see this as a strength. While holding steadfast to one demand may lend itself to easy soundbites, having an open movement welcomes any one of the millions of Americans who no longer feel this system is working for them.

Why should we seek to impose a single demand on the 99%?

I recognize that, as part of this movement, I cannot be completely unbiased in my reporting. I don’t believe this to be the job of a citizen journalist. We are as much cheerleaders as we are reporters.

“If I can’t chant ‘spoon’ and dance down Wall Street, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.”

Is this culture? Yes, I believe so. Is it accessible? I know I make a point to tell the police I love them, that they too are the 99%. Yesterday 1,000 people marched on Wall Street after a group of Troy Davis protesters joined forces with Occupy Wall Street protesters. We have a former Wall Streeter among us, fed up with seeing unhappy faces every day. Four months after Kenneth asked me to go dancing with him, we finally did – on Wall Street, Monday morning. My dear Sonya has been topless for days, inspiring other women to join her. There are hippies and anarchists, members of Anonymous…and there’s me – I wear Lily Pulitzer and cashmere. I watched a tye-dye wearing blonde kid give a passionate interview in perfect Spanish. It ended with him and the reporter hugging and crying. A 91-year old man marched with us and told our friend Ayesha that he couldn’t stand to see ‘what’s happening to the kids’ anymore.

Is it accessible? Come join us, you’ll see.

–xx

On Liberty Plaza -

“Dear governments, you might want to stop using names like ‘Revolution’ Square and ‘Freedom’ Park.” – seen on Twitter after the toppling of Hosni Mubarak

We call our site, Zuccotti Park, by its original name – Liberty Plaza Park. Driven here after being denied our initial goal of occupying Wall Street, we have begun to function as a microcommunity – an example of democratic collectivism – full of individuals with diverse backgrounds, varied ideologies, and different strengths. As a community we benefit from our differences and hope to inspire future cooperation.

While I was at first frustrated with the slow progress of the General Assembly, I am now humbled by their ability to function and progress while still holding true to their principles. Liberty Plaza has functioning committees in the areas of media, safety and protection, and outreach. It has been streaming live for several days and thousands of people have viewed the proceedings. Reportedly, one of the first actions of the Occupy California group was to set up their own General Assembly.  There must be at least some merit to their methods.

–xx

The plane I’m on is experiencing quite a bit of turbulence at the moment, but I’ll shortly be returning to Home Sweet Wall Street and cannot wait to continue this journey.

Joanne.