I've been a full-time participant in the occupation at Freedom Plaza (AKA October2011, Stop the Machine) since it began last Thursday, Oct. 6, having arrived here from UT on 10/5. There is an occupation of K street at nearby McPherson Park as well, and we are operating in solidarity with them and continue to increase comomunication and collaboration.
This is an occupation that was originally organized MONTHS ago to be kicked off at Freedom Plaza on Oct 6, the 10th year anniversary of the invasion Afghanistan, a symbol of the corruption, moral bankruptcy and financial irresponsibility of a corporate state. I pledged to this occupation back in early August, fully intending to spend serious time here on the ground.
Then the Wall St. protest took place in September and immediately evolved into an occupation. The fervor and repressive actions of the police to protect the oligarchy rather than the rights of the populists threw gasoline on that fire and instantly spawned occupations across the country. More fires ignite every day. These occupations quickly became associated and then aligned with Arab Spring and related actions taking place elsewhere around the globe.
Most of us are working 10-15 hour days to organize and execute a stand against the oligarcy which cannot and will never reform itself in a manner that would lead to democracy. All day we are carrying out political actions around the city, developing and maintaining the encampment infrastructure, discussing and developing issue positions, engaging and orienting visitors and necomers, etc. In the evenings, we hold lengthy General Assemblies to exercise and demonstrate participatory democracy.
It is not easy by any means for me to be here. I liked my routine, which included volunteer support at a food pantry and community radio station. My absence is a tremendous strain on my supportive wife, UTVoter. Fortunately she has a very good job and is exceedingly resourceful and capable. My absence stresses relationships with my daughters, 27 and 15. My woozles and I are close and sorely miss each other. I am struggling to maintain any kind of balance in meeting the personal needs necessary for my own well-being, because the community is stretched so thin for addressing its needs.
The occupants here are diverse in terms of age, with far more middle and senior age participants than I expected, especially among those who are actually sleeping here. Most of the previous and current participants have been from outside the greater DC area. Minorities are represented but not nearly in the numbers we need.
The occupation at McPherson Park is much younger, but extremely passionate about both goals and targets of the occupation and very rigorous about its use of consensus-oriented participatory democracy in managing its affairs.
We had a huge boost this week when the Park Service extended our 4-day permit to 4 MONTHS, demonstrating the importance and influence of our efforts here on the plaza.
The occupation movement stems from broad, definitive acknowledgement that governance around the world is captive to the corporate/financial elite and their supporters and/or enablers. This system of governance does not and will not ever again work as one for, of and by the people without, at the very least, mass populist influence. Since the electoral system itself is captive to the same plutocracy, elections will NEVER lead to a government of, by and for the people, either. NEVER. This system will NEVER materially represent any interests that conflict with the predation and security interests of the oligarchy.
In my experience so far, the occupation's opposition to corporatism is not a categorical opposition to corporations but to corporate rule. Members of the occupations are united on opposition to corporate rule and the imperative to remove corporate influence on government. Some paticipants are opposed to corporations as limited liability entities on principle. Others are opposed to the entire capitalist system on principle, even in a mixed economy model (i.e., heavily regulated) for reasons too lengthy to describe here.
If you agree that the system is corrupt, broken and unreformable without a populist influence that cannot be repressed, stopped or ignored, for the love of god, engage yourself to the fullest extent possible. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Please look past the personal obstacles and help ensure that it doesn't pass us by.
Pitch a tent, join the movement. If you absolutely cannot physically participate in DC or at Wall Street, go to an occupation in a city or town near you. If you cannot camp, visit as often as possible and contribute as much time as possible. If even that is not possible, donate and work creatively to help elevate awareness of and support for whatever aspects of the occupation you can. Help source needed resources: foodstuffs, materials, equipment, utilities, services. These encampments have all the needs of any organization: operations (group & site facilities, energy, tele- and internet communications, shelter, water, food, first aid, sanitation, legal, media, etc), "sales" / outreach / recruitment, marketing, development, finance, etc. Help source speakers, teach-in experts, non-profits and other potential affiliates, entertainers. We've had some great ones but need a constant flow for stiumlation, inspiration, motivation, information, diversion, etc. We could also use serious help from operational planning and development, especially for transient volunteer organizations. It's a huge challenge.
The possibilies for you to engage are endless.
ONE IDEA: the DC occupation is heavily focused on actions because the city is target-rich. By necessity, it is also drained by attention to operations of the encampment. As a result, it is sorely challenged to carry out the kind of issues-oriented development necessary to develop, communicate, negotiate specific policy demands. KOSSACKS could obviously do that, especially if it connected with its iconic outside experts. In order to do that, these efforts would need to plug into the occupations and engage in the participatory democratic activities being exercised in them.
Participatory decision-making can be tedious and is certainly challenging, particularly when it is extremely horizontal. Believe me, having spent 25 years as first a corporate executive and then small businessman, I know. The largely "leaderlessness" if the occupations is intentional. It prevents usurpation and decapitation and it forces individuals to participate. Even when things are delegated to committees, the committee work is done by occupants, not distant figureheads. It also necessitates, consenus-building models, consistent with the democracy the occupation champions as the crucial substitute for the easily corruptible top-down heirarchies that got here us in here in first place.
Despite the challenges of these attributes, leaderlessness and consenus-building practices, which are temporarily exacerbated by widespread unfamiliarity with them, if you are persistent, determined and patient, you will great, passionate people and ample opportunities to participate in the community.
The occupations would positively explode if the intelligent, talented, resourceful Dailykos community became widely engaged.
Please plug yourself in ASAP. The occupations NEED YOU NOW. There is NO TIME to waste.
AFTERWORDS
I diaried about the crushing imperative of an occupation in DC (though I had not used the word occupation) last March and April. When I heard one was actually being organized, I felt compelled to put my money where my mouth was and travel from UT to participate.
[Sorry, I have pics, but neither the time nor energy to post them just now.]