To step back for a moment from the terrific on-the-ground accounts of this morning's action to defend Liberty Square, I took a moment to think about what took place--and why this make me even more optimistic than I was even a week ago that we are building something.
Lesson Number One: some things are really worth getting up at 5 a.m. for. This was one of them. And I'd do it again--any time. By the end of last night, I knew something big was going to happen--after 10 emails from different organizations and people calling for everyone to come and defend the Square, I was confident that we would prevail.
Lesson Number Two: A relatively small number of people can win and defeat the system. So, when someone says, "we need you"...they do and it's worth it. Sometimes, I personally make a decision not to go to a rally, when it's clear there will be 100,000 people and one extra body won't matter. But--here, now, every body is needed.
Think about it: in percentage terms, we were just a speck in this big city. But, people turned out from every corner of the city--at 6 a.m. That speck turned away an entire police force and a billionaire mayor from sweeping away OWS.
THINK OF WHAT WE CAN DO WITH 20,000 PEOPLE? OR 50,000? WE COULD SHUT THE ENTIRE CITY DOWN.
Lesson Number Three: Power is an illusion--an illusion that works ONLY when we are unwilling to challenge it. The mayor does not run New York--if we are willing to act. I do not underestimate the power of the police to clamp down. But, as I marched after we preserved the square, you could also see that, with a relatively small number of people--see Lesson Two--we had them unsure of what to do; they hate not being in control, even for a minute, and that's why we are seeing some acts of truly unprovoked violence from the police.
We owned that part of the city. Yes, for just a few moments. But...it's just the beginning.
Lesson Number Four: This beats going to yet another--snore--conference to hear about "Restoring the American Dream"...please, we don't need to hear the next "new thing" lecture us, and we don't need yet another policy paper from people who have churned them out for years--and are saying the same thing.
Just get your asses in the streets.. Tomorrow, for example, join us as we take the fight to Chase.
So, as I was a week ago, watching the thousands come out, connect with each other, stand with each other--I dunno, I am optimistic.