Interesting to compare OWS occupations with those of the Vietnam protests. Here's the "Tactical Manual" distributed to the protesters at the 1972 Republican Convention in Miami (click on image for the pdf):
Excerpts follow below...
Theory Into Practice: A Discussion of Tactics
Miami Beach, Florida is the culmination of four years in America under Richard Nixon‘s rule: For our own purposes, it is important to recognize that the progression of events to this date is the result of the development of political, social and economic conditions. The 4,000 year history of Vietnamese resistance and revolution is coming to a climax with the most recent series of popular uprisings in South Viet Nam. Meanwhile, round - ups and political trials are increasing daily in America. Adequate medical care for the elderly and adequate income for the poor is dwindling at a moment when the problem is most severe. More bombs fall on the dikes in North Viet Nam, as U.S.-seeded clouds pour catastrophic rains onto the Tonkin Plain.
Our presence in Miami Beach from August 18 to 23 is thus political; the purpose is not the tactical or military defeat of the Republican Party or of Richard Nixon. The objective of our protest is to focus the attention of the American people on the war to encourage active resistance on their part. Our purpose is to signal America's refusal to accept a war criminal as a Presidential candidate. Our aim is to smash the Nixon myth that his term in office represented four years of domestic tranquility; it is to state that Richard Nixon represents only more division and discontent in this country. Our ultimate political objective is to isolate and defeat Richard Milhous Nixon, 37th President of the United States.
As a result of many discussions, we chose to describe the tactics for this demonstration as "militant nonviolent confrontation." This means that we always express ourselves in the strongest manner possible, that we remain nonviolent, which means we don't trash or attack police, National Guard or GI's; and that we remain confrontational.
Those of us who have spent a good deal of time in Miami Beach have come to realize that the objective situation demands that we make a pledge to the Miami Beach community. That pledge has been made. It is a pledge that says: we are committed to non-disruption of the senior citizen community.
In return, we have won the support and confidence of a large segment of the Miami community. The consequences of the lack of such support are all too clear. At present, large numbers of senior citizens are involved in a common struggle with us through their own activities aimed at isolating and defeating Nixon. We have achieved a political victory in that large numbers of the local community are hostile to Nixon’s presence in Miami Beach, and support our struggle here. It would be a betrayal of those people living in Miami Beach if we did not really respect their needs and demands. It would be a decisive weakening of our own political position and accountability if we did not act in a disciplined and responsible manner to the senior citizen community.
We can assume that Richard Nixon will try to seize every opportunity to divide and isolate the people of Miami Beach from the planned actions. Obviously, it would be political suicide to hand over to Richard Nixon such opportunities. Thus, property damage will be avoided; broken windows will not ULTIMATELY serve our political purpose of humiliating and defeating Richard Nixon. As active-duty GI organizing has proven, physical confrontation with the enforcers of the ruling class does not properly define either the nature or target of our political struggle. We cannot afford to obscure the contradictions through attacking or provoking police, National Guard or GI's. Our aim is not to try and tactically defeat the policing forces, but to fight and defeat Richard Nixon.
As daily newspapers and weekly magazines go to press, they mistakenly raise what they believe to be the ultimate question: "Will there be violence in Miami Beach?" The answer is no. As you leaf through this manual, you'll begin to see that Miami Beach is a time period and a state of mind, which says we will not engage in violence. Let those who criticize be well instructed to observe our manner and good will displayed during a previous political convention in Miami Beach only weeks ago. For the real question on the lips of everyone is: "Will Richard Nixon continue his terror and destruction in Indochina . . . and Miami Beach? And, will the American people allow him to continue to do so?
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Aug. 21, 1972: Senior Citizens Investigation
On the opening day of the Republican National Convention, the senior citizens will begin a two day Investigation into the Policies of the Nixon Administration. A jury of senior citizens—citizens who have suffered many of America’s injustices and who are constantly abused in this society - will hear testimony on the crimes of the Nixon Administration from Vietnam veterans, ex-prisoners, labor representatives, unemployed blacks, women, welfare recipients, Third World people, gays, and senior citizens.
...
In the morning of August 23rd, a delegation headed by local senior citizens will go to Nixon's headquarters at the Doral Hotel. They will be armed with the results of the panel investigation conducted by the senior citizens of Miami Beach. They will ask the Republican National Committee to respond to the two specific demands of the demonstration——acceptance of the PRG Seven Point Peace Proposal and the Poor People's Platform.
Failure by the Republicans to respond favorably will signal the beginning of militant nonviolent confrontation. The political objective will be to demonstrate the American people's refusal to accept a war criminal as a Presidential candidate.
People have told us that they will be organizing along regional and community lines before they arrive in Miami Beach. At a minimum, it is expected that people will be organizing themselves into affinity groups from their collectives and from those they know and trust. Some people will organize themselves while they are on the land, although such affinity groups tend often to not be as well organized as those which originate in communities.
Those who have effectively organized themselves into affinity groups will begin the response to an unfavorable GOP reply by arriving at the hotels as the delegates prepare to leave for the convention site. We will engage the Republican warmakers with guerrilla theatre, sit ins, civil disobedience and mobile civil disobedience in the lobbies and driveways of the hotels, and at key intersections leading to the Convention Hall.
On the evening of the 37th U.S. President’s acceptance speech, and in line with our resistance to that acceptance, we will non-violently occupy Washington Avenue in front of the Convention Hall (Site 1). A march from the campsite at Flamingo Park via 14th Street to Washington Avenue in front of the Convention Hall is being planned. It is expected that the city will grant this area which directly faces the convention hall to us, and an arrest situation on this block seems unlikely.
August 23, 1972: "Day of Unacceptance"
In coincidence with the occupation of Washington Avenue, non-violent civil disobedience is visualized for three other key areas. Site 2, the vicinity of Meridian Avenue, west of the convention site, and between 17th and 18th Streets, is where non-violent sit-ins will begin (see map).
Those who wish to avoid the risk of immediate arrest while committing civil diobedience and who prefer to extend their presence at the convention site throughout the evening should consider more fluid forms of direct action in two alternate areas. They will be the areas of Dade Avenue between Meridian Avenue and Alton Roads (Site 3, see map) and Collins Avenue leading south from 24th Street (Site 4, see map). The objective is to surround the convention with angry protests as a visible sign of America's refusal to accept a war criminal as a Presidential candidate.
Practical application of militant non-violent confrontation demands leadership skilled in situation analysis, non-violent training and a willingness to display flexibility and creativeness. The key element is ingenuity. The "less traditional" type of civil disobedience, called mobile civil disobedience, will put our creative powers and resourcefulness to the test, and will require that we learn to respect our collective strength and commitment to non-violence.
In the attempt to desanctify the President and his proceedings, it is anticipated that creative planning and intimate familiarity with the lay of the land will assist both mobile and stationary affinity groups in reaching the area of the selected targets.
The tactics put forward in this section have been thoroughly discussed here in Miami Beach, and we feel it represents a realistic way of achieving our objectives. We will be nonviolent--we will not provoke or attack police, national guard or our brothers who are GI's. We will be confrontational, which means that we will continue to engage the Republican warmakers in the streets until we have achieved our political purpose.
Four more years of Nixon will be accepted on the inside of the convention hall, while outside troops ring the perimeter and thousands of us resist and say NO!
Mass Arrest
While the prime political purpose in coming to the GOP Convention is not necessarily to get arrested, the possibility of mass arrest does exist. The government has spent much time and effort in bringing people from across the country to Miami to help the Dade County officials develop a response to the actions of demonstrators. The plan that has been developed is one that has been experimented with in several mass arrest situations in Washington, D.C., in the last year.
If the police decide to make mass arrests, warning is usually given over a loud speaker or bullhorn. People should not take the warning lightly if they feel there may be a warrant out for them or if they are out on bond, et cetera, After the warning and the "grace period" is over, the police buses will come into the area with special police squads to perform the arrests. The police who are on the streets or surrounding the demonstration will not leave their assigned posts unless something unusual occurs. The police who arrive on the arrest buses will take people one by one, photograph them on the scene with their "arresting officer," fill out a field arrest form with basic information (name, age, sex, address, etc.), and place them on the bus to be transported to the detention facility.
Women (up to 500) will be taken to the City of Miami Jail, 1145 N.W. 11th Street, in Miami. The first 2,500 men will be taken to the Dade County Stockade, 6950 N.W. 41st Street, Miami. The overflow will be sent to the Youth Fair Building, 10901 S.W. 24th Street, Miami (can hold between 1,OO0 and 1,500 people). When the Youth Fair Building is full, any other arrested people will be taken to military staging areas in Miami. Nobody will be jailed in Miami Beach, everyone will be taken to Miami. The police will use county statutes to arrest people in order to justify the use of facilities in Miami, and also to keep people away from the solidarity of their comrades who will still be in the street.
The criminal court dockets for all the courts in Miami have been cleared for the week of the convention. The courts will operate on a 24 hour per day basis during a mass arrest situation.
When you are taken before the judge, the following things will happen:
a. You will be advised of your rights
b. You will be assigned an attorney if you do not have one and cannot "afford" to hire one. (This does not apply to Miami Legal Project people, all of whom are donating their time and efforts because they believe in what we are all doing.)
c. A bond will be set, or in the case of Dade County residents, personal recognizancé may be granted.
d. lf you do not have money for bail, you will be returned to the detention facility until trial.
As you can see, the government has developed a basic machine to grind out Amerikkkan justice. Whether you cooperate or not is entirely your decision, and not the legal people's.
Bail is expected to be low, and everyone is advised to do the following:
a. Keep some sort of identification on you.
b. Keep $l0 on you if you have it.
c. Know an address in Miami or Miami Beach.
d. Write the legal office number on your arm.
We will attempt to raise bail money for those who do not have it, but everyone should be aware that the traditional sources of money have put it all into the elections, and bail money will be hard to raise. If you have your own money, you will be out of jail and back on the streets much faster.
Some of us who will be arrested will be classified as juveniles by the State. A juvenile under Florida law is a person under 18 years old. Juveniles arrested will be "counseled" by a Dade County Juvenile Authority worker and provisions will be made to send the person home. Brothers and Sisters under l8 may want to consider this before being arrested.
DRUG LAWS
Basically, possession of any type of drug without a prescription is illegal. Possession of 5 grams or less or marijuana is considered a misdemeanor and the case will be heard in a Municipal or Metropolitan court. The 5 gram count does not include twigs and seeds.
Possession of anything more than 5 grams is considered a felony, and the case will go to Criminal Court. Sale of any drug is a felony.
CLOTHING
Under Miami Beach laws, "skinny-dipping" is illegal. It is also illegal to change clothes in public, or wear bathing suits on the street. Recently, a court action overturned local laws that made the wearing of women's clothing by men an illegal act.
STOP AND FRISK
The Stop and Frisk Law in Florida has been made stronger by a recent Supreme Court ruling that the police may search a suspect on the basis of information supplied by an informer, and is not restricted to acting only on his own observations. This, of course, refers to the stopping and frisking of suspects on the streets for dangerous weapons.
The law of Florida is that whenever a cop encounters a person under circumstances which reasonable indicate that a person has committed, is committing, or is about to commit a crime, he may temporarily detain the person for the purpose of ascertaining the suspect’s identity and circumstances surrounding his or her presence. This is the "stop" section of the law.
The "frisk" section of the law is that whenever the cop authorized to temporarily detain a person has probably cause to believe that the person is armed with a dangerous weapon and therefore offers a threat to the safety of the cop or any other person, he may search the suspect only to the extent necessary to disclose, and for the purpose of disclosing, the presence of such weapon. . It must be remembered that no evidence seized by a law enforcement officer in any search shall be admissible as evidence against any person in any court of the State unless the search which disclosed the existence was authorized in compliance with thc Stop and Frisk. In other words, the cop can only pat you down and not go into your pockets for other contraband.
MIAMI BEACH GOVERNMENT: FAT CATS IN THE STREETS
Despite its reputation, Miami Beach is a highly industrialized city. The Beach and its hundreds of hotels and motels is a money people's pleasure machine. But there is more than fun at stake during the Republican Convention. The multi-million dollar tourist industry supports a large working class community as well as making organized crime and big business quite wealthy. Everyone connected to the tourist industry is dependent on a very delicate balance of reputation, facilities, and pleasure inducing activities. And with new tourist centers being built every year, Miami Beach’s piece of the pie is getting smaller. A political catastrophe in August could endanger the whole economic structure of Miami Beach and related communities.
And with this factor in mind, Mayor Chuck Hall, the Miami Beach City Council, and Police Chief Rocky Pomerance are trying to keep everyone happy--the Republican Party, the unpredictable non-delegates, and the citizens who elect them.
Chuck Hall, Mayor and grandeoise monarch of Miami Beach, who marches with the movement, plays with the politicians, and cries with the community says he's a YIPPIE-DEMOCRAT-CITIZEN. Chuck wants everyone happy, healthy, and impressed with him and Miami Beach. In his eyes the only thing Miami Beach isn't big enough for is another mayor.
The City Council, a group of 6 elected members plus the Mayor, has been in a state of shock and word has it that they will soon go into a deep coma for the Republican Convention. With their heads buried in the sands of the beach, they are afraid to make any decisions whatsoever. Afraid to approve requests and petrified to say no, they continually table, then say no and then reconsider and vote yes. The City Council is consistently inconsistent.
Rocky Pomerance, confident self-styled Police Chief and smiling protector of the people is a decision maker and rational thinker. Though he catches flack from all sides, he does what he feels is right and best for the city. Refusing to bust for pot and favoring a camping ground in Miami Beach, he keeps on truckin’.
Miami Beach will survive the Republican Convention but someday we'll be back to put the people in the Fountainbleau and the fat-cats in the sunny skies, fun and games, luxurious vacationland--images that mask the reality of an invisible ghetto here in Miami Beach. Those of us who have been here in the past weeks have found in working with the residents a deeply oppressed minority that has long been overlooked, the senior citizens. Not the senior citizens who stay in the expensive hotels, eat at high-priced restaurants and leave after two weeks. Rather, it is those people who live here year-round. Miami Beach, in case you forgot (or never knew) is a community.
Experience has told us that there definitely will be a campsite permit issued for the Republican Convention. Although the city postponed a decision until the last days before the Democratic Convention, they are also not eager to have thousands of demonstrators wander the city in search for a place to sleep. The stalling tactic, to quote Miami Beach Vice-Mayor Goodman, "is our personal way to keep many demonstrators from coming."
The common belief is that the permit will be issued for Flamingo Park. This was the campsite used during the Democratic Convention. Although some people like the Par Three Golf Course, the only thing between us and the National Guard’s and State Trooper's headquarters would be a single road. Flamingo Park is the preferred site. The park's size is deceiving, but there are many good places for camping.
Flamingo Park has many good facilities such as lights, toilets, recreational areas and a swimming pool. The park can be the best place to build a sense of community. We must remember too, that this park is also used by the senior citizens of Miami Beach. We must be ready to share it with them. Many old people have offered to help us while we are here. And we have found the senior citizens are our best allies in Miami Beach; we should keep it that way.
It's always amazing to see how people who demonstrate for a new nation with humane principles somehow never apply them to the place they are staying. Without a doubt, if we are going to be effective, we must turn the campsite into an example of our politics and our life style. During the Democratic Convention our political statements were ignored by the newspapers, while they described some of us as "drug-crazed hippies," whose only activities included nude swimming and dope smoking. We want and need to make it clear at our campsite during the Republican Convention that we are here to confront Richard Nixon and his policies. The way to make our politics clear ls to have strong united people in which the mass of non-demonstrating American people can see and understand what we are about and what we stand for.
The land area is something that you should be able to fall in love with. For the most part, the campsite is your home. The cutting edge between a mass of freaks and a living and breathing community is the way in which we deal with each other. If the attitude is one of "I'm groovy and let me do my own thing," we will find ourselves in trouble. The difference between us and Nixon, is our love for other people. When you stop loving the people around you, and start caring solely about yourself, there is no living difference between you and Nixon and his gang of Republicans. By sharing and caring for one another, we will build the community that we are demanding America to become.
The climate of Miami Beach takes some time to get used to. The afternoons are fairly hot and humid. We are planning to have programs at the beach during that time. Be sure, therefore, to bring light clothes, swimming suits and at least one extra change of clothing. lf you have a windbreaker or light jacket, bring it. Once a day, you can expect a short rain shower and some form of protection is encouraged. A plastic trash bag, with the bottom corners clipped off for arms, and a hole in the center of the bottom for the head, makes an inexpensive raincoat. lf you have insect repellant, bring it along, although the situation with mosquitoes is not very bad. The county is spraying the entire campsite for mosquitoes, which should reduce any possible problem.
You will find large tents unnecessary. On most nights people prefer to sleep outside. One of the best shelters you.could obtain is a plain tarp. They cost about seven dollars in most surplus stores; we will try to supply the stakes and rope. The advantage of the tarp is that it is open on the sides which will provide adequate ventilation with good protection.
We have been extremely lucky with getting cooperation from government authorities. There should not be any problem in getting enough toilets and sanitation facilities to accommodate the numbers of people expected. There seems to be a high likelihood that we will also be able to obtain a showmobile for musical entertainment and a smaller sound truck for political and tactical meetings. We are now in the process of obtaining a large generator to bring electricity to run Expose and the main tent.
The main tent will be located at the entrance to the park and will be equipped to provide telephones at various locations and mimeo machines for daily bulletins. We visualize the main tent as the information center and a place of coordination on the land.
The food services have been organized. We have four people working full time at present in food collection, preparation and cooking. We are going to be working with Coconut Coop and Greenpower, which are food collectives. Portable field kitchens from the county may be obtained. We have also lined up a number of large kitchens throughout the city. Area-wide appeals on local rock stations for food are being broadcast. We have been promised fresh fruit and vegetables.
Most important, we need your help. If everyone planning to come to Miami Beach could buy a single dollars' worth of food staples (rice, wheat, canned vegetables, food that cannot spoil), we could have enough food to provide three meals a day. Although it may not sound like much at all, when everyone contributes to the food collection, it can accumulate into impressive quantities.
Legal and Medical Services
The emergency services (medical and legal) are really well organized. The legal people are planning to be in full operation during the Repugnance Condescension. They should be ready to deal with all situations, including mass arrests.
We are going to have two operating medical tents. One tent is planned for minor injuries and bad trips (on the campsite during the Democratic Convention, there were no OD's and very few bad trips) and a second medical tent will be contracted for major injuries, that require trained medical care. We have made full arrangements with the emergency rooms of the local hospitals, so there will be no trouble with hospital care. For everyone's convenience, there will be a card handed out listing a wide range of service telephone numbers to be used in an emergency. We are confident we can handle most problems.
A few words about the medics — all of the medics are trained to handle normal medical problems. You can place your trust in the medics who will be there. Special lessons from the Democratic Convention have led to the formation of women and gay medical teams to relate to those who wish their services. People should be careful, however, of untrained, often well-meaning people who wear red cross armbands. The medics that have been screened for training and who are equipped for emergencies will wear distinctive armbands; everyone should be careful of treatment by others.
Communication and Rumor Verification
Communications between a central location and the land and street areas will be provided to assist the medical and legal personnel, and to assist in rumor verification.
One of the lessons from Mayday was that people with walkie-talkies were among the prime targets of police arrest. In addition to this, people with walkie-talkies often unconsciously assisted the right-wing attempts to jam the air waves with unimportant transmissions, making the coordination of ambulance and medic teams very difficult. We hope that everyone could cooperate by not bringing their own walkie-talkies unless they feel that they are absolutely essential. If you do bring walkie·talkies, don't be surprised if you are one of the first arrested.
Rumor verification ts very important to keeping the politics of our actions clear. If you hear a rumor, it can be verified by calling at 538-3657, or the Miami Switchboard at 633-7907. A People’s radio station can be tuned in on any FM transistor radio at 93.9 megacycles whose call letters is WBUS. WBUS, or the "Magic Bus" has agreed to broadcast important announcements and situation reports throughout the demonstrations.
The importance of not circulating unverified rumors can never be overstated. In the past, especially during Mayday, the government used rumors to divide our community and weaken our attempts to shut down the government. Be especially careful of rumors of death or police riot, as the reaction to these rumors could serve as a well-orchestrated plan to justify police action. STAY TUNED TO WBUS FOR CURRENT INFORMATION. . .VERIFY RUMORS BEFORE YOU PASS THEM ON, PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY, PROTECT OURSELVES.
In looking towards the Republican Convention, we are truly excited. We had a positive experience with the first campsite during the Democratic Convention and we believe that the second campsite will be even better governed and coordinated. We feel the sense of community building around us now. We are sure the land area will be a living tribute to our life and to our politics. Those of us in Miami and Miami Beach are looking forward with great anticipation to be able to be together on the land with you.
SEE YOU IN MIAMI! ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
This manual represents the united efforts of:
Effeminist Caucus
Miami Conventions Coalition
Miami Women's Coalition
Peoples' Coalition for Peace and Justice
Youth International Party
Military science teaches us that a humane person deploys a weaker force to defeat a stronger one, a righteous man uses a smaller force to defeat a bigger one. --Nguyen Trai (15th Century)