OCCUPY WALL STREET

[Toughy]

Originally Posted by Miss Tick

Well, unless I'm mistaken there was a purpose. I'm not in Oakland so I don't know. But Occupy Oakland seems to believe they had a purpose or at least their media is releasing this like it was their purpose to occupy just one vacant building and the purpose for the occupation seems logical and in keeping with the whole idea of occupying in general:


Occupy Oakland Media reacted to the use of force by Oakland police:

Yesterday, the Oakland Police deployed hundreds of officers in riot gear so as to prevent Occupy Oakland from putting a building, vacant for 6 years with no plans for use, from being occupied and “re-purposed” as a community center. The Occupy Oakland GA passed a proposal calling for the space to be turned into a social center, convergence center and headquarters of the Occupy Oakland movement.

The police actions tonight cost the city of Oakland hundreds of thousands of dollars, and they repeatedly violated their own crowd control guidelines and protesters civil rights.

With all the problems in our city, should preventing activists from putting a vacant building to better use be their highest priority? Was it worth the hundreds of thousands of dollars they spent?

How about a conversation with City Hall about 're-purposing' the Convention Center? Mayor Quan (not my favorite mayor ever) was on the side of the Occupy folks in the beginning as were several members of the City Council. There was political capital that could have been used in negotiations to do something useful with the Convention Center. But then they just thought up this Convention Center Occupy. Why not talk when you have an advantage. The government IS the people and the people need to talk to our elected officials in order to effect change in the government.

This re-purposing the Convention Center is a brand new idea that has sprung up because folks have lost interest in the closing of the port (it's not a good idea to continue that action) as well as playing chase in the streets with the cops. Do you think it makes sense to break in and occupy a basically windowless building vacant for 6 years with no lights, no heat, no running water, no sanitation and make it a library for kids and feed folks? Please.........that makes as much sense as pissing into the wind......

The teachers and the unions and the everyday folks have grown very tired of property damage done by anarchists and idiots who are not being loudly denounced by the apparent general assemblies. The cops are not spray painting buildings, they are not breaking windows and other kinds of damage to small business all over downtown Oakland. There is NO reason to throw things at cops, break windows, make signs that say 'kill all pigs' and 'fuck the pigs' and general bullshit like that. Childish pointless bullshit. And please..........how chickenshit can you be to run into a YMCA to avoid arrest. When I was an activist the whole point was to get arrested peacefully and the more arrested the better the press. IF they would knock off all that bullshit, then the police would not behave the way they do. This IS a two way street with fault on both sides.

Occupy Oakland needs to get it's act together. They are failing and failing miserably at helping the 98-99% in Oakland. Unfortunately they are actually damaging the 98-99% because of property damage and clean up costs. Services WILL be cut and the public library is already under duress, as well as the teachers being laid off and small business having to pay their own clean up costs from spray paint and broken windows.

Way to go guys......big help to your fellow 98-99 percenters......and what have you done to effect change in money in politics and the influence of multi-national corporations and their continuing destruction of our democracy?

[Slowpurr]

[QUOTE=Toughy;516720]

This re-purposing the Convention Center is a brand new idea that has sprung up because folks have lost interest in the closing of the port (it's not a good idea to continue that action) as well as playing chase in the streets with the cops. Do you think it makes sense to break in and occupy a basically windowless building vacant for 6 years with no lights, no heat, no running water, no sanitation and make it a library for kids and feed folks? Please.........that makes as much sense as pissing into the wind......
Do you think it makes sense to respond to the occupation of "a basically windowless building vacant for 6 years with no lights, no heat, no running water, no sanitation" with teargas, stun grenades, and less-lethal shotgun projectiles?

excerpt from NY Times January 29, 2012
Fleeing teargas but still trapped, people pulled down chainlink fences and scurried out through underground parking garages in order to make an escape back to the streets. I waited as long as I could in the stinging air before crossing the previously fenced-in property; police held their lines, preventing people from leaving any other way. From kettle to boil was only seven minutes. This does not sound like anyone was "playing chase" to me.

I empathize with what it must be like to be living it like you are. I think you hit on something with your two way street comment too. Although, having watched footage of the Occupy New York conflict as well as a few others I would have to disagree with your assertion that the police would act mercifully given certain behavior on the part of the protesters.

[QUOTE=Toughy;516720]
When I was an activist the whole point was to get arrested peacefully and the more arrested the better the press.
I think the movement is working the press angle.