Op-Ed: Why We Should Still Support Occupy Seattle

not an angry anarchist. photo by Hanna Brooks Olsen

We saw an ugly side of Occupy Seattle yesterday. As documented by our own Hanna Brooks Olsen, and in The Stranger's excellent coverage, the movement spent much of the day looking unfocused, petulant, and preoccupied by escalating a conflict with City Hall. By the evening, an unhealthy determination for martyrdom pervaded as activists seemed determined to make a last stand at Westlake despite the convincing evidence that there would be a police crackdown when the park closed at 10:00pm. As someone who was witness to much of this, it was not pleasant to watch, but I think a bit of perspective is in order before we start writing these people off.

Why stand with a group who are just as capable of frustrating as inspiring? How can a thinking person embrace a movement that includes more than a few hotheads and hooligans more interested in making a violent, personal stand against the authorities than any social or political reforms? Is it possible to be serious about a movement that includes people who need a hit of pot to prepare for possible arrest, and at least one full-costume Che Guevara impersonator? I'll admit that I find plenty to wince at when I'm at Westlake, but show me another large, vibrant movement without these problems and embarrassments that addresses social and economic inequity and the erosion of our democracy, and I'll be the first to sign up, but until then, the Occupations will have to suffice.

To all you liberals who have a nuanced, well-reasoned objection to some element the Occupations, the question looms: what's your plan? Yell at the TV while you watch Rachel Maddow? Make dinner party conversation about how much you hate John Boehner? More bumper-stickers? Pray that Obama is visited by the ghost of FDR in a dream, then replaces Geithner with Paul Krugman in the morning?

Here are the facts: incomes for 99% of the country have been stagnate for decades, services have been cut to pay for tax cuts that favor the rich, and money has become all-powerful in our political system. Ask yourself if it's worth it to be neutral, or even hostile to the only force in our society opposed to these trends over a few hours of bad behavior. Whatever the outcome of the protests, I doubt very much that people will swell with pride when they say: "I supported some of what they were saying, but their fight with the Mayor was quixotic and embarrassing, and some of the protesters were pretty weird, so I just stayed home." Occupy Seattle is a big-tent (purely metaphorically, no tents allowed, of course), open-ended movement. If you're basically supportive, but you feel like it's been taken over by wild-eyed anarchists, the best solution is to get your non-wild-eyed anarchist friends together, head down to Westlake, and make sure your views are represented.

No political cause in history has ever been immaculate. From the American Revolution to Civil Rights, every mass citizen's movement is born unfocused and chaotic, attracts unproductive eccentrics, and even makes mistakes along the way. Occupy Seattle is sometimes wrong, or even silly, but judge them on the big picture: their broad platform, and their ability to do good. I'll be at Westlake tonight, and anyone who'd rather be side-by-side with weirdos or hooligans (and an overwhelming majority of average people) than Rand-reading bankers, loony Tea Partiers, or crooked lobbyists, is welcome to join me.

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By Everett Rummage in News on October 13, 2011 2:00 PM 0 Comments

Occupy Seattle

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Chris

I was out with the protestors for that first week and stayed all night 3 times. I cleaned, I GAed, I waved signs. And I believe in exactly what you are saying. But I also believe in Civil Disobedience as a process. The laws we have now that favor the Super Rich are unjust. Those laws need to be changed and we can demonstrate that through direct action (up to and including arrest).

But this has become an argument over tents. A silly, drawn out meaningless argument over being able to occupy a large slab of cement with no natural shelter from the elements. From the beginning, the Mayor offered us City Hall, but we said no. We couldn't trust the mayor, trust the police, trust the media. And we got bogged down by the tent issue, that being able to sleep in tents at Westlake seemed to be our main concern.

There is history to organized Civil Disobedience. There are theories and Principles. Direct action occurs for a targeted purpose related to what you are protesting. Getting arrested for someone elses tent was not why I was out there,

We have enormous support from the community that we are wasting. We get so bogged down in process in the name of being "Leaderless" that people fear speaking. And we have "Hate". I can not belong to a Protest working for Social Justice that expresses such hate for the Police, Mayor, ect. The Police ARE the "99%". The SPD are not "tools of Enron". I could no longer just ignore a "few in the group" spouting this nonsense. And there was no way to question the action of these folks.

So #OccupySeattle spreads a positive message of change and unity all day, and becomes a useless battle of wills at night. And the PD have shown enormous restraint. When we had 10 arrested and then celebrated like a high school pep rally after the cops left was all I could take. So I support the "Cause", but mourn the fact that our main contribution to todays global events will be "Night of 500 Tents". That'll teach those 1%