Guest Column: On the Road With Occupy
Seattlest has been covering the Occupy Seattle rallies quite a bit--but we've yet to look at the other protests around the country. Shareef Ali is a songwriter/performer from Oakland, California. For the past two months, he has been touring the country by train in support of his newest release "How To End The War". During this time, he's visited multiple Occupy protests, including Seattle and Portland. Here, he reflects on why he supports the movement, and what he hopes it will achieve. His songs and other writings can be found at his blog.
When I started booking my first national tour as a songwriter/performer back in April, I of course had no idea that my travels would coincide with the spark and spread of the Occupy movement. I learned of the initial protest on September 16 in Oberlin--my undergraduate institution--where I saw the iconic poster plastered around and overheard students making bussing plans. When I arrived in New York a week and a half later and they were still out there, I decided to set aside my calcifying cynicism and longtime ambivalence towards protest and visit Liberty Plaza.
What I saw both surprised and inspired me: rather than chanting and marching (on this particular day at least), the predominant activities I saw were discussions, sharing of knowledge and skills, citizens empowering each other. Recognizing the timely opportunity I had to witness and document this moment unfolding throughout the country, I decided to attend Occupations in every city I could while on tour, sharing wisdom where appropriate, but mostly showing support and solidarity. Less than a week from arriving home to the SF Bay Area, I've visited eight: Manhattan, San Antonio, Austin, Tucson, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Seattle and Portland.
Before I go further: I don't purport to tell Seattleites their business about their own Occupation. I recognize that every community joining into this collective movement faces unique challenges determined by local politics, demographics, geography and a host of other factors. Plus I'm only ever getting a snapshot of what's going on in each locale. Anyway, y'all got plenty of seasoned activists and even more passion and determination and I know you'll work it out.
That said. When I showed up at Westlake Park last Wednesday morning, I was dismayed to find it (apparently) only populated by police and municipal workers. Had a successful campaign of police repression just been waged and won? Only at the far corner of the triangle did I find my cohort, obviously sleep-deprived, discombobulated by harassment and no more than two dozen in number. Hearing that another band was Occupying in front of City Hall, I paid them a visit as well. Hearteningly, it seemed less scattered, though attendance still fell short of what I expected in Seattle. I learned of the tensions that had surfaced between the two locations, with the City Hall crowd seemingly inclined towards compliance and Westlake towards defiance. Now, I'm all for civil disobedience, if it's well calculated for maximum effect; at the same time, I think it's naive to think that a mayor who has his police force crack down on nonviolent protesters (or can't or won't stop them from doing so) has the demonstrators' interests at heart, as some have suggested.
I felt increasingly encouraged as the afternoon progressed and numbers grew. I was deeply honored to be asked to kick off the General Assembly meeting that evening with a performance of my song "Witness" [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOxfXfAav24], written about the movement. I sat in on a discussion of a proposal to change locations, and the order and tone of the GA impressed me. Though nothing passed, I felt reassured that everyone's voice was being heard, and that this body would be able to navigate its trials internal and external. We should expect, even desire, that a movement striving for inclusivity will sometimes diverge strategically, will attract both peacemakers and pot-stirrers, and we should make room for all.
Nobody knows, of course, how far the Occupy movement could go, but it's my feeling that our immediate goal is to survive the winter. After all, you can bet our opponents, be they corporations, government or media, are hoping that we'll dwindle and die off with the cold. With all admiration and respect, between cops and climate, Occupy Seattle's task is a real mother.
Portland, as but one contrast, has to contend with their fair share of rain but is well-equipped with infrastructure of both tarps and tents, both permitted by the city (*that's* what a supportive Mayor looks like).
I think it's going to take a lot of creativity, courage and cooperation. I hope Occupy Seattle will ask for the support it needs from other Occupations, and I hope the rest of us can step up and provide it.
