Battle for the Soul of Occupy
KARNEY HATCH
Occupy’s May Day General Strike was a surprising and bold success for the visceral side of the movement. While most of Occupy put its energy into building coalitions with “legacy progressive groups”, labor unions and immigrant rights organizations, these efforts did not yield the anticipated results. In New York, for example, despite amassing a coalition of over a hundred organizations and rallying a crowd of more than 30,000, occupiers were thwarted in their attempts to shut down banks or re-occupy Wall Street. And some Zuccottis have complained that union representatives actively blocked an attempt to lead the crowd toward direct action at the end of the night. Meanwhile in Seattle, Oakland, San Francisco, New Orleans and elsewhere, anarchists using Black Bloc tactics stole the show.
On websites and forums, anarchists are rejoicing the spectacular showing of Black Bloc. “American anarchists haven’t experienced this much positive public attention since the euphoria and aftermath of N30 in Seattle,” writes one commentator. For many, the Black Bloc represents a tactical innovation that suggests the future of Occupy. “Occupy is dead, long live the Black Bloc,” writes another. An anarchist in New Orleans described how the status quo was unprepared for their tactics: “the Anti-Capitalism march caught the police off-guard and has the media dumb-founded. A full 24-hours later the Times Picayune has said nothing about the Anti-Capitalist March, only making mention of the permitted march that happened earlier in the day.”
In Oakland, the Black Bloc, which made up a large portion of the May Day General Strike, displayed a coordinated tactical philosophy – including the de-arresting of comrades, throwing eggs filled with paint, using homemade smoke-creating incendiaries to confuse police, and the rejection of media – that suggests prior planning, ongoing innovation and increasing sophistication. And Black Bloc tactics are just one aspect of the overall rejuvenation of anarchism that is happening right now including the increase of infoshops (there are two near Occupy Oakland: The Holdout and The Longhaul); the creation of bottom-up solidarity networks to replace top-down unions; providing free food on the model of Food Not Bombs; offering a compelling DIY aesthetic.
Anarchist occupiers are energized and their visceral tactics are attracting members. Now, the power of the Black Bloc is growing within Occupy and pushing the movement in unexpected directions.
Round 7 goes to the Black Bloc – now let’s see what we can do for the rest of May!
316 comments on the article “Battle for the Soul of Occupy”
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Anonymous
Not to mention that the Anarchists are isolating others and pushing many out of the Occupy movement.
Anonymous
Exactly
Anonymous
I don't know what Occupy you are active in, but it's the other way around in most areas. Liberals have taken over GAs, have disallowed @s from going on stack, and marginalized them to the point they typically quit - then get accused of showing up at actions to co-opt for their own purposes. I've seen this happen personally, and heard of it happening that way elsewhere.
Anonymous
What fiction - in the main article. Non-vandalistic/non-violent activists in Oakland worked dilligently to restrain black-block actions. The police got more sophisticated than they've usually been - systematically herding and dispersing the demonstration. So I don't know what planet the author was on in asserting that Oakland was a black-block triumph.
If the black-block is so certain that they represent Occupy - let them try passing a resolution to that effect - at any GA - including Oakland's.
Anonymous
It is not clear to me that the two Occupiers pictured are black-blockers. The masks are needed to protect against tear gas. I suggest that non black-blockers wear colored handkerchiefs over their mouths and noses - to distinguish themselves from the black block.
Anonymous
I haven't followed the activities of the Black Bloc that closely (I'm in the UK) but I know Chris Hedges has some qualms about their tactics, and he's someone whose opinion i respect. I agree with his argument that in order for direct action to be a positive force you need to have majority public support behind it, and at this point my perception is that a lot of the general public are on the fence about Occupy. In that situation, violent as opposed to non-violent activism will potentially turn off as many people as it attracts. Okay, so you inconvenience a corporation by damaging their property or disrupting them, but they'll easily recover. And as some earlier Occupiers observed, the police, if they would but realise (and perhaps some do) are a part of the 99%: working stiffs, albeit ones who've made a career choice that has led them to being protectors the 1%. The danger is it becomes an exercise in people getting a kick out smashing shit up, while not really changing anything, which will only happen if there's a change of consciousness and a greater understanding of the causes of the misery the 99% are enduring, a message Occupy can help to spread.
Anonymous
there is no "the blac bloc"
Anonymous
Yes there is. Whether you like it or not, the Black Bloc is widely regarded as a group of people who practice Black Bloc tactics. Those who insistently declare that Black Bloc is not a group are simply trying to confuse the issue so that the Black Bloc can avoid accountability for their actions.
Anonymous
What? No.
Anonymous
You have some points but I guess that the majority would think as David Graeber does in his reply to the Chris Hedges' post "An open letter to Chris Hedges"
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