#OCCUPYHOMES
Last week, tens of thousands of protesters at #OCCUPYOAKLAND shut down the nation's fifth largest port in a tremendous show of strength for the movement. It was a rare victory. Less well known is that a few hours later, a bit after midnight, a small number of occupiers may have stumbled across the movement's next great tactical breakthrough.
Walking amongst the crowd on its way to the port, a certain strident militancy was obvious in the way that people, some carrying shields, marched proudly forward. The tense mood quickly turned to joyousness once it became clear that the Oakland Police were not going to stand in the way. Multiple layers of human barricades were spontaneously formed within the port by roving musicians, some amplified by bike-powered speakers, whose indie music magically congregated people at tactically key intersections. A line of thirty vets in uniform protected the flank while elsewhere civilians set up fencing to secure the roads. Free water was brought in on #OCCUPYOAKLAND trucks and everywhere food was being shared with new friends. Most remarkable about this revolutionary moment is that it felt so easy.
Throughout the day, there had been talk of escalating #OCCUPY from being a movement to take the squares into a movement to reclaim foreclosed space. The tantalizing idea of turning bank-owned, dormant buildings into radical housing, squats and community spaces floated amongst the encampment. That night, a small group of occupiers took the initiative and reclaimed a nearby building that was once the Traveler's Aid Society, a non-profit that aided the homeless but had closed after cuts to government funding. "We had plans to start using this space as a library, a place for classes and workshops, as well as a dormitory for those with health conditions," they explained in a communique.
The state response was swift and ferocious: "hundreds of police officers, armed to the hilt with bean bag guns, tear gas and flashbang grenades" quickly suppressed the expansion of the movement while the corporate media ensured that the nation would awake to context-less stories of violence. But, as the protesters pointed out, this over-reaction betrays that they may have stumbled across our greatest strength. Isn't it strange that "the city spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to protect one landlord's right to earn a few thousand every month... whereas the blockade of the port – an action which caused millions of dollars of losses – met with no resistance"? Why did "the attempt to take one single building, a building that was unused, meet with the most brutal and swift response"?
While #OCCUPYWALLSTREET digs in for the winter at Zuccotti, with twenty military-grade tents costing upwards of $20,000, the rest of the movement is looking with trepidation towards the cold nights ahead. Let's learn from the people of Oakland for they have found a very simple and elegant solution: we move indoors, we reclaim foreclosed space.
Every city in America, even the richest areas, have empty storefronts and houses whose tenants have been evicted while their bank owners keep the spaces unused. Each of these empty buildings is a potential #OCCUPY, a future squat inviting us, waiting for us to come.
In a speech at #OCCUPYWALLSTREET, the philosopher Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak urged the movement to not let mere "survival count as enough of a victory." Her point was simple and profound: we do not win by hanging on. We win by continuing to innovate and escalate our myriad attacks until the beast of consumer-capitalism falls to its knees.
181 comments on the article “#OCCUPYHOMES”
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Anonymous
What about creating a legal structure to help displaced people go back to their foreclosed homes? Forcing banks to rent? Any lawyers here?
Anonymous
What about creating a legal structure to help displaced people go back to their foreclosed homes? Forcing banks to rent? Any lawyers here?
Anonymous
tell the banks they should have rented to the little girl and her family I saw in OWS the other day. The little girl is like 1and a half at most. she had a sign on her baby carriage. www.occupywallstreetbaby.com. American banks and government should be ashamed of themselves.
Anonymous
tell the banks they should have rented to the little girl and her family I saw in OWS the other day. The little girl is like 1and a half at most. she had a sign on her baby carriage. www.occupywallstreetbaby.com. American banks and government should be ashamed of themselves.
Anonymous
The building occupation that occurred last week after the conclusion of the highly successful general strike was incredibly counterproductive.
It precipitated yet another violent response from the police and undoubtedly helped turn public opinion against the Occupy Oakland movement. Ultimately, it will have played a major role in the dismantling of the encampment--particularly since the General Assembly has once again refused to condemn such actions.
Just for the historical record, the building they chose to occupy and vandalize wasn't foreclosed nor is it owned by a bank. It is, in fact, owned by a partnership that consists of a small group of senior citizens who range in age from their 70's to their 90's. Like me, they are baffled as to why anyone would do this.
Also, for the record, this building may have been vacant but it wasn't abandoned. To the contrary, it is
for sale with two offers currently on the table. A third prospective buyer backed out due to fears that these misguided "revolutionaries" would return.
I can't adequately express the extent to which I'm saddened by the betrayal of a movement that had incredible potential to bring about much needed change. Perhaps, Occupy Oakland can still reinvent itself as a group that chooses its "friends" more judiciously and, in the process, become far more "inclusive" by attracting into the fold people, like me, who remain wholly committed to peaceful protests.
Anonymous
The building occupation that occurred last week after the conclusion of the highly successful general strike was incredibly counterproductive.
It precipitated yet another violent response from the police and undoubtedly helped turn public opinion against the Occupy Oakland movement. Ultimately, it will have played a major role in the dismantling of the encampment--particularly since the General Assembly has once again refused to condemn such actions.
Just for the historical record, the building they chose to occupy and vandalize wasn't foreclosed nor is it owned by a bank. It is, in fact, owned by a partnership that consists of a small group of senior citizens who range in age from their 70's to their 90's. Like me, they are baffled as to why anyone would do this.
Also, for the record, this building may have been vacant but it wasn't abandoned. To the contrary, it is
for sale with two offers currently on the table. A third prospective buyer backed out due to fears that these misguided "revolutionaries" would return.
I can't adequately express the extent to which I'm saddened by the betrayal of a movement that had incredible potential to bring about much needed change. Perhaps, Occupy Oakland can still reinvent itself as a group that chooses its "friends" more judiciously and, in the process, become far more "inclusive" by attracting into the fold people, like me, who remain wholly committed to peaceful protests.
Anonymous
Whats up? These folks aren't down for the cause? They don't want to be a part of the solution? A part of history? If you know them, ask them. They would rather have money they don't need than support justice for future generations?
Anonymous
Whats up? These folks aren't down for the cause? They don't want to be a part of the solution? A part of history? If you know them, ask them. They would rather have money they don't need than support justice for future generations?
Anonymous
our group is open to ANYONE--what is more inclusive than that? when you say "Perhaps, Occupy Oakland can still reinvent itself as a group that chooses its "friends" more judiciously and, in the process, become far more "inclusive" by attracting into the fold people, like me, who remain wholly committed to peaceful protests," you are actually saying "make this group include more people just like me and exclude those who arent." we all need to THINK more inclusively--make room in your mind for those who are different, just like this movement has. there was actually a great idea behind the move to occupy this building and it was not meant to be injurious to any specific party. maybe next time there can be some research and a better site chosen (vacant state/federal property or large commercial/production facilities or sites owned by anonymous, distant slumlords). the fact that so much property sits vacant and unused is disturbing when you consider how many people are homeless. i hitchhiked across canada and the us in 04/05, BEFORE the financial meltdown, and tent cities were springing up EVERYWHERE even at that time. now foreclosures are through the roof, shutdown of plants/offices/etc is growing, more space is being wasted. this space can be used to provide shelter for everyone (which is a NEED, which makes it a RIGHT), to produce food for the community (which is a NEED, which makes it a RIGHT). this movements focus should be building an independent, sustainable, self-sufficient community that promotes true equality, inclusion, community, and people learning to care for and provide for everyone in their community above themselves as individuals. we need to show the world that we, as free people, can take care of ourselves without government intervention and corporate power, are not just a bunch of lazy punk kids and crazy dirty hippies, but a vibrant hardworking intelligent fun loving sharing caring all inclusive union of people who just want to live and enjoy the pleasures of life without fear of losing it all over someone elses profits and want the peoples of the entire world to be able to share in that same freedom. not the freedom to buy whatever shiny little trinket fills that hole in you where true freedom used to reside, but the true freedom of natural law, common sense, common decency, common good, greater spirit, whatever you want to call it. money, private property, copyrights, intellectual property, trademarks, etc-they are all exclusionary ideas meant to give money its power and value. money itself means nothing--it did not evolve from trees--people created it. they created it to make sure the caste system worked which allowed people to have power over other people. it creates the haves and have-nots. we as a people can reject the idea that it SHOULD be this way, or we can foster a new (old, but coming around again) idea--sharing. stop keeping secrets, stop hoarding beneficial technologies, hoarding resources, looking out for "ME" and "MINE" and instead look out for "US" and "OURS"
Anonymous
our group is open to ANYONE--what is more inclusive than that? when you say "Perhaps, Occupy Oakland can still reinvent itself as a group that chooses its "friends" more judiciously and, in the process, become far more "inclusive" by attracting into the fold people, like me, who remain wholly committed to peaceful protests," you are actually saying "make this group include more people just like me and exclude those who arent." we all need to THINK more inclusively--make room in your mind for those who are different, just like this movement has. there was actually a great idea behind the move to occupy this building and it was not meant to be injurious to any specific party. maybe next time there can be some research and a better site chosen (vacant state/federal property or large commercial/production facilities or sites owned by anonymous, distant slumlords). the fact that so much property sits vacant and unused is disturbing when you consider how many people are homeless. i hitchhiked across canada and the us in 04/05, BEFORE the financial meltdown, and tent cities were springing up EVERYWHERE even at that time. now foreclosures are through the roof, shutdown of plants/offices/etc is growing, more space is being wasted. this space can be used to provide shelter for everyone (which is a NEED, which makes it a RIGHT), to produce food for the community (which is a NEED, which makes it a RIGHT). this movements focus should be building an independent, sustainable, self-sufficient community that promotes true equality, inclusion, community, and people learning to care for and provide for everyone in their community above themselves as individuals. we need to show the world that we, as free people, can take care of ourselves without government intervention and corporate power, are not just a bunch of lazy punk kids and crazy dirty hippies, but a vibrant hardworking intelligent fun loving sharing caring all inclusive union of people who just want to live and enjoy the pleasures of life without fear of losing it all over someone elses profits and want the peoples of the entire world to be able to share in that same freedom. not the freedom to buy whatever shiny little trinket fills that hole in you where true freedom used to reside, but the true freedom of natural law, common sense, common decency, common good, greater spirit, whatever you want to call it. money, private property, copyrights, intellectual property, trademarks, etc-they are all exclusionary ideas meant to give money its power and value. money itself means nothing--it did not evolve from trees--people created it. they created it to make sure the caste system worked which allowed people to have power over other people. it creates the haves and have-nots. we as a people can reject the idea that it SHOULD be this way, or we can foster a new (old, but coming around again) idea--sharing. stop keeping secrets, stop hoarding beneficial technologies, hoarding resources, looking out for "ME" and "MINE" and instead look out for "US" and "OURS"
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