What happened to Occupy, anyway?
From Occupy Movement to Social Reconstruction
The movements that made headlines in 2011 are turning their energy toward rebuilding society from the ground up
By Nathan Schneider, Al Jazeera America
30 June 14
Ever since I wrote a book about Occupy Wall Street, I’ve often found myself on the receiving end of people asking, “What happened to Occupy, anyway?” Now, more than two years since the movement faded from the headlines, and in the wake of French economist Thomas Piketty’s bestselling diagnosis of economic inequality, the urgency of these questions is mounting, not diminishing. The answer is also becoming clearer: the networks of activists that formed in the midst of 2011’s worldwide wave of protest are developing into efforts to create durable economic and political experiments. Rather than focusing on opposing an unjust system, they’re testing ways to replace it with something new.
The 2011 movements were always prefigurative in some respects. From Tahrir Square in Cairo to Zuccotti Park in New York, protesters eschewed formal leadership in order to practice direct democracy, a means of revealing just how false our societies’ claims to being democratic have become. They built little utopias that provided free food, libraries, music, religious services and classes, trying to put on display what they thought a good society should look like.
The 2011 movements also reflected the emergence of a global community that spans borders as protesters in different countries borrowed strategies and slogans from each other. Though the U.S. media tended to present Occupy Wall Street as a homegrown phenomenon, the early meetings in New York that led to it were full of people with ties to movements in places such as Cairo, Athens and Barcelona. In the first weeks of the occupation in Zuccotti Park, I remember an activist from Spain rolling her eyes as she watched New Yorkers repeating some of the mistakes she and her comrades had made a few months earlier in Madrid. Even now, a careful observer can see these movements around the world riding a common wave, maturing in parallel with each other as they paddle their way to the next breakthrough, one experiment at a time.
To continue reading, go to: https://america.aljazeera.com/opinio...micchange.html
Re: What happened to Occupy, anyway?
What happened? It was a leaderless movement. No leaders, no movement. It's a shame because everything that we protested against has only gotten worse.
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Posted in reply to the post by occupied95472:
From Occupy Movement to Social Reconstruction
The movements that made headlines in 2011 are turning their energy toward rebuilding society from the ground up
By Nathan Schneider, Al Jazeera America
30 June 14
Ever since I wrote a book about Occupy Wall Street, I’ve often found myself on the receiving end of people asking, “What happened to Occupy, anyway?” ...
Re: What happened to Occupy, anyway?
Occupy Sonoma County
Occupy Sonoma County embraces the egalitarian, deep democracy principles of the Occupy Movement with a regional strategy for effectively organizing county-wide social justice campaigns that are globally relevant.
https://OccupySonomaCounty.org
https://www.facebook.com/OccupySonomaCounty
https://twitter.com/OcSoCo
Re: What happened to Occupy, anyway?
free country?
https://www.globalresearch.ca/occupy...d-states/29750
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Posted in reply to the post by EmeraldMatra:
Re: What happened to Occupy, anyway?
I'm here in Sonoma County and run the site https://dprogram.net - Please check it out!! They used 9/11 to create a police state at home to steal from the middle class and destroy our way of life. Snowden with his revelations on the spying shows that they were more afraid of political activists then they were terrorists. The real terrorists are in our government and above them.
See films 'Experts Speak Out' by over 2000 architects and engineers who want a new investigation of 9/11 because the buildings were demolished. Google 'building 7' Follow the money with cheney.. why goto iraq when it had nothing to do with 9/11 and checkout the PNAC documents where they had this planned years in advance.
Watch the film 'Inside Job' with hollywood actor Matt Damon - Got best documentary at the oscars in 2011 and shows how the middle class was destroyed by Wall Street and Politicians. Follow the Money. Look what Iceland did to the bankers and how their economy is now and how we instead gave millions to them. Raise consciousness!! Namaste, Shahin - https://facebook.com/shahinep
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Posted in reply to the post by arthunter:
Re: What happened to Occupy, anyway?
We've gotten the Safe Parking Program started. Eventually, capitalism will be overthrown, and Occupy will have been an important part of that.
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Posted in reply to the post by BobHeisler:
What happened? It was a leaderless movement. No leaders, no movement. It's a shame because everything that we protested against has only gotten worse.
Re: What happened to Occupy, anyway?
Don't hold your breath on that one Moon.
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Posted in reply to the post by Moon:
We've gotten the Safe Parking Program started. Eventually, capitalism will be overthrown, and Occupy will have been an important part of that.
Re: What happened to Occupy, anyway?
As I see it occupy was Kids discovering that rising in the streets makes a difference ,and Its in their back pocket! can and hopefully will with BETTER NAMES and clearer points and goals
WE ALL KNOW CHANGE NEEDS TO HAPPEN even straight money worshipers are secretly scared to death ,everyone is switching to organic MONSATANO is geetiing its story busted.
when the energy wanes however what you are left with is the most creepy over the top activists who live for nothing else but the public eye and "Outcry" so when a few real people decide to build a commemorative bench a bunch of dingbats who are addicted to debate shut it down!
so now the benches are going up all over town (Village Building convergence!) and where are the power grabbers now? well back in their rat holes till the next time they can surf someone else's wave.
cannot WAIT to see their creative bench come together...
Now everyone can show up for 350.orgs Climate march in N. Y . This is an opportunity to make a real difference
Re: What happened to Occupy, anyway?
The "Occupy", like many other protest actions, were against some things, but not for anything that they would like to see in their lives that they would like to have there. For them to be for something would require of them to agree on what they would like to see in their lives that they would all like to have there (because we all tend to want different things that are not always in concord withe each other) and then start pursuing achieving these collectively agreed upon objectives.
Thank you, Hearthstone - www.ModelEarth.Org .
Re: What happened to Occupy, anyway?
Occupy Sonoma County embraces the egalitarian, deep democracy principles of the Occupy Movement with a regional strategy for effectively organizing county-wide social justice campaigns that are globally relevant.
https://OccupySonomaCounty.org
https://www.facebook.com/OccupySonomaCounty
https://twitter.com/OcSoCo
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by hearthstone:
The "Occupy", like many other protest actions, were against some things, but not for anything. ...
Re: What happened to Occupy, anyway?
We've always been for, and have made some progress in (witness, e.g., the safe parking program) affordable housing for everyone. I and some others in the group say socialism is the way to get everyone what they need; others feel capitalism can be repaired.
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by hearthstone:
The "Occupy", like many other protest actions, were against some things, but not for anything that they would like to see in their lives that they would like to have there. ...
Re: What happened to Occupy, anyway?
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by Moon:
We've always been for, and have made some progress in (witness, e.g., the safe parking program) affordable housing for everyone. I and some others in the group say socialism is the way to get everyone what they need; others feel capitalism can be repaired.
Is there anywhere where the Occupy objectives would be clearly stated?
Thanks, Hearthstone.
Re: What happened to Occupy, anyway?
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Posted in reply to the post by hearthstone:
Is there anywhere where the Occupy objectives would be clearly stated?
Thanks, Hearthstone.
https://www.occupywallstreet.net/policy/principles-solidarity
OCCUPY WALL STREET
LIVE FROM THE OCCUPATIONS OF NEW YORK CITY
Principles of Solidarity
This document was accepted by the NYC General Assembly on September 23, 2011.
On September 17, 2011, people from all across the United States of America and the world came to protest the blatant injustices of our times perpetuated by the economic and political elites. On the 17th we as individuals rose up against political disenfranchisement and social and economic injustice. We spoke out, resisted, and successfully occupied Wall Street. Today, we proudly remain in Liberty Square constituting ourselves as autonomous political beings engaged in non-violent civil disobedience and building solidarity based on mutual respect, acceptance, and love. It is from these reclaimed grounds that we say to all Americans and to the world, Enough! How many crises does it take? We are the 99% and we have moved to reclaim our mortgaged future.
Through a direct democratic process, we have come together as individuals and crafted these principles of solidarity, which are points of unity that include but are not limited to:
- Engaging in direct and transparent participatory democracy;
- Exercising personal and collective responsibility;
- Recognizing individuals’ inherent privilege and the influence it has on all interactions;
- Empowering one another against all forms of oppression;
- Redefining how labor is valued;
- The sanctity of individual privacy;
- The belief that education is human right; and
- Endeavoring to practice and support wide application of open source.Making technologies, knowledge, and culture open to all to freely access, create, modify, and distribute. (amendment passed by consensus (2/9/2012)
We are daring to imagine a new socio-political and economic alternative that offers greater possibility of equality. We are consolidating the other proposed principles of solidarity, after which demands will follow.
Re: What happened to Occupy, anyway?
NYCGA.NET is a good link for the original, central US organization; basically, the goal is to get money out of politics.
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Posted in reply to the post by hearthstone:
Is there anywhere where the Occupy objectives would be clearly stated?
Thanks, Hearthstone.
Re: What happened to Occupy, anyway?
Somewhere I saw a picture from an Occupy demonstration in which somebody was holding a sign which read:
"99%+1%=100%".
This is what, I think, should be happening: All from all sides of a conflict working together on a reality in which all would be united in creating a world acceptable to all who share this world.
Thank you, Hearthstone.
Re: What happened to Occupy, anyway?
Occupy is still alive and well here in Sonoma County in many ways, including the following:
1. Occupy Sonoma County hosts regular presentations, as evidenced by some of Emerald's postings in this thread.
2. Occupy Sebastopol convinced the city to provide a space in the plaza for an Occupy bench at the place often called "the free-speech corner," near the cross-walk to the Rialto Theatre. Fundraising continues and the City recently sent out a design of the bench and an appeal for funds.
3. Many of us who met through Occupy continue our work together, guided by its principles, in other ways.
4. One of the editors of Occupy.com was raised in Sonoma County, schooled at El Molino, and has moved back here. Check Occupy.com out for some of the latest news about the 99% and the growing wealth of the 1%.
Occupy changed the discussion and many of its activists continue their good work.
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by Moon:
NYCGA.NET is a good link for the original, central US organization; basically, the goal is to get money out of politics.
Re: What happened to Occupy, anyway?
Let's also remember that Occupy Petaluma has been a very active Occupy group for 3 1/2 years as well. OP folks are also active in other groups such as homeless rights groups, the Fukushima Response Campaign, the Progressive Festival, and Move To Amend. Activism happening in Petaluma likely has OP people involved.
https://www.facebook.com/occupypetalumapage
Love,
Emerald
https://OccupySonomaCounty.org
Be sure to attend OSC's next teach in on Getting Past Capitalism, Monday, March 30 7 PM, Peace & Justice Center, 467 Sebastopol Ave., Santa Rosa with a pay-what-you-can plant sale and free seed exchange. Donations requested.
https://www.facebook.com/events/741356035972415
