www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy-… It Time for a Tactical Change?

BY:  Joseph Victor Metallo


Here is something I have been thinking about lately, with all the police move-ins of the past days. This is something maybe for you guys to consider and bring up in your GAs if you agree with me. (Please read it all, or at least most of it, before responding.)

The "Occupy" (insofar as actually camping out) gimmick has reached about the end of whatever good it can do, in my opinion. It appears it can only become increasingly counter-productive. It's taking the focus off of the issues we are really about and putting focus on the clashes between police and protestors. That doesn't exactly help any since it makes those in the public who are for us even more for us and those who are against us even more against us.

Obviously when the first protestors began in NYC, they didn't necessarily think it would grow to have the awareness of the world upon it like it is now. If you think about what really happened, we all jumped on board the "Occupy" bandwagon, just like we would do with the "trends that are hot this summer", without thinking of the implications of many people camping out in many areas. It served its purpose with the initial protest, by drawing attention to itself and unexpectedly ballooning with support. But I think it is probably time to dial back on that aspect--or at least to do so would best serve the cause.

There are many in the public who say that we deserve whatever crackdown we get by foolhardily occupying these locations. You have to keep in mind that it only serves to give the police more "reason" to crack down on us and further solidifying the opinions of some of the public against us.

Another thing is that being in these very vulnerable groups 24/7 will attract some people who are only looking for trouble or, say, to rape and cause fights. Whether or not this has anything to do with us, REGARDLESS of how sanitary we keep the areas, it will still reflect badly on us in public opinion, and we are just giving them fodder for no other reason than "this is the way it started out".

REMEMBER: the first step of this battle we are fighting is largely an informational war. We need to think about what messages we are projecting via the basic organization of how this movement works, just as the politicians would.

I think that assembling every day and then going back to wherever we are from won't hurt the cause any, and could only help it really, by giving the oligarchs less of a "reasonable" reason for showing a stern hand, and by garnering more support if they still decide to attack us. By continuing to occupy these areas, we are in the end only helping them by giving them this "justification".

We can be a peaceful movement, by all means, and even still Occupy all these locations daily, but the camping out seems a bit superfluous. We need to show ourselves to be very flexible depending on what is thrown at us, and try our best to get the widest support possible. Changing our ideas in order to get that support isn't possible, but changing our tactics very well is.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not on the ground with you all, so I can't say all this with 100% certainty. Maybe by not being on the ground, I am missing something that is very vital. I'm sure it would give rise to other issues as well, such as maybe some who are at the protests have no place to go. But it would help solve the issue of the upcoming flu season to at least some extent, and allow for some of the donations that would go toward vaccination and other medical issues to be used to find some sort of lodging for such people. I'm sure we can all figure out something if we work together.

One last thing, it is NOT admitting defeat to discontinue the camp-outs. If we are to be noble and respectful about this and truly hope for it to be a peaceful movement, then there is no reason to not change our tactics. Because as it stands, we all know what they are going to do in an increasing fashion, and sticking around and bracing for it is only putting our brothers and sisters at risk of harm.

I figure if you agree with me, then maybe you could help convey the message for others to bring up in their GAs. Each location's needs are specific, so it should be up to each to decide what is best to continue their message.

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