Occupy Tells MoveOn, 'Don't Co-Opt Us!'
Protesters spurn conventional politicians, even those who support them
As the Occupy movement enters its second month, it has remained fiercely resistant to any kind of political message beyond "We are the 99 percent." If a recent encounter between Occupy Oakland and an established political advocacy group is any indication, that resistance is unlikely to erode any time soon.
The advocacy group, MoveOn, raises money for candidates and supports progressive causes. Earlier this year, it worked with Van Jones, an Oakland activist who served briefly as President Barack Obama's green-jobs czar, to launch “Rebuild the Dream,” a campaign to counterbalance the tea party movement’s influence in politics.
To support that campaign, the national MoveOn organization issued a mandate to its local branches: Organize protests and marches on Oct. 15 around “Rebuild the Dream” and voice a list of 10 demands on topics ranging from green jobs to health care.
Following that directive, an East Bay MoveOn group on Saturday led a march to the Federal Building in Oakland and presented the demands to a representative of Congresswoman Barbara Lee.
The group had initially planned to hold the event a block away, at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, and applied for permits months in advance — before Occupy Oakland set up its encampment there.
But when the Occupy group learned about the event, which was tightly scheduled and included more than 30 speakers, including the mayors of Oakland, Berkeley and Richmond, participants voiced strong opposition.
“We, as a group, don’t want any political office at this time speaking to us for any reason,” said Adam Willis, 42, who has been active in the Occupy movement. “We’re against the Democratic party and the Republican party. I think it’s important that we don’t let anyone or any organization co-opt this movement.”
Occupy Oakland appears to be as much about rejecting the current political process — including the well-oiled advocacy groups that participate in it — as it is about denouncing corporate greed.
“The problem is when political parties co-opt a movement like this and incorporate it into the system, it loses its effectiveness,” said Jason Ozolins, 28, an Occupy Oakland protester who has been camping out at Occupy Oakland and was at the MoveOn demonstration. “MoveOn seems to be trying to take the Occupy Movement and turn it into a get-out-the-vote for Obama in 2012.”
Occupy Oakland said if MoveOn wanted to hold its demonstration in the plaza, which is a public space, it had to follow Occupy's rules for using the plaza's auditorium. Occupy requires speakers to follow a “stack” system, in which anybody who wants to speak lines up.
MoveOn rejected the stack system and chose instead to have the politicians speak at Laney College, where it had also secured permits to demonstrate. From there, the group marched to the Federal Building, and then to the plaza in support of Occupy Oakland.
“When they moved in to Oakland last week, we were really happy,” MoveOn volunteer Selina Williams said. But conversations about the event quickly became “aggressive and conflict-ridden.”
Williams disputes the notion that MoveOn was trying to co-opt the Occupy movement. “I don’t understand. Does wanting to help raise awareness of Occupy mean we want to co-opt it?” she said.
As the Occupy movement spread across the nation in recent weeks, MoveOn added a pop-up window on its website, asking readers to sign a petition supporting the “Occupy Wall Street” movement.
But many members of the Occupy movement in Oakland and beyond say such actions are too little, too late. They claim that MoveOn was silent in the early days of Occupy Wall Street when the mainstream media marginalized it, said Occupy protester Andy Susich.
“If they really cared about the movement, they could have brought us into the conversation early on,” Susich said. “But they didn’t and now they’re focusing on the election angle of it, and they’re showing their true colors.”
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Eric Brooks
Queena, while I'm glad you are reporting about this very real (and important) dynamic tension between the Occupy movement and traditional electoral activist nonprofits like Move-On, I have to take strong issue with a grossly inaccurate statement that you make early on in your piece, as follows:
"As the Occupy movement enters its second month, it has remained fiercely resistant to any kind of political message beyond "We are the 99 percent.""
That statement is absurd. It is not remotely true. Nearly every Occupy center has released very clear and detailed statements listing clear grievances and purposes. You can see an excellent example from the original Occupy Wall Street, as posted on Daily Kos at:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/10/01/1021956/-First-official-statement-from-Occupy-Wall-Street
To put it bluntly, your statement above seems driven by your need as a reporter to simply come up with an oversimplified kitschy slant on your story which gives it a cheap grabby hook; all with a very dismissive neo-liberal hipster type attitude that you can use to pigeonhole the movement (in the same way that outlets like Fox and CNN have done) to falsely portray it as childlike and unfocused, so that it can be marginalized into your cartoon tabloid version of it for dramatic effect, rather than to serve truth. I expect that kind of gossipy flippancy from Rupert Murdock's papers, not the Bay Citizen.
Please, a little less hipster 'WOW, I'M COOL, READ ME!' attitude and a lot more actual research and hard reporting. Last time I checked the front page of the Bay Citizen was for hard news, not gossipy features.
Nathan Hale
Terribly inaccurate and ill-informed reporting. OWS specific demands are clear and easy to find. Almost willful ignorance on the part of this reporter, surprised the editor let it through.
Occupy Wall Street: New York General Assembly Official Statement
Official statement on which specific legislative demands will be based, which so far include passing HR 1489 "Return to Prudent Banking Act" which reinstates many provisions of Glass-Steagall, repeal of the Patriot Act, the national elimination of the death penalty, and the elimination of "personhood" legal status for corporations.
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Declaration of the Occupation of New York City | NYC General Assembly
Declaration of the Occupation of New York City: Grievances
Posted on September 30, 2011
This document was accepted by the NYC General Assembly on September 29, 2011
As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.
As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.
They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.
They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses.
They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.
They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.
They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices.
They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.
They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.
They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.
They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility.
They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.
They have sold our privacy as a commodity.
They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press. They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.
They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.
They have donated large sums of money to politicians, who are responsible for regulating them.
They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.
They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives or provide relief in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantial profit.
They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.
They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.
They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.
They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad. They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.
They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts. *
To the people of the world,
We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.
Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.
To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.
Join us and make your voices heard!
*These grievances are not all-inclusive.
Declaration of the Occupation of New York City | NYC General Assembly
-----------------------------------
LIST OF PROPOSED "DEMANDS FOR CONGRESS" (THIS IS A PARTIAL LIST AND A WORK IN PROGRESS)
1. CONGRESS PASS HR 1489 ("RETURN TO PRUDENT BANKING ACT" H.R. 1489: Return to Prudent Banking Act of 2011 (GovTrack.us) ). THIS REINSTATES MANY PROVISIONS OF THE GLASS-STEAGALL ACT. Glass–Steagall Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia --- Wiki entry summary: The repeal of provisions of the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933 by the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act in 1999 effectively removed the separation that previously existed between investment banking which issued securities and commercial banks which accepted deposits. The deregulation also removed conflict of interest prohibitions between investment bankers serving as officers of commercial banks. Most economists believe this repeal directly contributed to the severity of the Financial crisis of 2007–2011 by allowing Wall Street investment banking firms to gamble with their depositors' money that was held in commercial banks owned or created by the investment firms. Here's detail on repeal in 1999 and how it happened: Glass–Steagall Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia .
2. USE CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORITY AND OVERSIGHT TO ENSURE APPROPRIATE FEDERAL AGENCIES FULLY INVESTIGATE AND PROSECUTE THE WALL STREET CRIMINALS who clearly broke the law and helped cause the 2008 financial crisis in the following notable cases: (insert list of the most clear cut criminal actions). There is a pretty broad consensus that there is a clear group of people who got away with millions / billions illegally and haven't been brought to justice. Boy would this be long overdue and cathartic for millions of Americans. It would also be a shot across the bow for the financial industry. If you watch the solidly researched and awared winning documentary film "Inside Job" that was narrated by Matt Damon (pretty brave Matt!) and do other research, it wouldn't take long to develop the list.
3. CONGRESS ENACT LEGISLATION TO PROTECT OUR DEMOCRACY BY REVERSING THE EFFECTS OF THE CITIZENS UNITED SUPREME COURT DECISION which essentially said corporations can spend as much as they want on elections. The result is that corporations can pretty much buy elections. Corporations should be highly limited in ability to contribute to political campaigns no matter what the election and no matter what the form of media. This legislation should also RE-ESTABLISH THE PUBLIC AIRWAVES IN THE U.S. SO THAT POLITICAL CANDIDATES ARE GIVEN EQUAL TIME FOR FREE AT REASONABLE INTERVALS IN DAILY PROGRAMMING DURING CAMPAIGN SEASON. The same should extend to other media.
4. CONGRESS PASS THE BUFFETT RULE ON FAIR TAXATION SO THE RICH AND CORPORATIONS PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE & CLOSE CORPORATE TAX LOOP HOLES AND ENACT A PROHIBITION ON HIDING FUNDS OFF SHORE. No more GE paying zero or negative taxes. Pass the Buffet Rule on fair taxation so the rich pay their fair share. (If we have a really had a good negotiating position and have the place surrounded, we could actually dial up taxes on millionaires, billionaires and corporations even higher...back to what they once were in the 50's and 60's.
5. CONGRESS COMPLETELY REVAMP THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION and staff it at all levels with proven professionals who get the job done protecting the integrity of the marketplace so citizens and investors are both protected. This agency needs a large staff and needs to be well-funded. It's currently has a joke of a budget and is run by Wall St. insiders who often leave for high ticket cushy jobs with the corporations they were just regulating. Hmmm.
6. CONGRESS PASS SPECIFIC AND EFFECTIVE LAWS LIMITING THE INFLUENCE OF LOBBYISTS AND ELIMINATING THE PRACTICE OF LOBBYISTS WRITING LEGISLATION THAT ENDS UP ON THE FLOOR OF CONGRESS.
7. CONGRESS PASSING "Revolving Door Legislation" LEGISLATION ELIMINATING THE ABILITY OF FORMER GOVERNMENT REGULATORS GOING TO WORK FOR CORPORATIONS THAT THEY ONCE REGULATED. So, you don't get to work at the FDA for five years playing softball with Pfizer and then go to work for Pfizer making $195,000 a year. While they're at it, Congress should pass specific and effective laws to enforce strict judicial standards of conduct in matters concerning conflicts of interest. So long as judges are culled from the ranks of corporate attorneys the 1% will retain control.
8. ELIMINATE "PERSONHOOD" LEGAL STATUS FOR CORPORATIONS. The film "The Corporation" has a great section on how corporations won "personhood status".
9. REPEAL OF THE PATRIOT ACT
10. NATIONAL ELIMINATION OF THE DEATH PENALTY
CAD Guy
Oh yeah, 99% of The People agree with this rambling list of dreck. The authors of the document don't even seem to take it seriously enough to edit it. Can you imagine if our founding fathers had been this lazy?
Nathan, like your namesake, I regret that you have but one life to give for your country - since you appear to be wasting this one...
sheesh
Nathan Hale
LOL sitting on the sidelines throwing spitwads. Pop open another cold one bud. What's the game?
LawSci
Only 1% (not 99%) would agree with ALL these issues in the manifesto. For example, the death penalty issue alone removes more than half of citizens from the alleged 99%. On top of it, they exclude both the Dems and Republicans.
So ... the OWS are not also the 99%.
Just because you can identify outliers (unusual rich that don't pay taxes) does not make the rest of the rich bad guys. The exception does not make the rule.
Corporate tax rates in the U.S. are the second highest in the entire world. Then, when rich investors receive a distribution from the already taxed corporate income, they pay another 20% capital gains (double taxation). Then the rich people pay 30-38% on ordinary income, lose all their deductions, pay AMT. This is the more typical rule for the 1%. People with less income and investments pay lower, or no federal tax on income. They pay 15% or less on capitol gains. That is, the middle class pays less income tax and less capitol gains, absolutely and proportionately. So, how can paying a higher absolute amount and a higher proportional of tax not "their fair share"? The tax system remains highly progressive.
If one were to make a list of allegedly unsavory behaviors of another economic class, it would also be unfair. For example, a higher portion of poor people are violent criminals. These criminals are a small portion of the poor. Should we all rise up and hate poor people? The OWS manifesto is delusional class warfare against an imaginary evil upper 1% of earners.
All classes have their problems, but the Constitution is here to prevent tyranny of any majority (or alleged majority). Remember to vote. You are all smart enough not to be fooled by those evil corporations and rich people.
Michael Petrelis
i made the mistake last month of signing a moveon.org petition that a good friend was promoting, for a cause i support. a few moments after signing, i got an email congratulating me for becoming a member of the group! talk about a sleazy and dishonest way of creating an alleged membership base. after opting out of receiving any more of their emails, i received two emails pleading for me to keep my 'membership' with them. IMO, moveon.org is part of the problem, not the solution.
Paul B
I agree with the posters who corrected the reporter's blanket generalization and inaccurate statement re: Occupy Oakland.
Their movement has gone way beyond the safe and ineffective politics of MoveOn and other Democrat Party front groups who want to channel peoples' energy into the Democratic Party. The protestors are intelligent enough to know that the Democrats are equally responsible for the economic crisis and serve the same corporate interests that ruined working peoples' lives as the Republicans. Clinton gave us the Effective Death Penalty Act and other 'tough on crime' measures that have caused prison populations to increase; the Democrats back the phony 'war on terror' that has eroded civil liberties; Democrats like Joe Biden have coddled the financial industry and allowed banks and credit card companies to rip off consumers. All but one Democrat voted to attack Afghanistan and a majority have voted steadily to fund the war against the people of Iraq.
MoveOn needs to move on and listen to the voices of the youth, people of color, anarchists, socialists, rank and file labor, the poor and homeless.
The occupiers rejection of politicians should serve as a wake up call to the elected officials and Democrat Party front groups, but at some point, Occupy Oakland and others will need to deal with the system to transition beyond the encampment and have aprocess to get demands met.
MotherLodeBeth
While I support the OWS movement, the one thing I would like discussed is why aren't the liberals amongst the 1% being called on the carpet and told to change their ways? How many of the liberal amongst the 1% live wasteful rich lives with lips service but no walk the talk action in regard to those in need? Wealthy liberals need to be called into accountability. Its not good enough to show up for charity events where you have paid to attend. You need to get your hands dirty. Like making sure folks under a certain income have solar power so they aren't beholden to a monopoly like PG&E. Or support bike programs so that anyone who needs a bike can get one. Or back organic food growing programs so that those not middle class can get healthy food at a price they can afford. And like in the 60's and 70's fund low income free medical clinics so folks can get free preventative healthcare. And while you should be pro union you also need to make sure this doesn't allow bad workers to keep well paying jobs. Something the teachers union needs to get damn serious about.
Then we need to start demanding APPLE, Microsoft and other liberal leaning companies start producing jobs here in this country rather than send jobs overseas. How many wealthy folks throughout the bay area, who profess to being liberal, are being contacted and called on the carpet?One area that really bugs me no end, is the way the slow food, organic, green energy movement has been hijacked by wealthy or at least better off whites. They make these ideas so damn expensive with their elite thinking. And in turn end up hurting the poor and working poor. Stop being such damn snobs!! Its not the well off who are growing the crops, harvesting them and getting them to market. For every ten homes that get solar power, two homes for the working poor, disabled etc should get free installation.
Nathan Hale
Beth, this is not a right-left thing, as hard as the right tries to portray OWS as a tool of the left. All of the bailout millionaires and billionaires are being called on the carpet, both parties are bought out by Wall Street. No one is a friend of Barack O'Bailout.