Forum Post: Being Very Careful
Posted 13 years ago on Nov. 18, 2011, 7:35 a.m. EST by Roo
(1)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Be CAREFUL- Dont block streets and bridges during Rush hours. We need to keep the arrests UNLAWFUL arrests. It is the job of every city's government to keep traffic movement. Therefore, the city HAS to arrest you, even if your waving Pro-Bloomberg signs of "I <3 NYPD", "Mayor Bloomberg for President" "Abolish Welfare!" - You HAVE to be arrested just for the city to function. Blocking rush hour traffic wont hurt the rich, it will hurt Working stiffs being written up for being late, or in the afternoon frantically unable to get to the school to pick up their children from school will turn on you en masse. Will cheer the cops when heads are broken. Saying the Capitalist machine must be stopped anyway wont get you friends among the lower classes living paycheck to paycheck, who risk everything by being late to work. Losing $ by the minute for not being clocked in, shitty jobs all require clocking in. They're already convincing the working class that we planned to fuck their commute yesterday by "shutting down 20 big Subway Hubs" - Dont fuck up people's jobs. OWS is a tourist attraction - and the tourists that annually flood the city for the Christmas season can be your allies if they meet you face to face. Blocking streets will just make them believe everything the right wing journalists have been saying. Scattering all over the city doing teachins is a good idea...Although Thousands blocking City Hall cant be arrested, but a dozen can - if your in small groups,doing nothing wrong except walking, talking and holding signs, somebody has to be filming it by pretending not to be a part of the group, to let the world know, and for possible lawsuits against Mayor Bloomberg.
Thanks for leading the movement to greater understand of the power of mass action. That's such a perceptive comment about the lowest paid workers who get timed by the minute and docked for being late. But even at the wealthy law firm I got "laid off" from before the recession and am suing for age and other discrimination, staff had to sign in and out on hand scanners and on computers, which clocked them by the SECOND. Even the lawyers, who were highly paid, had to account for their time in increments of six minutes!
It takes thousands to make a difference but the movement has not been organized enough to reach the masses in public awareness.
There have been numerous posts reflecting that there is no clear message and what the solution is in exact detail for the masses to understand it.
Right now, the movement is losing ground and many have warned you of this. Its sad because it had real potential in the beginning. This wasn't thought out enough to realize how much opposition the movement was going to have to deal with and how they were going to get around it.
This is a really good post! You are absolutely right! The sentiments of the common people, our fellow 99% will predict the success of this movement. Also, here's a thought: go to the small wealthy towns and villages where the 1% go to rest, sleep and enjoy idyllic country living every night and weekend a mere 50 minute train ride from NYC. Disturb their little peaceful paradise with protests and noise. Those small town Barney Fife cops can't handle that!
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