Forum Post: HERE'S A FOCUSED PLAN THAT WILL WORK: Where We Go From Here
Posted 13 years ago on Sept. 26, 2011, 11:19 p.m. EST by GandhiKingMindset
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Many have said these things but let me try to collect them here in one spot. We are gaining momentum and the world is waking up to this incredible protest. We have remained non-violent. Many in America are sympathetic and are grateful that we are taking a stand.
But occupying the park and marching by themselves are not enough. The world and our supporters will get energized if we get tactical and take action:
FIRST - The videos of police using brutal physical force and pepper spray against peaceful protestors do an incredible job displaying the brutality of the power structure. King, Gandhi, Abbey Hoffman and countless others who are / were professionals at non-violent action and peaceful provocation would absolutely be calling a press conference denouncing these actions and showing these videos at the press conference. This puts the police on the defensive. Cheers those who are making the upcoming press conference at city hall steps possible. Huge props. But... That's only a start.
SECOND - King and Gandhi were successful in part because they were experts at tactical non-violence. We can follow in their footsteps by blocking the entrances to Wall St. offices this week. As we know, police have set up what amounts to a Green Zone around Wall St. But the suits have to enter somewhere. They have to leave the public street and enter that Green Zone somewhere. That point where public meets private should be the very center of our focus for non-violent resistance and occupation. Even as the location of that intersection shifts, we can always identify it. By definition there must always be an entrance and that entrance should be our focus.
THIRD - OUR ONE DEMAND - We should make one single demand: "Shut Down Wall St." Why are we shutting down Wall St.? "Because Wall St. is hurting Americans, hurting citizens of the world and ruining our environment."
When they fail to shut down Wall St., we do it for them in a non-violent way using peaceful non-violent resistance. And when the press asks, why.... We answer "We shut down Wall St. for a day so America and the world could breathe for a day, be free of the plutocracy for a day, be free of the exploitation for a day, be free of the greed for a day. Many will ask "What good is a day?" and we'll answer: "You call it a day. We call it a pretty good start. If someone has their foot on your neck for years and years and you non-violently force that foot to be removed for a day, that allows you breathing room for all sorts of options.
FOURTH - HOW - To shut it down, we need human chains of 30, 50, 90, 150, 300 people linked together (think zip ties) blocking the various entrances. The police will find it almost impossible to deal with these human blockades. This will create the largest pedestrian traffic jam New York has ever seen and the people who have been trading on the world's misery for so long simply won't be able to get in to do it that day. It will help if we don't go in as a march but instead go dark as regular old NYC pedestrians from all directions and then show up there at the same time.
I am aware that now protestors have found access to a large cache of civilian clothes that will allow many of the new people arriving to blend in (suits, ties, the works). This new donation will make it much easier to blend in up until the point of protest. And it will also gum up the works even more, making it easier to shut down Wall St. because now the police can't tell who's who and they need to stop EVERYONE, even the suits. Their Green Zone will then break down.
FIFTH - THE RESULT - The result of this direct non-violent action, this just protest, is that the front page of newspapers around the world will show images peaceful American youth shutting down the financial district that has wrought so much destruction around the world for so long. They'll be inspired by the ingenuity, the success and the courage and the movement will grow EXPONENTIALLY. Gandhi and King have given us the playbook. It's peaceful non-resistance. And it works.
We have the stage but that's not enough. It's time for direct action. It's time for civil disobedience to bring the truth into the light. They are not equipped to deal with it. They don't know what to do with non-violence because all the cameras are rolling and whatever they do makes them look bad. We will confound them if we take direct action.
The spirit of Abbey Hoffman, Martin L King and Gandhi is with us. It's time to use their playbook. It's time for ACTION!!! Civil disobedience. Our disobedience will be consistently blocking the entrances to Wall Street’s offices. They will find us coming together to block these entrances wherever they move them. Because there is always an intersection where public meets private. No matter where they move it, we’ll be there. We will be there.
1) Yes, use the videos, use the pictures, get the word out, but do NOT purposely put yourself in a position to get arrested. There are precious few of you as it is, and if you think NYPD can't stuff each and every one of you into a drunk tank to cool off, you're in for a rude awakening. A movement is useless if all the protesters are being booked.
2) There are a hundred and one entrances to these places, and you will not be able to cover all of them. Don't spread out. Don't let the media catch you thin and raggedy. They will play that clip of a near-empty protest epicenter all day and not once mention that you are spread out in a 6 block radius.Stay together, present solidarity, project size and enthusiasm.
3) You need a unified message, for sure, but that is not it. It's long, it's cumbersome, it's long-winded, and it's full of airy talk and bullshit. What are you doing? "Starting a conversation." What about? "The future that was stolen from me and all Americans" Why are you doing it? "Because Wall St. hurts Main Street, but we pay the price." Who are we? "We are your children. We are you. We are every one of that 9% that want to work but can't. We are just like you, and we won't let our future be bought and sold."
4) This will accomplish two things. First, it will make everyone who is just trying to get to work pissed off at you. Second, it will get all of you arrested. America doesn't care about protesters being arrested when they're making life difficult for "normal people". How about instead of blending in with people arriving for work, you put on the shirt and tie and show the world that you aren't an entitled brat but an intelligent, reasonable human being who is worth listening to?
5) My god, how is it that the most media-saturated generation can be so media-unsavvy? No, you will not be seen as inspiring heroes. When was the last time you saw protesters getting hailed as heroes? Hint: it wasn't G8, and it wasn't the Davos World Economic Forum. It was Egypt and Tunisia and Libya. Want to know what the difference was? Those protesters didn't act like douchebags until they started getting shot, and even then they were respectful, considerate, and presented themselves like people worth listening to. You want to get press and be on the cover of the NYT and have people give a shit? Don't be a douchebag. Let people get to work. Let people walking the streets get by. Don't yell slogans at anyone who will listen. Don't accost the reporters. Don't get naked. Don't climb on shit. Don't taunt the police. Be loud, but be directed. Start a dialogue, not a screaming match. Be the most polite person on the fucking street. Dress as well as you are able to. Don't put on elaborate puppet shows. KNOW WHAT THE FUCK YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. Be articulate. You have one chance, and one goal, and that goal and that chance is for housewives in Des Moines to look at you and think "What a nice young wo/man. That looks just like my kid, and s/he dresses and talks so well." That's it. That's the only way shit will work. Because if middle america gets bored or sees you as villains, it's already over.
You got a point. I've asked myself why don't they dress like the people frequenting the area and blend in, it will also make the cops job more difficult.
It's a courageous approach, GandhiKing. Remember, Martin L King took his protest to Washington D.C. in civil-minded fashion. Consider Wall Street a 'practice' run for the ultimate protest-- and your chance to finally tell the D.C. bureaucrats that their days are over!
I hear you but Washington is run by Wall Street. It's great to go to DC and we should but let's get our business done on Wall Street first and show them we have the ability to shut them down for a day, show them the power of the people. This is very important and will cause our numbers to swell exponentially. This will add non-violent force to the New York protest, the DC protests and others around the country and the world. The citizens of the world who are less courageous than us at the moment need to see us take a stand... Not just staying in a park and marching through the streets but taking direct action as King, Gandhi and their supporters would.
I agree... wholeheartedly. Wall Street is an excellent place to begin this type of movement. And you're right... this is VERY important. Thanks.
https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150398121910833
that won't work. your chains will be broken with night sticks and via bloodied stumps. Cops are evils cum. they have no conscience. What will work is doing the informationrevolutionwork and having a paradigm shift centered in science fact.
You know that by really shutting down wall-street, you may hasten the world economy collapse? (I don't mind that happening)
The government can't allow that to happen and if they can't find a way to circumvent that (like running the market at another location) they will use their everything to stop you. The same government that doesn't shed a tear killing hundreds, thousands, if not more kids.
Braze yourself, and be prepared, a world economic collapse may bring the changes we need, but before anything changes many will die.
As to 3)
Philosophically, I think the group needs to really focus on coming up with a short list of demands that are both simple and profound. For example, a repeal of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission is a natural target; this is the recent Supreme Court decision which essentially says that corporations can donate to political campaigns without limit. This decision was a horrible blow to our democracy and allows for the continued lack of political will to enact any meaningful reforms. Unfortunately it will take a constitutional amendment to do it, but it is an imperative that probably should be a main goal of the struggle, because this decision is perhaps the single-most destructive weapon in the corporate arsenal in the war against democracy.
You have my support on this plan!
Please forward this to as many people as possible in the park including General Assembly regular participants and leadership. Thank you!