Forum Post: I tried to warn you of this....
Posted 13 years ago on Sept. 27, 2011, 9:36 a.m. EST by AlanO
(52)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Local business owners are beginning to complain. What they initially viewed as an admirable movement for change, has turned to little more than a distraction disturbing their legitimate business. These are small business owners. Newsstands, shops, etc.. NOT mega-corps or Wall Street banksters.
But it's not all bad. Some still wish to see this succeed. Though their numbers are dwindling. Fast. And it will be only a matter of time before these small business owners begin to complain to the city in greater numbers, and pushing the city to take action on the situation with a force yet unseen. But their actions will have legitimacy, where before they blatant abuses of power, will now be viewed as "doing what needed to be done" to restore the normal flow of business to these legitimate customers.
So I can only make the following suggestion. Take it as you will:
Disband and go home. Spend a few days regrouping and framing a crystal clear message, with concise and realistic solutions that have a chance of affecting change. (I would suggest focusing on the overturning of the SCOTUS Citizens United decision, and the re-implementation of the Glass-Steagall Act.)
Get some rest, and pack some supplies for the long haul. Then head to the only place that could possibly do anything on these matters: Washington. October 6th will be a day to remember. And the entire nation will be focused on that location. So get in touch with the organizers of this:
Make the connection, and become a part of something that will happen in the only place that these types of changes have any chance of happening: Capitol Hill.
Should you decide to dismiss this suggestion, that is your choice, and I respect that. But I have my doubts that you will find the ability to change much from the location you're in. Should you conclude that what I suggest may actually be a better way to achieve the change you aspire to, then I can't wait to see you in Washington in 9 days.
Good luck, friends. And I hope to make your acquaintance soon.
Merging with those guys sounds pretty good, but I don't think anyone, anywhere, should let down. Those who can't get to NY (or aren't there yet) could divert to join these guys, as that is a location that will probably get more results, and they seem to be a bit more organised as far as logistics are concerned.
Exactly.
Nothing can be changed "on" Wall Street, "from" Wall Street. Because the changes that are necessary, can ONLY be affected IN Washington. Its "policy issues", and those can only be acted upon by and in congress. Wall Street was a great place to draw public attention in the beginning, and that awareness has been achieved. Now it is time to take action where action can be taken.
And that isn't Wall Street. Better a hundred thousand in Washington, than a couple thousand spread across the nation. If you can't be there in person, you can be there in spirit, and connect through social media, spreading the word to every corner of the planet, and bringing attention from far and wide to one focused location.
Its 9 days away, but there is no need to rush. This will go on for quite a while. So get there if/when you can.
No more of these congress people scapegoating "the American people" they so vehemently tout to speak for as they trample their voices beneath their corporate sponsored feet. For "we the people" will be standing before them to call out their lies, deceit, and misrepresentation into the open. And in the spirit of Martin Luther King, the peoples voice will finally be heard.
On another note, you guys made front page on CNN. Only took 11 days!
The problem is that this website and the people collecting the donations are paid off by the Koch Brothers and Karl Rove. They are teabagging Fox News rightwingers with no conscience.
Greater New York has approximately 17/18 million people. Shutting down a protest in New York in an attempt to concentrate one in Washington seems like a mistake to me. Many more people will find it easy to get to the New York protest, and a New York protest barely diminishes the potential for a Washington protest. You should have two protests: one in New York, and one in Washington.
I don't think those pulling the strings are at wall street, it's just their market.
You won't easily get to the puppeteer, but you can get to its strings, the government. The government doesn't want a big crowd on its front-steps, it's really not an image they want to get out on the international waves. Imagine ten thousand humans protesting at the Capitol, they will not be able to chastise those mid eastern countries that has their own protestors. They can't demand democracy to countries if they themselves have protestors demanding something better. It will expose the scam. It really is a blow to their image.
Cut the strings and the puppets stop dancing..
god less all i may can`t to comp for my far place call for lows in congress to Isolate any Official man if he take " Prestige Bribe " for example between president and news owner : i give you massive support "Bribe" to elect "Prestige" if you do ..1 2 etc....
"stop prestige bribe revolution !!"good title?
please tell compagien officials please put this in your orders i may explain more if get action
Wall Street runs Washington. When you head to DC, you're unfortunately dealing with the puppets instead of the puppetier. I agree that DC is important but let's not leave unfinished business in New York.
Friend, there's a press conference coming up on the steps of city hall. Not sure you're aware of that.
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. Kudos to those who made the upcoming press conference possible.
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.
I totally agree with you on all but one point: It is not Wall Street that runs Washington, it is the Banksters with their fiat money who hold our Nation hostage to their debt. As such it should be the Federal Reserve that should be shut down and abolished!
The Stock-Exchanges fulfill a vital role in a free-market economy: They allow some of the more wealthy of us to supply the more strapped with funding to engage in the economy. Kind of what services like Kickstarter (www.kickstarter.com) and Indiegogo (www.indiegogo.com) do today, except that the investors can expect more returns than mere trinkets.
I wish you luck friend.
But I don't think this will end as you desire. Because the wrong people have been affected, and have now provided the NYPD with the legitimate excuse they've needed to shut you down. I simply don't want to see it get out of hand.
You can believe that you can affect change from Wall Street. I won't begrudge you that choice. But just know that the policy that is affected by and from Wall Street, is not decided "ON" Wall Street.
But if staying in New York is your choice, I again wish you well. I however, choose to be where true change can be affected. Where policy is legislated, regardless of its origin. Where the decisions that effect all of our lives are decided, and eventually written into law.
On Capitol Hill in Washington.