Forum Post: Orderly Disorder is in Order

Believe me: OWS is the best thing to happen to this country since the Vietnam War protests; however, is it me or are we losing our focus? I grew up in Philadelphia and now live in New Jersey, just 15 minutes away. The Occupy movement here has been schizophrenic from the beginning. Some protesters were arrested and so a group goes and Occupies the police station. Graffiti is showing up on the walls of City Hall—a magnificent structure. Feces are being flung on subway walls. A woman was raped in one of the Occupiers tents the other night. People are urinating on the grounds around City Hall.

New York was doing it right by protesting within the bounds of the law; breaking the law means ‘they’ win and we lose. This movement cannot be about anything that pops into our mind at the moment. It must be about only one thing—changing the laws that allow Wall Street and Washington to do what they damn well please, and laugh in our faces all the way to their stash of money. A few thousand protesters walked around Obama’s house last week, and forced him to back off on the Tar Sands pipeline deal with Canada—at least for now. That is effective protesting—not hurling human feces on walls.

OWS needs to educate its followers and potential followers on exactly what is being done to us. And we need a leader—one leader—with a voice in Washington, or one who at least knows a lot of people in Washington. A few weeks ago former Congressman Alan Grayson was on the Bill Maher show, and clearly stated what the OWS needs to be about. He also said if we want him to lead the movement he would do so. How about giving him a call, and use technology to conduct nationwide forums so we are all on the same page?

There are so many Occupy movements underway I am concerned if any of them are talking to one another. If we keep going this way and that, we will lose the support of those who are in a better position to make change than many of us who do nothing more than try and shut down shipping ports in Oakland, disrupt politicians running for president by shouting over them, and finally, throwing feces on the walls of my home town.

Finally, keep in mind that the change we want will not happen overnight. It may take a few sessions of Congress before they get the message that if they do not do what the people want, they can be sure of being a one-term politician.