For over the past three months people in the United States, and now the world, have embraced the idea that the global corporate system is corrupt and needs to changed, and in some cases, completely restructured. What started as a few Canadians saying we need to make our voices heard on Wall Street by occupying an area nearby, has become a global movement addressing numerous issues from corporate influence in politics, income inequality, corrupt banking systems, student debt, and numerous other things. But many people, and myself included, have asked to what ends and how? I'm going outline my views as to what the Occupy movement should begin doing to make a lasting impact on the system at hand.
1. Continue to occupy
Yes, this is a very important aspect of the occupy movement, but it must be done in a different
way and in a different place. First, we need to look at the places we chose to occupy. In the beginning parks and public places were the perfect location to take the movement public. People who had no idea as to what the movement were about were drawn to the ideas being presented and the media had to respond. Constant coverage of the occupy locations in cities across the world moved people to see that there truly was something corrupt in the world and we were beginning to see how those in power would react to a push against the status quo. The police response and subsequent break-ups of the Occupy encampments led to new discussions about the freedom of assembly in this country and what it means in today's militarized society.
But now we need to be looking at where do we go from here. Sure, occupying public spaces gets
out the message, but you would be hard pressed to find someone who has not heard of the Occupy movement in the United States today. Now the movement needs to move within the communities of individuals. Looking at one of the root causes of the occupy movement would be the banking failures in terms of home mortgages and foreclosures. A way for people to make public this issue is to occupy their homes. If a home is in danger of foreclosure, Occupy protesters should be there to aid that family in occupying their own home and fighting to prevent foreclosure. This is now the point where we will see first and foremost where the loyalties of the government lie. Will cities continue to enforce evictions from homes which were involved in the sub-prime loan schemes of major banks, or will they stand with the people who fell victim to fraudulent actions by the banks? For example, look at former Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans who suspended evictions from foreclosure due to irregularities in the bank's actions when it came to the mortgages.
This is only one part of the new and more focused effort of Occupy but this could be an explosive move for the movement. People would begin to see the direct response of Occupy in their very own communities as people working together to save each other's homes. Also we would be directing the movement to a direct issue related to the grievances of the citizens.
2. Work with politicians
This is a hot button issue among members of the Occupy movement because of the mistrust of government, and I cannot blame them. Occupy needs to continue to work on the outside of politics, directly with the people in terms of addressing these issues. However, there needs to be an element of Occupy which reaches out to politicians who are serious about reforming the
system. The Tea Party made itself a mainstay of the Republican party by focusing on specific candidates with their issues at heart. Occupy needs to be doing the same. The argument of "my vote doesn't count" cannot come into play in this conversation. The adopted slogan of "We are the 99%" also means we are 99% of the electorate. If we want to prove that money can play no role in politics, we need to be voting for those politicians and getting rid of the others.
Specific ways we could identify these politicians would be anti-lobbying pledges where officials would not accept gifts or campaign donations from lobbying firms, creating a coalition among 3rd party candidates to fight for anti financial influence in politics, educating voters on candidates on their stances or previous voting records in relationto financial influence of politics, and the list can go on.
It has been said time and time again that it is much easier to destroy the system from within than from the outside. Yes, keep elements of Occupy separate from the political sphere, but we cannot ignore the power which the government has in the current system. When politicians can no longer ignore the movement because of its political influence, that is when the movement takes a large leap towards structured change of the system.
3. Mimic movements of the past
Let's be honest, Occupy as a movement began outside of the laws and was built up by working outside of the law. Marches and encampments began as spontaneous protests against the corrupt financial world and its involvement in politics. This was great because it got people's attention. However the movement cannot continue in this manner.
The most successful movements in recent history worked because they worked within the laws. Getting permits for rallies and marches were vital to their movements because without them, they would be inviting any sort of response by the powers that be. While taking place 50 years ago, the Civil Rights Movement
worked because they were meticulous in following all given laws. In following those laws, and then having the police push against their movement for no given reason, people began to realize the disparity between those in power and those seeking basic rights. This galvanized the movement to where the amount of people in support of the movement grew exponentially.Along with this comes the image of the movement. Its okay if anyone wants to be a part of the movement, however what people see is what forms their perception of the movement. Drum circles are great, but they are used to say that Occupy is nothing but lazy young adults who just chose not to work. We know this is not the case, but there needs to be a conscious effort as to what the image of the movement will be. Who are those we place in front of the marches and in front of the TV cameras? When Dorli Rainey was hit with pepper spray in Seattle, it became a symbol in terms of what was happening at that moment, but it cannot stay the image of Occupy because it
does not work to achieve the ends. Images of children at the front of marches in the 60's, with hands together in prayer, crippled the nation to where a serious re-prioritization of handling the movement had to take place. However when the public's view of Occupy is young adults who find hanging out in a park more fun that working. Yes, its not true, but that is the image.
4. To what ends?
One of the great things about Occupy in the beginning was its inclusiveness. However, the time has come for Occupy to create a set of goals and demands. Without a clear focus, nothing can be accomplished. Does Occupy need to allow 9/11 truthers to be a part of the movement? In my opinion, no. By creating a general mission Occupy can look at various issues and ask, does this fit within our plan. If it does, great. If not, oh well. There were reasons why movements of the past have had different fronts. Martin Luther King Jr. did not believe in violence, so Malcom X had his own movement. Both had successes and failures but worked for their own ends and both contributed to the Civil Rights Movement.
Creating a general set of demands does not lock the movement into specific dogma, but it creates points in which the movement can work towards and measure success. If there is no serious set of goals, they cannot be achieved and the movement can be branded as a failure. This is vital to ensure that Occupy is taken seriously, not only today, but in future when people look back on this period.
This is a defining moment for Occupy and it is time to direct the movements efforts to have a greater impact. The time for community awareness has come and past and now it is time for direct action. Without adaption, Occupy will splinter and go back to its various small protests and the movement will have stopped. Only through direct, supportive action, can Occupy continue to grow as a movement and create sweeping change across the geopolitical climate.
