Occupy Austin Eviction (part 1 of 2)

I'm not one of those people that is scared of the police. In fact, I generally think that police are trying to do their best (I actually believe this is true of almost all people – we just define best very differently).

Saturday night I was scared of the Police. Although this story is about Saturday night, let's start with Friday to set the scene.

Friday night, about 10 pm, I got a text from stating that eviction was imminent. Immediately we left our fun night of board games and headed to City Hall. It was a warm February night and rain was on the way.

We arrived at City Hall about 10:20 pm. The scene was I imagine in books or a country that is under martial law. There were police surrounding City Hall in riot gear. There were cop cars blocking the streets around City Hall. Police were barring more people from entering the premises. I saw a few of my friends running back and forth between the free parking lot and City Hall trying to organize trucks and cars to remove all personal belongings before the police took custody of them. Everyone was in a frenzied, harried state. No idea what would come next or why we were being evicted.

At this point we decided to stay far from the fray. Instead of trying to get onto City Hall property we intentionally stayed away from Police and potential arrest. In case this became a violent situation I was ready to be the person that reported on it. As a member of the Occupy Austin media team I contacted more members of the media team, who I knew were not at City Hall, and informed them of the situation as it was unfolding. I took pictures of the Police in riot gear as they descended from the City Bus, now labled “APD”. I watched as more than 100 police approached my friends. I did not know if this would be an incident like the one in Oakland that would end in tear gas and mass arrests. I did not know how this night would end. I was scared.

I saw people being arrested. The cops carrying people from City Hall Plaza to the vans awaiting them. I did not know if they would take everyone or just a few. I knew that doing what I was doing was important, but at the same time I felt guilt because I was choosing to let these people that I have been organizing with, marching next to and creating the revolution with risk arrest and bodily harm while I watched. After a few arrests the remaining Occupiers began marching. They took the tent (the one symbolic tent of our Occupation) and marched. They gathered in a park near City Hall.

Just as we approached the gathered Occupiers police also began approaching the park. We left and began walking in the other direction. They began marching and chanting and took to the streets again. We walked away. Again aware that I was walking towards my own safety while I left my friends (and dare I say family?) in peril. We walked and walked. Trying to keep an eye on this misfit protest that had no where to go. Then it started to rain.

The rain was not playing with us. People had been kicked out of their homes into the streets to wander as the rain approached. It was now storming. We lost sight of the protestors. It was hard to tell who was a part of the protest movement amid the many people out to party on 5^th and 6^th street. I tried to spot those I knew.

It continued to rain. We tried to follow them but they were lost in the rain drops that drenched all those who dared to go out – protestors and revellers alike.

Around 2 am we decided it was time to get home and get to work. We wandered back to the car which was parked about 4 blocks from City Hall. There were a few Occupiers huddled under an awning. We stopped and spoke with them briefly. They had broken up about the same time that we decided to head home. The Occupiers left had made sure everyone had a place to go that night. We headed back to the apartment and began the long work of writing a press release.

I was in an emotional state, unable to think clearly, but I knew that we had to have something to give to the Press by the morning. We stayed up and we worked and we wrote and we wrote and we edited and we edited. Around 5 am we went to bed. I'm proud of that Press release. I'm proud of the way we are handling our eviction.

That was my Friday night. Saturday night was a whole different experience.... and another blog post.

Three months and going strong

This past weekend was the three month celebration of Occupy Austin. It was a great weekend. Mostly it was great as a bonding experience. We are a group of people that are trying to do something radical. We are trying to create a new world that values people over profits. This is hard work. It is the work that needs to be done and we are the people that can do it. We are all tired and scared that we won't succeed. We are all hopeful and scared that we will. We have only been doing for three months in Austin. We are planning for the long haul. Every once in a while we need to just celebrate. That's what this weekend it was and it was amazing.

We had a party on Friday night. A mobile dance party. It was a surprise to the police, honestly it was a surprise to us. We were not sure of our path before the march and we wandered from park to park with our tents and our mobile dance party. We wandered the streets of Austin. We went to the Capitol of Texas and danced on the steps of the Capitol. We wandered to 6th street. The street of parties and drunkards and many people who could join us. We danced with them. We showed them that we are just like them. We are all working very hard and we all need to relax. We had publicized our three month anniversary. Many people came out to join us who had not been out much. Our celebration was a great way to introduce them to our movement. If you think that the movement is all hard work and no fun than we have already lost. Living to make this new world is living a life that has purpose but it is challenging and fun.

On Saturday we had teach ins. There were some on political theory. There was one on Twitter. I taught one on our General Assembly Process and Consensus. I had not publicised this as much as I could have. I thought that no one would show up. On a beautiful Saturday afternoon about 10 of us gathered on City Hall property to talk about consensus. It is pretty amazing to see that people actually care about how we talk. How we talk is at the core of who we are. If we talk in a way that is respectful of all people and lets others talk and listens then we are beginning to form the new world. The way we talk to each other and make decisions affects who we are as a movement. I had the honor of teaching people about this process. It was wonderful. I had the opportunity to share what I have been learning over the past few months. After such a great night Friday night it was exhilarating to see people coming back to do the hard work that it is going to take to make this movement something that actually creates this new world.

The Occupation at 2 months and 24 days

Last night Occupy Austin held a General Assembly at the Capitol. (We've been doing this for about a month now). It might have been the shortest GA in Occupy Austin history. It clocked in at just under 25 minutes. I know, pretty amazing huh! I think it's amazing though that we still came out and we still followed our process and we still are doing what we're doing.

Maybe this doesn't make much sense, but I think Occupy Austin is doing okay. I don't want to say there aren't things we need to improve (and many of them!) but I do want to say that we're doing pretty well.

Three months I had never even heard of Occupy Wall Street, Consensus Process or Guerilla Gardening. Now, I know what all of those things are. Two months ago I could not even make it through an entire GA before I thought it was 'too late' or this is 'too boring'. Now, I am part of the facilitation team and moderate GA's at least once a week. I have edited more Press releases and newsletters in the past two months than ever before in my life. We are making this Occupation a reality.

Reality is not necessarily pretty, but it is real. Our Occupation has much to improve on, but I think we need to start seeing that we're not doing too badly.

We're doing something that has never been done before. We're writing the new American History. We are creating the future that we want to live in right now.

I attended a 'Strategy and Tactics' meeting a few nights ago. This meeting made it clearer than ever before that the Occupy movement is not a political movement. We are not concerned with just making politics better. We are concerned with the whole society. We are trying to find a way to build a society that values people over money. We have lived for so long in a world where everything is based on monetary value. You pay for what you learn in school. If you have a job, you are valued based on how much you earn for that job. As a culture we say that the money we earn gives us value. That is why people have been spending more than they earn because they are trying to create the illusion of value with things. Yet, we all know, somewhere deep inside us, that our value does not lie in anything monetary. Our value lies in our humanity.

Last night I caught the very tail end of the women's meeting. We had an incident of domestic violence that caused many of us in the movement to realize just how much we need to educate and empower all people. If people are empowered than they will say something when they see something. Speaking up is valuing someone else's humanity.

We are learning to Occupy. We are learning to live.


Check out the Austin Chronicle Photo Spread on Occupy

What is 'endorsing'?

A few weeks ago a proposal came before the General Assembly of Occupy Austin. (I was on the facilitation team so I was not an active part of this discussion - but an observer). In my opinion the proposal was ill-formed and should not (and could not because it was not clear what was in fact being proposed) be consensed upon. Nevertheless, the General Assembly gathered that night consensed on the proposal.

It was, more or less:

"I need $125 dollars for some supplies for an action. We are either going to have this action in this city or in another city."

Although the supplies needed for the action were the same, the action itself would be different depending on the location. Furthermore, the legal ramifications of these actions would be completely different depending on which action was actually undertaken. During the discussion of the proposal it became clear that not only was the proposer asking for the funds to purchase the unspecified supplies she was also seeking Occupy Austin's endorsement of the action. This is where it becomes tricky. If she was only seeking funds and the same supplies were needed no matter which action was actually chosen then this could have been done. Seeking endorsement for two completely different actions with different outcomes should not be done in one proposal. (However there are questions about if simply giving money is a form of endorsing)

This proposal has been hashed out in many facilitator meetings as an example of what not to do. Yet, it still passed. If that had been the end of it that would have been, simply, a learning experience.

However, when the action took place eight occupiers were arrested, three of them from Austin. They are possibly facing felony charges. Since Occupy Austin endorsed this action at a previous GA we are facing a litany of legal and ethical questions. Does Occupy Austin owe those that were arrested bail and legal support? (Occupy Austin can, and does, bail anyone out who is arrested while engaging in an act of Civil Disobedience for the Occupy Movement.) The tactics that were used were beyond normal Civil Disobedience tactics. Where does Occupy Austin, as an organization, draw the line on what it can endorse? Does giving the money to support this action mean that we, as a movement, endorsed this particular instance of Civil Disobedience? This action was poorly planned and, in my opinion, hurt the reputation of the movement and it's relationship with Labor. What does it mean that Occupy Austin endorsed this? Did Occupy Austin endorse this act?

I know I'm ending with a lot of questions - but I guess I still haven't figured everything out in my own head yet. I'm putting this out here to get feedback and see if anyone else has any ideas/opinions/feelings about this.

Some time off and some time to reflect

This past week I've only been down to Occupy Austin a few times. I could only make it to one GA. Although, I really wanted to participate in other GA's previous commitments prevented me from doing so.

What is great about this is that Occupy Austin is still going strong. This movement is so much bigger than me. The Occupy movement is so much bigger than Austin. We have just gotten started. All of us that are involved in Occupy on a daily basis need to take some days off. We need to remember that as much as much each of us brings to this movement, we will not bring anything if we burn out.

I plan to be part of this movement for a long time. Whatever happens this movement will shape American history. Some of my friends at Church were saying on Sunday that the Occupy movement has restored their hope in this generation. We look to the 50's, 60's and 70's and think of the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam protests. This generation has never protested on such a large scale. We are finally standing up for our rights.

We are writing history right now. I am offered an opportunity that only comes once in a lifetime. I am part of the positive change that is sweeping this country. I am so honored that I can bring my voice to this movement - I am also deeply aware that this movement is so much bigger than my voice. It's not about me - but it is all about each of us individually coming together.

I am going to go back on Monday, refreshed and ready to keep on fighting the battle for justice. I'll leave you with one of the chants we said at Monday night's GA.

One - We are the people.
Two - We are united.
Three - This occupation has just gotten started. (repeat)

Problems in this country

Here is a Rick Perry campaign video:




I am disgusted. We have so many problems in this country. Number one is the way that money has corrupted our politicians so that they no longer represent the interest of the people. Gay people are not a threat. There is no 'war on religion' - unless it is a war on Islam.

I pray that this man is not our next President. God, help us!

Good job news?

Today many stories in the news were about the amazingly low rate of unemployment, 8.6%, I believe. What I find striking is that while they were saying the private sector gained 120,000 jobs the Government cut over 20,000 jobs. Overall employment is going up, but it looks to me like good, decent paying jobs with benefits (i.e. public sector jobs) are being cut and then they are being replaced by seasonal work that is paying lower wages without benefits. When I hear the term service sector employees I do not think high wages and benefits. How many of these jobs will be cut again in January?

Sure, more people have more jobs. But the real question is not how many people are employed. The real question should be whether or not those jobs can sustain the people that are doing them. When an employee loses a decent paying job with benefits and then is hired somewhere else with minimal wages and no benefits those two jobs are not equal. We are getting sidetracked by the sheer number of unemployed people or the number of jobs created that we are ignoring that fact that people are working so that they can have their lives and their livelihood.

Let's stop looking at facts and figures and instead focus on individual's ability to live.