From OWS - 'In Spite of Elections and "Camping Bans," Revolutionary Wave Grows'

[WillyT]

In Spite of Elections and "Camping Bans," Revolutionary Wave Grows
Posted 17 hours ago on Feb. 4, 2012, 8:41 p.m. EST
by OccupyWallSt


A look back at Occupy Oakland before it was razed.

<snip>

In a world devastated by poverty, austerity cuts, and bank foreclosures, community action like Occupy Oakland’s recent attempt to turn a derelict building into a vibrant social center for the needs of the 99% should be applauded. Instead, the agents of the 1%, in this case the Oakland police – already under investigation for excessive force – once again attacked. Using flash bang grenades, projectiles, batons, tear-gas, and other weapons, police arrested over 400, bringing total US Occupy-related arrests to over 6,300. As the Occupy Oakland Media Committee said:

“With all the problems in our city, should preventing activists from putting a vacant building to better use be their highest priority? Was it worth the hundreds of thousands of dollars they spent?”

Earlier this month, we celebrated 2011 and declared 2012 would be even bigger. One month in, we’re keeping our word, but the corporate media increasingly dismiss Occupy Wall Street as a dying movement. Covering events in Oakland (“Police use teargas on Occupy Oakland protesters”), the Guardian described OWS as “largely dormant lately.” The Washington Post stated that the Oakland protest had broken the “lull” in OWS.

But we aren’t dormant; we're escalating. The only lull has been in the media coverage of our continuing struggle to create a more just world for all. While the corporate media have shifted focus to the U.S. Republican primaries and Presidential election, government agents of the 1% continue their assault on Occupy camps - inventing new PR-friendly excuses like the "no camping" rule used to rip apart Occupy DC - to dismantle not only our rights, but our homes.

Misinformation #1: “OWS’s numbers are dwindling.”

Misinformation #2: “OWS was weakened by the eviction of our camps.”

Misinformation #3: “OWS has lost its purpose and focus.”

Misinformation #4: “The 2012 U.S. elections are eroding OWS’s relevance.”

Full piece with explanation here: http://occupywallst.org/article/election-or-not-revolutionary-wave-grows/

[L0oniX]

1. K & R

[sabrina 1]

2. Wishful thinking, on the part of the far rightwing and the Corporate media.

For real news of OWS, people have to ignore the Corporate media whose job is to protect their Corporate employers.

I am very impressed by some of NY's elected Democrats who have joined this movement, one of whom this week suggested donations to OWS. He was also arrested for peacefully demonstrating and someone I hope to see rise in the party, maybe run for Congress.

[tex-wyo-dem]

3. Occupy is not only growing, it's thriving in...

Many different ways. It's gone far beyond occupying public spaces.

The corporate media and 1% would love more than anything for OWS to become irrelevant. They got another thing coming this spring and summer with Chicago G8 and NAT0 and conventions.

Expect us

[quinnox]

4. I think all the freepers and others proclaiming the death of OWS are going to be

bitterly disappointed when they find out OWS is bigger and badder than ever in a few months from now.

[sabrina 1]

5. Lol, they are not going to like the planned Global Strike in May I guess. But the 99% will

appreciate it as it focuses on income inequality, not just here, but worldwide. For the first time as far as I know, the PEOPLE of the world have gone Global. This is going to be a very exciting year for this movement, and no doubt, there will be huge resistance to it from the 1%.

[socialist_n_TN]

7. Yep. I'm looking forward to Mayday myself.........

Worldwide, I expect a big presence. I'm VERY curious as to what happens here in this country.

[sabrina 1]

11. Remember the last time Global Occupiers planned a huge event, which was in November I

believe, it was an historic and memorable, and very moving worldwide show of solidarity for and from people from all over the world.

There were absolutely beautiful events such as the one in Spain eg.

I believe this time it may even be bigger. There are more cities now with occupy movements for one thing and with the economy in Europe facing a crash, and the people being pressured to pay the debts of the Corrupt Corps and Banks who ran up those debts, not to mention still no accountability, it's hard to understand why anyone thinks this movement is going to die. Unless the issues are addressed, it can and will only grow.

[socialist_n_TN]

21. Your last couple of sentences say it all for me...........

Whether it's Occupy or something MORE radical and stronger, it's not going away. As you said, unless the ISSUES that raised the Occupy movement are addressed, it can and will only grow. And since I don't expect the 1% to give anything (unless they are forced to), it's inevitable that the economic justice and democracy movement will ONLY grow.

[quinnox]

8. yup

I also anticipate an exciting year indeed for OWS.

[LiberalEsto]

6. It's not Mis-, it's Disinformation

designed to fool us into assuming that OWS is dead.
Nothing could be further than the truth.

The fact that city governments, coordinated by Homeland Security, are sending out their storm troopers to dismantle Occupy camps, shows how genuinely scared they are of the movement.

[morningfog]

9. Naysayers have been declaring Occupy dead and irrelevant since its beginning.

You would think, this many months later, they would tire of looking perpetually wrong.

[RoccoR5955]

10. What will they say in the spring

when OWS comes back with a vengeance?
People have awoken from a long sleep, when it comes to these matters. Now that they are awake, there's no putting them back to sleep, until their concerns have been addressed.

[sabrina 1]

13. Lol, they will declare it dead again. They've been declaring it dead since the weekend of

Sept 17th. It's kind of fun watching the Erin Burnetts and the Hannitys trying so hard to convince themselves, for months now, that OWS is dead. Then having to do it all over again when they don't oblige.

[randome]

12. I don't suppose anyone can provide numbers, can they?

Saying the movement is 'growing' or 'withering' seems to be more a matter of personal bias than hard data.

[sabrina 1]

14. Sure, go look at the global blogs and see the continuing additions of cities across the world

joining the movement, And watch out for the activities planned worldwide, similar to the huge Global solidarity events in November, for the coming months.

Of course if Governments around the globe resolve the issues of Income Inequality (thank you OWS) and end or at least begin to start holding the corrupt Bankers accountable for Crashing the World's economy, then maybe, there will be a diminishing of interest in this movement. But with Europe doing the exact opposite of that, teetering once again on the brink of a second economic collapse, while not going after the Perps and handing the bill to the people, there is no way this movement is going anywhere except to grow.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. OWS is indeed dead (to the media that is)

From what I can tell the media, even indies, have moved on.

They don't want to cover the process and even cops beating protesters is old now.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

16. In our town the mayor and council members participated in protests.

The chief of police and both other cops support Occupy.

[Kaleko]

18. Fantastic.

Can you tell us which town this is?

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

22. Port Orford, Oregon, located on the southern coast. Population 1200

Town voted to be a Patriot Act free zone.
Click on link, be sure to watch video.

http://www.oceanresourceteam.org/

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

23. Port Orford, Oregon

See post #22
Click on this link for more info.


http://www.portorford.org/

[sabrina 1]

19. That is great. In NYC some of the elected Dems have joined the movement also. Just last week

one of them proposed giving OWS a 'stipend' to help them with their work. He was arrested when he went to see what was going on after being told the cops were attacking the occupiers, he was held in jail even though he told them he was an elected Rep.

What is your city?

[WillyT]

17. Kick !!!

[xchrom]

20. GASP! No way - DU told me they were DEAD!11 nt

[Skittles]

24. a lot of DUers have their head up their ass!

[Kaleko]

25. I saw that.

There were 2 or 3 threads that looked like this.



But I didn't take them at their word.

[jerseyjack]

26. From the full article --- you can evict protestors, but you can't evict an idea.

[ross3000]

27. Mahatma Ghandi said ---

Ghandi said

first they ignore us
then they ridicule us
then they fight us
then we win

ross mitchell, m.d.
[e-mail]

[Starry Messenger]

28. k&r