>________________________________
>From: Nicholas Roberts <nicholas at themediasociety.org>
>To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
>Sent: Thursday, November 3, 2011 10:53 PM
>Subject: [lbo-talk] Occupy Oakland's Riot Porn
>
>*http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/03/18697018.php*
>*
>*
>*Statement on the Occupation of the former Traveler's Aid Society at 520
>16th Street*
>by some friends of OO
>*Thursday Nov 3rd, 2011 11:01 AM *
>
>---
>
>Last night, after one of the most remarkable days of resistance in recent
>history, some of us within Occupy Oakland took an important next step: we
>extended the occupation to an unused building near Oscar Grant Plaza. We
>did this, first off, in order to secure the shelter and space from which to
>continue organizing during the coming winter months. But we also hoped to
>use the national spotlight on Oakland to encourage other occupations in
>colder, more northern climates to consider claiming spaces and moving
>indoors in order to resist the repressive force of the weather, after so
>bravely resisting the police and the political establishment. We want this
>movement to be here next Spring, and claiming unused space is, in our view,
>the most plausible way forward for us at this point. We had plans to start
>using this space today as a library, a place for classes and workshops, as
>well as a dormitory for those with health conditions. We had already begun
>to move in books from the library.
>...
>
>Statement on the Occupation of the former Traveler's Aid Society at 520
>16th Street<http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/03/18697018.php?show_comments=1#18697132>
>by Jon Jackson
>*Thursday Nov 3rd, 2011 4:37 PM *
>Jon Jackson is my real name. You can find me on Twitter @jonmosesjackson.
>You defame Angela's name by hiding behind it. Yesterday *was* a thunderous
>victory: tens of thousands of people from Oakland and elsewhere coming
>together in an inclusive, united front, energizing uncounted thousands,
>perhaps millions of people around the world. All ages were there. Unions
>were there. Homeless, homeowners, working class, students, dot-com workers
>and others were there. Do you think that organizing happened overnight?
>That morning? On the fly during the first action. No. It took a lot of hard
>work by a lot of people. Work that a few ill-educated people harmed because
>they couldn't be bothered to struggle *with* the rest of us and decided to
>jerk off by the light of a burning dumpster.
>
>Ripped Off By Riot Porn or Consent to Revolution
>?<http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/03/18697018.php?show_comments=1#18697093>
>by riotporn
>( riotporn [at] riotporn.com <riotporn at riotporn.com> ) *Thursday Nov 3rd,
>2011 3:11 PM *
>Last nights Traveller action was a betrayal of trust. It was Riot Porn. Not
>Revolution. A masturbational fantasy, it was a gift to power.
>
>Like many people I feel like I have been used as some kind of cover or
>shield for this action. I went to the Plaza to participate in a day of
>actions with the main goal of a general strike, but mostly to demonstrated
>solidarity and to share.
>
>The strike was achieved, a monumental milestone which gave the Occupy
>Oakland an enormous amount of kudos and capital within the community at
>large and the world. To cash-in the success so quick, indeed, to get very
>quickly in-debted and over-drawn with an action, that in itself is really
>worthy, but uses the shield of every marginalized and needy person in
>Oakland is pretty naive at best and basically really very selfish.
>
>When the 40 000 people came to Occupy Oakland at the Plaza, and then later
>the port, they took ownership of Occupy Oakland. They bought in. They took
>it away and felt like it was theirs. Once they get home, they find its a
>bait and switch, as normal, they have been had. This time by mostly white
>radicals - I wont give them credit for being even anarchist - who are
>prepared to risk everything the good people of Oakland have put into the
>Occupy campaign.
>
>So, maybe yesterdays attendees should of been more warey, more skeptical,
>they should of read the fine print of the contract, read between the lines.
>
>
>http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/03/18697018.php?show_comments=1#18697194
>
>Last night's action was activist gentrification, it was flipping
>real-estate for "anarchists". They increased the value of the Plaza and got
>a big loan from the grass roots, the unions, the community sector, the
>citizens... and they used that to take out a risky loan, that they could
>not every pay back, and get a new club house. Much better than tents, for
>sure.
>
>
>The action was ineffective And hurt the
>movement<http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/03/18697018.php?show_comments=1#18697083>
>by A participant
>*Thursday Nov 3rd, 2011 2:18 PM *
>This very I'll-conceived action turned a thunderous victory into a mess. It
>also put the camp very much in danger of eviction last night. The action
>did not build unity towards more continued direct action such as taking
>over buildings or housing. It felt like a setup for a pointless street
>fight that a large large majority of participants don't want to have. This
>debacle is going to be very divisive.
>
>The protagonists in this action should admit to their mistakes (and they
>were quite big in this situation) in order to help the movement move
>forward.
>
>Also why was I texted by Occupy Oakland for this action?
>Sad thing is, after the strike, and the success of the day, you could of
>probably just asked for it. You'd won, we'd won. But then a bunch of kids
>and provocateurs pissed it up the wall.
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