[lbo-talk] Occupy Oakland's imminent implosion and the wider effects

Nicholas Roberts nicholas at themediasociety.org
Sat Nov 5 11:10:57 PDT 2011


I expect anyone carefully watching Occupy Oakland will know that the general strike and demo day (which was hugely successful i.e. 40 000 people) was followed in the night by an unplanned building occupation, vandalism, looting, riot porn (burning dumpsters, fireworks, "occupation defence" and an former Army Ranger (on his way home and not associated with the evening games) being beaten badly by police

the Occupy Oakland camp, seems to be dominated - Twitter, camp mobile phone, and website - by a Black Bloc styled inner circle vanguard who are focussed on property damage as non-violence using the doctrine of diversity of tactics

you can see on Indymedia how unpopular this unplanned action and criminal activity masked as radical politics is http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/04/18697383.php http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/03/18697018.php

you and will hear from the meetings at the camp, although I am guessing the general assembly process will have its numbers stacked by "anarchists", especially once the cold weather and the increasingly self destructive behavior keeps everyday people away

the local businesses, especially independent ones, suffered vandalism and looting, and 70 of the 100 people arrested where from out of town, there are lots of accusations of white-privileged "anarchist" tourists tripping into town for some riot porn

my guess is, the Black Bloc cell is infiltrated and compromised and is on a path to self-destruction and eviction, in the process it may well trigger widespread rioting, looting and a very heavy handed police response, maybe possibly the loss of the a "progressive mayor" and a further marginalization of teachers, unions, students, immigrants, workers, precariat, homeless, evicted and unemployed

Republicans in the central valley are already vowing a law and order crack-down from the internal enemy

and the Establishment Left are still lauding a great victory, trivializing property damage as justified considering the obvious brutality of the system and generally providing arm chair fuel to the fire

2 weeks for eviction in Oakland is my guess



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