I am pretty sure I've had some of my "boring politics" comments deleted from Indymedia, so much for free speech
I find it pretty amazing that the Occupy Oakland vanguard party of so-called anarchists - what happened to leaderlessness, more like the tyranny of structurelesness - is using solidarity, the demo & strike day as a cover for this stupid action, the vandalism and the riot porn.
Its a Black Bloc cover-up. They are trying to manipulate the media story, propaganda, and spin their way out of the simple fact that they have drawn nearly every marginalized group in Oakland, and in the bay, into a masturbational fantasy around cops and robbers, kids vs cops
I noticed a Tweet that said that Occupy Oakland should not be bound by the General Assembly anymore. WTF ? That would completely de-legitimize the entire project ! This sentiment was expressed in another face-t0-face morning meeting where someone from the inner circle tried to shut down the morning meetings discussion of taking a non-violence resolution to the morning meeting. Firstly she told us we shouldn't be discussing it. Then she made a forceful proposal that morning meetings should only discuss logistics. Finally it became, lets move the morning meeting to 11am. Its apparently hard to sleep at the camp, and 11am is a good time to start the day. No doubt.
also, from Starhawk, who is a Bay Area activist and was at Genoa G8, her fictional memo is used in the video http://www.starhawk.org/activism/activism-writings/genoafacism.html
I'll admit, the Non-Violence establishment is tired and spent, but some radical pacifism is a pretty powerful tactic.
I think if the toughs at the camp had shut down the port by themselves, like the orginal occupation and re-occupation near the plaza, then maybe the fall-out from the failed action and vandalism may be more restrained.
But, I noticed on the website last night for instance, that they had videos of children protest groups (along with teachers), the port march, and 3-4 videos of "Black Bloc" bank window smashing, late night riot porn etc.
I wonder how the teachers union feels about being associated with Occupied Oakland now?
anyway, like I guess many others, I feel used, and am sick of trying to educate young people (and others) who really should have done their homework. After all, they where busted by the cops trying to move into a new space to set-up a library of their precious anarchist canon. Maybe they should add Berlusconi's Mousetrap to the DVD collection.
Its a sad joke and the counter-revolution will be vicious.
As to the Black Bloc, well, I defy anybody to watch Berlusconi's Mousetrap, about the G8 in Genoa and tell me how Black Bloc tactics cannot be used by the powerful and the state to destroy legitimate dissent, alternatives ? http://vimeo.com/8672001
Even the real, hard-core, European Black Bloc, are on camera, very candidly admitting how badly they had been manipulated, used, as pawns in a media spectacle. These are disciplined, sophisticated, militant, anti-fascist street-fighting units operating in formerly Nazi states. They know what they are talking about. And, they do not say, hey, do whatever the hell you feel like, smash shit up. In fact, the opposite.
The white, lifestyle "anarchists" and tourist Bay Area Black Bloc are risible, dangerous to themselves, and now every already marginalized person in the Bay.
If Occupied Oakland is not infiltrated, if the Bay Area anarchist scene is not infiltrated (seems like the same) its the first such movement in history.
If the smash-shit-up brigade want solidarity, they should respect the process (which they where all for when it worked for them), as soon as they start to get buy-in from the larger community and have their power dissipate, they begin to shut-down and self-destruct.
My feeling is that they dont want to win. They are afraid of it. They really need authority, to rail against. In fact, I guess, many of them can run home to mum and dad in the suburbs and that eventually all of this "exciting" and "beautiful" activism will look good on a non-profit industrial complex resume, or make a good PhD dissertation.
Libertarian socialism should be the most dynamic and active movement in politics today, instead its stuck in convoluted dogma and failed tactics. And by the looks, IndyBay is a gatekeeper of the faith.
On Sat, Nov 5, 2011 at 11:10 AM, Nicholas Roberts < nicholas at themediasociety.org> wrote:
> 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
>