[from a link Eric Beck posted]:
``After we experienced the material limits of this type of organizing, some very necessary conversations began in Santa Rita in earnest. The focus on the brutality has its uses, but to the extent that it stands in as a substitute for this more substantial self-criticism, it allows the tenuous alliance between adventurism and humanitarian liberalism to persist. While we are all justifiably angry at the Oakland Police Department and the Alameda County Sheriffs, what comes out of this experience needs to be more than simply a strengthened conviction that we hate the cops. If we don't swiftly move towards the self-criticism that we need, the opportunity will be missed.
Jeb Purucker is a graduate student in Literature at UC Santa Cruz and a member of UAW Local 2865.''
http://viewpointmag.com/2012/02/06/santa-rita-i-hate-every-inch-of-you/
It's an answer to Chris Hedges. It also an answer to Louis Proyect's blog today, which is also a pretty good answer to Hedges:
http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/chris-hedges-and-the-black-bloc/
I think people concerned over direction should read them all in order starting with Hedges, then Proyect, then Purucker. Somebody in one of the above suggested a more focused community based and supported occupation of the Kaiser Center. That sounded like a very good idea, including arguing with the city council. Everybody has to remember that Quan will probably not survive a recall, which is slowly ticking away. So her use of heavy police tactics has probably cost her, her job. Besides she is seen by the black community here as openly racist. A more in-depth and organized petition to set up a community center would probably have pretty good street support, since a lot of existing services are of course getting cut.
But such a center will need its own self-policing. In my limited experience this past year, where I work is sort of a community based service center and it has attracted the homeless and people who want a place off the street to get loaded, as well as some scam artists.
Anyway, I trust Purucker's account because it comes from `inside' and not `outside'. I am on the outside too, so I do my best to reserve judgements until I hear from somebody who was present.
CG