[lbo-talk] An Open Letter to the Broader Occupy Community Regarding Occupy Oakland From a Small Group of Oakland Radicals

[Nicholas Roberts]

In our individualistic culture, it is rare when radical activists are able
to pitch a big tent and draw in masses of people to the cause.  The early
days of the Occupy movement provided one of those rare opportunities.
Occupy was the spark for the emergence of a broad wave of anti-corporate,
anti-repression sentiment in our society. We are concerned that the
inclusivity that began this movement and contributed to its rapid growth is
dying in OO as a result of the dominant insurrectionist tendencies and the
“vanguardist” maneuvering and manipulations of some of its proponents.
Dramatically shrinking numbers reveal that this ideology and organizing
style either misreads the real political situation in Oakland, or else
underestimates the importance of consolidating and advancing a broad,
united and popular front. We all collectively must take responsibility for
this “hardening” and shrinking of the OO ranks, and we must recognize that
in trying to re-make OO in an ideologically purist vision, we are
destroying our ability to garner the wide base of support and goodwill that
will be necessary to successfully resist corporate and state domination.

http://oaklandradicals.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/openletter/