Occupy Columbus Policy Questions

I look at and interact with the Occupy movement with a mixture of hope and fear, love and aversion. There are parts of it that delight me, and parts of it that concern me. I’m especially interested in my local branch, and how it’s expressing itself.

In the beginning, I gave it my unqualified support. I urged my Mayor to work with the legal team to create an agreement that would allow the occupiers to have overnight camping and sanitation in a city park. Then Occupy Oakland had its general strike and I stayed up all night watching the live-stream. I saw the property destruction unfold, and that combined with the other things that concern me about the movement caused me to weaken my support. I decided to watch the movement for a while, to try to understand it better, and to see if it found a way to address my concerns.

I know that if I’m feeling this way, many other people are feeling the same thing. I’m not special. I’m just your average, progressive American. There are many of us, and we are the backbone of any movement for positive change in America. If a movement alienates too many of us, it will fail. If a movement inspires enough of us, it will succeed.

Yesterday evening I saw a tweet that Occupy Columbus was having problems with high winds and needed heavy things like cinder blocks to help hold down the tents. I brought them some cement blocks and snapped this photo…

Dedicated Occupiers Holding Down The Fort

One of the things I love most about the Occupy movement is how much people are willing to personally sacrifice for the greater good. Everyone involved wants to make the world a better place, not just for themselves, and every other person alive now, but for future generations. They are willing to endure discomfort, scorn, risk, lost time that could have been spent in selfish pursuits, harassment, and in some cases brutality. The human spirit is amazing. The people who occupy are some of the most compassionate people in America, willing to stretch beyond themselves to give something back to the world.

I love this video of one of our Occupy Columbus members on the Ed show on election night…

I love that Occupy Columbus voted to support the fight against SB5. I want to see the movement continue to make stands on issues- that’s the best way to be effective.

For the first time yesterday, I saw the Occupy Wall Street Good Neighbor Policy…

—————————————————————————————————–

Following respectful and good-faith dialogue with members of the local community which has been rebuilding since the trauma of 9/11, Occupy Wall Street hereby announces the following Good Neighbor Policy:

• OWS has zero tolerance for drugs or alcohol anywhere in Liberty Plaza;
• Zero tolerance for violence or verbal abuse towards anyone;
• Zero tolerance for abuse of personal or public property.
• OWS will limit drumming on the site to 2 hours per day, between the hours of 11am and 5pm only.
• OWS encourages all participants to respect health and sanitary regulations, and will direct all participants to respectfully utilize appropriate off-site sanitary facilities.
• OWS will display signage and have community relations and security monitors in Liberty Plaza, in order to ensure awareness of and respect for our guidelines and Good Neighbor Policy.
• OWS will at all times have a community relations representative on-site, to monitor and respond to community concerns and complaints.

Occupy Wall Street
October 13, 2011

Note: In conjunction with local community members and their representatives, OWS is also working to establish off-site sanitary facilities such as port-a-potties.

———————————————————————————————————————————-

I asked someone from Occupy Columbus if they had one and he said they had a good neighbor policy but it was different. He couldn’t give me a link but he said they would put it up on the site. I’m looking forward to seeing it. What it says and doesn’t say will help me understand the character of Occupy Columbus. It’s important to me that it have a zero tolerance policy for property damage, or any other kind of violence, as a tactic for political change.

This Saturday there’s going to be a statewide gathering in Bicentennial Park. Representatives from Occupy sites all across Ohio are going to gather and talk. If you want to attend, you’re welcome to join in.  It starts at 11:00 a.m.

About these ads