Over 30 people were arrested when Occupy Oakland was raided on Monday morning. One of them was Cami G., a graduate student and a member of the media committee of OO. This is her account of the experience.
On February 1, 1960, four students from the all-black Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina—Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair, Jr., and David Richmond—strolled into the Woolworth store in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina, sat down at the lunch counter, and ordered coffee. Because of the counter’s “whites only” policy, they were refused. Several employees and a manager asked them to leave, but they remained until the store closed, when they peacefully dispersed.
The next day, the teenagers came back, this time joined by fifteen others. Again, they were refused service, and, again, they stayed until closing time. The next day, there were more than sixty demonstrators, and by the fourth day, over 300 people were participating in sit-ins at lunch counters across the city. By the following week, the movement had spread not only throughout the state but across the entire South. The sit-ins lasted for almost six months, and on July 25, due to boycotts, diminishing profits, and outside pressure prompted by the publicity of the sit-ins, Woolworth desegregated all of its stores, allowing blacks to sit at lunch counters and receive the same service as whites.
There were, of course, difficulties before this victory was achieved. On the very first day, one black employee accused the young men, now called the Greensboro Four, of hurting rather than helping race relations. The demonstrators were heckled and threatened by mobs, with some protests turning violent. Many years later in February of 2008, Franklin McCain discussed the danger of blacks demonstrating in the 1960s South: “I had pre-concluded if I were lucky, I would go to prison for a long, long time. If I were not so lucky, I would come back to my university campus in a pine box.” The four also lamented the difficulty of getting people to commit to sitting in the stores from open to close, to returning day after grueling day. Considering all this, one might ask why the right to be served lunch next to white people was important enough to risk their lives devoting five months to idle loitering. One might ask what sitting passively at a lunch counter was expected to accomplish when the enormity of race problems in the South was so overwhelming.
I would argue that small acts like these are the essential building blocks of successful dissent, but we can’t always see at first how they will factor in the account of history. In retrospect, we understand the impact of the Greensboro sit-ins; we know that four black students sitting at a Woolworth five-and-dime was the first domino in a chain that spread to parks, libraries, museums, beaches, and other facilities across the South. We know that it was the catalyst that led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which desegregated all public spaces. But on February 1, 1960, the Greensboro Four didn’t know that. They only knew that they were tired of talking, tired of waiting for somebody else to do something, and they were going to walk into the store and stand up for themselves by sitting down.
Very early on the morning of November 14, I stood on the edge of the Occupy Oakland encampment in Oscar Grant Plaza and listened to reports that hundreds of riot police were approaching. Admittedly, I was nervous, and I had plans to disappear the moment I faced the possibility of being arrested.
Yet, a few moments later as I watched the police close in, I began to think about what their presence meant, and I began to imagine the disappearance of the camp where I had spent so much of my time and made so many friends in the past weeks. It had all but emptied out as hundreds took to the intersection of 14th and Broadway, drumming and chanting, and the quiet that fell over the vacated tents was eerie. A group of people had silently linked arms at the Interfaith tent, surrounded by candles. Here and there, people sat, meandered aimlessly, packed their belongings, and even slept, but it wasn’t the bustling tent city I had begun to think of as a second home, where I could start a conversation with almost anyone, exchange ideas, hear peoples’ life stories or tell my own, be fed, pick through free books, meditate, learn yoga, listen to people sing and play instruments, and watch children play.
We all knew that there was nothing that we could do to stop what was coming—that we couldn’t defend the camp, and that the police would destroy it no matter what, and they would arrest as many of us as they needed to in the process. We had no choice but to acknowledge that the military arm of the local government was too powerful, and, judging by their billy clubs and tear gas guns, they weren’t afraid to commit violence as they had done before. Many in the camp had already gone to jail and couldn’t risk it again, and still others had jobs, school, and families which they couldn’t abandon to spend a day or more being detained for silly misdemeanors.
All of this led me to a feeling of profound despair. Our reluctant resignation and the imminent dismantling of the camp suddenly represented something more to me. It represented the forced invisibility of millions of people, the overwhelming majority of the planet’s seven billion people, in fact. And it represented the dehumanization of those near and dear to me, too. I thought primarily of my mother, who raised two children in abject poverty, often working more than one job, often tolerating the abuses of an alcoholic husband, often welcoming neighborhood kids into her home when their own homes became too volatile or unstable. This latter detail about my mother is what emerged most prominent in my mind—the fact that despite the obstacles in her way, the stresses of raising children and working constantly, and the paucity of her home and the environment in which we lived, she never closed her arms to anyone who needed her help, no matter their past, their problems, or their ideologies. Maybe it’s melodramatic, but my mother symbolizes for me a vision of Liberty, saying, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free!” Because of her, it is clear to me that Liberty is not a blue-blooded woman doling out charity from a safe distance but a fierce, penniless yet empowered, broken-but-not-beaten mother defending her children against the injustices of a system that functions without conscience or accountability.
I realized that what I had come to appreciate about the people at Occupy Oakland was that many of them shared this same attitude of unabashed goodwill and inclusivity. They were full of optimism and zeal. They often came to the camp with little but freely offered whatever they did have—bread, soup, energy bars, books, clothing, blankets, electronics, artwork, kind words, ideas, laughter, music, and prayers—so many commodified things (because yes, even prayer is a commodity, these days) were given purely out of the kindness of peoples’ hearts. We had begun to build a community, a real community!
Was it muddy and stinky? Sure. Were there disagreements and arguments? Of course. Was there even some drug use and unspeakable violence (which I will still argue was not prompted by the presence of the encampment)? Yes. But these are human problems, not problems exclusive to Occupy Oakland. In fact, the fetishization of these problems by the mainstream media, the government, and detractors is representative of the way in which the problems of the marginalized have always been used by those in power to further alienate and disenfranchise those deemed “undesirable”—as though these same problems don’t exist across socioeconomic boundaries and aren’t often a direct product of a long history of cultural and social denigration. I’ve heard many on the outside call us degenerates, but what I saw at the camp was the extraordinary capacity for human kindness. An incredible passion for justice. Each person made me proud. Each person in some way or another embodied the principles of Liberty that my mother, by her actions, taught me to value.
So when I imagined the cops tearing down those tents, I imagined them tearing down a home like the one my mother had made. Those in power didn’t want the camp gone because it was dangerous or a threat to public health; they wanted it gone because the people there lived their successes and their failures too publicly, right in front of City Hall where they could no longer be ignored. Those in power didn’t want to have to look at, to be forced to deal with the problems of homelessness, joblessness, poverty, and violence endemic to our society, just as they didn’t want to give us the opportunity to congregate and work together to build a new one. Those in power have their own agenda, and the possibility of our uniting against them to address the real, every day issues we face was too great. They’d rather see us disappear and suffer alone in silence and shame.
At that thought, I decided that I couldn’t abandon the camp. I may be one small person, but the very least I could do was try to be like Greensboro Four who decided that a minor act of passive resistance was better than nothing at all. Sitting for two-and-a-half-hours surrounded by riot police isn’t much. Spending ten hours in police custody napping and singing show tunes with a group of cheerful women, many of them clergy members, isn’t much. It isn’t much compared to what those who participated in the Civil Rights Movement faced fifty years ago, nor is it much compared to what protestors in Tunis, Cairo, and across the Middle East and North Africa face today. It isn’t the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi. And it doesn’t seem to do much. It doesn’t do much to actively help the silent peoples from Oakland to Brazil to rural China who daily face the horrors of poverty, exploitation, sickness, and violence, or the middle class citizens who are finding themselves suddenly jobless and homeless. But it’s what I could do in the moment to show how much that camp meant to me, and how tearing it down was another act of aggression by the powers-that-be that was only going to strengthen my resolve. It was my way of extending solidarity to Occupy camps across the globe, which I think of as extended sit-ins. I couldn’t disappear. I refused to be ignored.
We won’t disappear. We must refuse to be ignored.
As Franklin McCain said forty years after he first sat down at the lunch counter at Woolworth in Greensboro, North Carolina: “This is my country… I fought for the chance to make it right. No one’s going to deny me the opportunity. I am going to be a full participant in every aspect of this community.” I think this is the goal of Occupy Oakland, no matter how they try and stop us.
Thank you for writing this. Your experiences are very different than mine, but your reasoning resonates deeply with my heart’s demand that I also do what I can now.
Thank you Cami for your work and devotion. You said it so well! OO is a place of hope and beauty.
the time has come. the problems are impossible to ignore. they will come at us with all they’ve got and still won’t win
i’m crying so hard now, my soul both saddened and uplifted by your eloquent and sensible description. thank you so much for this.
Thank you so much for this.
This is a beautiful perfect thing. Thank you.
Thank you so much! I cannot believe the amount of elitist criticisms we have received from this community! I thought Oakland was better than that!
Apparently many people either believe that they problems associated with Occupy Oakland now suddenly don’t exist after the raid, or they simply don’t care and would rather have all those problems “out-of-sight, out-of-mind”
Truly disturbing!
They most ABSOLUTELY would rather these problems be out of sight. Assuages their conscience that way.
Thank you for your effort and personal experience. It’s brilliantly written and expresses the real sense of what we are doing in #WorldRevolution. In Europe, before summer, we faced the same problems as yours, with police tearing up camps and using violence against peacefull demostrators, including disabled and retired. We are right now looking forward a new square occupation, and witnesses as yours are really encouraging.
Support to #Occupy from #SpanishRevolution
As an Oakland native, I wish someone would tell me where this “Oscar Grant Plaza” I know about the plaza named after this guy: Frank Ogawa was a remarkable person because he could take personal
misfortune and turn it into a positive learning experience for himself
and others. When Frank and Grace Ogawa were forced to sell their
belongings and live in interment camps during World War II, they had to
sleep on straw mattresses in horse stalls for six months before being
shipped to a camp in Utah to spend another 3 1/2 years in confinement.
Despite this mistreatment and injustice, he never lost faith in the
United States. Just the opposite–he strived to prove his loyalty to
his country and became an internationally recognized champion of Asian-
Americans in the process.
After World War II, Frank Ogawa returned to Oakland and succeeded in
breaking a series of social and racial barriers. When local residents
objected to him moving into an exclusive neighborhood, he responded by
becoming an integral part of their community and joining a host of
previously all-white organizations like the Rotary Club.
Having served 5 years on the Oakland Parks Commission, Frank Ogawa
was elected to the city council in 1966, making him the first Japanese-
American to hold a council seat in a major city in the continental
United States. He held that position for 28 years until his passing–
the longest tenure in Oakland’s history.
From his council seat, he earned a reputation as an even-handed
leader who worked diligently to improve cultural awareness, enhance
Oakland’s economy, expand its port facilities, and establish relations
between Oakland and other countries, especially Japan. In fact, Frank
Ogawa was largely responsible for establishing a sister city
relationship between Oakland and Fukuoka, Japan.
Couldn’t agree more. I totally support the movement’s aims but every time I hear “Oscar Grant Plaza” it makes me a little sick/sad/angry. Sorry, Oscar Grant didn’t deserve to die but he doesn’t deserve to take the name of this space (and it completely runs counter to the aims of the movement as a whole every single time you call it that).
Thanks for the story. I think it puts even more strength behind the Occupy movement. But Camille isn’t an Oakland Native so I don’t think she knows that about the plaza. She just recently moved there for grad school.
Excellent work. You’re inspirational to me, just as so many of our sisters and brothers in this movement. Thank you!
Black people stop trying to claim occupy for yourselves. Very greedy and selfish.
Wow, this is not about a black person trying to claim occupy for themselves. this is one person making an understanding of why she fights for occupy. what tunnel vision you have that you get this from her story. because she used a black sit in protest? I’m sorry, you should go read the story because there were white people at that sit in too. and if you grabbed that from the comment above you…do you think that only black people say brothers and sisters? this is one persons personal experience…personal experience is what everyone, including you, is using to make occupy strong. she simply pulled from our…OUR (mine and yours)…history. So take the negative comments, keep them to and keep them to yourself. Occupy doesn’t need that. It needs unity. And words like yours don’t breed unity. The breed division.
point of process, ES!
I hipe this was sarcastic…. Black people greedy and selfish ? WTF
I think you speak for the spirit of ALL the Occupy movements. Thank you for expressing what I never could find the words for.
This is amazing. Thank you for this.
Wow Camille, as I said to you on the phone earlier. After seeing pictures of you sitting there and getting arrested (not to mention being 2,000 miles away and not being able to do anything about it or physically support you)…it’s weird calling you Little Girl anymore, because I saw a woman in those pictures. I see mom when I look at those pictures now. People have been asking me over the past few days why you did what you did and my response has been what she believes is stronger than fear of jail or man. What a woman you have become. I can’t wait for mom to read this
ES: Nothing I see here seems to claim occupy for blacks. I saw a woman show how this movement COMPARES to the black civil rights movement, and how she is personally inspired by that.
This isn’t about black, white, red, yellow or green. It’s about those with money using that money to BUY our government and take away the civil liberties of those that cannot afford to buy a voice.
I also agree with FlimFlam that the renaming of Frank Ogawa plaza is a disgrace. It doesn’t further the OO movement to spit upon the accomplishments of a man that fought for many of the same injustices that OO community members claim. If Oscar Grant deserves recognition or rememberence, then give him his OWN park or plaza, but to slap a new name over Ogawa plaza is disrespectful the contributions he made to the community.
MissKimmie she doesn’t say “I’m claiming this for black people” but all she mentions are black people and disrepects old Frank Ogawa who was a Japanese American civil rights activist.
Reading the story without knowing any other details about Occupy you’d think it was an all-black movement against racists.
Not this time black people. We’re all out there and we’re fighting for ALL of our rights against the 1% greedmongers and their representatives, Obama and Eric Holder.
ES, What on earth are you talking about? Are you just a troll or are you really not able to distinguish other people’s real experiences and words from the odd projections in your head? Reading your post without reading the beautiful essay, you’d think this was glennbeck.com.
Friendly Universe Law of Attraction in Action “Regimes And The People Who Could Change Them” by Jerry Waxman Cameroon just had an election. Paul ed for a 6th term, riveeced an overwhelming 78% of the vote. Never mind that some of those votes
Wow Es. Camille isn’t from Oakland so she doesn’t know that the plaza was Frank Ogawa before is was renamed Oscar Grant (which truly is disturbing and disgraceful to Frank). So to say she disgraces Frank for not mentioning him? Or other movements around the world. I’m sorry but I can’t think of many other movements in this country that impacted her so directly as black movements seeing as how she is black?? And she talks about our mother because that is the experience she has, and our mother is black. Our mother taught us one thing in particular, we are all humans. No matter your color. Growing up we had kids of all colors, creeds, and races in our home. Times when there were 15 kids sleeping over in a little two bedroom house. What she mentions is a story that involved blacks and whites, its just the main focus in those protests were black people. Its her experience. and the civil protests impact her and EVERYONE in the country directly.
And your “not this time black people” comment. Wow, I like that you group all black people into the same category. I’m engaged to a white woman who has an uncle that groups me into a particular category too, he doen’t care for me or the color of my skin. Sometimes we don’t realize the words we use are charged with racism. And if they aren’t meant to be racist words, I suggest never using them again. no matter what the skin color is..
Sorry, but there is no talking to racist people and getting through. “not this time black people” ? She has a deep resentment for blk people and it’s expressed perfectly through her words. This movement is so much more than, “you guys had the civil rights, this is ours”. boo hoo! Sickening and childish. I pray she isn’t someone’s mother…God help this world
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Please do not take the references by people at Occupy Oakland as a dismissal of Frank Ogawa. We have tried very hard to honor his memory as well as Oscar’s, including with the following poster distributed at the Plaza: http://occupiedoaktrib.org/2011/11/17/i-am-oscar-grant-i-am-frank-ogawa/
Cami’s experience represents that of thousands of people in Oakland and millions around the world who are inspired by the Occupy movement. I don’t know much about Ogawa but I suspect he would be proud of us.
Now, let’s all try to play nice and get to back to the work of fighting the banks and corporations.
Thank you!
Here is one of my contributions to the movement…. so far. Pass it along.
Worth watching… subscribe if you like it.
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrParkerEast
Cami, this is an inspiration. Thanks for your actions and your words.
Cami, thank you for sharing your story with us. We, the 99%, are with you.
I’m an Oaklander, and you’ve made me so proud with this post. Thank you for an incredible, beautiful piece of truth. You should be very proud of yourself.
Well said. All power to the Oakland Commune!
Thank you for your eloquence and heart! May we all be as brave!
To Cami, You are just the person that I would like to speak to. There are things that I do not understand. Perhaps you can help me.
Who are the “they” that you think want to tear down your tents? Who are you really against? What do you wish to see change as a result of the occupy movement? How much do you know about what is going on in Washington D.C. and do you understand how things are changed in this country vs. how things are changed in countries in the Middle East and in Europe? Do you want more policemen on the streets as President Obama has asked for more money in order to hire more policemen? Do you want more big businesses bailed out by the government? What is it you really want?
I remember the Civil Rights movement led by Dr. M.L. King very well. I taught one of the first black students in the state of AL in 1968. I admired and respected the people who fought for their rights then and I still do. May God bless them and forgive those who stood in the way of equality for all.
Today, I have attended Tea Party Rallies. I believe that America has some major problems. America, may she ever be right… We need to join together as citizens to help correct the problems. Because I attended TPR I have been called very ugly names and accused of something I am not. I never stayed all night at a rally. I never littered. I never even considered carrying a hate sign. I only went to voice my concern that the legislators in Washington D.C. need to hear the people and stop raising taxes for big spending bills that waste taxpayer dollars. For that, I have been attacked.
You said, concerning Occupy Oakland:
Why are these things present in your movement and for what are you seeking?
None of this was present during Dr. King’s noble efforts to end segregation. He was successful. None was present during the Tea Party Rallies.
I would have to agree that these things shouldn’t have been present at the Occupy rallies. They hinder and slow it’s forward progression if they want to ever be taken seriously. But because it is and was present does this mean that it is a worthless movement? Does this mean that they should go home and stop their fight because there are people among them who aren’t up to our standards? There was still violence in Dr. King’s movement. Did he condone it, by no means, he was against it. But in any movement you are going to have those who want to take a more physical.
The Tea Party has more respect and more of a voice than Occupy. The Tea Party has legs, it has been around longer, it has leaders. Occupy doesn’t. I’m sure if Occupy did have leaders a lot of these things would be lessened. Occupy is still very much a teenager. Camille didn’t litter, she didn’t carry hate signs, or throw rocks at the police. Please don’t question her for the actions of others at Occupy. Please don’t blame the majority for the actions of few.
But in the end, I do agree with you, these things do need to be done away with (at least at the rallies) if they are to be taken seriously.
I think you’re missing part of the point. These ‘things’ are present in everyday society. Littering, vagrancy..they are all symptoms of this society that has disenfranchised so many of the 99%. Part of Occupy is addressing these real issues, making them part of the social discourse.
You could argue that the efforts of the Tea Party were also subterfuged by mainstream media. You were given a lot of labels that may not be applicable, but now you should understand what it’s like to be on the bottom of the society pile. I urge you to not get mired in the small details, and give the Occupy movement the respect it deserves.
My questions weren’t answered?
I respected the civil rights movement because the vast majority of the people demonstrator behaved respectably. They had clearly articulated goals. 1. End Segregation 2. Be allowed to vote without intimidation 3. Stop discrimination of those who were of a different race… I do not understand the goals of the Occupy movement.
Respect is earned.
Elaine, How do you feel that the 99% have been disenfranchised? This is one of the few places in the world where anyone who registers can easily vote. How do you believe people are disenfranchised? I am not trying to be obtuse. I truly want to know what you mean.
Calling a Park Oscar Grant. To me is very Stupid. He and others were starting trouble in the Bart train. Remember? These were Thugs! Just because he got shot shouldn’t make him a hero. So to me our title “Why I got arrested at Oscar Grant Plaza” already SUCKS! The Real hero is “Scott Olson” he fought the war and lately got hit in the face with a tear gas can . But will live to tell his children about it. And I didn’t think he started trouble in the Bart Station as well. So with a title like that. I won’t even bother reading your story. I AM 99% FREE SPEECH !
The title is free speech isn’t it? your lose on reading a powerful essay that is not even about the Frank Ogawa Plaza. have you been arrested for your free speech? have you been arrested for being apart of the 99%? Camille has, show her some respect. she isn’t an Oakland native so she doesn’t know not to call it that. but she got arrested for the 99% so stop hating on her because you don’t like the title of the story. Lame.
Johnny, You say you are 99% free speech. Do you agree or disagree with the “Mic check” concept that stops Republicans and non-union people from being allowed to speak freely?
This is so beautiful…and so are you.
Aw, my buppy is so protective! I love you ryanegraves!
Actually, I did know it was called Frank Ogawa Plaza, and that was what I originally had in my essay. I was asked by an editor whose opinion I respect to change it to be in solidarity with the rest of Occupy Oakland, so I did, and I stand by that decision. I also didn’t choose the title, but I guess I’m not writing for people who nitpick about such a little thing as the title.
This is just my private experience. I think everyone should write about their experiences with Occupy, so if people don’t like mine, they should get involved and write their own! I’d love to read about other peoples’ impressions.
(P.S. And, duder, I couldn’t have asked for a better person to help raise me.)
Thanks to others for the very kind words.
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loved reading this Camille, you are a beautiful writer. Thanks for putting your experience out there!
The encampment to me was the one place people lived side by side, when outside it very few of us would ever have met. I spent the night, night before the final raid, walking around and talking to everyone who couldn’t sleep either. There weren’t any real deep conversations, but a lot of laughing and teasing and appreciation of each person–especially of those who had come prepared to barbecue (!!) and the really, really funny folks.
We’ve just come to a point where we change our tactics a bit; what we can do now will be killer. We can change the world, starting with Oakland!!!
Just read more of the comments here–let me say what the Occupy in Oakland means to me that it may not in othere cities–Occupy Oakland is being led by many many people of color, not enough yet but it’s growing. This is what we need, and if it continues we may all be saved from the predations of corporations and politicians. Because people of color aren’t represented in those two groups, haven’t had a voice in the power places of this country, have been kept down and run around and shot at in this country. They have survived in the cold outside and made their own progress and we need them to show the rest of us how. If we change ourselves in a way that people of color have power, can live in safety, are recognized for the unmeasurable part they have here, the rest of us will be so better off. I can hardly wait.
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Cami, thank you for an excellent piece and for you passion and dedication for a better world. While there are clearly some similarities between the lunch counter actions and the Occupy settlements, there are some clear differences as well. There was a specific prohibition for people of color to sit at those counters and the act of sitting there was a clear and direct act of defiance against a specifically unjust law, a law that reflected the poisonous racism that infected (still does) our communities. I am having trouble understanding the logic of the Occupy settlements. I am greatly appreciative of the Occupy movement and how they have brought the issue of economic injustice (my frame) to the fore.
So, now for my specific and respectful request, Occupy needs their Port Huron Statement and Occupy needs leaders. The diffuse many headed nature has served Occupy well to date but I believe that without specific tactics that map to specific goals, we will lose this opportunity and the media will steal the narrative from us. Maybe I am wrong? Maybe I have worked for change from the inside for too long? However, there is one thing I know to be true. Occupy will wither and die without a reflex for self-reflection.
I suppose one cannot give answers when there aren’t any. Americans should move forward and realize the truth about this movement.
What is the truth about this movement? what do you think it is?
Ryan, I am sorry I never responded to your question. I actually missed it and it is a little late now, but I will try.
What do I think the movement is about? In the beginning I think it was simply those on the left attempting to counter the Tea Party. A lot of time has passed since you asked and the movement seems to have been hijacked by anti-establishment protesters who are not sure what they want. Most are liberal and we have a liberal president and are moving in that direction. I think class warfare plays a part. I think some people just have too much time on their hands, too much given to them without the benefit of hard work, and have had too much indoctrination. I’m not sure they know what they want or if they do, they don’t know how to go about getting it.
I wonder why Scott doesn’t take this article down since he thinks I’m a racist piece of shit now.
Cami