The taking of the lot at 19th and Telegraph
Yesterday’s labor march was an overwhelming success. As several thousand people stood between the Grand Lake Theater and Lakeview Elementary to protest school closures, a speaker from the “rally truck” announced that this was the largest march in support of schools in the history of Oakland. Moments like these are what make us all proud to be participants in Occupy Oakland, and that includes the teachers and postal workers who marched with us yesterday.
As we marched back downtown and approached 19th and Telegraph, however, it was entirely unclear what would happen next. I kept thinking there was some secret plan to redirect the march back to 14th and Broadway up until the moment that the fences were literally being torn down. In spite of all the nervous chatter around this issue and the disruption to the lives of the surrounding residents, the moment felt like a huge success. It would be hyperbolic to compare it to the fall of the Berlin Wall, so I am not going to make that comparison, but it certainly felt like liberation to us.
However messy and ill-considered the plan to take the lot at 19th and Telegraph might have been, it gave everybody the sense that Occupy Oakland is here to stay. Everybody I saw was exuberant. The only dour faces were those of the cops, who were made painfully aware of their own impotence once again. The moment gave thousands of people a sense of hope and power. For years we sat by and watched wars break out in spite of our bests efforts, innocent Black men get executed and Wall Street destroy the world economy only to get bailed out and defended by the President that many people in our movement put into office. That all breeds a sense of powerlessness. The taking of 19th and Telegraph was one of those moments that helped change all that and is a precursor to mass, militant struggles against inequality and war.
We now know that we’ve got the power and we’re figuring out what to do with it. Anybody who sits aside and scoffs at these developments is going to be made irrelevant by history. Pick a side, even if you don’t always agree with the tactics.
Critics gleefully predicting the end of Occupy Oakland yesterday will be sorely disappointed to see the news this morning, that the camp was cleared out with no arrests and now we’re looking for somewhere else to go. Like I said before, hardly anybody really wanted to be there long-term as far as I could tell. Concerned neighbors can chill the fuck out and go back to their PTA meetings. We got our occupation and you got your empty lot back and you only had to deal with a single night of revelry. I appreciate that the whole thing was probably loud and annoying but I am not sure what else you expected when you moved in next door to the Fox Theater.
The Occu-porsche
The whole thing ended with a fizzle with no arrests and no PR disaster. It will be entirely forgotten before Thanksgiving. By this morning people were joking around with the cops and taunting them with a delivery of donuts. “Whose donuts? Our donuts! Whose sweets? Our sweets?” A Batmobile-like Porsche with police lights even arrived carrying a trailer of coffee, like some bizarre scene out of Back to the Future. Yeah, it was that kind of morning. Not exactly the disaster our detractors were hoping for.
All the nonsense I have heard about how the occupation at 19th and Telegraph was going to be the end of the movement, or was the last straw that convinced people to leave Occupy Oakland, is now exposed for what it is. Sure the plan had its problems but let’s not blow things out of proportion. We are trying to figure this out day-by-day. Every time I think this movement is down and out it comes roaring back. That–and not the expected PR fiasco–is what occurred over the last 24 hours.
To the detractors who threw up their hands after–and before–the GA on Friday night, I prefer you remained in the movement but you can always hide out in Obama’s campaign headquarters down on 17th and Telegraph if you must. They’re waiting to welcome you with open arms. Let us know how that works out. And don’t blame me for creating this dichotomy–I am just noting it, not creating it. History has already created it for you.
In the meantime, we’re not going anywhere. We are the 99%.
You say that this felt like liberation? How about bullying? I noticed that you’re perfectly OK with skirting laws, even though you claim to be protesting corporations and individuals who *skirted the law* for profit. Think about someone besides yourselves, or you are no better than the people you are protesting.
Regarding “skirting the law,” you might want to take a look at the statues at the other end of the park. And I’m not talking about Winston Churchill.
Dear Rent Paying resident.
I apologize for any inconvneience the occupy movement has brought you. I would like to assure you that it will not be loud pa systems disrupting your sleep pattern at all hours of the week.
If you come out of your apartment ( I know its rainy) and talk to some of the occupy people, most all of them are very friendly and can elaborate their reasons for being there. You may encounter a grumpy person also. We aren’t perfect. Some of us have not had much sleep lately. You won’t find anyone smashing your property or threatening you with weapons. At least no occupy people. If there is a tense atmosphere it is the riot helmets and gas masks of the police that create this atmosphere.
The only law we are breaking is camping in a public space. The banks and corporations which we oppose have done much more to injure the public than put down stakes in a public space. They have taken the economy to the brink of disaster for their greed. They poison the water, the food, and the toys we buy for our children for their greed. More importantly, they subvert the political process with their money so that they can get even more of that money.
We all have different reasons for being out here. But one thing we can agree on is that business as usual is getting us nowhere.
Liberation? That was a mindless mob whose only purpose was vandalism. Total disrespect for the neighborhood, for the neighbors, for any sense of civility. That was not civil disobedience. That was vandalism. A mob tore down a fence, brought in a soundtruck, and had a big dance party — in a residential neighborhood. The disrespect and self-centeredness of the protesters was obvious to everyone who was there.
Last night as I watched these mindless vandals tear down that fence was the moment I lost respect for OccupyOakland. The group has been taken over by a bunch of troublemakers whose only purpose is to fuck things up.
For the record I’ve been supporting Occupy since the beginning on Sept. 17. OO needs to clean up its act. Its GA process has been hijacked and even former supporters are watching in disgust.
The disaster came at Friday night’s GA, a classic example of people talking past each other. The representatives from OSA relied on horrendous ‘won’t someone think of the children’ cliches, whilst the pro-19th and Telegraph advocates basically said ‘we’re going to make your children suffer because life is tough and they need to learn that’. Neither side was graceful, and neither side listened to the other side.
I am deeply grateful that no one got hurt or arrested during the occupation of 19th and Telegraph yesterday. I am grateful that there appeared to be a plan, and that the murals were safely stored. But I cannot help but think that this encampment was not a good example of strategic thinking by OO, and once the decision had been made to occupy the lot, ‘backing down’ would have been interpreted as weakness.
IMHO, The movement needs to spend less energy on cat and mouse games with OPD and more on practical and effective direct action. And no, that doesn’t mean singing kumbayah with Obama, but how about picketing his campaign office? If the Port can be shut down for a day, surely it wouldn’t be too difficult to picket outside an office on 17th Street and effectively render it inoperable for an extended period.
Exactly, the state and corporations disregard the law (and humanity) whenever their oppressive system is threatened. When they break the law it is usually with murder, widespread corruption, unlawful arrest, torture, etc. We took down a fence that kept people out of unused land that belongs to ALL OF US! How can you even compare us to those fascists? You must come from some privilege.
But if you ever lose that privilege, lose your ability to pay rent and end up on the street, you will know what bullying really feels like. And we will stand and fight with you for a better world.
Thank you for this article. I want to acknowledge the voices of dissent in the above comments and welcome them. How else can we grow and learn but from hearing everyone. Thank you. I personally love that someone showed up with a strange batmobile car and delivered coffee from a trailer. I think this is a great movement, it wouldn’t hurt in my humble opinion for OO to breathe a little and not let fear of loss or ‘looking inept, weak, or even wrong’ force it’s voters into faster decisions. I don’t think OO is going away. It’s all gonna be ok!!! I did not enjoy the final paragraphs of semi-taunts to the dissenters at the GA meeting mentioned and I was not at the meeting so I don’t know where I would have stood. I try to remember that there is no perfect decision, we’re all beginners doing our best(we as a group have to make a crap load of choices and that is a lot of pressure!) All choices have a risk, Love-Rachel
I’ll just add that I would have liked to participate in yesterday’s march, but chose not to because of my ambivalence about the 19th & Telegraph occupation. I suspect I’m not alone. I still consider myself a supporter of OO and Occupy in general, but the pissing matches with OPD are no longer productive.
I stood there and watched animals tear down a fence covered in children’s artwork and jump up and down on it shouting with glee. I stood there and watched as a neighbor holding a “community not occupy” sign was told he would be killed, as another occupier said “let me get a good look at his face so we can kill him later.”. I’m sure your response will be “that wasn’t occupy oakland – we didn’t create the violence in Oakland – it was there already,” consistent with your refusal to take any responsibility for your ‘movement.’. Congratulations on your meaningful rave/dance party at 19th Street. I’m sure it will go down in the history books.
Can the Uptown NIMBYs please take a deep breath and relax? You live in a busy area literally across the street from Oakland’s flagship music hall. A sound truck and people dancing on a Saturday night is not the end of the world. The fence protected some sand and rocks that momentarily got used by other tax-paying residents of our beautiful city to have a little block party. If things like this get under your skin so much, then maybe living in such a central and urban neighborhood like Uptown isn’t for you.
I say this as someone who thought the 19th & Telegraph occupation was not the smartest move also.
Your selective reading skills are impressive. People aren’t complaining about a sound truck. They are complaining about a senseless mob that comes across as not caring about a community that formerly supported them. BTW, it’s not my backyard and I still thought it was disgusting. Your refusal to listen to the other 99%ers is going to be your (our) collective undoing. Do something constructive. Stop dividing your community.
Thanks ADR, I totally agree. As for the NIMBYs, they seem clueless to the fact that just blocks away from their little two-bedroom condos people are going to bed hungry. I love that the longer I live in Oakland the more residents seem to be making an effort to beautify the place. However, I would hate to think that this is happening to the desperately poor people in east Oakland, Fruitvale, the folks hanging out on the corners and filling people’s gas tanks for a few dollars. This part of Oakland exists, and we need to be ever mindful that the shiny pockets like Uptown and Lake Merritt are the exception, not the rule. I also support Occupy Oakland, and did go down to the 19th and Telegraph dance party, which, I believe would have been quite fun for the Uptown residents had they only removed the sticks from their asses.
OWS and OO have done an awesome breakthrough job of popularizing and galvanizing a mass statement against banking abuse, corruption, police brutality, inequality, etc. These issues are commonplace for many of us progressives who toil away in activist ghettos, but now, thanks to occupy, we can turn on the local corporate news and hear “banks got bailed out, we got sold out!”. In my mind OWS and OO only need to draw attention to these issues. It is really up to different kinds of people and different subcultures to stand on the shoulders of occupy and make some of these things happen. I would not ask that occupy singlehandedly try to solve the housing problem or provide sustainable food systems or local currencies or anything like that. You will only bog down in these things and lose your focus. Stick to this brilliant, galvanizing, inspiring protesting and leave solving these problems to people who have those skills, interests, resources, and backgrounds. Keep up the great work! You have really energized the progressive community!
This makes me really sad.
“Pick a side, even if you don’t always agree with the tactics.”
I’m a radical, I have showed up to the Plaza as much as I can, I was born in Oakland and have lived here most of my life, I’ve lived in half a dozen Oakland neighborhoods and live in Allendale now, I knew the “Uptown” neighborhood before Jerry Brown made up that concept for it, I remember very sizable rallies for Oakland schools from when my teachers went on strike in the early 80s, I’m a single parent, I live paycheck to paycheck, I work for social justice, I’m a veteran of other organizing, I have come to GAs when I can, I consider myself part of OO. I have a side. That doesn’t mean I have to endorse the decisions of everyone else who styles themselves as the deciders of what a real radical is supposed to do.
I think that encampment idea sucked because the neighbors didn’t want it. You can argue forever about whether their reasons were sound, but even if you think their reasons were wrong, that doesn’t matter much. This is a mass democracy movement, and when a big group of people including a public school community opposes an action it is a problem not for PR, but for the democratic process. Accusing them of being NIMBYs or gentrifiers or whatever is an easy out of dealing with the reality that the neighborhood didn’t want the encampment. I will do what I can to protect encampments that have community support and was ready to go to bat for Snow Park but I don’t want to be part of fighting Oakland neighbors.
Insulting people here and telling them to go back to Obama headquarters or whatever is a pretty clear message that you actually don’t want people to come back and stay involved. The atmosphere of heckling at GA and in OO clearly predates the uptown controversy, and plenty of OOers have heckled, been disruptive, etc. Apparently that’s OK because they’re the “real” 99 percent? If we want mass involvement, let’s model respectful, open process and behavior.
The “you’re either for us or against us” thing is a very troubling thread in a rich, diverse movement that will require honest self evaluation to survive long-term. We need real dialog.
I am going to keep showing up, keep being part of this movement, and keep critiquing it, just like this movement critiques establishment institutions like city government. 99% means a movement for all of us, not a cadre. Anyway, I”m tired of having helicopters over downtown every day, it’s giving everyone freaking PTSD. Let’s go take Piedmont.
Thanks for you comments, I swear I have some copter, concrete at night PTSD! I like what you are saying about the neighbors voices being important.
To those who Occupied 19th last night:
The sole reasons for Police running the Sound Machine is to create pain for those who Occupy. It is an awful and cowardly device.
Please be aware not for the apartment dwellers, but bare in mind that there is, directly across from The Uptown, an elderly & infirm home for the demented.
It was great to see everyone last night, and I am with you always.
I am unable to join you as I am severely disabled.
My thoughts go out to the care home behind this apartment complex. I do hope no one was harmed. They have a lot of devices that are affected by frequencies like that Sound Machine that the Police choose to use. I wonder if the Police considered that when they blew their sound truck? How awful.
Go Occupy and do your best, but please consider every option next time you pick a park. The Police are very cruel and very spiteful of us, and they don’t care if the area of occupation has residents and what sort of residents they are.
I’m really disappointed in their choice of action. It could have been a lot worse, and I was very worried last night that those of us who are disabled — such as myself included — would be affected in long-term ways.
I am a resident at 19th Street and me and my family has always welcomed you. Please be aware of all options next time. Not for the things that you do, but for the actions and reactions the things you do may (or may not) cause.
Good luck staying safe.
Can someone answer me one thing: how does disrupting an elementary school, low income housing and small businesses alleviate economic inequality and hold banks accountable? Aren’t those the goals of Occupy? How can stunting the growth of an upcoming neighborhood in Oakland achieve the aims OWS initially set out? Separating yourself from the community will only serve to destroy the movement. Attempting to occupy 19th and Telegraph was merely pitting the 99% against the 99%. No more no less. It had nothing to do with Citibank or an uneven tax code. I support the Occupy movement. I no longer support Occupy Oakland.
People who are so easily swayed into “not supporting Occupy Oakland” anymore (if they really did at all in the first place…) need to consider the following: Are movements neat and clean, or are they messy? Can you make serious change in a country if you stop supporting an entire movement overnight? Do you really believe what you’re saying, or will you be back on board the next time we have a solidarity march or a strike? How much do you know about the goals and aims of the incredibly diverse Occupy movement, and is it possible that your individual pet issues actually fit into a larger system with everyone else’s pet issues, making it possible to attack an entire system through diverse tactics tailored for specific issues?
Just sayin.