Two weeks into Occupy Wall Street protests, movement is at a crossroads

I said an employer is not required to provide benefits, that does not mean that a good employer wont provide them.

I was thinking about the 99% concept. Does that have any more credibility than the moral majority or the silent majority?

"Yeah, it's cold, we'll go back home and start up again in the spring."- really? Is that your level of committing? No marches even during the cold months? And yet he wants me that I should take him seriously?

wandeljw wrote:

I was thinking about the 99% concept. Does that have any more credibility than the moral majority or the silent majority?

Sure it does.

Think of the logical order of the two groups. They are quite different. In the case of the Moral Majority, the distinction is based on subjective beliefs. In the case of the 99% it's a objective distinction by income. In the case of the the MM, the distinction asserts a pretty rigid social/political platform--the exact thing that #Occupy is criticized for not having.

Think about it, what would the 99% look like? Would it be uniform in it's thoughts and feelings, or would it be diverse, and even divergent? In this regard, the 99% mantra of #occupy is probably one of the best social cross-sections of our culture to emerge in a long time. This certainly in spite of many who'd like to reduce this to a caricature of just a bunch of young jobless hippies no matter how diverse the crowds actually are.

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While we are calling for a general strike, we are also calling for much more. People who organize out of their neighborhoods, schools, community organizations, affinity groups, workplaces and families are encouraged to self organize in a way that allows them to participate in shutting down the city in whatever manner they are comfortable with and capable of.

Please send me the addresses of those who will be at the protest while the police are not working.

Thanks!

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE CITIZENS OF OAKLAND FROM THE OAKLAND POLICE OFFICERS’ ASSOCIATION
1 November 2011 – Oakland, Ca.[/color]

We represent the 645 police officers who work hard every day to protect the citizens of Oakland. We, too, are the 99% fighting for better working conditions, fair treatment and the ability to provide a living for our children and families. We are severely understaffed with many City beats remaining unprotected by police during the day and evening hours.

As your police officers, we are confused.

On Tuesday, October 25th, we were ordered by Mayor Quan to clear out the encampments at Frank Ogawa Plaza and to keep protesters out of the Plaza. We performed the job that the Mayor’s Administration asked us to do, being fully aware that past protests in Oakland have resulted in rioting, violence and destruction of property.

Then, on Wednesday, October 26th, the Mayor allowed protesters back in – to camp out at the very place they were evacuated from the day before.

To add to the confusion, the Administration issued a memo on Friday, October 28th to all City workers in support of the “Stop Work” strike scheduled for Wednesday, giving all employees, except for police officers, permission to take the day off.

That’s hundreds of City workers encouraged to take off work to participate in the protest against “the establishment.” But aren’t the Mayor and her Administration part of the establishment they are paying City employees to protest? Is it the City’s intention to have City employees on both sides of a skirmish line?

It is all very confusing to us.

Meanwhile, a message has been sent to all police officers: Everyone, including those who have the day off, must show up for work on Wednesday. This is also being paid for by Oakland taxpayers. Last week’s events alone cost Oakland taxpayers over $1 million.

The Mayor and her Administration are beefing up police presence for Wednesday’s work strike they are encouraging and even “staffing,” spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars for additional police presence – at a time when the Mayor is also asking Oakland residents to vote on an $80 parcel tax to bail out the City’s failing finances.

All of these mixed messages are confusing.

We love Oakland and just want to do our jobs to protect Oakland residents. We respectfully ask the citizens of Oakland to join us in demanding that our City officials, including Mayor Quan, make sound decisions and take responsibility for these decisions. Oakland is struggling – we need real leaders NOW who will step up and lead – not send mixed messages. Thank you for listening.

Isn't that a problem if they lack uniformity? What viewpoint do they actually represent? Does the 99% share a uniform objective?

So no job and no benefits is a winning strategy over taking a job with no benefits. How do such smart employees feed themselves and their families while they're pressing their advantage?

Does the 99% share a uniform objective?

Occupy contends that not only does it represent 99% of Americans, it consists of 99% of Americans.

Occupy contends that not only does it represent 99% of Americans, it consists of 99% of Americans.