It’s definitely going to be an interesting general assembly tonight! Foreclosure actions have begun in mass across the country. Occupiers (including a strong contingent from OB) have arrived in DC for a week of action. We have lots on our minds about winterization and next steps for our movement.
Possible proposals for tonight include an investment opportunity in a mobile food truck, whether to pick a date to end the encampment in spring, and more. Should be very interesting, to say the least!
See you at 7:00pm at Dewey! It’s going to rain so dress warmly and bring your umbrellas! Do it for quorum! 🙂
8 Responses to “General Assembly Preview: Dec. 6, 2011”
Prior to your GA, you all should stop by Occupy Harvard to witness the interrogation of Jack Abramoff. This is a tremendous opportunity for us to gain insight on lobbying from a true insider. We would like to share it with you. We do not, however, have much seating. So it will be first come first serve. It looks like we have at least five extra seats, along with more seating in the lobby with access to his comments on a 20 second delay.
So….. trying to take an unbiased view
99% view- “investment opportunity in a mobile food truck, whether to pick a date to end the encampment in spring”
NO idea what this food truck would do, but I support it- and why pick a date in December when we don’t know how the movement will evolve.
1% view- what are they talking about?
the two sides have never been further apart- if anything the longer the message is open ended and not focused- the more and more the 1% will condemn the encampment of Dewey square.
Occupy Boston cant be evicted because its an idea- make it so.
always fascinating these Accountability posts…so before you thought they should end the encampment, now they should stay to see how it evolves. maybe they are thinking of picking a date to try to finalize the message by the spring (?) — however, what I am most interested in is where YOU stand. Do you want the physical occupation to continue or not?? Just curious cause sometimes it feels like you are contradicting your self so keeping you accountable for that.
Try to keep up please
Encampment doesn’t mean 1/100th to the rest of Boston as it does to those in camp.
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I want money out of politics- I have long before two guys from adbusters in Canada started the entire OWS process.
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Everytime I try to stay informed on OB via this site and read about food trucks, the right to camp (in a terrible spot) through the winter, sinks, planks, ‘riot gear’ – it takes me further and further away from thinking this is getting anywhere other than testing boundaries of right to assemble.
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The rights of OB have clearly become priority #1- it’s clear.
The second clear thing to me is that te camp won’t last- think about it- voting on when to end it? If OB had dismissed the notion that they need a camp, had formed a 1-2 point ‘demand’ and refOcused even to the state house- they might be getting something done.
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I ob is an idea tht can’t be evicted- then move onto phase two and go to the source- not some empty ATM machines, 9-5 sheeple and the rights of an encampment absolutely doome to fail through the winter storms.
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Much like the very issues OBi sat tempting to bring light to, they have become far to micro focused on their specific locale when it should be further reaching with a defined goal/set of goals.
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Expecting the rest of the non camping 99% to ‘get it’ the way the campers do from their homes and reading papers and blocked on buses is too utopian.
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Frankly the message needs to be spoon fed
Accountability, I like your posts. I think the camp is still useful for two reasons — for holding attention of the public and holding a real space for dialogue, and for keeping poverty in the view of the wealthier folks and people involved with financial institutions. It’s my hope to keep the camp through the Winter, and decamp on the Spring Equinox, at which time the movement broadcasts far and wide with great energy. We can keep a sculpture garden and public space for democratic dialogue at Dewey Square, if we negotiate the same with the City and the Greenway. If we can negotiate properly, then we could bring in Winter tents, which the City will know are temporary and to house homeless people, which cannot be construed as a bad thing if done properly and safely. We can keep the message emblazoned on inequality and the structures that perpetuate it to such depth, and by the Spring, we can focus our message and converge on Washington as well as doing 1,000 other things, like starting cottage industries and new forms of shelters for people who are homeless, and many many other things!
I am with you Accountability in everything you said up above. I too am for getting money out of politics and I too feel that the movement is a bit ADD – it would help the movement tremendously if it was focused on the two root causes of the income inequality problem (for many of the 1% UNDESERVED…they make way to much for the value they provide) – so root causes 1) Washington and 2) Large Corporations (just those corps. who make the immoral choices when it comes to lobbying power and also how they treat employees i.e. mass layoffs instead of repurposing the workforce, or promoting workforce flexibility, non-performing CEOs getting their bonuses and golden parachutes, but employees…barely any raises – that says it all about the huge income inequality!). So I am with you.
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The only reason I wanted you to explain is because I got a sense earlier that you don’t believe it is sustainable for the group to stay in Dewey, yet when they announced that they will end the physical occupation you were encouraging them “Occupy Boston cant be evicted because its an idea- make it so” — so I just wondered – which one is it. You want them to stay as a symbol of the injustice or you want them to move on. I was just curious that’s all. Thanks for answering.
I encourage and embody the ‘movement’ just not the pitchfork mentality.
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You always catch more bees with honey.
I realize sometimes no one sits up and takes notice of the honey style- but once they started shutting down camps nationwide, and headed into the winter, it was just a matter of time for Boston to be shut down.
There has been an enormous amount of energy spent on the camp itself, when it really doesn’t matter.
If they burn all the churches to the ground- that won’t make christianity go away.
To give you an analogy- lets use the NBA which many view as a bunch of overpaid whiners.
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Michael Jordan is the 1%- not because of his prowess, but because he gets favorable treatment- IE- he ‘gets the calls’ his ways on fouls. right?
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The rest of the league playing against him complains because that’s not fair. So they complain to the referees- the only people on the court that can change whats going on ‘in the game’
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They even will bring protests to David Stern, hoping that he will force change and that ultimately Jordan will be treated like the rest of them. (I admit that this analogy has many faults, including the fact that Jordan was never treated like the rest of the league).
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The point I’m trying to make is that the players (the 99% in this example), who want a change made, go to the source- those that can enforce change. Jordan’s not giving up anything.
If the refs don’t do enough in the season- they go to Stern and argue for rule changes.
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Many of the ‘on lookers’ are seeing the 99% players yelling at the crowd and Jordan. Nothing they can or will do about it.
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That’s all for now.