10.23.2011

occupy: the people's library and how to build the movement

In my post here, recapping a report-back from Occupy Wall Street, I mentioned The People's Library - but I neglected to see if the people's librarians have a blog. Silly me, of course they do!

Please visit and scroll through, it's quite amazing: Occupy Wall Street Library. Thanks very much to AW1L! I can't wait to see this for myself next week.

My friend and comrade Dr. J has an excellent post with thoughts on the Occupy Movement, placing it in context of the larger struggle, and some ideas on the burning question that the media can't stop asking, What comes next?
On the question of demands there are two potential dangers. The media are asking for a few simple demands that the system might accommodate, eliminating the systemic critique at the heart of the movement. On the other hand, some participants are calling for no demands in a way that reduces the movement to the procedural form divorced from the radical content and the movements that inform it.

A related problem to the exclusive focus on procedure is that it reduces the movement to the minority able to occupy for long hours, isolated from broader communities and struggles.

This can give rise to seeing this group as the agent of change--through a frenetic calendar of events that the majority of people don’t have the ability to participate in, or elevating the occupation from a tactic to a principle.

As the temperature drops, it will become more unsustainable to maintain outdoor occupations, and prioritizing this over outreach beyond the occupation will cut the movement off from broader struggles. At Occupy Toronto there have been efforts to build beyond the park--joining the Ryerson Social Justice Week on day three, and marching with labour and community allies against the local 1% regime of Rob Ford today.

As we’ve seen from Tahrir to Wisconsin, occupations are simply one tactic in a broader movement for change. The main strategy needs to be the active participation of masses of people—in the streets, campuses, and workplaces. Only through self-emancipation can we create a world for the 99%, by the 99%.
Well worth your time: How do we build the "occupy" movement?

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