darkemeralds: A round magical sigil of mysterious meaning, in bright colors with black outlines. A pen nib is suggested by the intersection of the cryptic forms. (Default)
[personal profile] darkemeralds
I took a break from my job-about-which-the-worst-I-can-say-is-that-it's-stressful, and went across the street to check out #OccupyPortland.

An Occupy Portland protester in a crone mask in the crowd




Reports say that the initial march, yesterday, drew 10,000 people (including the mayor), and photographs suggest that in any case, it was a sizable crowd. The movement has now occupied Chapman Square, a park directly across the street from my workplace, in a kind of tent-town.

Occupy Portland tent town with large sign reading 'Capitalism is fucking the 99%'


Most of the occupiers are young. The mood is peaceful, but serious and intent, with a definite overlay of smoke--incense, tobacco and marijuana. I gather that amplification has been forbidden by the city, and I witnessed an interesting ritual that seems to have resulted from this ban.

A circle of OccupyPortland protesters participating in a talking circle


A circle of people sat or stood near the center of the park. I couldn't discern a clear leader or the passing of a talking stick, but different people took the "floor" in turns and spoke. "Mic check," they would each begin. There was no microphone. "Mic check," everyone would echo. Then the person would make a few short statements, each echoed by the crowd.

"I am a student," one young woman said. "I am a student," we echoed.

"I'm privileged to be a student." (echo)

"I want to finish my schooling, and that means I can't be here every day...but I'll be here as often as I can."

Another spoke of the importance of keeping the number of occupiers high. Someone else talked about reaching consensus with the Portland Marathon (a huge and venerable institution which is scheduled to occupy this same park tomorrow morning--it's not clear yet how that will go). Nobody ranted. The invisible microphone passed smoothly from hand to hand after a few sentences.

People would hold up their hands and wiggle all their fingers in a silent signal of agreement after statements they liked--you can just make out one occupier doing that in the upper right of the picture.

It was strangely moving, this impromptu ritual of call-and-response. It's a dull, wet day in Portland, and without the rabble-rousing power of a one-way public address system, the occupiers have created a quiet and very powerful method of building solidarity, keeping people present, and spreading the message.

There were some good signs...

A protest sign at OccupyPortland reading 'I'd be HOME if I still had one'


...a certain amount of costumery, and anonymous-angel deliveries of pizza.

An Occupy Portland participant in a jester hat on a bike, and a woman delivering free pizza to the occupiers


One guy was offering "free cardboard, free Sharpies!" to prospective sign-makers, and lots of people were sitting on the park benches or on tarps on the muddy ground developing their themes in black on corrugated.

"We're trying to make the world a better place," the Sharpie guy called.

Everything I'm reading about the Occupy movement says that it's not a single-issue protest--that it's still developing its messages and goals. Mainstream media seems to be getting some mileage out of the meme "they don't know what they want."

Give 'em time.

"We are the 99%" is emerging strongly as a focal point in Chapman Square today, and well-documented police brutality in New York at the original Occupy Wall Street protests a couple of weeks ago seems to be cementing a serious intention of non-violence in all the subsequent occupations.

To my mind, 99% of the people in nonviolent action is a damned powerful beginning.

(no subject)

7/10/11 23:42 (UTC)
dine: (harvest moon 2 - lanning)
Posted by [personal profile] dine
the ban on amplification and subsequent call&response to ensure everyone can hear the message apparently started in New York - I heard a clip on NPR a couple days ago showing just how well it worked.

I'm really impressed with the numbers, and the focus on nonviolence, and am glad Portland's sometimes anarchic protest history hasn't been repeated with this movement

(no subject)

8/10/11 06:08 (UTC)
writerscramp: stranger than fiction (emma thompson, i luv u) (Default)
Posted by [personal profile] writerscramp
The call and response thing is called a "People's Mic". It started during the Wisconsin protests in January.

We used to do something similar during union marches when my dad was on strike. It's probably been around in some form for awhile (that was 20+ years ago), although not nearly as sophisticated as it is now. (Or at least ours wasn't.) I love the simplicity of the idea, and the solidarity of speaking with one voice.

(no subject)

8/10/11 15:55 (UTC)
dine: (leaf ripple - lanning)
Posted by [personal profile] dine
oh cool - thanks for more background; I'd known nothing about the practice or where it began until the NPR segment last week, and clearly quickly forgot what it was called

it's very effective!

(no subject)

8/10/11 00:00 (UTC)
ravurian: (Default)
Posted by [personal profile] ravurian
This is my favourite clip to have come out of the Occupy movement so far. From Towleroad: Occupy Wall Street protester Jesse LaGreca is given the opportunity "on the record […] to put any message you want out there, to give you fair coverage," according to this FOX News reporter from the Greta van Susteren show.

The NY Observer writes, "The decision was made to leave it on the cutting room floor. The reason should be obvious pretty quickly."

(no subject)

8/10/11 16:32 (UTC)
kis: (Default)
Posted by [personal profile] kis
To my mind, 99% of the people in nonviolent action is a damned powerful beginning.

Too right. The anti-Tea Party has begun.

(no subject)

9/10/11 10:52 (UTC)
macaron62: (Default)
Posted by [personal profile] macaron62
Very exciting! So proud of you for being part of it.

(no subject)

21/10/11 22:02 (UTC)
tehomet: (Default)
Posted by [personal profile] tehomet
\o/

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