Zuccotti Be Kiddin’ Me: The Reality on the Ground at Zuccotti Park, and Why the Forcible Removal Monday Could be a Step Forward for OWS

Monday I had the luxury of visiting Zuccotti Park mere hours before the shit hit the fan. Being a historian and living only a little over an hour away, I had been wanting to visit to witness the reality of what was really happening on the ground for a while, and apparently I got there just in time. The media on the right has been painting the localized phenomena as a gathering of pan-handlers, degenerates, and junkies while the left has been portraying the group of protesters as well-minded, disenchanted citizens seeking accountability for the economic depression from greedy corporations and banks (but lacking a focused message or demands). I figured the truth lied somewhere in between, but I was somewhat shocked and disappointed to find that somehow both accounts were largely accurate and equally represented.

First, let me state that while my political ideology may slip into some of my accounts, I will attempt to offer a neutral analysis of what I witnessed and what I foresee happening in the days and weeks to come. I try not to state whether or not I agree with their message, but rather how that message was being conveyed, how affective it was, and could be. Let me start by addressing the people that were corrupting any of the good intentions of the movement and the occupation of Zuccotti Park that could exist. A good percentage of the people there appeared to be there for all the wrong reasons. Some people were there just to be smart-asses, such as the group of guys that were requesting donations to help them “go back in time to kill Sarah Connor,” which, while amusing for a moment was more indicative of the lack of seriousness or conduct that is going to warrant any type of introspective analysis that the movement hoped to garner by its presence. Further, there was an aimless element there throughout the park that was selling buttons or ranting about ridiculous demands that made entering the park or carrying on an intellectual conversation with any of the more knowledgeable or committed protestors, too scary to consider. Most onlookers were too intimidated to traverse the narrow corridor that was the only means of entering the interior of the park. They just circled the perimeter taking photos, or passed by briskly to avoid the situation altogether. It created a dense façade that clouded any message that hoped to get out from the true activists.

If you were willing to look past some of the ridiculousness, however, there were some impressive things being carried on by the organizers and some of the more noble, well-intended protestors (by noble, I mean their intentions to exercise their right to protest whether or not you agree with their ideology). There were people offering some clear messages and demands such as calling on equal loan protection for student loans that is afforded to other private and government loans, calls for other specific banking reforms or regulations, and independent investigations into the legality of the actions of numerous banks and corporations that lead to (and continue to contribute to) the recession. What I was most impressed by, however, was the infrastructure established by the OWS organizers. There was a library that consisted of over 5,500 books on history, politics, and economics (and more than just liberal minded material) for protestors to read during their extended stay. On a side note, every one of these books, along with countless personal belongings, medical supplies, and other property was thrown out by the 1,000+ cops that raided the park on Monday night. When people entered the premises and planned to stay long term, they surveyed your skills and background and assigned you to a responsibility that could benefit the population as a whole. For example, if you were tech savvy you were assigned to work with others to help disseminate information online or if someone had medical or EMT experience they would be assigned to the makeshift first-aid squad that helped with any medical situations that arrived. I actually got to peek into the medical tent which was impressively fully stocked and looked like something straight out of M*A*S*H*. They even have had people come down from the colder, northern states teaching members of the community guerilla farming techniques in hopes of maintaining resources for the community members throughout the harsh winter ahead. Despite the high level of organization that was applied to the dynamic infrastructure, I found those to be offering any true insight to be scattered and clouded by the stigma of everything else that was going on throughout the park. This is why I think the raid Monday night was the best thing that could have happened to the movement.

The organizers of OWS NYC seemed to be exhausting all of their abilities to ensure the sustainability of the locale. At first, this was necessary. If the park had not been occupied for the past two months, we probably wouldn’t be talking about these issues as much still. In order to stimulate any type of discourse or analysis of the history of the causes and costs of the recession, the movement realized they had to establish a sustainable presence for the protests to mean anything. In this day and age the news cycle shifts so fast due to the rate that we receive information, the protests would have to extend beyond mere days or a few random events for any type of message to get out. The problem with this is that sustaining a presence at Zuccotti Park in the heart of downtown Manhattan without outside support and strong interior organization is next to impossible. The leaders and the most informed members of the movement were over-extending themselves to handle the responsibilities of the group as a whole and working to merely maintain some type of physical presence in the wake of numerous opposing forces and the looming winter ahead. Thanks to the NYPD, that is no longer as much of an issue. Now those members can concentrate their efforts on specific tasks, messages, and demands.

In the coming days, expect the movement to become more focused. Also, the use of excessive force is only going to rouse up the more apathetic people who believe in OWS, or those like myself who are merely curious or intrigued by what is going on there, to explore further agency and get involved in the movement to a higher degree or at the least look for further insight to what the movement is all about. Paul Krugman of the NY Times, who has been consistently reporting on OWS in his blogs, and others who have been reporting or participating in the movement, agree that this can only stimulate an evolution in the movement, and not deter it as Bloomberg and others hoped. Also note that there was essentially a media blackout over the entire upheaval of the park on Monday night when over 1,000 NYPD descended on one city block of protestors. There blatant reports of excessive force being used. From what footage was taken and the reports that have come out, we are beginning to see that this is true at least to some extent. Now, you are most likely going to have people who believe in private property and 1st amendment rights, and those who rally against the use of excessive force by the authorities joining the movement due to the violations that happened Monday night. I cannot see the movement doing anything but snowballing in the days to come. Last night, at 10PM Eastern, when the people were allowed to reenter the park, they were only allowed in two at a time, with only small bags, and many were illegally searched. Despite this, and ironically thanks to the extra space that opened up from the removal of tents and the lack of an intimidating aura surrounding the physical space, they had what is being considered their largest gathering to date to show that they are not backing down and here to stay. Tomorrow morning they will descend on the stock market to protest, and have been calling for weeks for 11/17 to be a national day of protest and non-violent civil disobedience. Let’s see what happens…