Occupy Oakland and the Incitement of Violence

An Open Letter to the General Assembly

Being in the Bay area of California has afforded me the opportunity to participate in actions organized by Occupy Oakland. For the most part this has been a blessing to see hundreds of individuals come together in solidarity in the manifestation of economic, social and educational justice. During a recent action, however, I was stunned to see activists engage in actions that put the entire movement and its’ message at risk.

Participating in the “Funeral for Capitalism” left me in awe of the power of the Occupy Movement. The planers of this action wisely kept the march route and destination secret in order to avoid being “flanked” by the Oakland police, an organization that has a long history of excessive force and violent behavior. During the march motorcycle officers responded like scurrying ants desperately attempting to determine the route of the march in order to block off traffic for the marchers. At each intersection traffic was stopped and the march was not impeded. On this day the Police acted responsibly in ensuring the safety of both the marchers and traffic. Frankly the police responded professionally and did their job.

Herein is the rub, during the march I witnessed multiple individuals taunting the police with foul language, threatening jesters and false charges. Occupy Oakland has rightly called for the Oakland police to be held accountable for their excessive actions. Yet when this department does act responsibly members of the movement clearly attempt to incite violence on the part of the police. It is time for Occupy Oakland’s General assembly to address this issue face on. Individuals engaging in these irresponsible behaviors risk, diminishing the movement’s effectiveness, driving a large percentage of the population away from supporting the movement and providing ample images’ to the press to suppress our common call for economic justice.

Yes we are a leaderless movement, Yes we operate via the consensus process, Yes, no individual can speak for the movement; these truths, however do not mean that we can duck the issue of damaging behavior by Occupy participants. It is time for the General Assembly to not just address what we should engage in but also what we should not; to make clear what nourishes our cause and its values and what is damaging to the group and its’ goals as a whole.