Last night the General Assembly in Seattle voted overwhelmingly (84%) to accept the Mayor's offer of the park adjacent to City Hall, contingent on some demands. Later that night, another assembly was called, and that one voted to stay, albeit by a much less than convincing margin. My feelings are that there is not much lost by sleeping at City Hall and protesting Westlake during the day. There are excellent arguments for staying and pushing the envelope, as well. What is important is that the occupation continue, and that the movement not be fractured by internal debate. One of the lessons learned from previous horizontal, consensus based movements that debate and vote continually is that you get used to winning and you get used to losing. While all politics is personal, one must not take small defeats personally. Continue to agitate for your position when it is relevant to the zeitgeist of the moment, but be willing and able to move on in solidarity when it is time to move forward. More on yesterday's votes HERE and HERE.
In Solidarity,
The Match
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