Boots Riley Statement on the Oakland General Strike

In the wake of Oakland's successful general strike, there is of course some internal struggle over tactics and the role of the small handful of windowbreakers at the march. Now I think it is safe to say that the vast majority of people in the movement view reckless adventurism as pointless and damaging. Pointless actions like random petty destruction are a distraction, and do nothing to advance the cause. Hoever, if those who are willing to take more radical action are shut out, then you have nothing but the same toothless, pointless, ineffective rallies we have suffered through for decades. I'll let Boots take it away:

The truth is that while almost everyone I know in Occupy Oakland (including myself) thinks that breaking windows is tactically the wrong thing to do and very stupid, many people do not agree with non-violent philosophy. If you kicked those folks out then you would have a body of folks that wouldn't have been radical enough to even call for a General Strike. Occupy Oakland, on the whole, has a radical analysis that leads us to campaigns that others wouldn't and which also capture people's imagination. For instance, as I've said before, Gandhi was vocally against strikes because physically stopping someone from what they want to do is violent. Occupy Oakland has called for a diversity of tactics- which is different than our New York comrades, however I don't think that is supposed to mean that you use every tactic every time. We are so large here precisely because our actions have teeth. If the police blockaded at the port- we would have had 2 choices. The first would have been to let them stop us from getting there- with them thereby calling a victory against OO. The second choice was for us to quietly push through them with the shields we had in the front of the march and using our power in numbers to get through. That would, technically, not fall into non-violent philosophy. I think it is the fact that police knew that we had tens of thousands and we would push through there if necessary, that caused them to stay away. Also, everyone here seems to be inspired by Arab Spring, Greek movements, and other similar movements in Europe. None of those were non-violent in nature. The Egyptian folks burned down a police station, for instance. Everyone I know thinks that tactics like that here would cause the movement to be crushed, so those tactics are not on the table- I'm just pointing out that people are saying that this is emulating a movement which was pretty violent. But, I think the discussion is about tactics, not about adopting non-violent philosophy. On November 2nd, a large group of people with many contradictions successfully shut down the city in the biggest action with an overt class analysis in 60 years. People all over the world, all over the country, all over Oakland- are excited by this. If you are threatening to leave because, in the midst of this mass action some people broke windows and we are all trying to figure out how to work together, then you're missing the point and you'll be missing out on history. Don't let the media frame the discussion. The average everyday person was empowered by what happened on November 2nd. Every movement has contradictions, we aren't told about them so we think this movement should be different- there was violence during the Civil Rights movement. The pastor that had MLK's job before him at Ebeneezer Baptist Church had just made all of his congregation buy shotguns. The NAACP had an ARMED chapter in North Carolina. You can wait 50 more years for your perfect movement, or you can realize that it's here.

And that, as Carol Burnett used to say, is the truth.

Hard Knock Radio 10/26/11

If you have not heard of Hard Knock Radio, well, now you have. HKR is a daily news show out of Berkeley, CA. At this link, you can listen to an archived stream of the show that aired today, 10/26/11. It contains on the street interviews with citizens as they are being attacked by the state. It is a must listen. This is the future, the near future, for each and everyone of us.
So is this:

And this:

We are all Scott Olsen

POLICE RIOT IN OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

What is happening, right now, in Oakland, is a POLICE RIOT. The POLICE have attacked innocent citizens without provocation. In a "liberal" city, with a "liberal" mayor, In a state governed by ex Linda Ronstadt boy toy Jerry Brown, The POLICE are rioting with the support and blessing of the "liberal" cognoscenti. On orders from them. While just a few short miles to the west, Pres. Obama wines and dines the 1% at $7500.00 a plate, the goon squads of the "liberal" elite shoot rubber bullets, concussion grenades, bean bags and tear gas at the rest of us.
Ask yourself this question:  Why didn't the police every use any of these violent tactics against Teabaggers who showed up with guns to protest Barack Obama? Remember, teabaggers SHOWED UP WITH GUNS. They FLAUNTED their guns. They mumbled constantly in a threatening tones about the 2nd amendment, while their CANDIDATES ominously spoke of "2ND AMENDMENT SOLUTIONS"
No, they only do this when WE peacefully hold sit ins.  Not when conservatives show up with guns.  It's almost as if the police in all of these various cities are hoping to provoke the demonstrators into responding in kind.  (SNARK)
 I'm actually amazed they haven't.
 I would have no problem if they did.
Of course, we won't, because WE always take the high road. Through out history, violence has always BEGUN WITH THE STATE. People have never risen up in violence WITHOUT PROVOCATION. Ever. The state has always pushed the people to respond to ESCALATING BRUTALITY.
Now, ask yourself this: How long till the next "Kent State"? How long till they are "cutting us down"? Hmmm? Months? Weeks? Hours?
What is happening in the various Occupy camps across the world cannot and will not be tolerated by the elite. When people begin discussing what holds them back, en mass, together, The status quo will always lose. THEY KNOW THIS. Direct Democracy is an anathema to their system. It cannot be TOLERATED. That is why the OAKLAND POLICE FORCE is rioting like the Contras on crack tonight. That is why the people of Oakland are being given the same treatment that the CIA offered to the people of Nicaragua and El Salvador. Keep up the struggle, heroes of Oakland. You are not alone.
In Solidarity
The Match

The Dirty Fucking Hippies are Still Right...

One of the right's most juvenile criticisms of the OWS movement is that it's just a re-hash of the old hippy movement. Of course, that is not the case, and only the most intellectually vapid would parrot this drivel. But... what if that were the sum total of OWS? What if OWS consisted of nothing but old, grey haired hippies, once again taking to the streets to promote their agenda? Why would that be a problem? After all,
The Dirty Fucking Hippies Were Right!!

The 99% Declaration

This is a call for a new constitutional assembly to take place July 4, 2012 in Philadelphia. Read it. Share it. This is what is needed to address the myriad of problems confronting us - mass engagement from OUTSIDE the system. The system is truly and utterly broken. It must be changed from without or it will not change.

The most wonderful time of the year...

Riot Time!!

Now that is what I call progress

Yesterday, in Seattle, a reporter from The Stranger witnessed this exchange:

A cop on a bicycle, talking sincerely with a middle-aged lady in a purple fleece jacket about the crowd at Westlake: "No, it's really interesting, it's really interesting—this could be the genesis of this whole new thing, this society, that they're talking about."

Good morning!

Yesterday's global action was a huge success. From Seattle to Madrid, Tokyo to Times Square, Pepople rose up and demanded economic justice. I feel it was truly an historic day, the beginning of a true Internationale.
Here's a message to all the hater's out there, from London's Lowkey.



In Solidarity,
The Match

If I weren't sick...

This is the message I would take to today's GA at occupy Seattle:

Just. Move.To. City. Hall.
Right now, you are allowing yourselves to be played by the system. What is important is the occupation itself, not so much the ground upon which the occupation takes place. (Although that is important, too) You are allowing the system to create divisions and rend you apart. You are, in effect, doing their work for them. Move to city hall, put up tents and refuse to move them. Read the Los Angeles city council's three page proclamation of support to every camera. Take over the city council chamber and read it there. Make everyone aware that in LA, the mayor and the council are behind the occupation 100%
Plan an effective action for everyday. Use all those internet skills to find out about every bankers meeting, every politician coming to town, every stockholders meeting, etc. and disrupt it. then reconvene at base camp fo rthe GA and plan what to disrupt/shut down the next day. March to colleges and hold rallies about student debt. Find a family facing foreclosure and keep them from being evicted. Find a family that is being refused insurance coverage that will save a life, and occupy the insurance company offices in support. Plan actions that matter. Stop trying to get arrested just for the fuck of it. Get arrested for something that matters. (Like preventing a family from being evicted.)
Quit bickering about here, or there. Quit destroying yourselves in service of the masters.

Maybe tomorrow I'll be well enough to attend the GA, if they don't self destruct tonight.

A second occupation begins in Seattle

Last night, as a result of more than $1.5 million in federal cuts, SHARE/WHEEL, a local homeless center, was forced to close all 15 of it's indoor center, a loss of 300 indoor sleeping spaces. They have begun an occupation around the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation at 5th and Mercer. Story in The Stranger.

What demands? We don't need no stinkin' demands...

Perhaps the most pervasive criticism of the Occupy Everything Movement is that there is no singular message or demand. This is, of course, complete and utter horse poop. The message is pretty goddamn clear to anyone willing to open their fucking ears - people are sick and fucking tired of the financial elite stealing everything, be it the wealth of nations, the tools of democracy or elections. People are finally giving voice to the frustrations they feel, and stating openly and publicly that the system is broken beyond repair. They are beginning to understand the enforced powerlessness that working within the system creates. And they have a demand - They are demanding redress of their grievances. They are demanding the future promised to them. They are demanding a future for the next generation. They are demanding power, real political power.
Now, the entrenched politicos don't see it that way, of course. They are in an absolute tizzy over the outrageousness of it all. Some of them simply don't get it at all - they are so invested in the system that anything that comes from without is simply indecipherable to them. Some, like ultra-rightist Rep. King of New York do get it, and it scares the shit out of them. He recently said, “It’s really important for us not to give any legitimacy to these people in the streets. I remember what happened in the 1960s when the left-wing took to the streets and somehow the media glorified them and it ended up shaping policy. We can’t allow that to happen.”
One of the best analysis I have read comes from this blog, adriennemareebrown.net, specifically this post :

and in terms of the demands, it seems the central demand is to build and expand a conversation that is long overdue in this country, a conversation which doesn’t have simple cut and dry demands. we are realizing that we must become the systems we need – no government, political party or corporation is going to care for us, so we have to remember how to care for each other.

and that will take time, and commitment, a willingness to step outside of the comfort of the current and lean into the unknown, together. to listen to each other across all real and perceived divides...
the whole thing seems so utterly not produced, not micromanaged, and not acting from a place of crisis which excuses top down elitist decision making processes – not rushing itself...it feels spacious. it feels like something you can do, no matter where you are, by authentically applying yourself to the changes you wish to see.

And that, I think is a brilliant summation of the whole kit-n-kaboodle. The detractors are really crying because we are not doing 'it' the way 'it' has been done before. We are blazing a new path, and leaving the old forces, left and right, behind.
And nobody likes being left behind, so they attack the vanguard. Their mewling, however, is both impotent and immaterial. WE have forged ahead with out them, and that scares the fuck out of them. As well it should.
In Solidarity,
The Match

It's been a long, long time...

I started this blog a while back out of frustration. Frustration with the world, with the political paradigm, with the entrenched left, with my own inaction, with the lack of a cohesive voice that spoke for me. It was, and is, a cry for attention. Not for myself, but for all the like minded, the disaffected, disenfranchised and the dissed. After a bit, I fell off. I never really found the voice I was seeking, and never quite found the focus point that would make it all more than just me howling at the moon.

Then the Occupation started.

So, I'm going to try to get this little project up and running again. The focus will be the occupation movement sweeping the globe. This will be a holding cell for subversive ideas, relevant links, stories and analysis of the struggle now being engaged in the streets of America. I will twitter updates at iamthematch. I hope it is helpful to some.

OCCUPY. RESIST. PRODUCE.

In solidarity,
The Match

More Required Reading

The Arab World is On Fire - Noam Chomsky, via Truthout:

Observers compared the events to the toppling of Russian domains in 1989, but there are important differences.

Crucially, no Mikhail Gorbachev exists among the great powers that support the Arab dictators. Rather, Washington and its allies keep to the well-established principle that democracy is acceptable only insofar as it conforms to strategic and economic objectives: fine in enemy territory (up to a point), but not in our backyard, please, unless it is properly tamed.

One 1989 comparison has some validity: Romania, where Washington maintained its support for Nicolae Ceausescu, the most vicious of the East European dictators, until the allegiance became untenable. Then Washington hailed his overthrow while the past was erased.

 and this:

A common refrain among pundits is that fear of radical Islam requires (reluctant) opposition to democracy on pragmatic grounds. While not without some merit, the formulation is misleading. The general threat has always been independence. In the Arab world, the U.S. and its allies have regularly supported radical Islamists, sometimes to prevent the threat of secular nationalism.

A familiar example is Saudi Arabia, the ideological center of radical Islam (and of Islamic terror). Another in a long list is Zia ul-Haq, the most brutal of Pakistan’s dictators and President Reagan’s favorite, who carried out a program of radical Islamization (with Saudi funding).

Required reading

Why Mubarak is Out From the article:

Many international media commentators – and some academic and political analysts – are having a hard time understanding the complexity of forces driving and responding to these momentous events. This confusion is driven by the binary “good guys versus bad guys” lenses most use to view this uprising. Such perspectives obscure more than they illuminate. There are three prominent binary models out there and each one carries its own baggage:  (1) People versus Dictatorship: This perspective leads to liberal naïveté and confusion about the active role of military and elites in this uprising. (2) Seculars versus Islamists: This model leads to a 1980s-style call for “stability” and Islamophobic fears about the containment of the supposedly extremist “Arab street.” Or, (3) Old Guard versus Frustrated Youth: This lens imposes a 1960s-style romance on the protests but cannot begin to explain the structural and institutional dynamics driving the uprising, nor account for the key roles played by many 70-year-old Nasser-era figures.

The situation deteriorates in Egypt

The elation I felt last week as the masses took to the streets in Egypt has slowly turned to dread and apprehension as covert government forces brutally attack and murder people in the streets. Yesterday I watched as undercover police posing as counter-demonstrators charged into crowds on horseback and camelback, armed with clubs and machetes. Journalists were hunted down and beaten. Today, Journalists are being rounded up and arrested. Something is planned, and the security apparatus is trying to make sure we don't witness it. I just watched video of a police van plowing into a crowd of people - it is too disturbing to share.
There was no violence when the people took to the streets. None. The only violence is being perpetrated by the state. Until the violent acts of 'pro-government' thugs, what transpired was what always transpires when the masses reach the tipping point - They mass and become empowered by their numbers. Each one has a cathartic revelation - "I am not alone!" The state has a cathartic revelation as well, when it becomes apparent that the people have realized that they can organize and speak with a common voice.
What has been uncorked in the Middle East can not be contained. Indeed, it has already spread across the region. But these are brutal regimes, more brutal than the former Eastern Bloc, and they will most likely die a very violent death. I hope the forces of democracy will prevail over those of Theocracy and repression.
My fingers are crossed. There is not much else I can do.