Searching for new tactics and strategies
Occupiers from across the nation are in Philadelphia for the
Occupy National Gathering (
#NATGAT),
several days of workshops and direct actions culminating on July 4th.
“I hope we can have some real dialogue about what’s next for Occupy. New
tactics and strategies,” says occupier Jeff Rae, who has been active in
the movement since September 17 in Zuccotti.
Yesterday Philadelphia occupier
Zachary Bell wrote:
Chris Hedges addressed the crowd of Occupiers. Hedges
described the state of political America, including the death of the
radical class, the “monstrosity of faux liberals like Bill Clinton and
Barack Obama,” and the marginalization of structural critique in
political discourse. He addressed Occupy’s future, articulating Occupy’s
immediate goal “to reverse the corporate coup d’état and put the power
back in the hands of people.” Hedges opined that the black bloc”s
tactics are destructive because it plays into the hands “of those who
want to destroy us” by demonizing Occupy in the mind of the public. But
he remained hopeful and urged patience, citing his experience in
movements that took time to build: “this is the dress rehearsal for the
end of the corporate state.”
Read Zachary’s full report from
Day 1 and
Day 2 of the
#NATGAT at occupyphillymedia.org.
The
second day of the Occupy National Gathering began with some sense of
stability, with Franklin Square set as the permanent location for
workshops and the Friends Center’s parking lot as the permanent sleeping
area. However, the day of speakers and skill-shares precipitated an
evening of arrests, with 25-30 reportedly taken into custody. (Footage
of the arrests:
Protesters Kettled and Arrested at Occupy National Gathering)
The
third day of the Occupy National Gathering was full of energy and good
conversation. Speaker Amadon DellErba from Spritualution discussed the
importance of ending all “isms,” Gina McGill from Alabama promoted the
ideas in Beyond Plutocracy, and Matt Taibbi exposed bank collusion.
Captain Ray Lewis declined to speak in the group because of the many
side conversations, but made himself available for any individual
conversation throughout the afternoon.
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