Tonight’s Spokes Council proved that certain individuals and a few Occupy Wall Street Working Groups (WGs) have a long way to go in understanding that classism, racism and sexism are dangerous in a movement that says it speaks for *everyone* in the 99%. The non-transparency, domineering style and questionable tactics of tonight’s facilitation team, bullying against those who voiced dissent against the proposal, insensitivity to marginalized and voiceless communities and the vote tampering displayed tonight is a wakeup call to the General Assembly to get more involved in the behind the scenes organizing of the OWS movement and demand accountability.
Firstly, I couldn’t believe that yesterday [Sunday, December 18] OWS had a big conference on the same day as International Immigrants’ Rights Day, yet it was not in honor of, it was instead of. We should have done more to support immigrants on this day, such as a day of actions following the march, or a conference dedicated solely to immigrant rights. When some proposed in a Spokes Council that the conference be moved to another day so we could focus the day on immigration rights, the idea was belittled and shut down with meritless excuses.
Then tonight [Monday, December 19] at the Spokes Council there was a proposal which sought to reduce the amount of time a person could represent their WG or Caucus. However, the General Assembly already voted that the same spoke could speak once every two meetings, but not back to back, which seems fair. The new proposal seeks to extend it to every three meetings. This is a ‘foot in the door technique’ because this is now setting a precedent where the Spokes Council could make more restrictions on WGs.
Many flaws were pointed out tonight with the proposal by attendees:
It lacked consideration that some WGs have only 15, 10 or less people in their groups. They will not be able to have their group’s vote counted with such strict regulations
The Human Rights Working Group pointed out that there was elements of racism and classism in the proposal and in the Spokes body itself. I’ve talked to many individuals from the People of Color Caucus, the Anti-Racism Group, Occupy The Hood and many other groups and they agree with the Human Rights WG concerning racism and classism.
The Class War Working Group voted against the proposal because they said it gave the Spokes Council too much power on an issue that each WG should decide for themselves.
The Security Working Group voiced dissent because there should be a longer conversation about such an important issue before we rush to a vote and he noted that it disproportionately affected women of color in the Spokes Council who were voicing dissent.
The spokes from the Occupiers Working Group blocked it because he felt it “guaranteed to further marginalize the already marginalized in our movement”, however, this block was not observed by Facilitation.
The spokes from Outreach Working Group blocked the proposal for moral and ethical reasons.
The Constitution Working Group voiced dissent because the proposal was inconsiderate of WGs with small numbers and/or with members who lived far away.
Other working groups blocked the proposal, and others abstained from voting due to dissent or confusion.
The proposal was written in what many felt were “secret meetings” because they were not publicized enough in advance, and WGs were not properly outreached to.
An allegorical novel I read in high school, George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’, talks about oppressed communities mimicking their oppressors by eventually setting up hierarchies amongst themselves. In the book the farm animals (the 99%) rose up against the farm owners (the 1%). After the farm animals scare the humans off the land, something very heart breaking happens: The pigs decide that equality was no longer for the horses, cows, chickens and sheep: Equality was now just for the pigs. Misrepresentation. Classism. Betrayal. The movement that was supposed to be for ALL quickly became co-opted into what was best for some.
Many ninety-nine percenters are pleading at the top of their lungs for the OWS movement to not follow in the footsteps of Animal Farm and for those with privilege to step back and realize that if some are enslaved, silenced and dehumanized, than we as a human body are all enslaved, silenced and dehumanized.
As the representative from Women Occupying Nation Caucus I pointed out that the proposal was insensitive to women who had children and couldn’t attend multiple meetings weekly. People living in low-income, poverty and and/or homeless also have restrictions. People who work two jobs just to survive also can’t attend so many weekly meetings. The writers of the proposal failed to be democratic because they didn’t enroll multiple WG’s buy-in or for them to take part in the formation of a proposal that will affect all of us. Instead, they quickly created the proposal practically off the radar and without sufficient time for the General Assembly and WGs to plan and articulate their opinions regarding the matter.
Being a few days before Christmas, this was the lowest attended Spokes Council to date. Many WGs did not even have a representative present to vote. Many of the WGs not in attendance represented groups who would be negatively affected by the outcome. The concerns of classism, racism and sexism stated by numerous attendees were dismissed by the Facilitation team and the presenter of the proposal. There is a growing concern that this movement is being co-opted into a movement for only the white middle class. Those who voice dissent are mocked, misrepresented, or even jeered at and vilified.
It was against protocol and alarming to see the Facilitation team, who is supposed to be neutral when facilitating, inappropriately injecting their personal opinions, steering public opinions with over bearing tactics such as yelling and misrepresenting certain spoke’s by recapping their statements inaccurately to the Council, causing confusion during voting, allowing certain women to be personally attacked without calling it out and allowing the democratic process at the end to be tainted and compromised.
Vote tampering allowed by the Facilitation team is common of certain working groups breaking process to push forward their agenda and disempowering dissent. I noticed that certain people just picked up spokes signs from the unused pile to “illegally” vote at the end just to get the proposal passed.
There were enough blocks against the proposal to take it off the table, however, the Facilitation team made the decision to not include the votes of all those who blocked. First they said the meeting was over, and then they said it wasn’t. During this time of concocted confusion, some people went to the use the restroom or some thought it was over and left. At the end the Facilitation team misused their role and discounted half of the original eight blocks and only included four. This dangerous pattern of the Facilitation team breaking and creating new process on a whim is very telling of the hypocrisy and corruption that needs to be addressed immediately if we are to maintain an authentic democracy.
The reason why so many people oppose the way the “in clique” is steering the decisions that affect the movement’s directions is because we don’t want anyone to be left behind. We don’t want to create hierarchies. We don’t want disenfranchised and discriminated against communities to be misrepresented, censored and even personally attacked by certain people aggressively pushing an agenda in this movement. We don’t want to be led down a path that excludes the less privileged portion of the 99%.
We want transparency and accountability.
The vote tampering and bullying of dissenters tonight is exactly what the far right has been guilty of. Let's practice what we preach. Please.
On a personal note, I’ve thought long and thoroughly about whether to air this grievance publicly. People have exposed these issues since the beginning. I wholeheartedly care about this movement because I feel it’s our country’s last chance to break away from the shackles of the anti-humanity Big Banks that have corrupted and bought our government and democracy, kill our environment, cause unemployment and profit off our despair and enslavement. We cannot sustain such a letdown of our vision and goals. I believe what is broken can be fixed. Keeping silent on these issues will only make them more toxic.
I believe in the ideals of what the mission statement of OWS says and I am here to stay.
ALERT!!!: A new proposal will also be put for a vote this week which gives the Spokes (aka a new Congress?) the power to remove Working Groups, affiliations or individuals who don’t beat to the drum of the inner circle. Be afraid, be very afraid. This new proposal goes against the ideals of OWS.
Audre Lorde, an activist and writer who left the feminist movement in the 70’s to start the womanist movement because the feminist movement had been co-opted by white middle and upper class women who devalued the inclusion, needs and equality of women of color and women living in poverty, wrote:
“The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change. And this fact is only threatening to those…who still define the master as their only means of support.”
This is a call to action to not allow the “master tools” to spoil the Spokes Council, Facilitation Group and other entities of Occupy Wall Street. This is a plea to not allow the “master tools” to be incorporated into the message that the information team dispels outwards via media, press, direct actions and decisions. We should be gentle, compassionate, understanding and PROACTIVE concerning marginalized communities and individuals who are reminding our body to be more progressive, honest and just.
Moving forward, since it was obvious there was vote tampering and illegitimate Facilitation team tactics, the proposal should be deemed void. Then the writers of the proposal should have meetings and teach-ins (like numerous Spokes suggested) for two weeks open and promoted to EVERYONE so that all those affected can have a say in the language and outcome of the proposal. After the two weeks, there should be another vote. However, this time around people will actually know about this proposal and will be prepared to exercise their right to take part in what is supposed to be a transparent democracy.
Your sister in the fight for liberation, Ashley
