Police Presence at Occupy Seattle Rally
Yesterday, I went by Westlake Park, and I was a bit disheartened to find that the park was still being occupied, only this time, it was being occupied by the police.
As I looked at the cop cars lined up on the concrete, I realized that the supposed 99% had been defeated by the supposed 1% yet again.
Several months ago, the wives of police officers stood on Seattle sidewalks, in front of police stations, and held up signs supporting SPD officers. As I stood and observed these demonstrations, every seventh car that drove by honked its horn.
Fast forward to last week. As I drove past Westlake Park and prepared to honk my horn, I caught notice of a protester sign which read “Do Not Honk! The Police Will Ticket You!” Sure enough, on subsequent passes, I saw police pulling over cars which had the audacity to beep in solidarity with the occupiers. I just shook my head at the entire spectacle.
Whatever fear the protesters may have instilled in the powers-that-be had been completely exhausted. Now, those same powers were simply having their way with the “occupiers”, and I felt a little bit embarrassed for all of them. For all of us.
Here’s the thing I don’t understand about Occupy Seattle, and the thing I will probably never understand about Occupy Seattle:
They ask permission.
For everything.
Before rallying, before marching, before doing anything … they first ask the government for permission. The same government they concede has been bought and paid for by the 1%. The same government that pays men to wear blue uniforms to protect the interests of those 1%.
The protesters ask permission from these very people before doing anything.
And this is supposed to be effective?
What if the colonists had asked the King’s permission before dumping tea in Boston Harbor?
Imagine what would have happened had Egyptians asked for permission to protest?
While I largely agree with the messages I’ve seen from this group, in my opinion, the Seattle segment of the movement has come across as more of a hissy fit than a revolt.
A sad fact of human psychology is that respect = fear. Fear is the reason I pull over when a police officer turns on his lights or gives me a command. I fear being shot or locked in a cage if I fail to comply.
The fact of the matter is, nobody fears Occupy Seattle. Rightly or wrongly, they are seen as a group of obedient, Obama-worshipping white folks who will head back over the 520 bridge the moment things get a little too authentic.
Don’t get me wrong, this is not exactly my perception. I’ve spent a couple of hours in the park over the past two weeks, and I’ve met some really great people who have given me hope that the collective IQ of America may not be as low as I had feared.
What I haven’t met, however, are many 40 year-old plaid-wearing mill workers from Aberdeen. I haven’t spotted many laid-off black folks from Rainier Valley. I’ve seen hundreds of white, twenty-something college kids, but most other demographics have been conspicuously absent. This is a shame, as those in power have very little fear of white, twenty-something college kids.
Don’t get me wrong, I still support the protesters, but this particular brand of civil obedience is coming across as more performance art than revolution.
Until the working class gets behind this movement; until people stop feeding the corporations that hurt us; until the protesters stop asking permission — I think the respect they need to invoke real change will be hard to come by.
How could these demonstrations occur and/or grow without corporations that make available just about every aspect of the protests? All of the technology being used is the result of corporate businesses and Capitalism. All of it. Who produced the cardboard and crayons or markers that the protesters use to make their signs? Who made the tents, tarps, sleeping bags, umbrellas and other assorted shelters being used by the protesters? How would they broadcast their protests without media of any kind (other than carrying signs) without the corporations that provide cell phone and internet access?
They couldn’t.
Raging against the machine cannot be done without the machine(s).
…but this isn’t really about machines or corporations. It isn’t about 99% and 1%. It is about forced wealth redistribution. Me First and the Gimmee Gimmees are who are “occupying” and claiming that those who produce OWE those that don’t produce a lifestyle.
Sorry. It just don’t work that way.
I don’t think you really get what the movement is about. It’s not about raging against the corporations in general. It’s about raging against the ones who are doing everything they can to hoard as much wealth as possible while at the same time using that wealth to push through policies in our corporate government that would allow them to amass even more wealth, all at the expense of the rest of us.
When the government takes our tax dollars and gives it to the already tremendously wealthy, and those wealthy turn around and try to rape us for even more…. I don’t understand how you can NOT be upset about it.
If I’m giving my money to the government for things like roads, schools, police, etc., then they turn around and give huge chunks of that to companies that are “too big to fail”, then turn back to me and say that they can’t afford to keep the roads maintained, schools updated, and police staffed, while I look over to where the same companies that took the government cash are paying their leaders 10x my yearly salary in the form of a “bonus”…. You’re saying that’s all good?
I understand your “fear = respect and/or “respect = fear”. During a marriage counseling session, there were four couples, the shrink in charge asked me the difference. I remember putting my head down, taking a deep breath and saying “I don’t know the difference, to most people there is no difference. If you are afraid of someone, your backing off of them is considered respect. And with the people you have respect for, there is a power factor, and you do fear them.” There is no longer any difference for most people.
We have just had a demonstration of that here in the Michigan Senate. A billionaire owns the Ambassador Bridge connecting Canada to Michigan. He had recently donated l.l million dollars to various Republican senators and made it clear he did not want a second bridge, even if it is needed. Wealthy persons, corporations can and do destroy things that will help someone other that them. Oh, Canada was going to pay for the bridge, crossing fees would pay any Michigan dues. Zero from tax payers.
Fear = respect = corruption.