Occupy Wall Street's Big, Difficult Choice
Today would be a good day to take a pass on attending Occupy Wall Street's "General Assembly" at 7 p.m. (although the 6 p.m. meeting on "Organizing Effectively Without Hierarchy" sounds cool and the 2 p.m. Structure Working Group meeting is a blessed thing). Because tonight, you're going to find out who's a cynic and who's naive, and it's going to get heated consensus-style, as the group addresses Mayor Bloomberg's demand to come in and "clean up" Zuccotti Park, starting tomorrow. The park's landlord's letter to the NYPD, dated Tuesday, asking for help, is full of practical, liability-insurance-based complaints but also has plenty of nonsense, and it's the "unsanitary and unsafe" claim appears to be resonating. So this is likely to escalate into a real and troubling confrontation; there's almost no way Occupy Wall Street can give up the park—but protesters should know that the City doesn't back down once it's said it's going to do something. (Photo from last night by Harrie van Veen.)
Maybe sometime before 6PM they can have an open forum on what the word "effectively" means.
Just stand strong until Friday, guys, because every day the country is prevented from ignoring economic injustice is a victory and also the burritos at Toloache go down to $6. Eat the rich, but leave room for the mole-glazed pork.
Personally, I think it would be kinda fun to see the city clean up the protestors rather than just the park. Victory could be declared if no white guys emerged from Zuccotti park with dreadlocks.
@Tuna Surprise Ooh! Maybe I will call for the Emergency Makeover Squad. I'll be around this weekend if anyone wants to help bring clean clothes and like, some moisturizer and stuff. (NO FEBREZE.)
@Choire Sicha I've been there a bunch of times and the majority of people there are just slightly more bohemian than average looking young people and there is a huge diversity of hardhat union guys, guys in suits etc. There is a hard core of more typical "trustafarian" or "crusty" looking people among the folks who actually sleep and live there full time, but it's kind of understandable that you'd look a little rough if you've literally been living on the street for weeks, and even amongs the full time contingent there are a fair number of totally non-descript looking folks, like this clean cut looking guy from North Dakota I talked to for awhile last night.
@ericdeamer – I'm just teasing about the OWS people being dirty hippies! However, I'm not teasing about white guys with dreads. That is unacceptable.
@Tuna Surprise
Seconded! Dreads are never a good idea for caucausian hair.
I wonder if the OWS people could head off a potential confrontation by doing an effective clean-up themselves tonight. But there's no way to have the discussion that might possibly lead to taking that action and then actually doing it, before tomorrow. They'll be lucky if the finish the 2:00 meeting in time to have the 6:00 meeting.
Ask A Clean Protester
They should do the cleaning themselves and make a big show of it. Maybe temporarily rename the protest to Clean Wall Street.
@Niko Bellic There is a talk of everyone grabbing mops and brooms and linking arms.
@Niko Bellic There's information about it in this week's Ask a Clean Person on The Hairpin
Can't they just pull a Hoarders, and bring in a professional organizer and a therapist to mediate? "I think Comrade P is upset that you failed to notify him verbally that you would be moving his tarp to sweep. Let's take a minute to regroup, okay? Everybody take a break."
"Organizing Effectively Without Hierarchy" ("Organizing Effectively Without Hierarchy" ) … if that's what was portrayed (if that's what was portrayed) in that Atlanta OWS video (in that Atlanta OWS video), then I'm wiggling my fingers* (then I'm wiggling my fingers) in laughter (in laughter).
*I stole that joke from somewhere (I stole that joke from somewhere), but it doesn't matter (but it doesn't matter), because no one is more important (no one is more important) than anyone else (than anyone else)
It's not even that dirty. The streams of urine tends to wash the feces and used condoms downhill across Church Street.
@SidAndFinancy This message brought to you by citizens for Santorum.
MUTHAFUCKING SEMINARS! WOOT WOOT!