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Title: Occupy Eugene Ongoing - Consensus model working so far [My home city's Occupy protest]
Source:
eugeneweekly.com
URL Source: http://eugeneweekly.com/2011/10/20/news1.html
Published: Oct 22, 2011
Author: By Andrew Hitz and Camilla Mortensen. Ph
Post Date: 2011-10-22 17:00:35 by Ferret Mike
Keywords: None
Views: 70139
Comments: 163
People in suits and people in casual clothes, cubical workers and day laborers, Duck fans and tie-dye hippies all made their way from the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza down to the Ferry Street Bridge Oct. 15 around 4 pm to Occupy Eugene. The crowd of 2,000 beamed smiles at each other — and high-fived the Eugene police — as they marched in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street. The group has drawn together as a nonviolent movement for accountability that is not longer content to let “corporate and special interests run their government,” according to occupyeugene.com “We — are — the 99 percent!” some chanted at the front of the crowd of almost 2,000. Eugene’s Saturday gathering was the 11th largest occupy event in the nation. “The people — united — will never be divided!” chanted others farther back. “I believe in independence, true independence and justice,” said a young woman who gave her name only as Ariel. “I think there is a serious lack of that at the moment. Everyone here is standing for so many different things but, I think when it comes down to it we can agree on those two things — as Americans.” Lauren Regan of the Civil Liberties Defense Center said, “The group has consensed upon Occupy Wall Street’s demands, but not yet our own demands which may address local issues.” Occupy Wall Street’s demands, which include disavowing corporations as individuals, “are pretty damn clear,” she says. Regan adds, “This is a nonpartisan, very broad movement that includes everyone from Republicans to anarchists.” Occupy Eugene, like Occupy Wall Street and other occupy gatherings, is run by a consensus process that Regan says is remarkably efficient. The webpage downtwinkles.com, which features a video of a Cascadia Forest Defender at Occupy Portland explaining the consensus process, is becoming a viral hit. Occupy Eugene’s Saturday general assembly reached consensus on following the St. Paul Principles, which are principles of solidarity that came out of the 2008 protests at the Republican National Convention in Minnesota. The principles include not denouncing fellow activists and events and respect for a diversity of tactics and the plans of other groups. John Flanery, a facilitator of general assemblies at the occupation and a We The People activist who participated in the march, said, “I’m tired of the collusion between big business and government am no longer willing to be ruled by the one percent.” Cooperative efforts were made Saturday night by Food Not Bombs and The Last Stand Coffee Co., among others, to provide food and drink for those occupying; the more tech-savvy connected a live stream at http://occupyeugenemedia.org/livestream/ to the web. About 100 or so of the supporters have been meeting up on a daily basis for the general assemblies that occur at 7 am and 7 pm. Fewer have been spending the night at the occupation, but supplies like tents, sleeping bags and food abound, and a first aid tent is available. How long the occupation will last is a matter of community dialogue and coordination, organizers say. Theoretically, the Saturday Market will take place on the Park Blocks next week as usual. This has caused concern for some artisans from the Saturday Market, a number of whom made a showing at the Sunday evening general assembly. Occupy Eugene says there has been an ongoing dialogue between the market and Occupy Eugene. Embodied in a spirit of collective uprising and self-reliance is not only the recognition of a broken system, but a willingness to repair it, occupiers say. David Parziale, a senior environmental studies major at the UO, say this was the Eugene he had heard of before entering school. “I came to Eugene because I thought this was a place where there would be a nice mix of between university and the activism that Eugene has a history of having,” he says. “I came here because I thought it was a place where there would be people rising up because there were unjust wars going on. This, finally, after I’m almost done with college — this is why occupy is happening. There’s finally people trying to speak up.” 
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#1. To: Ferret Mike (#0)
It's about time the left work up and realized they have been getting hosed as badly as those of us on the right. At this point in history the fight shouldn't be between the right and the left. It should be between the citizens and those who would be our masters and destroy our culture for personal profits.
What you say is so right on the money. Look at the French Resistance for example; French communist party members worked side by side with very rightwing people united in the goal of expelling the foul invaders. They were united in their goal, and brothers and sisters in arms against the German Nazi foe. Those we oppose want us to fight among ourselves and to be unable to form a united front. Right wing people are not my ememies in this struggle; they are my brothers and sisters in this battle.
Then lets stand together and rid the nation of the illegal aliens? Then lets stand together and prosecute Obama for war crimes. Then lets stand together and Get rid of Obama the man with a treasury secretary from wall street.
I look at Alabama where the draconian new law has created a severe labor shortage that is forcing farmers to plow under their crops and plan for smaller harvests next year. They have been unsucessful at the task of getting American citizens to do the hard work with low pay to get in the crops. We had slaves brought in from Africa to work for very little to keep costs down on Southern farms which for better or worse, helped this country prosper and grow. And now we have Latinos and Latinas willing to do the same for very little pay, we persecute and bedevil them for this. I want them here keepng costs down. Sorry, I am for amnesty on this issue. That won't change. You also forget they don't decide to come here in a vacuum. They are enticed here by people wanting the low cost labor every bit as much as they decide to come. Yet, many on the right only pick on them, because it's dangerous to pick on well moneied and connected people doing the labor recruitment. And as for going after Obama, it is pointless unless you go after those doing Neocon policy promotion on both the right and left at the same time. Otherwise you create an senario where the one percenters with most the capital have a situation that acts as a crowbar prying people apart getting them to fight among themselves forgetting who the real problem is in creating and perpetuating bad economic times. You can't fight side by side with people against a common foe if they are always worried about fratricide.
I don't. Not unless they are here legally,and here because they want to live free,not here to make money to send to Mexico or to turn American into Mexico. Here is a thought. How about make those asshole farmers settle for a smaller profit? Most of the ones I know are millionaires or even multi-millionaires. Who the hell decided to make them welfare queens by guaranteeing them fixed profits for growing a set amount of crops,or even paying them to NOT grow crops? Name one other occupation where the people are paid to NOT work. This is America,they can sink or swim,just like everybody else in every other occupation. Yeah,I know all the arguments about how we need to subsidize the "family farm" in order to protect and keep alive a lifestyle that made America great. Guess what? There ain't no such creature as the "family farm" anymore. They are all corporate farms because they figured out in was in their financial interests to form corporations. Who the hell do they think they are,the Bank of America or Citi-Bank? Meanwhile,blue collar workers are being told to suck it up as their manufacturing jobs are all being moved offshore. When you destroy the American middle-class,you have destroyed America. WE are the people that made it work,not the bankers or the lawyers.
Yes there is. My Uncle has one. (But I understand your point that there aren't many.
#50. To: A K A Stone (#22)
You're right. I should have said there is no such thing as a profitable family farm anymore. They are just too small to make a profit. If you have enough money to go out and buy new tractors,combines,tractor-trailers,and all the other equipment needed to farm today,you don't need to work for a living. Most of the small family farms I see are hobby farms more than anything else.
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#3. To: sneakypete (#1)
"At this point in history the fight shouldn't be between the right and the left. It should be between the citizens and those who would be our masters and destroy our culture for personal profits."
#4. To: Ferret Mike (#3)
Right wing people are not my ememies in this struggle; they are my brothers and sisters in this battle.
#6. To: A K A Stone, sneakypete (#4)
(Edited)
#20. To: Ferret Mike (#6)
We had slaves brought in from Africa to work for very little to keep costs down on Southern farms which for better or worse, helped this country prosper and grow. And now we have Latinos and Latinas willing to do the same for very little pay, we persecute and bedevil them for this. I want them here keepng costs down.
#22. To: sneakypete (#20)
(Edited)
Guess what? There ain't no such creature as the "family farm" anymore
Replies to Comment # 22. Yes there is. My Uncle has one. (But I understand your point that there aren't many.
End Trace Mode for Comment # 22.
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