The Occupy Movement is still active—but a slow movement for now

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Lately I’ve wondered if Occupy Wichita isreally doing that much compared to other Occupy groups in other cities. So Itook the time to check that out.

What I found was kind of surprising. Wichita hasbeen taking up a case of police brutality. But so is Occupy Oakland. Oakland isa much bigger city than Wichita, and it is known for being one of the mostactive. I do know they have occasional marches in Oakland. For its size, Wichita is doing a lot of the same things that Occupy Oakland is doing. 

OccupyOakland is also taking up a Strike Debt initiative aim to leverage the debtcollection system, and they have a BayArea Marxism Conference, Nov. 17. For those who don’t know Wichita, such aconference would be lucky to turn up three people—so that idea is out for now.

Thereis an Occupy Kansas City and from theirwebsite it looks like they do a lot of the same things Wichita does. Theirstated goal of their web site is;“Occupy KC is a movement of citizenswho have come together to reclaim our democracy from the 1% who have hijackedit. We engage in a horizontal, transparent,consensus-based process during our General Assemblies, and you are encouragedto participate.”All the Occupy websitesseem to have a similar goal. Wichita’s Occupy site says;“As we gathertogether in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we mustnot lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all peoplewho feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we areyour allies.As one people,united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the humanrace requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protectour rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to theindividuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors;that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, butcorporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and theEarth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determinedby economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which placeprofit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression overequality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is ourright, to let these facts be known.”

And in Occupy Oakland;

“We are reclaiming public space to use as a forum for the people to cometogether, meet one another, listen to each other, and build power forourselves. Occupy Oakland is more than just a speak out or a camp out. Thepurpose of our gathering is to plan actions, mobilize real resistance, anddefend ourselves from the economic and physical war that is being waged againstour communities.”

Then there is always theoriginal OccupyWallStreet(New York City);“OccupyWallSt.org is the unofficial de factoonline resource for the growing occupation movement happening on Wall Streetand around the world. We're an affinity group committed to doing technicalsupport work for resistance movements. We're not a subcommittee of the NYCGAnor affiliated with Adbusters, anonymous or any other organization.
Occupy Wall Street is a people-powered movement thatbegan on September 17, 2011 in Liberty Square in Manhattan’s FinancialDistrict, and has spread to over 100 cities in the United States and actions inover 1,500 cities globally. #ows is fighting back against the corrosive powerof major banks and multinational corporations over the democratic process, andthe role of Wall Street in creating an economic collapse that has caused thegreatest recession in generations. The movement is inspired by popular uprisingsin Egypt and Tunisia, and aims to fight back against the richest 1% of peoplethat are writing the rules of an unfair global economy that is foreclosing onour future.
The occupations around the world are being organizedusing a non-binding consensus based collective decision making tool known as a"people's assembly". To learn more about how to use this process toorganize your local community to fight back against social injustice, pleaseread this quickguide on group dynamics in people's assemblies.

What do we stand for?

Here are some documents published in New York thathave been well received by the movement:

• Principles of Solidarity
• Declaration of the Occupation
• Everyone has the Right to Occupy Space, Safely”

So for me it is frustrating that it takes so long totake on the 1% directly. I would love to seriously go after the Koch Brothers,in Wichita, if I could get the time, people and resources. But it may take alot more patience to continue with the Occupy Movement. It has survived and itis active in many cities, including Wichita. So we must trod along and patientlydo what we can to bring down the empire of the 1%. -សáž�ិážœ អáž�ុ