The Occupy Movement has brought so many wonderful, concerned and awakening individuals out of the woodwork, people across the political, economic and social spectra, people ready to put their necks on the line to bring to light root cause problems and propose radical (root word: radix=root) solutions. But quite frankly, while it is at the same time one of our strengths as a movement, most of us are not veteran activists. Most of us lack the organizing and activism experience and training to effectively do such things as: assemble an efficient, coherent goal-oriented campaign; recruit, train and retain volunteers; draft targeted talking points; speak to media without getting skewered; deal with police or counter-protesters; de-escalate potentially violent situations; execute effective soft-blockades; employ gators and lock-boxes; quickly scale trees, flagpoles or tripods; drop banners; canvass door-to-door; perform listening projects, street theater, brand-damage, or just table at a community event. These are all skills that I have obtained and improved at the above-listed and other training camps and events. In my opinion, it would serve Occupy well to make a concerted effort at incorporating, perpetuating and employing these types of skill sets.
Enter: "The 99% Spring". I rejoiced when I learned that a broad coalition of progressive organizations hadcoalesced to offer trainings to the Occupy Movement. An estimated 100,000 people will be trained between April 9-15 in communities across the country. Of course, these trainings won't include everything I listed above, but its a start. I hope this is just the beginning of these types of training programs targeted to the Occupy movement, and I implore all of my fellow Occupiers to consider attending their local "99% Spring" with open minds, ears and eyes. That being said...
Many of my friends and comrades have been quite vocal in their concerns that these organizations (especially MoveOn.org) are trying to co-opt Occupy: THANK YOU for attempting to immunize our movement and making this issue clear, and PLEASE KEEP IT UP. It is so important to maintain our autonomy, our vitality, and to not get sucked into the quagmire of institutionalized, mainstream, partisan activism. At the same time, I have worked with many of the organizations involved in 99%Spring for far longer than I have been with Occupy, and I know that they have so much to offer the Occupy movement, if we only accept their offer and stop to listen (ie. especially Rainforest Action Network, Energy Action Coalition, 350.org, Greenpeace and the Ruckus Society). Knowledge is Power. Let's take all we can get, and maintain our stance of autonomy. Learning from teacher does not make you their slave.
For a sufficient breakdown of answering the question "What is the matter with 99% Spring?," my comrade and fellow Boston Occupier, Brian Kwoba, has written a wonderful and thought-provoking piece, appropriately entitled "What is the Matter with 99% Spring?"
After properly immunizing yourself against mainstream Democratic temptations, you can find and register for your local training at http://the99spring.com/ Last I heard that are still quite a few openings in the Boston area. Fortunately, several of our local comrades have been trained as trainers, so even if you miss it this weekend, I'm sure there will be future opportunities. For those already Occupying or those curious to join the movement, this is an incredible chance to bring new growth to a new season of resistance and solutions-oriented organizing. Join us!
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http://tech.nycga.net/2012/03/25/reportback-the-99spring-training-for-trainers-and-the-plot-to-coopt-occupy/ An actual Occupier from Wall Street, Charles Lenchner, has taken this training, and he states in a post on the Occupy Wall Street website, "Based on my experiences this weekend, all I can say is – sign up for the trainings to take place on April 9-16."
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