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Reflections from Occupy Amherst

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by Ben Grosscup
October 9, 2011

When I heard that a “general assembly” had been called for the Amherst Common to organize an Occupy Amherst movement, I had a sense that there was some kind of opening for new political possibilities in my community. I have seen and participated in many organizing efforts opposing militarism, and supporting immigrant and worker rights, but this seemed different.

For one, it is explicitly being organized as part of a national movement, taking inspiration largely from Occupy Wall Street. There’s an awareness in what people say that the modest activity our movement is engaging in so far is relevant largely in relation to a much broader movement. We don’t act in isolation.

Secondly, there is an inherently public quality to the gatherings. The first General Assembly on October 5 was called to take place right on the Amherst Common — by far the most frequently chosen location for political gatherings in the community. But unlike many other gatherings that happen there, this was not just a rally with a narrow and predefined political objective. Rather, this event sought to create a different kind of democratic space than what we’ve become used to — one in which I saw people voicing their own particular concerns (e.g. unemployment, the massive weight of student debt, few realistic prospects for earning a dignified livelihood, etc.) in ways that transformed the question of economic suffering from being merely private to being a broadly-shared public matter.

Third, there is an inherently municipalist character to this new movement. While the initiative that has led to Occupy Wall Street was centered on the main financial sector of the entire country, the many offshoots of Occupy Wall Street have named themselves after the cities in which they are taking place. The implicit idea exhibited in the very naming of these newly coalescing focal points of social movement activity is that the solution to people’s everyday problems will require the concerted long-term efforts of people organized city-by-city throughout the country.

Fourth, there appears to be the beginnings of participation from many different sectors of society in Amherst, suggesting that perhaps a broad cross section of the community is feeling a renewed sense of possibility in social movement organizing. We had students from the town’s major university, but also people who have been living in the community for a long time. Everyone who is participating seems to understand that the issues they are concerned about will not be solved by the existing political system. It seems as though it is becoming a trope of the movement that people have been “waiting for years for something like this to emerge.” And yet, none of us know yet what has emerged. There’s a palpable sense of possibility in the moment right now, perhaps across the whole country. I think the spark of inspiration that is motivating people to come out and join the activities is based on a deep-felt hunger for more substantive democratic rights and meaningful participation in society.

People in Amherst are talking about continuing the demonstrations more less indefinitely on Wednesdays and Sundays. I attended a follow-up demonstration that took place earlier today, Sunday, October 9, based on plans I heard at the General Assembly. The gathering had been scheduled to start at the same time as a peace vigil that has happened — without fail — since 1979 every Sunday from noon to one o’ clock. The two events marked, for me, a contrast of attitudes about how people imagine themselves being politically active. The underlying politics of these two events were roughly similar. In fact the vigil organizers, who publish a topical flier every single Sunday, remarked very favorably today on the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, noting that this vigil had been “occupying Amherst since 1979.” In the same way that they have done for all these years, the vigilers held signs up to traffic. Meanwhile people coming for “Occupy Amherst” stood apart in the park, mostly listening to each other’s stories of personal pain caused by economic hardship and political analysis of the current situation.

The scene exhibited to me two different senses of political expression. The vigilers exhibited a form of expression that is constant, unwavering, and yet largely unable to consciosly reflect upon its own action. Like so many rehearsed modes of political activity that movement activists adhere to, including supporting the Democratic Party, signing onto electronic petitions, and even coming to staged rallies, the vigilers continued reading from the same script they’ve always followed. In a way, we’re all the better for it, because the presence of that vigil reminds us that there are people in the community who genuinely care about peace and justice and are willing to put their bodies on the street to promote it.

The Occupy Amherst movement, however, offers something important and different. In my view, it exhibits the beginnings of a process by which a movement can come together and reflect upon itself, its goals, and strategies. Having robust processes for thinking together may be what marks the difference between a highly fractured and dysfunctional movement and a democratic movement that can function well and be the protagonist of its own future.

It is not clear or obvious what will happen next for this movement. The people who come out to attend meetings, and who speak up, and try to reflect and persuade one another have an opportunity to shape the future course of this movement. If you are a person who has been waiting for some kind of democratic uprising to happen, your participation is needed in this moment. There are no guarantees of what it will become, but there is an opportunity now to participate in shaping the future.

Find out about what’s happening here: http://occupyamherst.com/