by Liz Pelly
The Phoenix
November 16, 2011
From
Oakland to New York, city police departments and their elected
overlords are crushing lawful Occupy movements in their midst. Which
moved us to think: in a worst-case scenario, if the encampments are
wiped out, does Occupy have a future after the occupations?
For perspective, we turned to Ben Trott, a Berlin-based editor of What Would It Mean To Win? (PM Press, 2010), a book about defining victory for diffused grassroots struggles.
“In
some ways, of course, the movement has already won,” says Trott in an
e-mail. “They’ve opened up a space for discussion about political and
economic questions traditionally left to elites.”
Dr. Timothy
Patrick McCarthy, director of the Sexuality, Gender, and Human Rights
Program at Harvard’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, agrees. “It’s
winning in the sense that it has altered public discourse about some of
the most vital forces in our society. It’s winning in the sense that
it’s growing.
“This movement is bigger than Zuccotti Park,” he adds. “This movement is bigger than Dewey Square.”
With
ongoing oppression from public officials—and winter fast
approaching—maintaining a permanent encampment is becoming a challenge,
especially in the Northeast. Having a physical base for protest,
however, might not be needed for Occupy to continue its advance.
“The
expectation that the Occupy movement would physically occupy all of
these public spaces forever is unrealistic, and not necessary, frankly,”
says McCarthy. “What matters is the persistence of some kind of
presence in public spaces.”
McCarthy suggests other public,
permanent forms of protesting: regular general assemblies could still
take place. Weekends could be devoted to marches and rallies. Lunch
hours could be dedicated to occupying public space.
“We need to
get in the streets if they’re not going to let us in the parks. We need
to march, we need to mobilize, we need to protest,” says McCarthy.
“There are a million different things that would be successful in the
absence of a physical occupation.”
Even if police continue to
disassemble encampments nationwide, McCarthy says that we are witnessing
the beginning of a social movement—not an end. “There is a lot of will
behind this movement, a great moral purpose behind this movement. There
is great suffering and alienation and anger that’s driving this
movement. And there are a lot of smart people who are organizing this
movement. And that’s a recipe for success.”
