Keith Gessen Barbara Ehrenreich SHEILA HETI General Assembly at Zuccotti Throw Them Washington Square Park Diary page 15 Out With the page 7 Trash page 26 Nikil Saval page 30 Alex Vitale page 14 LABOR, AGAIN NYPD & OWS: A Clash of Styles ILLUSTRATIONS BY JOANNA NEBORSKY OCCUPY!#2 An OWS-Inspired Gazette Liza Featherstone OCCUPY DOE page 9 Julia Ott PHOTOS BY JEREMY AYERS We Are our CHRISTOPHER HERRING AND ZOLTAN GLUCK The Homeless Question page 22 Demands page 22 Rebecca Solnit page 16 Sarah Resnick & Astra Taylor Sunaura Taylor page 10 Rumors page 2 OAKLAND Throwing RISES, OAKLAND Mark Greif page 27 STRIKES Out The Occupy the Master’s boardroom Tools: No page 12 L. A. Kauffman The Theology room for COMPLETE TABLE OF CONTENTS Violence of Consensus INSIDE THE BACK COVER ON THE GROUND to serve this purpose. I braced myself for asked (among other things) that drum- a fight as I watched a human chain form ming be limited to two hours a day so the Sunaura Taylor Astra Taylor and Sarah Resnick around its periphery, sick at the prospect neighbors—not to mention the dem- of watching people get clobbered in real- onstrators—could have some quiet. Yet time. But it didn’t happen. Instead, Jesse for the drummers, two hours would not Rumors Jackson waltzed into the park and seam- suffice—it was a quelling of free expres- Oakland Raid lessly linked arms with the demonstrators sion. And as of earlier that week, various If an American was condemned to confine to defend against the dismantling. “Jesse listservs and social media were sounding October 27, 2011 his activity to his own affairs, he would Jackson!” people screamed, and the scene the alarm: Our under-recognized allies be robbed of one half of his existence; he suddenly shifted from anxious to exu- at the community board had grown tired Early Tuesday morning, Occupy Oakland would feel an immense void in the life berant. Faced with a celebrity-endorsed of all that banging. They had supported encampments at Oscar Grant Plaza and which he is accustomed to lead, and his blockade, the police backed down, and in the occupation and their endorsement Snow Park were raided and destroyed wretchedness would be unbearable. the ensuing days I noticed more and more was not trivial. We could thank them, for by police. There were numerous reports —Alexis de Tocqueville tents popping up. instance, for their part in thwarting the of excessive use of force and violence. plans for “cleaning” the park. It’s true, Nearly 100 people were arrested and held October 17, 2011, Astra On Mon, Oct 21, 2011 at 3:23 apparently. At a wedding, a state senator on $10,000 bail. The emergency text alert Taylor PM, Astra Taylor wrote: had shown my friend his text messages system, which apparently had over 1,000 with some higher-up at Brookfield. But people signed on, failed to go off for many Right before midnight I tuned in to the Sarah, I just got this for- that was last week and now, we were told, people, and so occupiers were left alone to Zuccotti Park livestream. I had been down warded by a friend. Should we the neighbors were mad. If they turned defend the camps in the early hours of the there earlier but still I felt compelled to investigate? I want to know against the movement, another eviction morning. The police blocked off streets, check in. Though the encampment, with what the hell is going on. attempt would surely follow. rerouted buses, and shut down the closest the help of a couple thousand early-rising The idea that the encamp- I met up with Astra at the park at 5:30 BART stop. Because of the police block- allies, had successfully resisted the city’s ment may implode over drum- PM and we lingered by the di Suvero ade, it was reportedly next to impossible eviction attempt days before, I had a ming would be laughable if it sculpture. We were curious; concerned, for media or legal observers to see the lingering sense that the occupation was weren’t so depressing, and an too. And we wanted to see what would raid. Photos from the raided Oscar Grant something precious that may dissipate or actual possibility. So many happen. But no group amassed. And over Plaza show an utterly destroyed encamp- be destroyed as quickly as it had emerged. movements and groups have at the west end of the park, the drums ment, with tents cut up and intentionally And when the video finally buffered and destroyed themselves from the were still pounding and the dancers erupt- destroyed. began to play, my concerns were validated. inside out. Will this happen ing and there was no indication it would At 4 PM that day, people who had not I couldn’t quite tell what was happening— to OWS too? I hope not. ever let up. We grew sure that our lead been arrested, as well as supporters of the image was dark and blurry, the audio was a nonevent. And we were pleased! Occupy Oakland, rallied at the Oakland disjointed—but the police were definitely X says a woman who’s been Perhaps the community meeting would public library to show support of those moving in. They were angry about a tent, very disruptive . managed end well, after all. And we found out later arrested and outrage over the destruc- and a confrontation was brewing. Tents to get folks on board with it did. Better, at least, than expected. The tion of the camps. What began as a rally had been a point of contention since the the idea that the oppression neighbors voted to give OWS another and march of about 500 people turned beginning, with any semblance of a semi- of the drummers is a civil chance, though they pleaded for the into a march of thousands. We marched permanent structure serving as a pretext rights issue. She’s rally- drumming to be curtailed. through Oakland reclaiming our streets for officers to march into the park, tear ing POC folks to meet at 5:45 On the train platform, we discussed and demanding that our parks be returned it down, and arrest a few people in the at the red tripod sculpture what else to occupy—past failures (at 38 to us. Over and over again, we were met process. “The Constitution doesn’t protect with the drummers, to march Greene), future possibilities. Rumors. We with tear gas and extreme police force. tents,” Mayor Bloomberg had declared. “It from there to the community deliberated over strategy, and contem- Many people were injured, including Scott protects speech and assembly.” board meeting playing drums plated symbolic resonance. We put forth Olsen, a 24-year-old veteran who survived While protesters seemed to be as loudly as they can. suggestions—places we’d like to see taken. two deployments to Iraq. He was hit in reconciled to camping out wrapped in I prattled on until I realized Astra was no the head with a police projectile (either a blankets and tarps, the medical tent was October 21, Sarah Resnick longer listening. She had turned toward a tear gas canister or a flash bang grenade) different. I had heard that the National short, forty-something woman in a navy and was temporarily in critical condition. Nurses United, already providing training A group of rogue drummers planned to suit, and loafer flats, standing not three Videos show that as protesters rushed in and support to demonstrators at occupa- march to a meeting with Community feet away. The woman stared right past us, to help him, police tossed in another tear- tions across the country, had petitioned Board One to let them hear what they still and unblinking. And it was clear that gas canister or flash bang grenade. One Bloomberg to make an exception for the thought of the “Good Neighbor Policy.” she was trying to look natural, ordinary, photo shows a woman in a wheelchair in cause of public health. A tent was erected Posted throughout the park, the policy casual. But she was holding up her cell a cloud of tear gas. The energy, although often very scary, was amazing—passionate and brave and dedicated. The protesters vowed to be out there every evening at 6 PM until our parks were reclaimed. As the world turned its attention to Oakland, my partner and I had to leave, taking the red-eye out that night to New York for a family engagement. We are both glued to the reports that have been flood- ing in of the amazing rally that took place last night. people reclaimed Oscar Grant Plaza, tearing down (and neatly stack- ing) the fence the police had encircled the plaza with. There seems to have been very little police presence. The gathering held a general assembly where nearly 1,600 people voted on proposals of what to do next. The general assembly passed a deci- sion to have a general strike and mass day of action next Wednesday, November 2. As the website for Occupy Oakland says, “The whole world is watching Oak- land. Let’s show them what’s possible.” 2 ILLUSTRATION BY ERIN SCHELL. POLICE PHOTO BY MICHAEL GOULD-WARTOFSKY phone in the least natural way, her elbow a young fellow from sanitation stepped bent, her arm straight up—it’s not how forward. “We see these things when we gravity would have liked it. She’s filming clean up,” he said. “It’s happening.