Are Cities Euthanizing the Occupy Movement?

Tear down of the Occupy Oakland encampment. (Photo: Reuters)

Cities around the nation, including some of the most liberal locales, are shutting down overnight Occupy Movement encampments. Local police officials in Portland, Seattle, Oakland, and other cities have raided downtown Occupy camps, torn down tents, and collectively arrested hundreds of resistant protesters.

In New York City, at the very heart of the Occupy Movement, Mayor Bloomberg ordered the dismantling of the original Occupy Wall Street camp located in Zuccotti Park, and a judge has ruled that protesters may return to the park, but that their constitutional rights to assemble and speak freely do not extend to bringing tents, blankets, and sleeping bags in order to live in the public space around the clock.

With the Department of Homeland Security providing strategic support for these coordinated efforts at shutting down Occupy camps, many strong First Amendment advocates have leapt to the conclusion that the federal government has now conspired with city officials to squelch the civil rights of the economic injustice protesters. In the wake of increasing issues with crime (including a murder in Oakland, for example) and sanitation around the camps, I view the actions of city officials against the camps more as follow-through on their commitments to ensuring the safety and security of the public in general.

As I said in a post two weeks ago, the Occupy encampments were initially constructed on the firm ground of high-visibility protests that served to raise awareness and ire about economic injustice in America. In the absence of unified leadership though, and without the development and promotion of meaningful corollary resistance tactics, the encampments and to some extent the entire Occupy Movement are slowly hedging toward a cliff of irrelevance.

The Fine Line of "Occupy" Protests

"Occupy" Protesters' Encampment in Oakland

I believe in the First Amendment. I believe in Free Speech. I believe in the right to assemble and protest. I believe that corporate greed has taken short-term gains that put a long-term hurt on the American economy, and on the American middle class. I believe we must do something to ensure we don't let an unchecked financial sector continue to wreck our nation. I believe an effective protest movement must make people uncomfortable and cause inconvenience.

And...

I believe state and local governments are charged with keeping the peace and ensuring public safety. I believe the Occupy movement lacks the kind of structure and leadership that might make it more palatable to cities and to the general public. I believe Occupy protesters have a mixed bag of motivations, and while many are genuinely committed to an important cause, others are simply seizing a convenient moment to be public fuck-abouts. I believe protests don't have to have unsafe and unsanitary conditions to be effective.

In light of the news that cities around the nation are losing patience and beginning to crack down on Occupy protester encampments, I find myself with surprisingly mixed emotions. Despite the fact that I fully agree with the overall message of the movement, I would not likely choose to participate in the style of protests I see portrayed in cities around the country. I want to participate but I'm not sure how. I think if this movement is going to have a worthwhile impact, then it is incumbent on the Occupy "leaders" to find a way to inspire more ordinary middle class people to join them, and the movement must develop meaningful ways for those of us who are not able or willing to camp in public spaces to contribute.

What about you?