When the Occupy Chicago and Occupy Cleveland arrests happened this weekend, it dawned on me that these raids and arrests were being ordered by Democrat mayors, by mayors of the party who are supposed to be representing the 99%. After watching 10 Occupiers in Cleveland on Livestream being literally dragged into paddywagons as other protesters sang protest songs, just 40 miles away from me, well, it game me chills. It was hard to watch. Democrat mayor Frank Jackson caved in to demands from a downtown business group to clear the protesters from Public Square.
The picture of those nurses sitting down in front of the first aid tent at Occupy Chicago is etched in my mind too, and as we know Rahm Emmanuel is the mayor of that city. I've been thinking about it the past few days, so I wrote this letter, but I'm not sure who I should send it to.
Now I'm not advocating for anyone to abandon the Democrats, but I think it's time to give them a strong reminder of who they are supposed to be supporting, that we are the 99%, and that may Occupy supporters are Democrats.
I am writing because I, along with many other Americans who are struggling in this economy, support the Occupy Wall Street movement that has been sweeping the country. There are Occupy events in over 1000 cities in the United States and Canada now. This movement is growing, despite the fact that winter is rapidly approaching,
I am alarmed by a disturbing trend in the heavy-handed tactics used against the Occupy movement by city governments who are headed by Democrat mayors. Last night, 75 protesters were arrested in Oakland. On Saturday, Mayor Rahm Emmanuel of Chicago chose to have over 130 protesters arrested, including a group from a nurses' union who were staffing a first aid tent, and he ordered over 100 arrested the week before. Last Friday night, 11 peaceful protesters were arrested by police in riot gear in Cleveland. Dozens have been arrested each in Des Moines, St Louis, Cincinnati, Seattle, Sacramento, Denver, San Francisco, and over 100 were arrested in Boston. Again, these mayors are all Democrats who have chosen to have protesters arrested. Most of these Occupy groups returned the next day even after their camps were destroyed.
I have always known the Democratic Party to be the ones who stuck up for working class Americans, the ones who looked out for the 99% of us who are struggling in this economy. Corporate-owned media outlets have painted the 99% movement as extremists, communists, and freeloaders. This is simply not true. We're not looking for a hand out or trying to get something free. Wages are falling, and people have to work two or three jobs, 60 or more hours a week, just to survive. Meanwhile, an elite few travel on luxury yachts and build 20,000 square foot homes.
We don't want to dismantle capitalism, we want to restore the promise of the American Dream, the promise that those who are willing to work will be able to make it. We want to improve the quality of life in America and restore things like the 40-hour work week, sick days, and vacation days which used to be commonplace. We believe every human being has the right to healthcare. We believe big banks and corporations should be held responsible for the negative effects their actions have had on our communities.
These Democrat mayors who ordered these police raids say they're "upholding the law", but growing up in America, I was taught that the First Amendment and the Constitution were the highest laws of all. It's time for the Democratic Party to decide who and what they stand for in these tough times. I have been a loyal Democrat voter for a long time, but I will find it difficult to support Democrats who knowingly and purposefully infringe on the rights of peaceful protesters. Actions speak louder than words.
Occupy Kent starts this weekend, less than six miles from me. I hope that Democrat mayor Jerry Fiala makes the right choice and respects the right of the people to protest.
I know this is a long letter, so thank you for your time. I look forward to supporting Democrats in the future who fight for the rights of the 99% in this country who are struggling.
I thought about sending this to Ohio Democratic Party chairman Chris Redfern because he gave a great speech last year when Joe Biden came to speak at the University of Akron. I expected a good speech from Biden, but this state party chairman I never heard of impressed me.
However, in the spirit of full disclosure I haven't sent the letter yet. After I wrote it I thought "it's too long, too harsh." But I'm tired of seeing nonviolent protesters hauled away in police raids. And I don't want it to happen at Occupy Kent this weekend, a town known for heavy-handed police tactics. Trust me, the ghosts of the Kent State shootings still haunt us here 40 years later.
So I think I'll send the email, long and harsh or not, to somebody, to the state Democratic Party, or maybe to a Democratic politician who I know has and will stick up for the rights of the working class. I think our Democrats need to hear this. If you're tired of watching arrests on Youtube in Democrat cities, you should send some e-mails and remind the Democrats that Occupy represents us, the 99%, and that we want the Dems to represent us too.
Wed Oct 26, 2011 at 9:41 AM PT: Some commenters have expressed concern that the phrase "Democrat Mayors" is offensive to some and "generates contempt".
It was an honest English mistake. My thinking was that the party is the Democratic Party, but a mayor who is a Democrat is a Democrat Mayor, and that "democratic" means more like "of or pertaining to democracy". It's just a grammatical error, so please don't try to read too much in to it.
Sorry if offended anyone with my phrasing. That's not what I intended to do. I will fix this error when I send the letter.
And really, thanks for the feedback. It's good that I posted this here before sending it.