The OWS has already expanded and grown far beyond anything its organizers could have expected at the beginning. In the space of just four weeks, issues of class differences and economic democracy have gone from the hippie fringe to being seriously debated on the mainstream news and accepted by active groups in cities all around the country.
Now, however, the time is approaching when we have to take the fledgling power we have and use it. Movements grow through action and especially through victories. The way to grow our movement is to expand our actions and tactics, and win new victories. If we just become a one-chord band, with one tactic, we will stagnate and die. We need more.
One good example of an effective new tactic was the New York march to the homes of the wealthy CEO's. That action expanded our horizons beyond just occupying city parks, it brought new attention to the movement and allowed us to reach more people, it directly focused people's anger on some of those who deserve to have that anger focused on them. And its deepest accomplishment was entirely un-said but also noticed by everyone who it was directed at---"we know where you live". The one thing the super-rich fear more than anything is poor people with pitchforks, and you can bet that every rich fuck in the country got a chill up his spine when he heard about that action.
Now, what we need are some campaigns that we can win with even our current limited resources, that give us confidence and experience, and which win some victories, even small ones, for the fight. Here's what I suggest:
If there is any single company that symbolizes the arrogance of wealth and power, it is Bank of America. Not only did they flip the bird at the entire US by raising their ATM fees, but they imperiously declared that we should just shut up about it because "we deserve to make a profit". I propose we demonstrate to BoA, in concrete terms that it can understand, that they don't have any right to make a profit from us.
The only thing we need to effectively target BoA (and ONLY BoA for now, for reasons which I will make apparent in a minute) is a few dozen OWSers in each city who currently have bank accounts there. What we need to do is send a group of activists to a highly-visible BoA branch and rally there. Invite the press and have a ball. Sing songs, make speeches, hold GA's, wave signs. But not just that---we'll also need a dozen or so bank-account-holders to go inside, in a group, and close out their accounts, letting everyone (including the press outside) know that it's done to protest the increase in ATM fees.
And the next day, or the next weekend, we do it again. And again, and again, and again.
What will happen? Within hours or days, every branch manager across the country who is affected will be on the phone with corporate headquarters, screaming at them that "I'm losing customers!" and management needs to "do something about this!". Whether they like it or not, or even KNOW it or not, the bank managers will be working for us---they will be pressuring the corporation on our behalf to do something, NOW, to end this situation. We effectively leverage our power a hundredfold, and gain our own lobbying voice on the inside.
Meanwhile, every branch manager from every OTHER banking company will be on the phone too--scared shitless that we'll show up at their bank too. By one campaign against one bank, we automatically draw every other branch in every other banking company on the defensive too--without ever entering their building. We don't have the strength in numbers to target every branch or every company--but we don't need it. By focusing our effort carefully, we can leverage our power and turn the industry's own size and power against itself. Call it "ju-jitsu".
And what can the bankers do to stop us? Not a damn thing. There's nothing illegal about closing one's bank account. There's nothing illegal to telling the press, passersby, the entire country, WHY you are closing out your bank account. The cops can't stop it; the courts can't stop it; the corporations can't stop it. Anyone can do it----college students, union members, little old grannies, moms and dads with kids--ANYONE can walk into a bank branch and close out their account in perfect safety, with no risk of arrest, no breaking of any law, and without doing anything "radical" at all--other than telling the truth. A more nonviolent act of protest can scarcely be imagined, yet it hits the bankers directly and specifically where it hurts them the most-------> their money. It will get their attention very very quickly.
And what happens when the PR department pressures BoA to give in and make a speech about "responding to our customers' needs blah blah blah" and withdraws their fees? Every other bank company in the US will have to give in too and will have to withdraw their own ATM fees. Because guess what happens if they don't . . . . . . .
And what happens, on the other hand, if BoA refuses to give in? We win anyway---the banks make themselves look like the greedy selfish bastards that they are, the PR nightmare never ends for them, we show that we are on the side of every plain ole ordinary working stiff in the country (and that the banks are out to screw those same plain ole ordinary working stiffs)--and our movement wins new recruits by the hundreds. And we can repeat the process with any other banking company we choose--at any time we choose.
It's a win-win, and all we need to pull it off is a few dozen people in each town, a phone call to the local TV and newspapers, and some organization.
Bring it up at your next GA. I will.
Roll the movement on !!!!!!!