First, I salute and extend my most sincere thanks to all social justice activists around the country, and around the world. I pay homage to good-hearted, decent people who advocate for the poor, for the workers, for women's rights, for marriage equality and gay rights, for the protection of the environment, for the end of economic terrorism by the ruling class, for those who have been victimized by illegal foreclosures perpetrated by criminal financial cartels and their enablers in government, for small business owner who face predatory practices/competition by big-box retailers, for those who oppose debt enslavement, for immigrants' rights, for the protection of our constitutional rights.
There are also millions of people around the country who wanting to believe we still live in a functioning democracy have poured their hearts and souls into the electoral system, volunteering, manning phone banks, hitting the streets campaigning for politicians they believed to be honorable and honest, and for worthy causes.
In my book, you are all heroes. People who not only talk the talk, but walk the talk--literally.
I applaud all those efforts, and I encourage people to continue engaging locally, following their passions and particular interests in social justice causes.
I would just ask them to consider doing one more thing: It's time to take to the streets in solidarity, and in opposition to the fast-rising proto-fascist state, in an exercise of our constitutional rights as described in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances
If for some reason there are readers who do not know what those grievances may be, I'm including some references at the bottom of this diary...
Often times I write about the need to take to the streets in protest. Naturally, in the face of the brutal coordinated crackdown of the Occupy movement by militarized police departments across the country, I get a lot of push-back from people who say that street-level protests are not effective, that it is too dangerous (look at what happen to Occupy protesters). Others, seeing no immediate threat in their own lives and economic situation, don't understand nor see the need for this type of action... A typical retort is that "people are too busy buying iPhones and watching reality TV, and they won't see a need to take to the streets unless things get bad enough," etc., etc.
Others make fun, and say, "Yeah, right, 'Why don't you get off behind the keyboard and take the first step?" And they make more fun at my calls, and say "I'd bet you'll be there, will look back, and nobody will follow you--you'll be doing the uprising by yourself."
Well, I'm taking you on. I will get off behind the keyboard and will start an uprising of one in San Francisco Union Square this Wednesday. I kind of like starting the (peaceful) revolution there since that plaza it's kind of a capitalist symbol--a shoppers' mecca, featuring the likes of Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Yes, yes, it is kind of a sacrifice. I have tons of work I need to do, so that means that today, Sunday, I need to probably work a little longer, and I could even try to set up a couple of clients' appointments in San Francisco on Wednesday to take advantage of the time I'll be there.
But hey, If I can take some time to go to the movies (as I did this weekend) with my wife, why can't I take a few hours one day to engage in real democracy?
Occupy Union Square
Here's the plan... The first thing you need to know about "my call for uprising" is that I will never, ever call for anybody to do anything remotely dangerous or illegal in any way, shape, or form. No law breaking of any kind, no challenging the police, no breaking any city ordinances, etc.
I know, I know, it sounds counter-intuitive, but yes, "there is a method to my madness."
"If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it."
- Albert Einstein
This criminal proto-fascist total-information-awareness police state oligarchy does not fear violence from the populace. What they fear the most is people breaking free of the mental bondage that results from massive exposure to 24/7 corporatist propaganda. Their emotional meltdown in the face of the latest revelations about the illegal and unconstitutional NSA massive spying on the American people on behalf and in collusion with corporatist proto-fascist cartels, is a clear indication of it.
So, granted, we know how the police-cum-corporate-goons reacted to the Occupy Wall Street movement peaceful protests and civil disobedience tactics--with ununsual brutality.
So, I don't think civil disobedience tactics are that useful moving forward, for what I hope will be Occupy 2.0.
Have you seen a flock of birds in "murmuration?" Imagine if you wanted to "go after the flock." It would be pretty darn hard.
Think of something... The system has turned into a proto-fascist police state, but who's responsible for it? Can you point at any single individual? These fascists are doing their own kind of "murmurations" with their corporatist ethos, but as a school of piranhas instead.
Let's turn the tables...
I've been reading "Beautiful Trouble - A Toolbox For Revolution." It is really a great read. Full of hope and inspiration. I highly recommend it.
This morning, while I was at the gym (on the treadmill), I read about the "Flash Mob" tactic. I was pleasantly surprised because on my own, I have been developing ideas pretty similar to what I read in the book.
A flash mob is an unrehearsed, spontaneous, contagious, and dispersed mass action. Flash mobs first emerged in 2003 as a form of participatory performance art, with groups of people using email, blogs, text messages, and Twitter to arrange to meet and perform some kind of playful activity in a public location. More recently, activists have begun to harness the political potential of flash mobs for organizing spontaneous mass actions on short notice.
The emphasis is mine
The thing that made me smile was reading about how the tactic can be used in repressive conditions, because again, that's the same conclusion I came to after observing the brutal crackdown of the Occupy movement by the proto-fascist "homeland security" security apparatus.
Flash mobs have recently become a powerful tactic for political protest, particularly under repressive conditions. In the midst of a harsh crackdown on protests in Belarus in 2011, for instance, dissidents calling themselves “Revolution through the Social Network” began organizing impromptu demonstrations where protesters would simply gather in public spaces and clap their hands in unison. The result was the bewildering sight of secret police brutally arresting people for the simple act of clapping their hands — a powerful challenge to the legitimacy of an increasingly irrational regime
I would make a few tweaks here and there, because my approach is for nobody to be arrested, using the "murmuration" concept as inspiration.
So here's a scenario... I know, more than likely on Wednesday I'll be occupying Union Square by myself, and will probably get a little distracted as the happy tourists walk around and shop, and all the nice activities around the plaza.
But eventually, one day, if and when I'm able to get people to buy into this concept/tactic, I envision the following dynamics:
Ten people, then 20, then all of the sudden 500... People are tweeting using hashtag #murmurationsunionsquare (or something similar). The first "bird in the flock" claps, and all of the sudden you have hundreds of people clapping at once (once every three seconds, or following a rhythm). Other people who have no idea what's going on, join in "the fun." Then some simple chants could follow...
While associated with confrontation, direct action at its core is about power. Smart direct action assesses power dynamics and finds a way to shift them.
One way of thinking about power is that there are two kinds: organized money and organized people. We don’t have billions of dollars to buy politicians and governments, but with direct action organized people spend a different currency: we leverage risk. We leverage our freedom, our comfort, our privilege or our safety.
As Frederick Douglass said, “power concedes nothing without a demand.” Malcolm X elaborated, “Power never takes a step back, except in the face of more power.” Rather than deferring to others to make changes for us through votes or lobbying, we seek to change the dynamics of power directly.
- Beautiful Trouble | Tactic: Direct Action - Page 32
You're not doing anything illegal in any way. If the police shows up and asks you (individually) to leave (for some strange reason), you comply. Don't hesitate, just comply. No dirty looks, no challenge of any kind. Just leave.
But then, everybody else is still there (like the flocks in murmurations).
Eventually I'm going to ask for help in drafting some sort of "Declaration" that's clear, easy to read, and fits in one page. If these protests spread, I think it would be extremely important that for the casual observer to have a very straightforward and logical explanation as to why people are protesting.
Eventually, I would also like to use professionally-designed 6"x4" card flyers explaining in very simple and straightforward ways as to why people are protesting.
Maybe on Wednesday, while I'm occupying Union Square by myself, I'll work on a draft of the declaration (with your help?), and some design ideas for the flyer.
Obviously, I can't do this ever day, since I have to also work and take care of personal responsibilities (like anybody else), but here's the fun part... I'm going to hit Facebook and Twitter and see if I connect with people who happen to be at a public square or plaza at any given time, and see if they would agree to start these impromptu "murmurations" or peaceful "Flash Mobs" and help spread the word on social media.
On Wednesday, I will write a follow up diary once I get to Union Square, and I will be providing updates via twitter during the day.
In the meantime, as always, if I see anybody else doing or proposing something like this, I'll join in.
About SPARK! - SPARK! is an essay I will write on a regular basis specifically meant to help spark a peaceful uprising against the rising proto-fascist state in the United States. There will never be any calls to violence or law-breaking of any kind in this series. All actions advocated in SPARK! are based on lawful, constitutionally-protected rights.
--
References:
- Chris Hedges: Time To Revolt Against The Global Corporate Mafia
- Chris Hedges NPR Interview: On The Right Wing "Proto-Fascist Movement" in The U.S.
- Reality Check For "Moderates" - Indisputable Visual Proof That The System is Rigged
- The reason the population is acting irrationally, and what to do about it
- How Billionaires-Funded Propaganda is Unraveling The Country
Murmuration