If your local Occupy is anything like ours, it’s been challenged by harsh weather, police harassment, city ordinances, liberal armchair quarterbacks, endless right-wing attacks in the local paper, high turnover, and unintentional but sometimes overwhelming behavioral disruption surrounding the most ignored and under-served of the 99%.
If your Occupation is anything like ours, your General Assemblies have struggled to maintain focus and order amid inexperienced communicators, too many fires to put out, too many differing viewpoints, and distractions stemming from infiltration, and the ravages of addiction and poor impulse control. A week ago, we thought we were going to implode, that our own Occupation was going to tear itself apart from within.
Right when we were thinking of hanging it up, we made a desperate move and called for help. We reached high—we appealed directly to the creator of the Formal (Values-Based) Consensus model upon which most Occupation processes are based. We asked for him to come out to the left coast from Baltimore and personally coach us in consensus-based strategies in dealing with the problems plaguing our Occupation and our GA. And by God, he did. In a couple of days, our GA’s became productive, our mission and values grew tight, and everyone had new hope. We have a sharp new set of skills, and a much deeper understanding of Values Based Consensus process, thanks to its founder.
His name is CT Lawrence Butler. He also is the co-originator of Food Not Bombs.
I write this partly because CT is traveling to Oakland/Berkeley tomorrow, to stand with the protestors in the UC strike, and whatever music the Bay Area police continue to bring. I wanted to let Occupiers in Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco that he is coming, to urge you all to make use of him for general organizational support and advice, and/or some high-quality coaching in consensus-based problem-solving and decision-making.
Or, just let him stand in solidarity beside you. CT Lawrence Butler is a seasoned activist, which also means he’s been arrested and beaten unconscious by police more times than he’d like to describe. He knows this territory, and he’s coming to offer his expertise and his body on the line with his compatriots.
Just a little background: a few weeks ago, CT Lawrence Butler was minding his own business in his own town, working and living in a cooperative setting, when Occupy Boston and Occupy Wall Street called him and asked him to come help coach their GA's, which were in danger of breakdown, in Formal Consensus process.
CT and his partner Wren packed up and answered the call. In both Boston and NYC, they dove into the thick of GA challenges, and worked some serious magic (get CT to share his stories, if you can). He and Wren have been on the road pretty much since. They are helping Occupy groups nationwide to learn and implement the Formal Values-Based Consensus model in efficient, egalitarian and truly productive ways, often at their own expense. They’ve put it all on the line to help the fledgling Occupy movement, leaving home, job, dog and family behind. It was a risky time for them to do this. The job and home they had may very well may not be there when they return. But they knew the time is now.
Which is where you come in.
If your Occupy is struggling, or even if it’s not, consider contacting CT and asking for facilitation support, and some high-quality coaching in the Values-Based Consensus model. His coaching in the Formal Consensus Model saved our GA’s collective, freezing ass.
If your GA needs help, please contact CT and request at least a phone consultation. If you hear CT’s coming to your Occupied area, please offer him a place to stay and make use of him. If your Occupation makes use of him with strong results, compensate his expenses so he can pay the gift forward to other Occupied cities. If you ask him to come, please at least cover his expenses so he can carry the assistance forward. (Apparently neither the well-funded NYC #OWS nor Occupy Boston gave him a dime, even though they utilized him to great effect and had asked him to come.)
So, folks in Berkeley, Oakland or San Francisco, even though CT and Wren were not formally called down there (they’re just going because shit is seriously happening right now in the area and they want to offer what support they can) is there anyone who might be willing to host CT and Wren Wednesday and Thursday nights? They are beautiful company, as well as invaluable for consensus process support. The wonderful and generous Kossack “zmom” is taking care of their lodging for Tuesday at a Berkeley hotel, but they’re on their own Wednesday and Thursday nights.
They’ve spent many nights Occupying outside, but it can be hard on person who is no longer twenty or thirtysomething to travel and sleep outside with no real gear. Might any Bay Area Occupy supporters be able to offer some west coast hospitality in your home, or help them with a hotel room?
If so, their email is curiocoast@comcast.net. (Or, if anyone would like to help bring Values-Based Consensus coaching to other Occupations, you can send a Paypal donation to ctbutler@together.net.)
Much gratitude. And Bay Area Occupiers, cheers for your courage in re-convening tonight and re-facing the Blue Wave in Oakland, and prayers for your march to the UC strike tomorrow. We’re all in solidarity with you.