Now in its fifth week, the Occupy Wall Street solidarity protesters in Burlington are beginning to channel their energy into more direct action.
Demonstrators plan to stage an actual occupation — of City Hall Park — starting this Friday.
On Sunday, about 150 people gathered in City Hall Park and marched up and down Church Street. Back at the park, the crowd held a “speak out” and “general assembly.” The latter resembles a large town meeting, where facilitators help people make proposals to the group — either to form subgroups or take collective action — and bring specific proposals on which the assembly can vote.
The biggest “Occupy Vermont” rally to date was last Saturday, when as many as 500 people gathered in City Hall Park and marched through downtown Burlington. At last Sunday’s weekly rally, about 250 people came together and held Burlington’s first general assembly. From that meeting, several subgroups were formed — including ones focused on direct action, anti-misogyny, the economy, and media.
After a brief report from the spokesman for the “strategy working group,” a demonstrator who identified himself only as Will, the rally-goers agreed to occupy City Hall Park starting at 3 p.m. this coming Friday. The occupation will last through the weekend.
When asked what the purpose of the occupation will be, Will replied, “That’s a good question. We’re open to suggestions.”
People planning to camp out for the weekend should bring tents, sleeping bags, food and other things to keep themselves “comfortable,” said Will. People who have extra camping gear were encouraged to bring it.
This is the status of the nascent “Occupy” movement that is bringing together socialists and libertarians, peaceniks and labor activists, veterans and students. There is no one unifying message, platform or list of easy-to-recite demands.
In general, the crowd wants justice and fairness, and wants big government and big business to stop messing around with little folk. And, they want to stop the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, reform the Federal Reserve, get rid of the two-party political system, call on the University of Vermont to craft fair budgets for students and workers and — last but not least — close Vermont Yankee.
Additional occupations are in the works. The University of Vermont is one possible location as is Vermont Yankee, according to rally attendees who have attended a so-called “strategy working group.”
“There are other places we are thinking to occupy that might get us into trouble,” said Will. “Because of that, we’re not saying where that might be in order to keep the element of surprise on our side.”
Matthew Cropp, one of the early organizers of Vermont’s Occupy rallies, suggested a group of people picket outside of one of the large, out-of-state banks.
Al Salzman, a retired teacher from Franklin County, made the trek to Burlington to unveil his latest protest sign, a police tape-style banner that read: “Shumlin’s Budget = Mortal Idiocy & Cruelty! Makes the Rich Richer & Screws the Elderly & Poor!” Under these words were written, “We’re all Greeks,” referencing the unrest in Greece over austerity measures being taken to keep the country from complete insolvency.
Salzman said he wants to channel some of the pent-up anger and frustration at Wall Street toward things closer to home, for instance the state budget. He hopes more people begin paying attention to the budget-cutting measures being weighed in Montpelier.
Gov. Peter Shumlin has asked agency budget writers to cut next year’s budget by 4 percent. As of now, that would not include restoration of a 3 percent pay cut to state workers.
The “media working group” has established a wiki for the “Occupy Burlington” effort, which is designed to allow more people to participate — albeit electronically — in the various working groups that meet in between the weekly rallies. That wiki site is www.owsvt.wikispaces.com. There, people can check out reports from the various working groups, and follow the “Occupy” groups springing up in other parts of the state — including Bennington, Brattleboro, Montpelier and Rutland.
The general assembly, which occurred around the fountain at the center of City Hall Park, displaced some of the homeless who had been gathered there to drink and play chess.
Upset by being displaced, two of the men confronted the protesters. In turn, the protesters tried to explain to the men that they were, in fact, allies. That didn’t seem to appease the men who were stumbling and slurring their words. Shortly afterward, two uniformed police officers arrived to talk to the men; the officers also dumped out liquid from at least one water bottle belonging to the homeless group, which sought refuge from the protesters on the steps of City Hall.
Unlike in New York City, where police officers are buffering the 1 percent from the rowdy masses, Burlington cops were keeping the 99 percent from being harassed by folks who might be called the 99.999999 percent.
This article appears in The Winter Preview Issue 2011.
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I don’t hate anyone, I just feel kind of sad that this is the best you can do. In Burlington, the sitting administration has done a TON of damage to the town and are continuing to do so every day. They’ve done things that are going to severely negatively impact residents at all socioeconomic levels, but the outside their offices are instead talking about issues related to the federal government and wall street that affect them only in the most tangential ways.”this video explains more about the change that we are trying to bring…”Did you actually watch this video? It does nothing of the sort. It talks about the process by which the NY group is going to decide on… well, they don’t say exactly, I would imagine it’s “what they want.”I asked this weeks ago, and I’ll ask it again… name one thing that this “movement” is asking for, and articulate the specific action plan for getting it. I mean, it’s been what, a month now? The Burlington gatherings are already shrinking. If you can’t answer the question now, you never will.
OWSBVT,You need to behave better. The language and attitudes only make you look like angry, spolied brats (with a smattering of old hippies). I see mostly brand-name labelled clothes, shoes, etc., albeit shabby looking, and the anger and rage is almost comical. Go home, stop voting for democrats and progressives (who are owned by corporate donations too). You want a better life, vote for lower taxes, more personal responsibility, and vote out any politician that doesn’t uphold their oath to protect the US Constitution. Socialism is not the answer; never worked, never will!
Why so much hate, Jimmy? this video explains more about the change that we are trying to bring…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dtD8RnGaRQ&feature=sharethis is not just a bunch of people standing around and yelling…. it’s a process to bring about a change in the way that power and wealth are distributed in the world.Feel free to join us….
“And if you have questions about reasons for the movement, check out this manifesto”A manifesto typically includes some details on what the author(s) want, and optionally guidelines on how those goals will be attained. That’s not a manifesto, it’s a list of grievances. Yeah, the world’s messed up, no shit, you’re a real pack of geniuses. “What do you offer as an alternative?”What do I offer as an alternative to what, standing around yelling about a ridiculously broad range of topics without offering a concrete solution to a single one of them? How about… anything?”that it is hard to know where to start.”Obviously.Enjoy your nine hour “occupation.”
Tim, occupiers are already contacting farmers to be sure we can work together. The occupation is planned for the southeast corner of the park, so it shouldn’t physically interfere with shoppers and vendors. There is enormous people-power erupting all over the country right now. Burlington is only one of 1,500+ cities where people are not only rising up together in protest – but more importantly – they are working together to creatively construct alternatives, support more sustainable models, get educated, network, and build power to reform or rebuild the corrupt and broken system we find ourselves in. The model is peaceful, inclusive, horizontal, non-hierarchical, non-violent, democratic, and autonomous. We’re all unaccustomed to these things. They’re the opposite of the world we’ve grown up in and understand. But that is exactly the point. It’s not easy, it’s not perfect, and it’s not fast. But I believe that people have the skills, intelligence, compassion and wisdom necessary to make this world a better place. Now we’re building our power to do that by coming together and BEING THE CHANGE WE WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD. What are your skills and talents? What resources do you have at your disposal? Think this movement needs your help? We do too! Please join us, add your voice, and help make the movement stronger. We don’t want to be victims of corrupt politicians and economic systems that are stacked against us, and we have the power to do something about it. See you in City Hall Park!
Thousands of people use the park on a regular basis. An organized, peaceful occupation will not cause any significant damage that exceeds the normal wear and tear. There are multiple other community events that happen in the park on a regular basis concurrently with the Farmer’s Market. If this Occupation occurs as planned, it can be supportive to the market rather than disruptive. This movement supports local agriculture. To imply that we are going to disrupt the market is unfair… do any of the other events that occur “shut down” the market? If anything, they bring more people out. This occupation is not a self indulgent tantrum. It is an organized display of solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the world. There are Occupations occurring in cities and states all around the world, not just in NYC. Not everyone can afford to take a bus, or to take off of work, to go to NYC. This is a way for people to participate globally, while acting locally! It calls awareness to a struggle that plays out across the planet, not just on Wall Street. And if you have questions about reasons for the movement, check out this manifesto:http://www.nycga.net/resources/declaration/It clearly lists reasons for the movement. Perhaps this article would be more accurate if the reporter would have done a little more research rather than capturing a few random quotes and making fun of people….Instead of everyone taking a hostile stance, it might benefit us all to look for the strengths and beauty in each other instead of giving into the current dominant culture of mockery, cynicism, and negativity. We are what we think… we create what we project into the world. I hope we can all manifest a happier collective future together.
Small Side Note: The farmer’s market has actually been specifically discussed, and the intention is to begin the occupation on the south side of the park where no vendors set up so as to not interfere with what is itself an excellent community institution. My hope is that folks can pop by after getting their breakfast and veggies to chat about our current situation, the future, and what needs to be done…
It ain’t trolling Joe. A lot of farmers sell their family farm produced goods in City Hall Park, how will you explain it to them that you’re shutting them down? http://www.burlingtonfarmersmarket.org/After the park is trashed, the grass trampled into mud, the benches broken, the trees scarred, the alleys peed in, will you be paying for the clean up or will the people of Burlington? I’m afraid we know the answer.You want to take on corporations, Wall Street, etc so how do you accomplish this by attacking your neighbors? That’s not a plan, it’s a self indulgent tantrum.You want to take on Wall Street, get on a bus and go to Wall Street. Don’t smash up the park.
Thanks for the constructive critisim Jimmy. What do you offer as an alternative? Why are all the people posting here snidely criticizing this movement, or writing comments supposedly from within the movement saying things like “WE’ll TEAR THE PLACE APART”HAving participated in the occupation rallies, and having heard the people speaking, this kind of violence and ignorance is not the message. We are simply saying that The economic and political systems in America are no longer serving the people, but hurting them. WE are experiencing a financial crisis, and legislation doesn’t seem to be helping us. We want a redress of grievances that is more direct, and we want to speak out, and hear others speak out against injustice and fiscal piracy.Oh yeah, and, thanks for the Spin, 7D. You couldn’t quote ANY of the reasons given for the occupation, except for a single sentence taken out of context? that made it look like they had NO clue why they were going to occupy? You said it all earlier : Iraq, Afghanistan, and The military industrial complex’s disproportionately large budget which would be better spent domestically on things like health care and education and food security, our economy going the way of europe’s, while the rich who created this crisis give themselves large bonuses and buy legislation to get tax breaks. And all you could come up with was a quote of “IDK”?This was in response to giving SPECIFIC demands to those employed in local public service. It is difficult to address the concerns of so many in a country that is so morally and fiscally bereft right now, especially when you have to do it by a general assembly vote. BUt some that have come up, not just within this movement, but have been generally voiced in vermont and the nation, are:CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORMCLOSE VERMONT YANKEE (this has been a big one, where it is a clear case of big business against the will and the health and well being of the public)MORE MONEY FOR HEALTHCARE AND THE GROWTH OF DOMESTIC WEALTHLESS MONEY FOR WAR PROFITEERINGJUSTICE FOR HOMEOWNERS FACING FORECLOSUREFEDERAL RESERVE FINANCE REFORMWORLD BANK AND IMF FINANCE REFORMFAIR SOCIAL SECURITY POLICY(as social security faces being cutback to nonexistence in the near future)THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE, NOT THE POWER OF MONEY, IN POLITICSAND SO MANY OTHERS !!!!!!that it is hard to know where to start.by not taking this seriously, you are discrediting the very basis of peoples right to a redress of greivances. It would be so nice to see at least one LOCAL MEDIA source favor positive change, and to see something other than trolling and scoffing from readers. Don’t any of you see anything wrong with this picture, and if so, what are you doing about it?Please reply, thanks all for posting
“SMARTEN UP OR WE’LL TEAR THE PLACE APART AND START OVER”. PERIOD.”What place? Burlington?”AND, in case you haven’t noticed, we, the consumers and taxpayers, have a lot more power than you might think.”I’ve kind of noticed the opposite. Because this generation’s “revolution” is a ton of people standing around and not only not accomplishing anything, not only not agreeing on WHAT they want to accomplish, but proclaiming that it doesn’t matter. Clap… clap… clap.