Occupy DC and Related Features
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OccupyDC adopts consensus
By Yarrow | Photos by Elaine
A few of us are at the #OccupyDC General Assembly, witnessing the assembly adopt consensus as its decision-making process.
We strain to hear the participants. Cars come and go honking their
support, heartwarming and ear-splitting. Clearly many here are
well-versed in consensus, but they are cutting no corners. Someone
compliments the facilitators on their respect for freedom of expression
and asks for a similar respect for time. Shortly thereafter the
consensus process is adopted by a sea of twinkles and we hoot and holler.
The slow process continues. There is a call for concerns, standasides,
and blocks on the question of how much time to spend discussing the hot
question of the last few days: how to handle relations between #OccupyDC
and the October 2011 group. That discussion is passionate and generous:
these folks are from DC; most of October 2011 is not. That truth is
spoken. As is the truth that goals of the two movements are the same.
We're not DC residents either, so we witness. The meeting is awkward,
long, and slow. And it touches the heart. The care taken here, and the
patience of the assembly with that care, with each other, is an opening
to a better world.
Love, Yarrow
Day Two in DC by Yarrow
Scattered sleepy notes
A chant from the #OccupyDC march today:
Occupy Wall Street
Occupy K Street
Occupy everything
And never give it back
Juniper says there were 1000 at Occupy Austin's first day. I may make it back home in time for the second Occupy Richmond General Assembly. Occupy everywhere!
Tonight's OccupyDC General Assembly was three times larger than last night's. Its process was three times more effective, partly because Elizabeth was helping to facilitate, partly because folks here are practicing constantly, partly because they're soaking up information atan amazing rate.
We had a wonderful spiral dance after the music ended at Freedom Plaza. Gloria, who worked the crowd to let people know it was coming, said about 2/3 already knew what a spiral dance was.
Love, Yarrow
Day Three in DC by Yarrow
Taking to the Streets
The #OccupyKSt (or #OccupyDC) march today took the streets today
(previous marches I'd been on had been on the sidewalks). Very high
energy, and many smiles and waves from people on the sidewalks and in
cars. I particularly remember one woman beaming blissful from a car
whose progress was delayed by our passage. Our numbers grew as we
marched -- including, for a while, a group of delighted middle school girls.
This is the seventh day of the occupation. The general assembly tonight
was three times the size of the fifth day's occupation, which was three
times the size of the fourth day's occupation. Even with the surge of
new folks, and a contentious issue to contend with, the consensus
process did well. Starhawk gave a facilitation workshop yesterday and
eddy did one today, also co-facilitating the meeting. The contenious
issue was a guideline from the first day, saying the occupation would
obey the law. Since that forbids civil disobedience, the group clearly
felt it should go -- but wasn't entirely clear on how to replace it. A
small group will work on a proposal to bring to the next meeting.
As eddy was facilitating the Occupy DC general assembly, Starhawk was
facilitating the Stop the Machine general assembly a few blocks away,
followed by a spiral dance and yarn-weaving ritual. (No, the Pagan
Cluster isn't taking over the world -- we're most of us going home in a
day or two.) I'll be going home myself tomorrow -- to an
#OccupyRichmond meeting.
Love, Yarrow
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Luke Hauser
(aka George Franklin) is a freelance parajournalist in the service of the Goddess and planetary revolution. His photo-filled book Direct Action is an historical novel about Bay Area protests.
Photos ©2011 by RQ. Please do not copy, reproduce, fold, spindle, mutilate, or otherwise use them without written permission (which we are usually glad to offer). Thanks!
