First Occupy Tampa Arrests

Perhaps it was a consquence of yesterday's Tampa City Council meeting, or perhaps tensions were just heading toward a confrontation regardless. This morning, six Occupy Tampa protesters were apparently arrested for violating City Code Section 22-8 which prohibits placing an article or thing on the sidewalk. When I arrived, the police were gone, but three news vehicles were parked on the sidewalk. Evidently a vehicle on the sidewalk does not violate City Code Section 22-8.

The remaining Occupiers felt that the police had selectively targeted a subset of the protesters - those with sleeping gear

Nick W had followed the police around trying to get arrested, but with no success. Nick demonstrated one of his unsuccessful poses.

The video footage of the arrests is not particularly interesting, but it does show that the Occupiers are documenting everything.

The Tampa police had clearly told the Occupiers that they were not allowed to sleep between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. After interactions with Tampa City Council members yesterday, at least some of the protesters were convinced that they would not be breaking the law by sleeping on the sidewalk during the day. On my way home from Tampa, I heard John Dingfelder, a lawyer with the ACLU, on radio station WMNF. His opinion was that Tampa would not be able to enforce their ordinance in this manner. Perhaps the City of Tampa's legal team had their doubts as well, since it took a week and a half to make the first arrest. Short term, the logistics of getting arrested and avoiding arrest will likely continue to preoccupy most Occupy Tampa protesters.

Occupy Tampa Protesters and Police Chief both vent to Tampa City Council

Things are heating up for Occupy Tampa. One Tampa City Council Member had asked the Tampa Police to come give the Council an update on Occupy Tampa. This was based on complaints he had received from the Occupiers. At Curtis Hixon Park, Dania S and Keith C talk about what they consider to be police harassment of the protesters.

[above footage is from October 21]
Due to these complaints about police behavior, at today's City Council meeting, members sought clarification on Tampa ordinances and the police perspective on enforcement of those ordinances. The video record of this drawn out exchange is interesting on several counts, but I will only focus on one point: all sides agreed that it was terrific that nobody had been arrested. This would seem to imply that the police felt they had ample reason for arrests, but had resisted that urge over the last week and a half. After the planned meeting, members of Occupy Tampa took turns in front of the microphone, but this was not recorded. Various protesters told me that most folks expressed an interest in finding a central, public space for conducting their protest without harassment. Two Council members continued the discussion after the formal end of the meeting. The protesters I spoke with felt that they had won the hearts and minds of the Council, overall.

Unfortunately, all this preoccupation with the logistics of not getting arrested, of where Occupiers can sleep, when they must get up, where they can put their belongings, and when they must move their belongings has left precious little time for other subjects of discussion. The issue of getting arrested and/or avoiding arrest has taken a large chunk of the group's attention. After today's City Council meeting, it is not clear that this will change any time soon.

Hypothesis: True Unemployment Rate Is Never Reported

The issues highlighted by the Occupy Movement have been around for awhile. Yet, in September, when I asked myself what has changed, I did not have to ruminate at all. Immediate ideas came to mind. One was how hard it is to find a job.

My son just graduated from college this year, in 2011. Over the past year, many of my son's friends, who graduated a year ago, have been been pounding the sidewalks looking for work. They graduated from New College, Florida's Honor College.

One of these graduates was smart and articulate, presented well, and looked like a great employee catch. But his job search quickly degenerated into looking for whatever low-paying job would take him. As it turns out, jobs waiting tables were almost impossible to come by. When did that happen? The proportion of restuarants to population is oversized in Sarasota. We have an excess of restaurants due to being a tourist magnet. Yet, this young man was having trouble finding a job busing tables. If one of my contemporaries were to regale me with their career path, it might start out like this, "In high school back in the 70's, I began by busing tables ...". But today, a college graduate feels lucky to nab such a job.

If this were an isolated incident, I wouldn't think much of it, but all of my son's contemporaries are having great difficulty securing jobs, never mind finding something in their field. I think this represents something larger. Over the past couple of years, the media has highlighted the stories of laid-off workers - a magazine editor snapping up a job in retail or an investment banker making ends meet as a bartender. And now I can add to this list - a newly minted college grad having trouble landing a job busing tables. This is the face of job destruction. This is what follows downstream after global corporations ship their jobs overseas. Or if you are Rick Scott, the Governor of Florida, you might argue it's the face of all those college graduates with useless degrees in anthropology.

When I graduated college in 1980, I remember confronting the viscious cycle of not being able to get certain jobs because I didn't have the experience. And, yet, how was I supposed to get that experience, if I couldn't get a job. At the time, I remember tracking the official unemployment statistics as they got worse in 1981 and 1982, passing the 10% mark into the double digits.

U.S. Unemployment Rates Month-by-Month
Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
1980	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.9	7.5	7.6	7.8	7.7	7.5	7.5	7.5	7.2
1981	7.5	7.4	7.4	7.2	7.5	7.5	7.2	7.4	7.6	7.9	8.3	8.5
1982	8.6	8.9	9.0	9.3	9.4	9.6	9.8	9.8	10.1	10.4	10.8	10.8
1983	10.4	10.4	10.3	10.2	10.1	10.1	9.4	9.5	9.2	8.8	8.5	8.3
2011	9.8	9.5	9.2	8.7	8.7	9.3	9.3	9.1	9.1	-	-	-

Even with such high unemployment rates, in 1980-1982, there were jobs waiting tables, loading boxes for freight companies, fixing cars. Today the official unemployment numbers look better in comparison, at 9.1%. Yet jobs are scarce. The duration of unemployment is longer. We have lost far more jobs during the last couple of years than we did in the early 80's. And, it seems that many more people have given up looking for work.

It will shock no one that statistics sometimes lie. Admittedly, I was duped by these statistics into a quasi-complacency concerning unemployment. But due to the employment status of my son's friends, I looked into it. I found a nice quote from a May 13 article, "Is the U.S. Unemployment Rate Really 9.0 Percent?".

For example, counting only people who have been actively looking for work for 15 weeks or more in North Dakota gives an unemployment rate of 1.1 percent in 2010.

On the other hand, counting people in Nevada who wish they had a full-time job and don't have one, including those who gave up and went back to school, took a low paying retail job because they couldn't find a job that uses their skills, started a small business, or got caught stealing and are now in jail, the rate is likely well over 30 percent.

After two seconds of thought, I am willing to hazard a hypothesis that the true unemployment rate is always whitewashed. Otherwise, the approval ratings of incumbent politicians would plummet, and they would not get reelected. So forget about the statistics and talk with those around you. Statistically, you're very likely to find someone Occupying Your City who is looking for work and looking for an opportunity to discuss it.

Satire from Dan Ohrenstein

And now for a little satirical commentary from Dan Ohrenstein, reposted from his Facebook.

Protesters are always wrong. Why? Because the world is just! People always get exactly what they deserve. The jobless, therefore, possess a defect of character that inevitably led them to destitution and shame. Likewise, victims of cancer die simply because they are not proactive enough in curing cancer. In addition, species which meet extinction in the course of industrialization failed to adapt or otherwise make themselves useful and, thus, deserve oblivion.

The protesters are uneducated about this fundamental fact to reality: it is as foolish to think one can change the economic system as it is foolish to think one can change Nature, for modern capitalism derives from Nature and its one law: survival of the fittest. It is our duty to Nature to let the meek, the unproductive, and the unfortunate perish in misery. It must be so.

If that vile consortium of riff-raff clogging the glorious halls of Wall Street have a legitimate grievance, then remedy already exists: they can buy controlling share in the world's largest banks and democratically vote out the managers they do not like. It's that easy!

So, there's no need and, further, no right to whine about one's lot. One's destiny is secured in one's character. And, we have no greater example of wisdom, compassion, courage, creativity, and ability than the executives of our major corporations, who only want what is best for us. It is just that, with their infallible vision, these masters of the universe be charged with directing our society's blood and treasure where they are needed the most, namely: in the service of enriching our noble executives, financiers, and captains of industry to the fullest extent they deserve. They are our finest citizens, and, in serving themselves, serve us all.

As a dog does not complain eating scraps off the table of his master, so too should those anarchists, those pestilent protesters give thanks to our flawless financiers. What a shame they have to step over those piles of indigence on their way to make an honest living. Let us all stop complaining and give thanks to our great and glorious masters: the omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent businessmen of Wall Street.

Occupy Sarasota, Global Day of Action

In solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Sarasota participated in a Global Day of Action. There were rallies planned in 951 cities, worlwide. In Sarasota, a couple of hundred people showed up with loads of handmade signs. Way to go Sarasota! Everybody I spoke with had a sense of what they wanted to see fixed. Some even had a notion of how to go about it. To show the diversity of priorities brought to this event, I've mashed up a video with a small snippet from the General Assembly and highlights of the signs sported by the participants. Note that Occupy Sarasota is using the people's mic.

Occupy _________ In The News

There was a lot of Occupy Movement news reported today -

• New York City's, Mayor Bloomberg backs down on eviction after over 3,000 people gather at Zuccotti park in the pre-dawn hours to defend the peaceful Occupation near Wall Street.
• Police tell Occupy Tampa protesters to take down tents and tables.
• Al Gore joins the growing list of celebrities that strongly support #Occupy Wall Street.
• On October 15th, people of the world will demonstrate in solidarity in over 951 cities in 82 countries.
• Find your local Occupy Together action.

OccupyTampa Now Occupying Tampa

I checked the list of supplies needed by Occupy Tampa. Despite our culture's embrace of electronics, they were requesting legal pads and pens. I had been looking for someone in need of pristine typing paper, graph paper, and legal pads that we had accumulated over the years. Finally, an interested recipient! They didn't want any more apples and bananas. Were they looking for more exotic fruit? Puzzlingly, there were no requests for sleeping bags or ponchos. I stocked up on legal pads and papayas and headed over to Tampa for a visit.

Upon arrival in downtown Tampa, I saw some shade structures set up at Curtis Hixon Park. A small and friendly group has been camping out for five nights now. They started at about 15 strong and last night's count was up to 41. Jordan H comments on the current status of OccupyTampa.

They have put together a kitchen area and amassed a small supply of blankets, pads, sleeping bags, and folding chairs.

Although most folks bring their own sleeping gear, the participants had taken it upon themselves to stockpile extra gear for the homeless and for those that might come unprepared. Tampa is warm all year, but there are blankets -

I had been there about an hour, when a report came in from New York City that the Occupy Wall Street protesters had been ordered to clear Liberty Plaza by tomorrow morning at 7am. Ostensibly this was because the park needed to be cleaned. But since the New York City Police Commissioner had also said they would NOT be able to return with any sleeping bags, tarps, or personal items, this was clearly an eviction notice. This elicited a strong response of solidarity from the Tampa group.
Stephen G, a participant here in OccupyTampa, just returned from spending four days at OccupyWallStreet. He was impressed with a high level of organization there and looks forward to helping set that up in Tampa. He comments on the diversity he found at OccupyWallStreet -

Five Points Park / Occupy Sarasota - Analaysis

My friend, Estelle G, let me know this morning that she has relatively little interest in politics, but she wants to follow the Occupy news. She went on to say that only one issue in the recent past has left her hot and bothered. It wasn't the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It wasn't the ballooning federal deficit. No, Estelle was upset last Spring, when the City of Sarasota removed park benches from the lovely downtown Five Points Park. See the story.

The City of Sarasota removed the benches from Five Points Park so that homeless people who gathered there would have no place to sit! Evidently, condo owners with views overlooking the park felt their safety and property values were under siege. Never mind that nobody was violating any laws. Never mind that many other city residents enjoyed the benches.

And what, exactly, bothered Estelle about this decision? It was that moneyed interests had gotten the City to react with such heartlessness.

"From the website, The Best Pictures From The Occupy Wall Street Protest"

In the same vein, many participating in the Occupy Movement take issue with moneyed interests subverting the common good. As the first declaration from Occupy Wall Street stated "... We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known..." See the full declaration. Estelle, take heart.

Who Is Behind The Occupy Movement?

Last night I had dinner with Jeanette T. She was up-to-date on Occupy Bradenton. She knew when and where they had demonstrated. But, when it came to the question of who organized it, she had been led astray. According to her, the news had reported that the unions had organized the protest. Certainly, starting last week, organized labor has visibly endorsed the movement, marching in New York City, and swelling the ranks of the participants. But that is a far cry from spearheading the movement.

From what I've seen, the Occupation is more about participation than organization. Labor unions are heirarchical. Folks who showed up for the Occupy Bradenton event on Sunday weren't even sure whether the person who had announced the event on Facebook was in attendance. Union members elect their leaders and rely on them for representation. Most of the Occupy groups are using direct democracy and a consensus model for decision making.

Some media outlets are at a loss to explain WHO organized the Occupation. But in many ways the groundswell of a response is far more interesting. I find it especially appealing that people are speaking to one another. And that people are listening to one another.

The People's Microphone

I was willing to drive all the way up to Tampa to take part in yesterday's protests, because I just assumed that nothing would be going on in Sarasota. Evidently I didn't look hard enough. Yesterday, at 10am in Sarasota, several dozen protesters rallied at the intersection of Orange & Main Streets. They weren't planning to stay overnight, but they certainly were expressing solidarity. In fact, there appears to be another group also planning an Occupy Sarasota event.

As it turns out, there are plenty of groups in small communities within an hour's drive of me - Bradenton, Largo, Dunedin, St. Pete, and probably more. This reminds me of a huge relay system. The core group is in New York City. Autonomous cities and towns in the rest of the country tune in and sponsor their own events. Everybody uses the internet to report on what is going on. Or maybe more like decentralized democracy. Think global, act local. Take your pick.

Yesterday, Occupy Tampa decided NOT to Occupy Tampa, but rather to come back during the following days. The process used to make this decision was fascinating. There was a general assembly. Decisions were made by consensus. Any single person could block a decision. Anybody could speak, in turn. And we didn't use a mic or megaphone. Rather, we used the people's mic. In the following snippet, the legal liaison presents some legal issues to the group regarding possible arrest and support from the ACLU -

If people aren't paying attention, the call goes out "Mic Check" and the assembly repeats a call and response "Mic Check", until everybody's attention is focused on the speaker. Everything the speaker says is repeated by those that are close enough to hear. In this manner, a large number of people can hear a speech without electrical amplification. At first, this is quite bizarre. It sounds like an indoctrination session, with the assembly repeating everything, even if it so much hogwash. It is an odd sensation to repeat what someone is saying, especially if you do not agree with it! And, it is slow slogging. But, as you can see from the video, it is effective for communicating to a large group. By the end of the day, there was a constant, loud, helicopter noise overhead. With the people's mic, we could still speak and be heard.