Direct Action Ideas

[dylan]

I wanted to start a thread for people who might have some ideas for direct actions.

I think even though it didn't get a huge number of attendees that the BoA withdrawal day was a good action.

Some ideas:

Money out of local elections (what would our target and action be?)
Millionaire's tax
Support upcoming Student Walkouts

Please follow up with any ideas...

[anthony]

I would like to do a mic check at some meeting in Albany or even at a fund raiser for some politicians.

Also that walk out on the 30th seems like a good one to involve the younger generation.

[Albanius]

Joe Seeman has been organizing Money Out of Politics (MOP) protests at fundraisers, on and off, for years.

We show up with MOPs and brooms, to symbolize cleaning up politics.

Occupy Albany and Occupy Saratoga can provide more people power for these actions. Albany, as a state capitol, has a disproportional number of lobbyists and fundraisers; Saratoga, where a lot of the 1% hang out, also has lots of fundraisers.

[bw]

how about we sit down in front of BOA or the Capitol doors and dont get up.

[nmbronedad]

How about shutting down the Port of Albany like Oakland did.

[bw]

How about something that gets some results. Just to inform you I do not believe a march or protest or any of the actions above are direct action. In my opinion direct action is placing your body in the way of an institution to disrupt it.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_action

[rana]

I agree. Marches don't count as direct action, but no one else is planning them so it falls on this group. But we also really need people to come to the meetings and propose actual DA. Also, since DA is not usually legal, we can say something like "Andrew Cuomo is speaking at this place and this time, and if an affinity group wants to go tell him what's up, please feel free" and the rest of it is organized on the DL.

The NYS Democratic Party is having their annual meeting Nov 16-17, which I think would be a great opportunity for DA.

[hz]

Nov 17th is also nationwide day of action. Statewide Occupy groups are converging on Albany (in busloads even?)

I would love to see all working groups narrow in on Nov 17th and try to do massive outreach and planning. I can help from PR & can talk to & assist Outreach, I think the Rad Caucus is thinking of plans & if DA can step in I think we could have a solid event!
-Hezzie

[dylan]

What is up with the 11/17 action? Everything I've heard has been very vague and it doesn't seem like they've made much effort to contact us to let us know their specific plans.

[Albanius]

At the Wed 11/9 GA, somebody suggested defending against foreclosures as a possible DA. I think that could be an excellent idea, but it would require careful planning.

On the General board, Robert proposed a meeting of a foreclosure action group Saturday 6 PM.

occupyalbany.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=910

[lsl]

Given some of the posts here, I'm not sure that my proposal will satisfy the definition of direct action -- but I don't know where else to bring this. News reports indicate that Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in a Wednesday morning radio interview, at one pint said: "I am the government." Challenged by the interviewer (Fred Dicker), Cuomo noted that he was referring to the executive branch of NYS government. Even so, and even providing a charitable explanation for his comment (as some in the media seem inclined to do), the statement is an outrageous example of the inappropriate and outsized sense of importance of this politician. I propose that OA march around/through the State Capitol with a banner/signs that read "I am the government." The accompanying chant could be "Who is the government? I am the government." (Leo)

[bw]

11/17 NYS democratic convention, others converging in albany.... we should plan something. The foreclosure group is also an excellent idea.

[bw]

A rep from the federal reserve speaking at SUNY ALbany on 11/17

www.albany.edu/economics/research/seminar/index.shtml

[Albanius]

An action on Cuomo's "I am the government" could include a large well executed cartoon of Prince Andrew as Louis XIV, who famously said "L'etat c'est moi".
If DA decides on this action, the Art WG should be invited to help with this.

[rana]

Nov 11, 2011 16:01:29 GMT -5 bw said:

A rep from the federal reserve speaking at SUNY ALbany on 11/17

www.albany.edu/economics/research/seminar/index.shtml

I'll bring this up at Occupy tonight and try to organize people to do carpool up and do something. Great idea!

Nov 12, 2011 18:47:00 GMT -5 Albanius said:

An action on Cuomo's "I am the government" could include a large well executed cartoon of Prince Andrew as Louis XIV, who famously said "L'etat c'est moi".
If DA decides on this action, the Art WG should be invited to help with this.

And this will be perfect for Thursday! So far the plan is that groups (including people from other Occupations) are coming from around the state for a day of action at the Capitol. Things will be getting started around 11:30/ noon when we'll be welcoming the buses and giving tours of the encampment. We'll have a rally and march up to the Business Council, then go to the Capitol building to protest inside and out, with more specific actions to be announced at that time. We can then send people up to the SUNY event with the Fed Board member.

[jeandeaux]

What exactly is the issue with the Federal Reserve guy? He's lecturing about some kind of mathematical modeling. Why would Occupy people go there?

[didactic]

Nov 14, 2011 12:20:39 GMT -5 jeandeaux said:

What exactly is the issue with the Federal Reserve guy? He's lecturing about some kind of mathematical modeling. Why would Occupy people go there?

publicity, press, and self-promotion.

[lsl]

Let's consider the benefit of the proposed action with respect to the "rep from the federal reserve speaking at SUNY Albany on 11/17" a little further. I would suggest using our resources elsewhere in the valued pursuit of "publicity, press, and self-promotion". The speaker is an academic in economics and is the co-author of a 10-page July 2011 paper (available at www.albany.edu/economics/research/seminar/files/EricssonNeilISF2011.pdf) that will be the subject of his 11/17 presentation -- Assessing Global Vector Autoregressive Models for Forecasts. (The paper is full of mathematical equations, by the way, and sentences for which most of us would require a translator.) The presentation will be in a SUNY Business School lecture room (BA 130) that is far removed from public -- and press -- view (and that is not likely to draw a large crowd). The presentation is scheduled from 4:15 to 5:35 -- at the end of a day full of scheduled OA actions and those coming from outside the area to support Occupy Albany's message. Some of the visitors will expect to participate in the 5:30 GA that day. I think that is where our bodies and energies should be that day -- and that there will be better opportunities at better times to publicly challenge the economic establishment. (Leo)

[joshred]

How about having the GA in the capital building?

[Emma]

Are there any shut-down manufacturing plants around here?
What about occupying/rehab-ing empty buildings that should be housing?

"Direct action," to me, sees a need in the community that is not being fulfilled because the powers that be are either neglecting it or actively causing the lack, then figures out a way to provide for those needs in a way that sends a clear message that the banks/gov't/1% can't stop us from doing what's right, from (re)claiming for our community what rightfully belongs to us. Like the folks from OWS who occupied a boiler room in Harlem til the owner finally replaced the dead boiler and turned the heat on. More direct would've been fixing it themselves and re-wiring to circumvent the gas meter or something, but their way still got something done.

I would be happy to put energy into something that was actually going to get something done.