My First Visit to Occupy Austin

Last Sunday was my first visit to Occupy Austin.

This post is much later than I wanted it to be because I have been struggling with my health. I’ll open here because part of the reason I identify with this movement is that my voice is a disenfranchised one as a disabled person. I have fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition closely related (or overlapping with) chronic fatigue syndrome. It is not well understood, but between severe pain in my muscles and connective tissue, and frequent intense fatigue and insomnia I am unable to hold down a normal job. I have managed to eke out a small living as a freelance writer, but I have no health insurance, and no safety net if my health takes a turn for the worse. I feel strongly for this idea of the 99% — in a just society, basic needs like food, shelter and medical care would be considered a human right.

Occupy Austin!

My health has kept me from attending a Occupy encampment or event before Sunday. But on Saturday night, 38 peaceful protesters were arrested at City Hall — some over refusal to take down a food table based on last minute regulations imposed without oversight by the Austin city manager, but others were directly targeted by police for their involvement in the movement. A march was announced to join the vigil at the county jail demanding release of these political prisoners. I knew I had to join.

Much has been said about the protests and whether those involved have valid reasons. Though the protesters have many diverse issues they have come together over, to me at this point the most important reason is to stand up for our right to assemble. In childhood, teachers taught me that the right for the people to speak up and assemble to demand a redress of grievances is one of the most fundamental things that defines being an American citizen. And yet now these 38 peaceful activists — along with a small but notable number of arrests since — are banned from City Hall for one year.

That’s right, a building that is the hub of their city, that their tax dollars pay for everytime they purchase anything in stores — yet if they return they face rearrest and even jail time. Because Austin is ‘cool’ and ‘weird’, our cops won’t go in with the tear gas. Instead they threaten us with dozens of tiny papercuts until our movement will bleed to death. We need to stand up and say this is not right — that we have a right to speak.

I arrived downtown just as the march began. Cars honked in support as we made our way to the jail, chanting ‘Shame on the APD! Occupiers must go free!’ At the jail, there was free food to support the vigil and feed the prisoners as they were released. I was moved to tears as we chanted in support of the victims of the city manager who could hear us inside, and again when the crowd rushed forward to hug them as they came out one by one. They seemed young, tired, and most of all hopeful — happy to rejoin the movement, even while they enjoyed a first smoke and pizza slice of freedom. At one point, a Canadian led us in reading the first amendment, from the copy he was given when he became a naturalized citizen:

Occupiers rush to embrace political prisoners as they are released. 38 peaceful activists were arrested in Austin last Saturday.

The last to be released was Yatzel, a long time activist who was held longest because of her outspoken opposition to Austin’s police chief Acevado when he appeared with placating words at Occupy Austin’s general assembly. She was not even involved in the food table protests, but was scooped directly from the crowds in a second wave of targeted arrests in the early hours of Sunday morning. It’s a credit to the legal team that so many were released on a Sunday afternoon less than 24 hours after their unjust arrest.

But when we marched back to City Hall the police were at it again — arresting those who had previously been charged with “criminal trespass” and banned from our city’s legislative center. We hear words like “police state” kicked around a lot, but Sunday night I got a visceral understanding of what that means. More police than I’ve ever seen in one small place in Austin gathered around us, watching our every move for the slightest infraction or the return of anyone banned from the protest. As I watched Police Commander Duster escort a man named Kirk into a police wagon, I understood fully that unless we continue to speak up this is our future.

Today in Oakland, much of the city is shut down for a general strike and thousands of occupiers line the streets — as many as 5000 by some estimates with more joining all the time. Tonight at 6pm at Austin City Hall, there will be a march in solidarity with the general strike and I plan to attend.

We have a right to assemble — the first amendment is our permit. Whether you come out today or not, don’t you think that’s important to stand up for?

Occupy Austin Oct 30

Art Outside 2011

Comments (7)

burgundy wrote:

Have you seen this? I would feel a lot better about it if I knew what the “review” involved.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/cityhall/entries/2011/11/02/city_to_occupy_austin_proteste.html

For the love of all that is good, don’t read the comments.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011 at 6:24 pm #
Kit wrote:

This was discussed at the General Assembly tonight and the general feeling is that it is BS no matter what it is — a process to allow a judge to review an unlawful ban from city hall based on unlawful arrests.

Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 3:27 am #
Molly Rene wrote:

It’s been interesting to hear the news here and watch from abroad what is going on in my own country. I hope the Occupiers have success in, frankly, developing a social safety net in the US like I see in many European countries.
Molly Rene recently posted..Food For Thought – French Onion Soup

Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 3:46 am #
burgundy wrote:

What pisses me off (well, one of the things that pisses me off) is Acevedo saying that the rule changes came at the request of Occupy Austin people. If that were true, then why were so many people surprised and upset and in disagreement? And if someone was having problems, and went to APD instead of trying to work it out in the group consensus process, then they were working outside what I understand to be the accepted decision-making process and don’t have legitimacy as OA representatives.

My suspicion, based on what I know of the people involved, is that this is less about an institutional opposition to the goals and ideals of the movement, and more about petty annoyance. A lot of people at City Hall, from security guards on up to senior management, are irritated and frustrated about the occupation. I hear grumbling about it pretty much every day – and a lot of the people I hear grumbling are not even directly affected. It really bothers me. This is the people’s building, and we are the people’s employees, and minor annoyances are not justification for being undemocratic. But I wonder if some of what’s driving the response is a feeling of personal grievance.

Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 7:28 am #
Kit wrote:

@Burgundy: It’s good to know we have your support inside City Hall — one thing I wrote about today is that free speech is not always convenient. Sometimes its noisy while you’re on your lunch break in your office. Sometimes it means you have to wait for marchers when you pull in and out of the parking garage. The people’s right to speak up over-rules your right not to see sleeping bags, homeless people, and protest signs when you walk to the coffee around the corner. You’re right — it is the people’s building, as we assert sometimes when we chant ‘Whose Streets? Our Streets! Whose City Hall? Our City Hall!”

For a long time, we’ve forgotten what it means to be an activist or what protest means. It must be uncomfortable for many people within the political system to realize that the people’s voice might not only come through letters to the editor, speeches at city council meeting, and so on.

@Molly: Thanks. I’d be interested in hearing more about your thoughts on being an expatriate looking at OWS, if you ever decide to blog about it. :)

Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 8:49 pm #
Nolan wrote:

Good to see the disability angle more heavily represented. Ours is a voice which I hope to hear more in the coming days.

One thing that I’ve discovered recently is that it doesn’t even matter if you do everything right according to society’s rules. As a disabled person, I currently have two job offers. One is an on-call that never calls despite me learning that they do have a need, which I’ve held for months. Another is an offer I was made which is even now having stipulations attached which will make it prohibitive for me to take. We aren’t talking about botched interviews here. We’re talking offers made that just don’t amount to anything.

And this is why I’ve been helping out with the occupation, and hope to help more. Until we as a species are more enlightened about the ways we disenfranchise others, knowingly or not, tying our healthcare and basic needs to someone else’s willingness to deal equally sets some of us up with a no-win situation.

Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 11:48 pm #
Kit wrote:

@Nolan: Thanks for your comment, I agree with everything you say here. It is frustrating to have the capability and yet have that be ignored because of prejudice. I definitely hope to write more about disability and the occupation and I welcome your input. I would like to write both about the ways the disabled are hurt by the 1% and the status quo and also would like to write about what being disabled can teach the occupiers. Speaking from my own experience I have learned to be very careful about taking care of myself and seeing to my needs in certain ways — I make more conscious choices than the able-bodied in certain areas I think might be illuminating for those who are hoping to stick it out for a long and draining occupation. Get in touch with your thoughts if you like.

Friday, November 4, 2011 at 5:44 am #

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[...] declared them crime scenes, charging people with crimes for assembling there. In Austin, the city banned 38 political prisoners from our own city [...]

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