It's 1am here tonight in the bay area and I just got back home from Occupy Oakland

It's 1am here tonight in the bay area and I just got back home from Occupy Oakland. I've been there today since about 11 in the morning and have spent the day supporting, donating, and marching. I feel awesome to live so close and to be a part of this movement here in oakland. I'm going back tomorrow to drop off a bunch of donations of clothes, food, etc.

When I first started coming a few weeks ago, I spent a few hours here and there dropping by to check out the events. The more time I spent there though, the more I felt like part of the group. Everyone was very welcoming and friendly, and I always felt safe. One of the most amazing things in my eyes is how organized everyone there truly is. There is an info center, a donations tent, lost and found, a library, a first aid tent, a "kid's area", an arts and crafts center, a media desk, a meditation and yoga area, and a kitchen/eatery area, just to name a few of the places I saw. They also have their own security team to keep peace and order. Well, the 1 or 2 hours I spent there turned into 3 or 4, then 5 or 6, and so on. I now find myself spending the majority of days there. It's not just a bunch of people in tents. It's a thriving community where everyone is working together peacefully.

I've been there for the marches, for the general assembly meetings, and for scott olson's vigil. I have been there on the day that occupy oakland got kicked out and on the night that scott olson got hit. You can say I've seen it all. Some people may question what we are really doing out here, but we haven't been marching and occupying the past few weeks for no reason. Every march we go on is to support our cause and every word on our picket signs truly comes from our hearts.

Another interesting thing I have watched form over the past week or two is a "government" within occupy oakland. A 100% democratic government. This is probably why we are so organized here. Every day we have meetings where over 500 people gather. Here, we draw up proposals and vote on them. These proposals are for anything, from things we should do as a group, or ways that our "occupy" community should best function.

Here's how our meetings go: First, we split the crowds up into sections where each section is allocated to a "crowd advocate" person. We group up into groups of about 20 people, discuss the day's proposals, and then vote either yes, no, or neutral on them. We tally those votes, and then pass on those numbers to the crowd advocate, whom passes it on the main speakers to announce the outcome.
In order for a proposal to become a proposal, you must have it typed out with a preface, a main goal, and the actual proposal clearly expressed. Then, you must have 3 people supporting your proposal in order for it to be actually voted on. After voting, 90% of the votes must be "yes" for it to be passed. If under 90%, you can have it rediscussed and revoted on at a later date.
An example of a proposal we passed a few days ago was "The Kittens Action".
Word for word, the proposal read:
Therefore, we propose that as a mass action, on Saturday, October 29th, we take the movement to the people and do the "kitten's action". We will converge at the Oscar Grant Plaza at 11 am, form teams or affinity groups of 3-10 people, do mini-trainings and share supplies, choose neighborhoods, and then fan out around the city, to engage the community in thinking and talking together about the realities we share and the future we want and the movement we're building. Then we will re converge at the plaza at 4pm to share our stories and insights, and hold a celebration rally.

The proposal was passed with 647 people voting yes and 14 people voting no.
Well, the kitten's action event was a complete success. Today, we really got out there and talked to everyone in our community. The overwhelming response was that they supported us and that some would even donate and attend our upcoming occupy meetings and marches.

Overall, something big is happening here in Oakland. I can just feel it. I feel extremely glad to be a part of all this. It's great to actually be here and see for myself what is going on instead of only being able to hear what the media is spewing out. Every single day, I see every single news station here along with their anchors, their camera men, and even their occasional helicopter. All I can do is hope that they are truly representing what is going on here instead of twisting it. The main theme of every meeting and every march has been "solidarity". Without a doubt, I have heard this word used over and over again. Here in oakland, we stand in solidarity with every other "occupy" around the globe.
Anyways, thanks for reading. If you want to see some of my own video reporting of the marching that took place on the day that riot police kicked us out of the plaza, check out my metacafe video here:
Video
You can see some police/protester clashing as well in that video

so great to read some positivity after all the gloom
and all the recent threads screaming about how it's all a front for
anyone the poster doesn't like...

thank you for an insight into how i always hoped it would actually be like down there
keep fighting the good fight!

I am interested in the mini-Jamestown experiment of these things.
How did the different groups, i.e., security, etc., come about?
I've seen some occupations with cardboard walkways among the tent, like a miniature suburb.

Congrats to your Occupying

The paradigm is shifting world-wide - The flint spear point - the capture of fire - the domestication of dogs and sheep - the domestication of crops - the invention of the wheel - Jazz music - Chocolate brownies and the worldwide (r)Evolution... Boom Boom Boom moments

Of course some folks will be scared and see a plot and a plan - but they are still living in the old paradigm, give 'em some time and they'll see.

Some think, this is only about America (mostly Americans think this) not seeing this is world wide.

Some also think, this is only going on in the streets (which is the visible end). The movement is going on in cyberspace and in the Artworld too, it is unstoppable... Arguments are moot... Trolls and shills are good for a laugh and maybe a diversion in diatribe but the stage and fate is already set, the wheels have been put into motion.

Anyone not understanding the movement, i say, you need to go it alone or with someone you totally trust and love, use the internet, use the ustream feeds, use the live chats, read the words from the movement itself (otherwise it's just spin). Don't believe anything until you experience it yourself. This is the time (this has been in the making). This is not their N.W.O.

We can still argue and hate each other, we can still disagree and debate about topics. But the old ways are gone - The paradigm is shifting. Whether you see it as good or bad, i guess is up to you. The world is changin' with or without you.
i am pretty sure almost everybody here on ATS (and elsewhere) secretly hoped this time would come and be in their lifetimes... Maybe that's the puzzle, some didn't really believe it would happen.
We always knew we had the power, it's in our psyches as human beings that's how we made this far and advanced this much... Don't be afraid (or be afraid), start to feel it and you'll start to understand it. It helps if you have a close friend or loved one, hold their hand and ask silently to yourself how do you want the world to be?
(or i'm just crazy)

Mucho Amore

reply to post by QuantumPhysicist


Thanks very much for that..

Good to hear someone that's actually been there explain how it's organized and what is done each day..

If I just listen to some on ATS I'd get the impression it's all just a bunch of unemployed hippies smoking bongs all day..

More power to you.

reply to post by QuantumPhysicist

First, Respect to quantum. I live in Galway, Ireland and there is an Occupy camp here also, this is a world wide new way of thinking based on human respect for each other within the camp and outside! Keep it up!

Good for you OP, I think I'm going to go to occupylondon next week, I'm interested to know what its all about. There has been so much disinfo from the msm over here that I think it's only possible to get a real understanding by visiting ans seeing for yourself.

Just an example of the disinfo. The press in the UK that protesters were leaving their tents and going back to their warm homes. The evidence they supplied was footage of the tents using infra red cameras. It turns out that Infra red cameras cant actually see through tents.

reply to post by QuantumPhysicist


The whole OWS movement has made me think about exactly what kind of change I'm looking for and all in all I guess it comes down to this.... Americans need to be paid living wages. Corporations need to restructure their pay tiers, if for no other reason than to make their own country stronger and because it's the right thing to do. Corporations need to buy American materials whenever possible, even if it means paying more and not adding the cost on to the consumer but absorbing the cost in other ways. They need to employ Americans to do the work 100% of the time even if it means paying higher wages....again without adding the cost on to the product or service by finding more creative ways to deal with the increase in wages. I'm sure it could be done. This would put a lot of money back into the economy and everyone would benefit.
Well anyway, that's what I think. Pass the word if you would. Thanks.

so you just walked up to a guy in a tent, who xeroxed a few flyers and put up some banners and gave him money.

no wonder the 1% is burning $1000 bills to keep the dogs fireplace going. i'm sure he's literally laughing to the bank.

i wish i was at any occupy anything. a desk, a banner and a glass jar and i'll make $2000 a day.

reply to post by QuantumPhysicist


Thank you for posting REAL NEWS. I am so sick of the useless idiots who think this movement will fail because they are really working for Soros or Obama and they have no clear definition or purpose. You have proven that the occupy movement is well thought out and democratically controlled not by corporate figure heads, but by THE PEOPLE.

I am sick of the twisting of facts and the obvious trolling by the paid shills and useless idiots that support the status quo. They think everyone is powerless to take back control of government because they themselves are spineless cowards. They easily chastise everyone who stands up for themselves and speak out against government corruption. I am not religious, but if I were I would have to believe that corporations and government are EVIL.

We the people control our own destiny. If we decide to cower in our corners under threat of murder or imprisonment for voicing our disgust with our government then we are useless idiots and deserve to lose our freedoms. We are not weak though. We are strong as a group. When we decide as a group to do something it will happen. The power of a group comes from the conglomeration of many ideologies converging on one single purpose.

I am not one to forget how people act and what they say. I am not one to forget the actions a person takes or their ability to lie and deceive after the fact. I do not tolerate hypocrites. I do not tolerate lying cheating scum that flip a switch and become whomever you want them to be at that time. I encourage everyone to isolate themselves from these fools and determine your own destiny without considering anything these scum say. Identifying them is not hard since they are usually very boisterous and arrogant.

We don't need Homelandobscurity, we have a military for that. We don't need the FED we should be able to print our own money without paying 50% interest on our own money. We don't need politicians who are career criminals and end up sucking the well dry by their third term all the while saying what their people want to hear and doing what they please to make themselves and their cohorts rich at the expense of the people they are supposed to serve. Public service is not a ticket to wealth or at least it should not be. Public service should be something that people do because they feel obligated to help their fellow man/woman succeed.

There is only one side I would want to be on with this movement. I would not want to be one of the many who will be put to trial for high treason. When the government is returned to the people everyone will have a say in what our government does. We will not start wars to pay our friends and ourselves trillions of dollars. We will not bail out ANY banks regardless of their size. We will not interfere with farmers or allow genetically modified food to be patented and replace wholesome foods with the threat of imprisonment for not using the gmo seeds like Monsatan is doing now with the full support of all branches of government. We will not fund the CIA or IMF to go around the world seizing property and indebting nations to the point of failure and subsequent overthrowing of governments not in tune with the ideology of the global war lords operating a massive organized land grab.

This is a short list of the things that MUST CHANGE. I believe the occupy movement will be successful in bringing the people in slumber to the party and opening their eyes to the corruption all around them. Once their eyes are open the faces around them will change as their brains form a new synapses connection and their eyes will forever be wide open. At that point they will be able to spot a corrupt person miles away and be filled instantly with disgust at the mere sight of them. The same thing happens to abused women when they wake up in a hospital one day and decide from that moment on they will not be a victim. It is a physical change that takes place. This can happen to millions of people at the same time if they all witness the same event and become incensed with anger.

Some of us are awake and see very vividly the color of corruption and the players. We see how ugly they are with their greed and personal entitlement. We see how futile their efforts will become when the masses wake from their slumber. We also see retribution and brutal tactics played out by both sides as the tables turn. We are not alone on an island anymore. We are part of the global consciousness and only want to exist as free people to do as we please according to accepted behavioral patterns by the group. In this system there is no room for greed or torture or threats from secret organizations funded by the people they threaten.

We are becoming one. Expect birth pains, but never lose your focus or determination.

reply to post by QuantumPhysicist


Thank you so much for sharing with us.

I work at a hospital and I have been keeping up with the Occupy Movements. But I am shocked and appalled when I try to discuss it at work and the people I work with haven't really even heard of it - have NO IDEA it's even going on! But they do know who won the last football game. When I try to inform them about it, they just give me a blank look and don't even really seem to be listening. Have you all had this experience?

reply to post by angellicview


this is my experience in the world of flesh too.
out of curiosity, what part of the world do you live in?
i live in a relatively small isolated city where the prevailing view is "it'll never happen here"
and i think that explains the reactions.
your situation may be similar?



so overjoyed to see so few negative posts! even here on ats everyone seems to be getting the idea
we really can save this world.

Isn't this all just so wonderful? Love, harmony, everyone getting along...

Self-government spontaneously forming...hierarchies of peoples' advocates appearing out of thin air...rules for how ideas can be put forward...police forces sprouting up (hmmm...what powers do they have, and what behaviors must they exhibit?).

Really cool that all measures must have 90% approval before being adopted. That means that if only 89% of the people in this "real democracy" agree with something - the 11% who don't agree, rule the day. Brilliant!

There seems to be an awful lot of organization, and direction, going on for such a "leaderless" movement. Doesn't this strike you as just a little bit odd...if not entirely unlikely? Think, conspiracy oriented people, think!

It's almost like human nature has been suspended. Everything is beautiful, everything is la, la, la.

Okay. Reality check. Where is the money going to come from to keep this going? What is going to happen when the people in the movement can't afford to spend all day, every day, attending chit-chat sessions, or wandering the streets spreading love and wonderment?

What is going to happen when kids need to be fed, and real work needs to be done?

This movement is like a bit of a drug for many people. There is a feeling of euphoria and wellness...and escape from their humdrum lives, and their personal troubles.

But sooner or later, reality comes back to bite. There will be a morning after. You will have to sober up and get back to work. Because, the 99% of us who work for a living, are not going to want to keep paying to support the 1% who want to prance around like 21st Century hippies.

Enjoy yourself...but don't kid yourself. This is going to end as fast as it began.

Tent cities in New York City or Toronto, in January? Don't think so...

Welcome to "ATS: Occupy: Everything".

Looks like "Occupy" is succeeding in creating a "Occupy: ATS" movement.

If you don't like this thread, you can move over to these:
Link: OccupyOakland protests - Navyman stands Alone in tear gas.filled Police Firestorm

Link: Fliers Drop on Occupy Chicago Protesters

Link: WARNING: OWS is a Trap!! Get off the Streets Immediately

Link: MARINES TO OAKLAND POLICE: 'You Did This To My Brother'

Link: US Marine in critical condition after OccupyOakland

Link: Occupy Oakland Protester admits bottles were thrown at Police BEFORE police responded

Link: Michael Moore Lies " I Am Not Part of the 1%"

Link: US Marines headed to WALLSTREET to protect protesters! THIS IS IT

Link: 99%? Who wants to be a part of the 100%?

Link: This Whole "Occupy Wallstreet" thing seems like theater of the absurd

Link: One Marine v 30 Police - Occupy Times Square - Cops lose

Link: I had been deceived - My visit to an OWS protest

Link: How To Annoy The Banksters!

All on the front page of "ATS". "Occupy: Above Top Secret" is underway. Regardless about what side of the subject you are on, the topic keeps taking over the main 'ATS' board.

For the love of all conspiracies, please talk about something else!!!!

Help! Skeptic where are you? We need "ATS" back!

Glad you had a good experience. Thanks for the possitive vibes. All the best to y'all!

reply to post by MissSmartypants

The whole OWS movement has made me think about exactly what kind of change I'm looking for and all in all I guess it comes down to this.... Americans need to be paid living wages.

I hear ya, MissSmartyPants. As a matter of fact, I'm perusing the employment ads myself and today my head was just wanting to explode when I saw an ad on Craigslist where an employer was trying to fill a clerical position (with a lengthy list of responsibilities) for a wage of ......wait for it.......a WHOPPING $8-$9 an hour, depending upon how much EXPERIENCE the person had!!!



I had half a mind to email that as*h**e employer and ask them how the hell they had the audacity to ask a person to do a job with that level of skill and responsibility for only $8 or $9 an hour! How is a person gonna survive in this economy on that kind of wage....especially here in California when you consider the 9% sales tax and the fact that food prices are going through the roof as we speak?! The unmitigated gall! Even those damned sign spinners on the corners make at least $10 an hour to stand there and hold a sign, requiring no skill and no intelligence! Oh, man, my blood boils just thinking about it.

I'm sure there are gonna be a few members who will point out to me that the employers who do this are probably struggling, too, and perhaps that's the most they can pay. If that is the reason for such a pittance of an hourly wage, then surely that employer should not be pissed when their employee does a half-assed job. I'm thinking maybe some employers are taking advantage of these potential employees and keeping the pay low despite the complexity of the job because so many people are desperate for money right now and will take any kind of pay just to survive!. Who knows, but $8 and $9 an hour jobs have overstayed their welcome in this country, considering the cost of living and the economy.

Some people may question what we are really doing out here, but we haven't been marching and occupying the past few weeks for no reason. Every march we go on is to support our cause and every word on our picket signs truly comes from our hearts.

Thank you for sharing your insights with us.

I quoted that part of your opening post that struck me and would like to ask a question.

What exactly is the reason for these marches and what exactly is your cause?

Originally posted by MrWendal

Some people may question what we are really doing out here, but we haven't been marching and occupying the past few weeks for no reason. Every march we go on is to support our cause and every word on our picket signs truly comes from our hearts.

Thank you for sharing your insights with us.

I quoted that part of your opening post that struck me and would like to ask a question.

What exactly is the reason for these marches and what exactly is your cause?

Yes, please, do tell.

reply to post by NightGypsy


OP, thanks for sharing your experience in the forum. Surely this up-close-and-personal account of a day's activities at an Occupy protest will cause our resident anti-OWS shills to get their panties all in a bunch up inside their buttcracks. They won't tolerate any ideas that there might be something more going on at these protests other than "hippies" and "commies" using the "good taxpaying, hardworking citizens'" front porches for toilets just before they go smoke some dank and giggle at each other over conversations about boobies and beer while they wait for the bankers to come outside and hand them over some free money.

reply to post by TheCounselor


Security came about because every once in a while, a few oddball people came through the camp and would stir up trouble. So, at meetings we established that we needed a way to control those types of things internally. From there, people were elected to be part of the team.
I was watching them yesterday have a meeting on how to approach certain situations and it was interesting to see them talk.
I also got to see how they handled troublemakers. Yesterday, a homeless guy came into the camp and started sleeping on other people's blankets. He was also threatening people for no reason. The security team got together and discussed for about 30 seconds, where they them walked over, picked up the guy, and proceeded to walk him out. He got a little hostile and mad, but they did a good job keeping everything under control.


reply to post by MissSmartypants

I really think your idea could be a viable solution. It's a sure way to keep our economy internal, instead of spreading our money around the world into the hands of other countries. It'd be a sure way to reduce unemployment and increase prosperity back home. It may cost businesses more, but not everything is about "the cheapest way". Yes, businesses need to make money too, but they don't need the ridiculous surplus they currently have. It'd be the right thing to do the spend a little extra in order to bring jobs back into the US.


reply to post by randomname


No, I have not just handed anybody money. They are using money out of their own pockets. The only thing I am giving them is my time, my support, and quintessentials like clothes and food. The clothes and food are not things I purchased either. These are the excess things that have been laying around my home that I do not use. Things that I know could be of much more use to these people. You have it all wrong. Nobody is here to make money.

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And to everybody else, I really appreciate your responses! Thanks guys for your support and encouragement. I'm glad I can show you specifically what is going on here. It's awesome to be able to reach everyone here on ATS and great to see that my words have reached people from all around the world. For example like kromm was saying, he's over in Ireland! and woodwardjnr over in london