Around Town: Occupy Ithaca

By Zuri Sabir

If you "google" the words "opinion on," the fourth search suggestion to appear is "opinion on Occupy Wall Street" — listed only behind the heavy hitters "opinion on abortion," "opinion on death penalty" and "opinion on gay marriage." The associated headlines include "Why Occupy Wall Street will Keep up the Fight," from the Washington Post, "Survey Finds Rising Perception of Class Tension" and "The Occupy Wall Street Movement Is No Tahrir Square" (the Cairo location of peaceful pro-democracy protests in Egypt). There are many opinions on how this ongoing movement has and will fit into the American landscape and, wherever you stand on the issues it summons to criticize, it is hard to ignore that, in a short amount of time, Occupy Wall Street has lodged its way into the general zeitgeist of our times. It is providing a platform for many to express their concerns about America's future.

For those unfamiliar with how Occupy Wall Street sprang up to become the well-supported movement that it is today, a brief history reveals its beginnings as a well-coordinated effort of people used to speaking their minds. Months before the actual occupation of Zuccotti Park in New York City on Sept. 17, 2011, a group of thirty or so students, artists, activists and organizers got together to discuss effecting change in America. Many of those gathered had been involved in heavy-hitting overseas protests including those that shook Greece, Egypt and Spain. Drawing from their experience of true democracy in the form of general assemblies in other countries, particularly Spain, this group of initiators formed a "horizontally" functioning (or leaderless) consensus group called the New York General Assembly. The New York General Assembly's attendance had grown by the time a Canadian anti-capitalist organization called Adbusters put out a rallying cry for protesters to flood lower Manhattan, using the powerful image of a ballerina atop the iconic Wall Street bull, with ominous riot police behind her. Collaboration between the New York General Assembly, Adbusters and other activist groups, with the support of a growing population of discontented Americans, is what created a significant protest on Sept. 17, and sustains the lasting and spreading movement today.

Occupy Ithaca also began with a group consensus to act as a visible reminder of the nation's problems. According to Josh Dolan, a familiar spokesperson associated with the local movement, early Ithaca general assemblies mulled over finding a place to set up camp. With people excited to move forward, things fell into place quickly. "We met at the [Dewitt] park in the evening one night, and we decided unanimously, with fifteen of us there, that we would start camping," says Dolan. "We started [occupying] the next day. There wasn't much to it. People started bringing donations and it has found a life of its own."

Many of the people associated with Occupy Ithaca were active in the original Occupy Wall Street protests and occupation in New York City, which led directly to their commitment to Occupy Ithaca. Joy Hines, another committed activist involved with Occupy Ithaca, was in New York City's Occupy encampment the weekend of Oct. 5, the same weekend Ithaca held its first general assembly. Upon her return, she was quick to get involved and has been heavily involved ever since. Like others, she desires to help create a community, a place where people feel safe and free to express their ideas for a better future. "I wanted to come together with other people who were dissatisfied. People who bravely approach the question of how we are going to go about changing an out-of-control government," says Joy.

When asked how she feels she has been most useful to the Occupy Ithaca Movement, Joy, who has just earned a master's degree, cites a great vantage point, work ethic and good interpersonal skills. "I have the great perspective of an 'underprivileged' background while having been exposed to people who've been born privileged. Because I've worked hard, and gotten an advanced degree, people take my position seriously, whether that's a valid reason or not. The main thing is, people can't write me off as just a lazy leech." When I inquire about her many hours invested in the months-long Occupy encampment, she quickly responds, "Somebody has to do it. I think my and others' strong work ethic inspires others to get involved in whatever way they can. It's all about getting out there for me."

Occupy Ithaca's main challenges have been what you might expect when maintaining a long-term encampment: access to bathroom facilities during night hours and keeping the area clean, in addition to orchestrating cooperation around basic everyday tasks. Those involved cite many victories, all of which revolve around the main one: that Occupy Ithaca has sustained over six weeks of civil disobedience. "Which is huge," says Joy. "Before camping out we weren't visible enough. People just did not know there was a local outcropping of the movement they support." Since October of 2011, Occupy Ithaca has had several successful teach-ins on topics central to the national Occupy movement and has networked with many local activist organizations, including the very supportive Occupy Ithaca College group. When asked, all of the people who are giving their time and money to a political evolution they believe in say they have successfully reached the minds of Ithaca though daily conversation at the park. One occupier who has been in the encampment since its beginning states, "You don't realize how much of an impact you have until you do something like this. There is a lot of feedback from the community. Some negative, but mostly positive. And what makes our movement unique is that everybody is out there for their own reasons."

During these cold nights, there are still at least two people out at the encampment (which has moved from the public area of the park to the parking lot in front of the First Baptist Church — private property, which gives protection against being asked to leave). However, winter is becoming the season for Occupy Ithaca to regroup and focus on plans for the future. Look out for fundraising events such as "Rockupy," an indoor band show, many of which contain occupiers, and plans for solidarity actions on regional issues such as hydrofracking. According to Joy Hines, the main goal is to garner even more community support through action and involvement. "Some people think this is not their fight, even though they support the cause. That isn't true," says Joy. "The future includes and affects all of us. The personal choice to give up comfort in support of a cause is a big deal not to be taken lightly or rushed. But in the end, success will mean larger numbers getting out there, voicing their opinions, and voting in general assemblies on plans for action so that the movement hits the issues that affect us all most."

If you are interested in attending an Occupy Ithaca General Assembly meeting, they are held twice a week — Thursdays at 6:30 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm in Dewitt (i.e. Shawn Greenwood) Park. Meetings are sometimes held indoors. Please visit the following sites for updates: occupyithaca.org, occupiedithacajournal.wordpress.com, ithacaga.org.