John Ford of the Occupy Boston library tent raises the issue of drug use and idleness at an impromptu emergency meeting last Saturday afternoon
As was
expertly identified in veteran activist Sara Robinson's recent
indictment of Occupy's asshole epidemic, the problem with horizontal
democracy is that a lot of folks are lazy alcoholic douchebags. As a
result; while most people in the movement have collectively made an
honorable attempt to ensure that all voices count, their egalitarian
aspirations remain a far-flung fantasy. You simply can't rely on
everyone.
In
reality, occupations have so far flourished on the strength of
micro-management. Media teams blog without consulting the General
Assembly for every post; food workers keep bellies filled without
taking votes on how to chop the veggies; medics don't ask the whole
camp for advice on how to wrap ankles. It would be ridiculous if such
decisions needed crowd-sourcing.
Yet
while a lot of working groups are running rather smoothly –
finance, legal, media, logistics, food, and direct action seem to be
especially coordinated – there's a Filene's-sized hole in the
overall Occupy Boston operation. After more than a month in Dewey
Square, there's still no official safety force – no designated team
to deal with the disarray and riffraff that compromise the occupation
daily.
Concerned safety volunteers raise their own money for Maglites
Occupy
Boston librarian John Ford slammed this issue on the table last
Saturday afternoon. As about 80 visitors and occupiers listened in,
Ford stood on a ladder and belted: “We are deeply, deeply mired in
substance abuse and idling.” This was news to almost no one; some
coverage – of crimes committed at Dewey Square – ignores larger
systematic challenges, but the problem is still for real.
What
Ford also said, however – that was a bit more stunning –
pertained to the weakening state of the camp's already disorganized
safety force. Since the beginning, the GA has been reluctant to
approve official security guards – the idea is far too fascist for
the group. As a result they've wound up with just four or five
volunteers who regularly guard the camp, and a mess of unflattering
tabloid headlines.
Safety
has never had a formal meeting. Though they're a designated working
group, they also have no real presence on the Occupy Boston Wiki –
no working contacts, no member names, no meet-up times, no needs or
expenditures. The only significant content is a note from a
self-described “safety team member” who claims: “Our camp . . .
continues to darken as the incidents grow more out of hand.”
It's
the same story offline and on the ground. So far those who watch over
Dewey have no budget for basic things like flash lights and walkie
talkies, and as a result Ford and two other concerned occupiers
collected just over $200 from the crowd at Saturday's impromptu
emergency meeting to buy Maglites for the weekend.
Many
of the original safety volunteers are gone – or rather they were
asked to leave on account of drinking, drugging, and protecting those
who were doing the same. Now Occupy Boston is left with a de-facto
crew of busy vols who mostly handle other duties around Dewey –
Ford from the library, direct action guys who often help curb
craziness, camp cook and fan favorite Frank from the food tent.
“I
think things are getting a little better,” says Frank, who closed
the food tent today until the dishes were done. “But it's not just
a safety issue – it's an issue as to why we need safety people in
the first place. We have a problem with people who just want to sit
around being lazy and doing nothing. They have enough energy to be
mean all the time, but not enough energy to do any work. I just don't
get it.”
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