Reports from Occupy: 11/22

Portland, Ore.

By Grant Booth

AS MANY as 1,000 students walked out of classes at Portland State University (PSU) at noon on November 16.

Students found themselves pleasantly surprised by the large turnout gathered outside the Student Union building. Protesters wore green armbands (PSU's school color) to show their solidarity with the goals of the walkout.

Organizers had been building for the walkout for several weeks, and many later expressed surprise at its success, considering the poor weather.

Following a series of consecutive tuition hikes, including a 9 percent hike this year and projected 7 percent increase next year, anger had been building among indebted students. Faculty and staff, some of whom are currently in contract negotiations, had also expressed frustration. Increasing class sizes without increased pay, higher payments into health plans, and furlough days are just a few of the attacks on the faculty and campus workers' standards of living.

Yet Portland State's president makes over $330,000 a year, and top-level administrators at the university make over $100,000. This is on a campus that employs some of the lowest-paid faculty in the nation. The administration claims that there just isn't enough money to avoid tuition hikes and to pay faculty and staff what they deserve, yet the university made $54 million in profit in the 2009-2010 school year alone.

After about 30 minutes of speeches by students, alumni and members of the adjunct and faculty unions, the militant crowd began to march through downtown Portland. Chants included: "The banks got bailed out, students got sold out," "Money for jobs and education, not for banks and corporations," "Schools for students, not for profit," and "The students are rising, no more compromising!"

Police presence was extremely heavy. Rumors had been spreading that students might occupy a building that day, and the 1 percent was taking no chances. Protesters tried to enter the streets at SW Broadway and Hall, but a thick line of police bikes blocked them.

Police gave up on trying to prevent protesters from ignoring traffic lights, but prevented protesters from entering the street. Kept to the sidewalk, the march became very long and thin. This worked to the advantage of the police since it was more difficult for organizers to keep the march together, but it also worked against police since it made the march more difficult to contain.

Protesters made a brief stop outside Bank of America for an open mic. Students told their stories of struggling to get by, working multiple jobs and going to school full-time. One student talked about being $40,000 in debt and using student loans to pay off other student loans. A poll was taken, and most of the crowd had over $40,000 in student debt.

Shortly after leaving Bank of America, a scuffle broke out with police when protesters attempted to enter the street. Police on bicycles were quickly replaced by a line of riot police. The crowd pushed back and forth for about 10 minutes and one man was arrested. Eventually, the march continued on its path through downtown, traveling back up to PSU.

Once back to PSU, the march stopped for a General Assembly at 2 p.m. just outside the campus recreation center. The agenda included approving a decision-making process, determining political points of unity and establishing the next steps for the student movement.

When the weather began to deteriorate further, a motion was brought up to move the assembly inside. However, the entire university had been put on lockdown, and only students with IDs were being allowed into any of the buildings--on a public campus. Not wishing to alienate community members, the group voted to remain outside. One student was detained by police when he refused to show his student ID when trying to enter a building.

Debate about the decision-making process consisted of one group suggesting a basic version of Robert's Rules with a majority vote (50 percent-plus-one) and the other proposing a modified version of consensus with 75 percent approval. A heated debate followed, lasting close to an hour. Eventually, the proposals were called to a vote and a strong majority voted in favor of the majority vote.

The remainder of the discussion was devoted to political points of unity and next steps. The group agreed that we should be in favor of "students over profit," opposed to the unpaid extra work placed on graduate students, and opposed to additional student fees going toward an unsuccessful football program.

Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

By Bill Crane

THE WEEKEND of November 12 and 13 was key in moving forward Occupy Poughkeepsie, the largest occupation center of the mid-Hudson valley.

On November 12 at noon, around 300 people gathered together at Hulme Park for a spirited rally to hear speakers and performers in support of the movement. Afterward, the crowd marched to demonstrate outside several bank branches in downtown Poughkeepsie.

"Without being religious at all, Occupy has become the most Christian movement," said Jason West, the Green Party mayor of New Paltz, a town across the Hudson River. "It might also be the most Muslim movement, and the most Jewish movement." West made headlines in 2007 by performing same-sex marriages years before they were finally made legal in New York. "I have a message for the 1 percent," he said, speaking through the people's mic. "We are strong, and we are coming."

Also speaking was Eva Woods, professor of Spanish at Vassar College and a member of the International Socialist Organization. "There have been a lot of criticisms launched at OWS, that it is white, heterosexist and male," she said. "I don't fit any of those categories, and neither do the vast majority of those who are protesting in almost 200 cities around the country!"

"Occupy's most important lesson is teaching us how to think more collectively, and how to see the issues that unite us," Woods continued. "Labor and the occupy movement are natural allies," she said, referring to the general strike and closing of the Port of Oakland on November 2. "Whatever happens, the Occupy movement has already succeeded. Working people are finding their own political voice, and we will not be silent!"

Performers also helped to raise the spirit of the demonstration, including local gospel singer Reggie Harris, who sang the anthem of the civil rights movement, "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round," turning the refrain into "Ain't gonna let no Wall Street turn me 'round" and "Ain't gonna let no politician turn me 'round."

The excitement continued on Sunday, when a teach-in on the Occupy movement was held at Vassar College. Panels included identity issues and Occupy, direct democracy in the movement, and the history of struggle in the United States. Debates raged on the relationship of anti-racist and anti-sexist causes to Occupy, the role of the Democratic Party and the police.

The last panel was very exciting, as workers from the Verizon landline service of the Communications Workers of America, in the process of walking from Albany to New York City and protesting at Verizon Wireless stores at stops along their way, visited the teach-in to express their support and the sentiment that Occupy and labor are natural allies. "Occupy is like a gift for those of us who have been fighting corporate greed for a long time already," said one of the workers. "It's all about getting together and fighting collectively," another added.

The weekend was a culmination of weeks of struggle by occupiers, students and workers alike to call attention to the grave economic disparities that have been caused by Wall Street in the string of economically devastated cities to the north of New York City. Every sign is that these links are continuing to develop, and we will become an important center of resistance in New York state and nationally.