Blessings and Enlightenment

I don’t do drugs or alcohol or prescription meds and won’t spend much time in places where people are partaking in any mind or mood-altering chemicals, whether that is a cocktail party or the street or a therapy group where everyone is on anti-depressants. The distinctions drawn between homeless drug addicts and “responsible” drug users sound classist to me. High is high.

To me being stoned means you aren’t present. This is serious business and I think it requires clear minds and presence. As Jesse Jackson once said “Why is it you feel the need to anesthetize yourselves?” I would also ask: Are we so limited in your creativity that the only way we can relax or have fun is to put mind altering chemicals in our bodies? What about dance, music, conversation, nature, etc,?

One more thing: having boundaries is a good thing.

The people who are not legitimately involved with the Movement should be asked to leave the encampment immediately.

Enlist the authorities to assist (Adams, Leonard & Reese)

I’ll be happy to help.

The entire camp needs to be a drug and alcohol free zone and this needs community enforcement. Easier said than done, but it’s critical — and I’m pro-legalization and no great supporter of the police, BTW.

First, the meeting was far from secret. It was very quickly thrown together because it was in response to a very time-sensitive situation which threatened to cost our movement a lot of support. There were 20-25 people there, most of whom live at the camp, all of whom have been working very hard for this movement, and many of whom spoke diligently to keep the process as transparent and honest as possible, considering the circumstances. Those few of you who are crying about GA process don’t seem to realize that camp representation was better at this meeting than it has been in weeks at the broken GA, and that we acted only as an autonomous working group and then only on topics where we achieved 100% consensus.

Now, if you are still reading, I will tell you that, yes, there are some people who have grown far too influential; that threats of flexing that influence were the very reason that the meeting was thrown together at the last minute and conducted with less-than-ideal openness. This is not the fault of the “vanguards.” It is the fault of those people who have not done their share, who have allowed a few to provide too much. It is the fault of people who think that talking at the GA is a viable alternative to actual consensus or action in response to the issues we face. It is the fault of people that believe occupying one’s computer chair is a viable alternative to visiting the parks. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of people who have stepped up, and the numbers are increasing every day, but we still need more people to do so. If enough people heed this call, the resulting cultural shift will disarm potential vanguards AND fix the issues that were discussed at the meeting.

Don’t be afraid of autonomous action and emergency councils hijacking the movement. Participate in autonomous action and councils, emergency or otherwise. Don’t let fear prompt you to abandon the movement to undesirable behavior. Let love and faith prompt you to take it back with appropriate behavior.

I, for one, think that seeking police involvement should be a last resort because it presents a serious risk to our cause. I, for one, believe that we have the power to prevent harm and mitigate problem behavior ourselves. I, for one, believe that we have the responsibility to act, through the GA or whatever means is most effective, to keep this movement alive and thriving. Yet I am not capable of doing it all myself.

There were an estimated 10,000-12,000 people in our initial march. If just one tenth of those people were active at camp, neither addiction nor violence nor hijacking would be a problem. Step up. Stop complaining on the internet and start participating on the ground. It is a solution that will serve both sides of this debate and prevent many of the problems looming in our future.

Now that being said, be aware that like internet “trolls,” I figure that there are those who are existing in the Occupy Portland camps who are there to cause dissension and disturbances, to tarnish the public image of Occupy Portland, and to cause distractions and division. Stand your ground as a micro society within this city, to maintain community, while demonstrating a peaceful and non violent protest.

Godspeed!!!