In light of the events at Occupy Albany last Thursday and the next phase of the occupation, the blogger offers some ideas to ponder about next strategies.
The occupation is dead, long live the Occupation!
I came across this blog post from Tucson (the place I lived before moving to Albany last year) and the next chapter for the Occupy movement there.
In light of the events at Occupy Albany last Thursday and the next phase of the occupation, the blogger offers some ideas to ponder about next strategies. The occupation is dead, long live the Occupation! This morning, a friend posted on Facebook that it looks like her Christmas cards will be new year's cards this year. There's just not enough time to get them done.
Christmas is 6 days away. It's crunch time. But I don't have to tell you that. You're feeling it too. There are so many preparations to take care of: decorating, cooking, shopping, wrapping, and getting everything done in time to travel or welcome family in town. I like the fuss we make about Christmas. It's a special time of year, and our celebrations reflect how different it is from everyday life. I just wish that Christmas wasn't so much about getting things done. In church, the season of Advent is also about preparation. We wait for Christ to come and "prepare him room" as the hymn goes. What if the lead up to Christmas came with a "to be" list instead of a "to do" list? What if instead of "drive there, get this, wrap that, call them" our preparations for the coming of God sounded more like "pray here, walk there, laugh with them, look over there"? I want to look inward during this last week in Advent, to prepare my being and tend to my soul. What is on your "to be" list this Advent? I recently read a blog post by Brian McLaren, one of many that reflect upon his experiences in OWS. He discourages protest language such as "take it back" and instead advocates for a non-violent approach to all we say and do. He puts it very well in his own words.
McLaren got me thinking - what is the opposite of taking? In some cases, it is giving. In others, perhaps, it is receiving. In yet other circumstances, as McLaren argues, non-violent resistance is the opposite of taking. Mahatma Ghandi and Dr. Martin Luther King gleaned wisdom from the Beatitudes, as McLaren points out. Most non-violent protest movements trace some of their motivation back to Jesus' teachings. While many people have learned from these ancient words, I am even more compelled to practice non-violence because I am a professing follower of Jesus. As someone who knows Jesus and reads his teaching, I know that "taking" just doesn't factor into the equation. I am reminded of a conversation I had with a good friend of mine who does not believe in God. He and I tease each other in a lighthearted banter about our belief or lack thereof. One day in particular, he was teasing me about Christianity and asked why he should believe. I suggested that maybe he shouldn't. Then he came back with, "What would I get out of believing in God?" That's just it - it's not about what you get out of God but what you can give - what God makes you capable of giving. Serving the God of the Beatitudes, I see non-violence in a special way because I feel a calling to do the opposite of take. Occupy Albany has been served with cease and desist papers for their camp site in Academy Park. The long term outcome is unclear. But the immediate response is mobilization to take down tents, clean up camp and prepare for the winter phase of the occupation.
I am thankful that Albany authorities did not go the way of the midnight raid on Occupy Wall Street. From the beginning, Albany has been a model for protestors and city officials to work together in peace. For a while now, Occupy Albany has been preparing for the winter transition. With fierce upstate winters coming soon, health and safety of occupiers is of utmost importance. The question remains, what will this next phase look like? I'm reminded of an emergent pastor from Ireland whose "church" holds worship in a pub on Sunday night. They have no building and are in many ways non-traditional. This alternative approach worked well until some members started having kids, and there was no place for them during worship at the pub. Playing off of the familiar sermon catchphrase "It's Friday, but Sunday's coming", this pastor named their church's transition "It's Sunday, but Monday's coming." The church had done Sundays really well for years. Now it was time to deal with some of the everyday practical details they had avoided. It looks like Monday is coming for Occupy Albany, too. Yet Monday is only the beginning. The momentum of this movement has caught the imagination of people across the city and country. Occupy Wall Street's creative next phase serves as an example of the many possibilities that lie ahead. My hope is that Occupy Albany truly sees Monday as a beginning so that they can continue to fight against greed and corruption. |
Frances Wattman Rosenau
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