Occupy Wall Street continues to grow and evolve. Despite the eviction from Liberty Square working groups and individuals within OWS continue to innovate and create amazing actions. But there’s no doubt that our lack of an actual occupation space has hindered the movement. It was that space that gave people a space to talk to each other and create the dialogue that helped the movement grow. What’s interesting is that various General Assemblies in New York are addressing this in their own way. The Williamsburg General Assembly and the New York City General Assembly came up with essentially similar ideas: Rolling, mobile occupations that recreate the spirit of Liberty Square. Yesterday there was an “Occupy Town Square” event at Washington Square Park:
Occupy Wall Street is four months old. We don’t live in a park anymore, but we’re still here, and we’re still fighting for economic justice. Now, OWS is coming to a neighborhood near you. Over the next few months, mobile, daytime occupations, called Occupy Town Squares, will be held in parks and other public spaces, indoor and outdoor, around New York City. For a few hours a week, these events will recreate the essence of the Zuccotti Park Occupation. There will be info tables, teach-ins, trainings, and political discussions.
Whether you consider yourself a supporter of the movement or not, we want to meet you: come share your ideas and stories, learn about the movement, argue with us, debate with us, collaborate with us. If you’re already active in OWS, this is a chance to exchange information, to coordinate between working groups, and to get to know our brothers and sisters in the movement.
This speaks volumes. Occupy Wall Street has realized that decision making isn’t everything. We’ve spent a lot of time over the past five months making decisions. But part of what made Occupy Wall Street so dynamic was that people actually had a space to have real dialogue. We’ve been doing more of that by reducing General Assembly and Spokes Council meetings and replacing them with different types of gatherings that aren’t so much about making decisions but about fostering dialogue.