OccupyVancouver: Day 1, After the First GA
BLOG POST posted on October 15, 2011 by infil00p
I just came back from OccupyVancouver down at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Having seen how the OccupySF people do their General Assembly, I decided to apply those lessons at the Vancouver General Assembly. However, all I seemed to have done is piss off the self-appointed facilitators and they decided that it would be better if they used the electric mic.
The debate over the People's Mic vs the Electric Mic went on for over an hour, and it was next to impossible to figure out what the hell was going on. This is partly due to the fact that some people believed that it was just speakers, and some people believed that it was a GA. No issues were really decided upon, beyond a confirmation of the Basis of Unity.
I personally have some issues with the first GA, and I think that the facilitators did end up dictating their will over the people and kept repeating the same thing until people agreed instead of there being actual discussion. I'm hoping that the GAs get better and don't end up being people who can't understand that you use as most five words per call and respnse when using the people's mic. In fact, if Harjap Grewal of NOII didn't end up taking the mic near the end to move that meeting forward, I'm pretty sure that the GA would have gone on forever and would have been obliterated by the BC Federation of Labour's rally.
The GA had a different vibe than the activities that happened throughout the day at OccupyVancouver. For example, there were 2000 at the GA, but 5000 at Occupy later today when the marches happened.
One thing that was alarming, but not surprising at OccupyVancouver was the Vancouver PD milling through the crowd without proper ID on their vests. Because of their inability to get their tags, they decided that sharpie was a good substitute for it. The downside is that unlike the velcro, where the white numbers are visible, the numbers aren't visible when the reflective strips are actaully reflecting light. In fact, you have to get within a foot of the officer to see their badge number, and at that point, you're way too close!
Finally, we did see at least one person leave OccupyVancouver only to be followed by two members of the VPD. As far as we are aware, they did not do anything at all, but it was clear that the VPD was pursuing them. Based on this, I believe that it is safe to assume that the VPD is using the old intelligence that was collected during the Olympics and are out to target any and all Anti-Olympic activists who may also be attending OccupyVancouver. This comes as a surprise to nobody, but it's important to keep that in mind when the VPD is in the large crowd. In short, despite what many people at OccupyVancouver may say about the cops, it's always a good idea ot watch your back!
I will try to have another report back later tonight after the General Assembly, and there will be more pictures up on the Media Coop website.
The site for the Vancouver local of The Media Co-op has been archived and will no longer be updated. Please visit the main Media Co-op website to learn more about the organization.
Comments
i was there for a good 4
i was there for a good 4 hours today. i don't know if i missed this (maybe it was done at the beginning?)? but there was no recognition/acknowledgement at all that we were on occupied unceded coast salish territories. this really bothered me as i feel it is extremely important to recognize this not just at the beginning, but it should be done throughout.
also, the wide range of speakers was a little too much for my liking. i realize it's important to have a variety of views shared. but i'm wondering if maybe that would have been better facilitated in working groups - maybe just give speakers 2 minutes to state their interest and why they are there and invite people to learn more at a working group. it just confuses people and is information overload and it just drags things out.
also, too much random ranting with little point or coherence, esp. buddy w/ his talk about legalizing all drugs. really? is this what this movement is really about?
i also noticed the vast majority of speakers were white men. or white in general. i heard maybe 3 people of color speak. more representation from marginalized and racialized communities is necessary, esp. considering that these communtiies have been organizing and struggling for YEARS prior to this whole occupy movement. it is important to honour those voices and learn from their struggles moving forward.
i am hopeful that working groups will soon be established. it seems this occupy event was very much top down in its' approach and is having challenges opening up to the idea of collective and consensus-based organizing. i would like to see facilitation and consensus workshops.
i don't know. maybe what i've been reading online about how other occupy movements, such as nyc and san fran, has made me a little spoiled critical of what i have seen w/ the way occupy vancouver has been playing out.
i'm not against the occupy vancouver movemement. i am just really surprised at how differnet its' approach seems to be from nyc and other places which seem to have a bit more of an organic, collective, and consensus feel to it. which is really what i am hoping to see here in vancouver.
i'm hoping to make it a GA eventually, schedule permitting.
good on the organizers for getting the ball rolling. but i defintiely see room for growth and learning.
For me, the issue of using
For me, the issue of using the electric mic and/or the human mic is simply one of accessibility. My preference is that both be used, and be used consistently. There were many times throughout the day and evening where it was impossible to hear what was being said, what was being proposed from the floor, and sometimes wha was being said from the facilitators. If this is to be a truly inclusive movemement, it must be open to increasing accessibility for all of us, which includes both electric and human mic, ASL interpretation, printed and online notes, etc.