October 24, 2011

Hello friends--
I didn’t spend much time at the OP encampment today.  I was mostly at school, studying and growing microbes, making soap, etc etc. Todd spent the night last night and we both slept well.  Thanks for the muffins Todd!  
Also, many thanks to Diane for logistical support. I could not be doing this without her and I am grateful.
I plan to go back down tomorrow after teaching at RISD and play it by ear from there.  Right now, the OP General Assembly is in discussion with City Officials.  The encampment is not legal in the letter of city law, but it is my belief (which I think is widely shared) that we are engaging in an act of civil disobedience, from a morally just and constitutionally protected position.  The Mayor has promised that there will be no arrests, but remains firm on his position that the encampment cannot go on indefinitely. I believe the city is seeking an injunction of some kind and I believe there will be a legal case eventually. There is a great deal of discussion on this issue which I will not recap right now. The General Assembly meetings are rather amazing. For those who have been activists for many years, you would find a sense of familiarity, with its attendant frustrations when debates get heavily into semantics and such. But the process is rather amazing to watch. If you ever want to get a sense of the politics of this occupation, I would recommend the General Assembly (GA)—every day at 6 pm. Usually goes two hours—don’t have to stay for the whole thing. Lots of voting, friendly amendments, yays, nays, blocks, clarifying questions, points of information, hand gestures to signal assent, dissent, etc etc.  During the day, numerous working groups meet and present various proposals to the GA for consideration. That is how the recent letter to city officials was written. Thankfully, in my opinion, votes are based on a simple democratic vote, not consensus. But there is so much process before anything comes up for a vote that I think  there is ample space and time for all voices to be heard. That’s it for now. I thank those of you who have written personal messages and will get back to you as soon as possible. I have a bit of a break tomorrow and hope to get caught up on email and  . . . . Chemistry!
Special shouts out to my parents who have been incredibly supportive. I am well and safe and happy. Namaste,
Mary