Discussion: Grass Roots to Involve Minorities

[Official Occupy Tulsa]

This is an open forum discussion regarding performing a grass roots endeavor to involve the interests of local minorities to be voted on at the next General Assembly meeting. Anyone may lead off the discussion.

--C. J. Williams

[Official Occupy Tulsa]

Though I know we have a few people from various minorities, I find that our numbers tend to be very strongly on the Caucasian side (though understood that most Oklahomans have some Am-Indian blood, including myself).

The campaign I would like to propose involves more than just drawing in minorities, but everyone, but with a focus on minorities. Going into neighborhoods to draw out those who might normally be afraid to step out, or who might have the mistaken belief that this is not their fight.

We need to get people informed, not just by standing in a park or performing demonstrations like chaining to city hall, but by going into neighborhoods to pass out fliers and provide assistance to those who need it.

We need also to perform itinerant speeches in the courtyard between the courthouse and the library. Yes, I know we will have a Spokes Council, but this involves actions, the Spokes Council will be the ones performing the actions.

Any other ideas you have here, please offer them. What we need is to get people involved. We're barely skimming enough people to make a quorum at the GA, but if we can inspire more people to help out, it won't be such a hassle and we can get more help and show that the efforts of Occupy Tulsa are important and we can get more done more quickly.

That's just one point to identify advantage, but the real focus is getting the truth out there and letting people know that now is the time to get change. We need to address matters of race, age, sex and financial status.

We need also to help people understand that by helping to restore a middle class, it positively affects them personally, and their community in the long run. We can do this by showing how bad things have gotten, that the those who were poor before are even poorer now. We need to show them that the only way to raise the financial waters for them is to restore the middle class and oust the money from politics that has virtually eliminated the middle class.

We need to get as many people involved through grass roots as possible. Our message is out there, now its time to spread that message on a personal level.

--C. J. Williams

[Sandra]

CJ - I think there's a number of good ideas there. The group has (or previously had) an Outreach working group that I think should be re-formed, to formulate a number of different ways to reach out to all parts of town and various identity and issue groups. Previously mentioned that I remember at the moment: people of color, LGBT community, religious organizations, unions, high schools & universities, other social and economic justice organizations, N/S/E/W Tulsa.... what else?

I hope Visions & Goals can help provide some ideas for vision & mission statements (notes posted on FB group from their Saturday meeting), as well as clarification on general messaging 'talking points' that we can reach consensus on as a group. While there may not be as much racial diversity as would be ideal or desired, we certainly have a range of political viewpoints. For instance, I would disagree on focusing on the 'middle class', instead focusing on the issues that unite the 99% and impact all of them. The latest census shows that nearly 50% of Americans are officially 'low income' (http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/nearly-half-of-americans-are-low-income-as-rising-expenses-unemployment-shrink-middle-class/2011/12/15/gIQAP7SEvO_story.html

[quetzalhombre]

Folks need to hear Tim Wise on Rachel Maddow's show - Discussing Race in the #Occupy Movement.
www.timwise.org/2011/10/tim-wise-on-rachel-maddow-102111-discussing-race-in-the-occupy-movement/
Plus this: unsettlingamerica.wordpress.com/2011/12/13/occupy-wall-street-stirs-up-radical-ideas-in-indian-country/

[quetzalhombre]

Plus this article: Indians Counter Occupy Wall Street Movement With Decolonize Wall Street
We are not saying that whites need to leave, but they need to acknowledge that NYC and Tulsa were built on stolen Native land. If we do not acknowledge that the U.S. is a Settler Colonial state, (not to speak of the Tulsa Race Riot - The deadliest race riot in U.S. history), then real healing and reconciliation cannot happen.
Read more:http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/10/06/indians-counter-occupy-wall-street-movement-with-decolonize-wall-street-56946 indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/10/06/indians-counter-occupy-wall-street-movement-with-decolonize-wall-street-56946#ixzz1h3JmqygA

[Official Occupy Tulsa]

Thank you for sharing those links. I would like to post them tomorrow on the FB pages during the busiest time. Feel free to do it yourself if you think it's time and I haven't done it yet. I'd like people to read this stuff.

Dan posted the Decolonize poster on the OT website to stir up trouble, and as a result, he didn't explain what was behind it. (Probably because he didn't know what was behind it, simply using it to stir up trouble.)

Now that I have the full story behind it, I can appreciate it much more.

They're not actually asking to remove the U.S. from their land, but to remember the plight of the Indians in the language and goals of the Occupy movement. While "occupy" is a an unfortunate word in this context, we need to remember that our goal is to throw back the power of corporate America and the encroachment of capitalism and its role in oppressing minorities, and the disenfranchisement of people of color, in especially Native Americans. We need to address that inequality in order to improve the situation for everyone. Now that white America is in the same boat, we can take this opportunity to address the deficiencies through language that is inclusive to the minorities in rolling back the power of the corporations.

On a personal note, however, my support of the Mexican community, while wholly inclusive, does not extend to illegal immigrants. Illegal immigration is as damaging to the economy as counterfeiting, and is little better than Ponzi schemes and economic bubbles.

--C. J. Williams

[shannon]

The calendar that the Visions and Goals work group will be presenting soon includes at least two specific events that would necessitate the involvement of the Hispanic and African American community. One is El Dia de Nino, which is late April. This would be during a month of education themed as "Protect Our Natural Resources", namely children and the environment. The second would be on June 1st, the anniversary of the Tulsa Race Riot (technically it went on for days) but June 1st would be the beginning of a month themed "Occupy History".. We need to be asking ourselves where we've come from, how did we get here... If we can understand that, maybe we will have better footing as we try to move forward. In regard to the Tulsa Race Riot... the question might be "What would Wall Street look like if Black Wall Street had survived?"

I disagree with yyou wholeheartedly regarding the immigration issue C.J. As a second generation immigrant myself, I feel very strongly about this issue. My impression is that you don't understand the system (or lack thereof) for people to immigrate here legally from Mexico. The issue of the economy in this sense should be focused on the employers hiring and abusing the immigrants who do not share the same workers' rights as the rest of us.

No matter the issue or viewpoint regarding minorities, I hope to see this movement focused on fixing the problems of our economy and the damage done by the lack of accountability from big business. The Move Your Money Day survey clearly showed that there was a dearth of participation from North and East Tulsa. We aren't making sense to those groups yet. Whether to minorities or majorities communities, I hope we can focus on solutions and education.

[catfromok]

If you really want to attract more black/minority folks then I would suggest actually getting out mingling with them in an informal way. Why don't we just Occupy somewhere in North Tulsa some Saturday or Sunday afternoon as a way of introducing ourselves?

I know that the folks at Big Daddy's on N. Lewis are sympathetic to OT. I could ask them if the would mind us "occupying" their parking lot for a few hours. There is a QT across the street, so its one of the busier areas in NT. Also there is vacant shopping center on the corner of 36th and Peoria, I could find out who the owner is, & perhaps get permission to set up there an afternoon. This spot also gets alot of traffic.
-Cathy